"Soldier..."
The voice emanated from the void, narrowly capturing the attention of Jane Doe.
"Soldier..."
In his dreamscape, which he found quite lacking in patriotic fervor, he glanced around. He could have sworn that it came from Tavish.
"Soldier!"
"Gah!" The helmeted mercenary jerked and and jumped frantically to his feet. A hand launched into a salute as his helmet nearly fell off his head. "Reporting for duty! I was not sleeping whilst on guard, I swear!"
"Solly!" Demoman called, placing his hand on the shoulders of his best friend. "Finally we got ye tae wake the hell up."
"I was not sleeping!" Soldier insisted fervently. "I was just resting my eyes! Perfectly acceptable conduct during wartime, Demo!"
The demolitions expert knew arguing the point was not worth it. "As ye say. It's good tae see ya, mate."
Soldier realized that Demoman was indeed in his presence. He dropped the salute and gave a crooked grin at the Scottish Cyclops. "Tavish! Boy is this old war dog glad to see you!"
"I'll say." The two men gave a firm handshake and a pat on the back.
"If you two sentimental fools are done with the reintroductions, we have a schedule to keep." Came the sardonic tone of the mercenaries' mutual French associate.
"Oh c'mon Spy," came Scout from the side, "don't tell me you aren't glad ta see us."
"If I never saw any of you simpletons again, it would be too soon."
"Yeah yeah, sure Frenchie."
"Wait." Soldier interjected. "Where the hell are we men? Last time I remembered, I was being talked to by some ghost hand maggot. I tried to interrogate him to see if he was a communist ghost, but then a magic door popped up."
To anyone else, Soldier's words were pure madness. The others knew better, as they had received proper introductions by Master Hand before arriving in the Smash Mansion.
"At first, I thought maybe Merasmus had come to rescue me. So I barged in through the door. Then, I found myself marching on a stage. There were all kinds of monsters and hippies and robots in the audience! It was an anti-American nightmare! I drew my rocket launcher using my American willpower, only for some puffball with blue eyes to hop up on stage and sing me to sleep! Did you boys rescue me? Is this a trap, and we have to blast and shoot our way through an army of colorful communist bastards?!"
"Soldier," Heavy stated, "team is not in danger. Team was invited to fight in tournament with fighters from many worlds. The giant hand is Master Hand, and he brought team here to fight for job."
"A job?" Soldier asked. "Does that mean Mann. Co wanted to contract us again?"
"No." Engineer stated. "Master Hand is basically the head honcho of this world, and he graciously invited us as fighters. Our skills from our days as mercenaries can now be applied to a fightin' tournament. That's why we're here, Soldier."
The patriotic warrior hummed in acknowledgment. "So, are we stuck here?"
"No." Heavy assured him. "Heavy knows from personal experience that we can come and go as we please. Teammates do not need to fight if they do not want to."
"No need to fight?!" Soldier asked. "You don't know this patriot, Sputnik! Now let's get to kicking some ass like in the old days!"
"Hell yeah!" Scout yelled in agreement.
"Not so fast, babies." Heavy said. "Heavy needs to give you tour. Besides, fighting in Super Smash Bros. is not like fighting at old job. Team needs to train before any fighting goes on."
"Well, vhat are we vaiting for mein freund? Let's go!" Medic exclaimed.
Heavy smiled. "Let us begin."
The tour of the Smash Mansion was almost identical to the one Heavy was given by Tetha, but there were some differences. Firstly, Heavy left the Smash Mansion with the other mercenaries first and foremost. They traveled along the Unirail and all of its stops, with Mikhail meticulously explaining the purpose of each hub, building, and establishment.
With extra eyes and hands to keep the more problematic of their number under control, there was little in terms of scandal or disruption. All of that being said, there were some annoyances to deal with.
Scout started to irritate the other mercs with repetitive or stupid questioning.
"Are we there yet?"
"Team will get there when we get there."
"Where's the frickin' bathroom?"
"Little man will have to hold tiny baby bladder."
"What time is it?"
"Heavy does not know."
"Are we the-"
"Scout, if you ask that question one more bloodeh time, I will glass ye in the head so hard that yew'll need a haircut by the time ye wake up."
