The forest was silent. Too silent.
There were no crickets, no wind, and definitely no honking cars or sirens. Just the oppressive stillness of a wilderness filled with things that probably had glowing runes on their heads, or worse, tentacles growing out of places tentacles shouldn't grow.
Gamma walked through the underbrush, his armor humming softly.
"Okay, giant spaceship," Gamma muttered to himself. "You are three hundred tons of high-grade alloy and radiation. Stop playing hide and seek."
[SYSTEM SCANNING...] [Target: Perseus Hull Fragment] [Signal Strength: Weak. Interference detected.]
"Come on, darling. Daddy needs his toys."
While his internal computer crunched the numbers, Gamma found a fallen log and sat down. He wasn't just resting; he was baiting.
"Mein Gott," he sighed, leaning back. "Where is this 'super soldier' squad? Did they get lost? Did the goblin get stuck in a badger hole?"
He tapped the side of his helmet.
[THERMAL VISOR: ON]
The world turned into shades of blue and grey. And there, glowing in bright orange-red against the cold tree trunk, was a small, crouching figure.
[Target: Gobby (Goblin)] [Status: Hiding. Poorly.]
Gamma grinned behind his faceplate. "I see you, you little green rascal."
Gobby lunged. He moved fast, a blur of motion aimed at Gamma's exposed neck. But before he could connect, a second heat signature dropped from the branches above.
CLANG!
Kenta, the Oni assassin, drove his dagger down toward Gamma's helmet. The blade struck the molecularly reinforced alloy and snapped like a twig.
"What..." Kenta stared at his broken hilt. "How did you—?"
Gamma stood up, moving faster than his heavy armor should allow. He grabbed Kenta by the back of the neck and lifted him into the air like a kitten.
"Not bad," Gamma said, his voice amplified. "But tell me, Edge-Lord, where were you aiming?"
Kenta struggled, his legs kicking the air. "Your... skull."
"Wrong." Gamma dropped him. Kenta hit the dirt with a thud.
"Fun fact about anatomy," Gamma lectured, wagging a finger. "The skull is the thickest bone in the body. Especially for things that actually have brains. You want to kill me? Aim for the neck. The armpit. The groin. Don't be a hero, be a butcher."
WHOOSH.
A low blow. Gobby, capitalizing on the distraction, swung a club at Gamma's waist joint.
CLANG.
"Ah, there we go!" Gamma laughed. He didn't even flinch, but he lashed out with a casual kick, sending the goblin tumbling into a bush.
"Please! Gobby doesn't want to die!" the goblin wailed, covering his face.
"Oh, shut up, I'm not going to kill you," Gamma sighed. "Actually, good job. Why did you hit me in the waist?"
Gobby sniffled, peeking through his fingers. "Because... armor has gaps there. For movement."
"Bingo." Gamma gave him a thumbs up. "You're smarter than the emo kid."
He turned back to Kenta—but a cloud of grey smoke suddenly exploded in his face.
[VISUAL OBSTRUCTION DETECTED] [SWITCHING TO SONAR...]
By the time the smoke cleared, they were gone.
"Smoke bombs," Gamma chuckled, wiping ash from his visor. "Classic. Maybe there's hope for them yet."
[ALERT: WRECKAGE FOUND] [DISTANCE: 500 METERS NORTH]
Gamma's mood shifted instantly. "Playtime's over."
He found it half-buried in a ravine. The twisted metal of the Perseus hull jutted out of the earth like the ribcage of a dead god.
"Hello, beautiful," Gamma whispered.
He approached the airlock door. It was battered, but the console was intact. He pulled a cable from his wrist and plugged it in.
[ENCRYPTING IDENTITY...] [BYPASSING SECURITY...] [ACCESSING...]
CRUNCH.
A massive object slammed into Gamma's back.
He went flying. His 500-pound frame was tossed through the air like a ragdoll, smashing into a tree trunk with enough force to shake the leaves off.
"What the..." Gamma groaned, his HUD flashing red warnings.
Org stood there. The massive Orc held a mace the size of a fire hydrant.
"How does that feel, Marshal?" Org asked. His voice was deep, articulate, and surprisingly posh.
Gamma paused. "Wait... you can talk? Like, normal talk?"
Org blinked. His face went slack. "Uh... Org bash. Org is shield. Smash?"
"You literally just spoke in perfect common," Gamma accused.
"Org... confused!"
