"Ah fuck, we are really going to get it now," Sirona said, hanging her head, her hands slumped on her knees as if the weight of impending doom was physically crushing her spine.
"Well, it is your guys' fault that you gave such lackluster responses to the captain," Nekro said, arms crossed, glaring down at the other three sprawled pathetically across the grass like defeated puppies. Her voice was sharp and clipped, and she was clearly trying not to say, "I told you so"—though it was all over her face anyway.
"Well, sorry that we didn't know what to say," Brenda muttered bitterly, shooting an annoyed glare back at Nekro without lifting her head too much. Her tone made it clear she would rather face a fireball to the face than this lecture.
"Hey, now don't start fighting over something as simple as not talking," I said as I appeared next to Brenda in a blink of red-black smoke. My sudden arrival made all of them freeze, except Brenda—who barely got the chance before my foot slammed into her side, sending her flying backwards in a clean arc.
"Sis!?" Sirona yelled, eyes wide as she watched her older sister fly past her, tumbling over the grass like a ragdoll. She moved to react.
"Don't get distracted!" Nekro snapped, grabbing Sirona's shoulder and pulling her back just in time to make my throwing knife miss by a hair. The blade embedded itself into the ground behind her with a soft thud and a dangerous shimmer of ice magic curling around the handle.
"Shit, we're going to be killed if we don't give a decent fight," Brenda groaned, staggering back toward the group while clutching her ribs. Her clothes were scuffed, and her glare at me didn't hide the pain.
"You guys have your weapons now, right?" I asked, standing tall, cracking my knuckles casually, like this was more of a warm-up than an actual threat.
"Yes?" Apricot muttered hesitantly, raising her hand halfway like a student answering the wrong question in class.
"Now get them out before I drill you guys into the ground with my fists," I said, my tone flat and terrifying, the sound of bones popping from my knuckles ringing ominously in the silence.
"Apricot, get behind and use it," Nekro ordered quickly, summoning five humanoids in a circle with practiced precision. Bones shifted under flesh as the grotesque creatures assembled behind her.
"Your necromancy is still fucking weird," I muttered, conjuring an ice spear in my hand, its blade longer and broader than usual, the edge practically humming with magical sharpness.
"Hup!" Brenda cried out, lunging at me with her blade, her battle cry louder than necessary.
"Don't announce yourself now," I scolded, easily batting her sword away with the blunt side of my spear. The impact rang like a bell, and she stumbled from the rebound.
"Uh, right," Brenda said, her voice cracking as her eyes locked onto my incoming foot heading straight for her again.
"Oh." I stopped mid-kick, my instincts flaring. I twisted my body, dodging just in time as an arrow whistled past, infused with a terrifying amount of mana.
"Sirona, that was quite the arrow," I said with interest, watching the spot where it landed crumble into dust. The very ground hissed with residual magic as it collapsed inward.
I jumped sideways, dodging Nekro's humanoid corpses as they lunged toward me. Their jerking movements were grotesque but coordinated—still predictable. As I spun midair, I cast a glance at Apricot, wondering what she was planning. She looked too pleased.
'Hmm, Chinada will be a problem as well,' I thought, narrowing my eyes as I searched for her aura. Nothing. That alone made me uneasy.
"Hmm." I frowned, realizing I couldn't sense Chinada anywhere. My feet hit something soft—too soft. I looked down.
A rune. A magic circle. Oh, hell.
"Hehe," I heard Apricot snicker off to the side like a kid who just pulled a prank on her sibling.
"You dumb dog," I hissed, realizing I'd stepped into a trap spell.
Boom!
A fiery explosion erupted beneath me, engulfing the area in smoke and force.
"Got her!" Apricot cheered, hands thrown in the air like she had just won a tournament. The moment was short-lived.
As the smoke cleared, she felt a sudden chill and stiffened, realizing too late that a strong arm had wrapped around her shoulders.
"Did you, now?" I said softly next to her ear, watching the blood drain from her face as she stared at the fading cloud of red and black smoke where I had reappeared.
"Ah, Aaaah! Help!" Apricot screeched, flailing wildly, only to feel a cold chain wrap tightly around her waist.
"Bye," I said, casually waving before letting go of the chain.
'No one tried to interfere.' I glanced at the rest of them. Sirona, Nekro, and Brenda—all frozen, eyes locked on Apricot's silhouette as she soared into the sky with a sharp scream.
"Kyaaa!"
"Wow, you really are a monster. Will she be okay?" Nekro asked, shifting slightly toward the spot where Apricot had been.
"Don't worry about her now. Worry about yourself," I said, suddenly appearing in front of Nekro. My spear came down in a sharp horizontal slash.
Clang!
"Nekro, move back!" Brenda shouted, appearing between us and catching the spear with her sword. The force made her boots skid backward across the ground.
"Right." Nekro nodded and darted back, falling behind Sirona for cover.
"Let's see how much better you've gotten with that sword of yours," I said, twirling the spear around and jabbing forward.
"Alright, but I'm not alone," Brenda said just as a hand burst from the shadow beneath me, latching onto my ankle.
"Uh, I know," I muttered, instantly freezing the hand solid before shattering it with a sharp twist of my leg. Looking back, I saw Chinada rising from the darkness, two daggers already in her grip.
Sighing, I spun the spear, the shaft hitting her square in the chest and sending her flying back with a gasp.
"Hey, that is no good," I said, redirecting my attention. Brenda was already trying to counter, raising her sword again. I jumped up, flipped midair, and landed on the flat of her blade.
"What the—!?" she exclaimed.
As I landed, I swung my spear down to the side—perfect timing.
Bang.