Before Gamma could press the issue, a rope whipped around his ankles. Gobby tightened the knot, binding his legs.
"Now!" Kenta shouted from the trees.
A throwing knife pinged off Gamma's helmet—a distraction. Org charged again, swinging the mace like a golf club.
BAM.
Gamma was pinned against the tree. Gobby and Kenta swarmed him, wrapping thick ropes around his arms and chest, binding him tight to the trunk.
Gamma struggled. The ropes groaned.
[WARNING: SERVO MOTOR JAMMED due to IMPACT] [MOBILITY: 0%]
"Well," Gamma muttered. "That's embarrassing."
Then, William stepped out from the bushes. The nervous mage looked terrified, but his hands were glowing with orange light.
"I... I'm sorry, my Lord!" William stammered. "BLAST!"
A magic circle erupted in front of Gamma's face. A torrent of magical fire consumed the tree, the ropes, and the armored Marshal.
The forest lit up. The heat was intense.
When the flames finally died down, the tree was a charred stump. Gamma hung limply in the ropes, his armor blackened, his visor dark. Smoke curled off his shoulders.
Silence fell over the squad.
"Umm... guys?" Org whispered, his eyes wide. "Did we just kill our new captain?"
"Oh no..." William fell to his knees, sobbing. "I used the Tier 3 spell! I panicked! I'm a murderer!"
"He's not dead," Kenta said, though he sounded unsure. He gripped his dagger.
"What makes you think that?" Org asked.
"Because... well, his armor is intact," Kenta reasoned. "Hey, if he is dead, we can sell that suit. It's worth a fortune."
Gobby stopped crying instantly. "Rich? Gobby likes rich."
"By the Goddess," Org sighed. "He was our only hope against the Angels, and we turned him into barbecue. We are doomed."
"He was just a Lower Devil," Kenta scoffed, stepping closer to the smoking figure. "He talked big, but he died like a chump. Now, help me strip the ar—"
WHIRRRRR.
The sound of a heavy servo motor cut through the silence.
The red light on Gamma's visor flickered. Then it blazed to life, a crimson eye in the dark.
[SYSTEM REBOOT COMPLETE] [HEAT SINKS: 100% CAPACITY] [COOLING INITIATED]
Gamma snapped the burnt ropes like they were wet toilet paper. He stepped out of the ash pile, brushing soot off his shoulder pauldron.
"Not bad," Gamma said casually, as if commenting on the weather. "That fireball? Little warm. Good for roasting marshmallows. Bad for killing me."
The squad stood frozen in terror.
Gamma walked up to Kenta and flicked the Oni's forehead.
"Who taught you that combo attack? The distraction, the bind, the heavy hit, the magic finish? That was professional."
"We... we improvised?" William squeaked.
"Good," Gamma nodded. "Next time, aim the fireball at my vents, not the chest plate. Now, let's go home. I'm hungry, and I smell like burnt wood."
The barracks were warm when they returned.
The smell of roasted meat and spices wafted out the door, hitting the exhausted soldiers like a physical blow.
They walked into the dining hall to find a table groaning under the weight of food. Roast chicken, stews, fresh bread, fruits—it was a feast fit for a king, not a squad of rejects.
"Welcome home!"
Rie stood by the table, wearing an apron that was slightly too big for her. She beamed at them, her crimson eyes sparkling.
"I cooked!" she announced proudly. "Since it's your first mission, I thought we should celebrate!"
The squad stared at the food, drooling.
Gamma lifted his visor. "Kid, this looks amazing. But... where did you get the money?"
"Oh! I used the gold pouch Roz gave us!" Rie chirped.
Gamma froze. "The... the operational budget? For supplies? For the whole month?"
Rie tilted her head, smiling. It was an innocent smile. A dangerous smile.
"Yup! All of it!"
"So..." Gamma looked at the squad, then back at Rie. "You're saying we're broke. On day one."
"We are broke!" Rie cheered. Then her face crumbled slightly, her eyes getting watery. "But... you said the team is family. And family eats together, right?"
She looked like she was about to cry.
Gamma looked at the empty money pouch. He looked at his terrified, exhausted squad. He looked at Rie's trembling lip.
He sighed, defeated.
"Alright, alright," Gamma waved his hand. "Sit down, you idiots. Let's eat."
"If we starve next week," he whispered to himself as he grabbed a chicken leg, "I'm eating the goblin first."