I batted away an arrow from Sirona that would've gone right through me.
"Eh!?" Brenda gasped, trying to wrench her sword away from under my feet.
"KYAAAAAA!" A scream echoed again from above.
"Sigh, you're lucky," I said, launching myself up and catching Apricot in a smooth princess carry.
"Help!!!"
"Shut up already," I said, exasperated, as I floated down to the ground.
"O-oh, thank you, Mom," Apricot sniffled, looking like she had aged five years from sheer terror.
"Yeah, well, this got real boring fast. Hmm, you know what? Let's restart it all," I said, casually dropping her onto the grass.
"What do you mean restart?" Nekro asked, head tilted, clearly suspicious.
"Get information and attack me," I replied, putting distance between us with a few easy steps.
"Ah, I see. Are you ready?" Brenda asked, tightening her grip on her sword and stepping forward again with renewed energy.
"Give me a second," Apricot said, pulling out six puppets from her storage scroll. They unfolded into grotesque humanoid shapes with metal limbs and glass eyes.
'Six, huh? I was genuinely surprised, thinking it was way more than I expected, but I kept my face blank.
"Is that all you can do, Apricot?" I said coldly.
"Tsk. Nekro, show her." Apricot gestured without turning.
"Okay," Nekro replied. She slammed her hands together, and the air rippled with dark energy.
I felt it immediately—an intense pressure.
"So this is how devil mana actually feels," I mumbled, intrigued. In contrast to my own mana, which I couldn't sense unless I was actively using it, Nekro's mana radiated malevolence like a furnace spewing hatred.
"I don't even need to try to feel the malice," I thought, watching the ground darken.
"May you follow?" Nekro whispered, her voice reverberating with a strange echo. Then she slammed her palms into the ground.
The air turned foul.
'27 seconds to summon… 46 corpses!?' I thought, baffled, watching skeletal soldiers claw their way from the ground, some still wearing bits of tattered armor.
"It's as creepy as always," Sirona muttered, clearly disgusted.
"Hey, it's one of our best skills! You can only shoot arrows—and you haven't even hit one at all," Apricot said, glaring at her.
"What did you say!? Do you know how difficult it is to shoot someone that fast!?" Sirona snapped, spinning on her.
"Hey! Not the time, guys," I shouted, slamming my foot into the ground and unleashing a wave of ice magic. The temperature dropped instantly.
Shards of ice burst from beneath them, destroying all of Nekro's summoned corpses in one sweep and knocking everyone off their feet.
Apricot fell with a yelp. Chinada helped Sirona and Brenda up.
"Ag, sorry," Apricot mumbled, not even raising her head.
"Whatever. I lost any motivation for this," I said, letting my magic dissipate. The field returned to normal, silence washing over it.
I turned and jumped back into the mansion, leaping cleanly through the same shattered window we'd exited earlier.
"Huh, you're back?" Mom asked, glancing over her shoulder from the lounge seat.
"Yeah, they are a disappointment," I said, walking past her and straight toward Kayda, who was sulking in the corner with her arms crossed.
"Kayda dearest, Are you okay?" I mumbled, lowering myself to her level.
"No!" she yelped, avoiding my eyes entirely.
"Oh, come on, you ditched me first," I said, scooping her up into a big bear hug, lifting her feet off the ground.
"No, let me go!" Kayda whined and flailed dramatically, but her punches were more like taps than actual strikes.
"Not happening~," I hummed, holding her tighter, cheek pressing against hers.
"Wow, you two, really... I will shut up," Mom said, watching us, only to shut her mouth quickly under our mutual glare.
"You are a meany," Kayda mumbled finally, arms drooping.
"Says the one who leaves her girlfriend behind and escapes on her own," I teased, walking over to the couch and sitting down with her still on my lap.
"Hmph!" she huffed, looking away but not moving off me.
"Right, so Kitsuna, what do you think about your squad?" Mom asked, arching a brow, clearly fishing for feedback.
"They talk far too much. They're more useless than me at five years old."
"You don't even know how you were at five. But I get your point. They do talk too much," Mom said, nodding solemnly.
"It made me lose interest in them."
"...Sigh. Are you sure?" Mom asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Yeah. Do what you want with them. I don't care," I said flatly.
"Tell me if you change your mind, okay?"
"I doubt I will, but sure. I'll tell you."
"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Kayda said, confused.
I no longer want to be part of the crazy squad. They're too useless. My mom trained them for three months, and they're just a bit stronger. But as a squad? Weaker than a colony of puppies," I explained with a shrug.
"Ah, don't you think you're jumping the gun?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, you only saw them fight you. Not real enemies."
"Pfft, they'll die if I leave them to enemies," I laughed.
"...Stacy, just transfer them to me instead," Kayda said after a pause.
"Are you sure?" Mom asked, surprised.
"Yes. The fox will change her mind sometime."
"Tsk. I highly doubt that," I said, clicking my tongue.
'I don't think she realizes what I'm doing,' I thought, glancing at the door. Apricot was sitting behind it, sniffling.
"They're more useless than before I left. Are you sure you actually trained them, Mom?" I asked with a pointed look.
"Sigh, don't start it."
"Alright."
"When do we go to the Kuni?" Kayda asked, shifting the topic.
"Anytime you guys are ready," Mom said.
"What, really? Alright, then, let us go," Kayda said, sliding off my lap reluctantly.
"Wait, let me get our things first," I said, getting up and heading out.
Closing the door behind me, I spotted Apricot curled up on the floor.
"Sniff."
You guys better get better fast. Teamwork is the most important… "Well, when it comes to squads," I thought, walking past her toward my room without saying a word.