Soldier was uniquely concerned about whether the gang was still technically in America. Thankfully, being the gullible man he was, Jane was calmed when Heavy insisted that they were in the heartland of America. This would no doubt complicate things in regards to Soldier's interactions with other Smashers, but Misha had an idea to pass the word on how the other Smashers could avoid needless conflict with the rocket jumping maniac.
Pyro was distracted from his more destructive addiction to flames with a small lighter that Heavy had acquired just prior to arriving at the theatre room in the Smash Mansion. The small flame it produced proved sufficient to keep the Pyro occupied whilst the exploration of the areas connected to the Unirail and its branching lines.
As for Medic, he was keeping his disturbing comments about dissection and experimentation to himself. For now.
Arriving back at the Smash Mansion, Heavy gave them a general overview of the gardens and courtyards on the outside. Scout happily took the time to show off his agility among the trees, flower bushes, fountains, and other makeshift obstacles. It was mildly annoying to Mikhail, but the young man had avoided making any accidents, so that small blessing was taken as it was.
The mercenaries were back inside when Heavy made an announcement. "Now we shall have break with training."
"Uh... what?" Asked Scout.
"Team needs to learn how to fight as Smasher. Is not the same when in the middle of a match. Heavy will show you soon enough."
"But what about me, Spy, and the doc?" Sniper asked. "We're just gonna assist people in battle at random. Not like we can do much in the way of training."
"Which I find to be disappointing." Spy interjected. "I was looking forward to placing my knife in one of your spines, like old times, of course."
Engineer, Sniper, and Heavy did not take the joke lightly, but the latter did have an idea. Luckily, Mario happened to be in the hallway.
"Mario!" Called Heavy.
"Ah, hello." Greeted the plumber. "How-a has your tour been?"
"Is good, but team needs to know what to do with Medic, Sniper, and Spy. They are assist trophies, so what are they to do?"
"Housing for assist trophies and non-representative Smashers are-a located near the Grand Station." Mario explained. "It is not common-a knowledge on a typical tour. If you like, I can show them the way."
The fact that there was separate housing for non-Smasher characters was a relief. Spy and Sniper in particular were noted for their preferences to be alone whenever possible. Medic, though a friend to some degree by Mikhail's standards, would be a constant source of uneasiness for the other Smashers, who were unused to the morbid pastimes that the doctor in name only enjoyed. On the bright side, the three support mercenaries would be close enough to keep the team together, while providing sufficient space for them to do business outside of battle.
"That alright with you three?" Engineer asked. "You can get yourselves settled in whatever place Mario has in mind while the six of us try out this Trainin' Mode Heavy's been talkin' about."
"Fine by me." Sniper said.
"Fine, though I have my doubts about the quality of housing present. I have exquisite tastes, after all."
"I suppose zat vill do for me as well." Medic said. "We should probably have a time table for vhen to meet up again."
"High noon." Engineer suggested.
Scout let out a laugh. "Of course the cowboy wants us to meet at 12:00."
"I'm bein' serious, Scout. That'd be the perfect time for us to get some grub at the food court. It's not like we had a chance to have breakfast, ya know?"
"Fully agreed!" Soldier yelled. "1200 hours would be perfect for us to engage in the second most important meal of the day: a classic, American lunch!"
"Very well." Heavy said. "At noon, we will meet up at front of Smash Mansion. Heavy can lead team to food court and have good meal." Mario departed with the three support mercenaries while Heavy led the remaining ex Mann Co. employees inside the Smash Mansion.
Heavy, Scout, Soldier, Pyro, Demoman, and Engineer were now within the confines of the Training Mode version of the Battlefield. Taking inspiration from Tetha's regiment to train him, he took it upon himself to let his fellow mercenaries understand the extent of their abilities.
"Fighting as Smasher is not like Mann Co. job." The Russian explained. "There is limited room to move, and there is no spawn room to use as defense. Key is to defeat opponent, usually by taking stocks."
"Stocks?" Scout asked.
"I thought we were fighting, not investing." Soldier growled.
Heavy stayed patient, breathing out in exasperation. "Stock is like chance to respawn. Standard match is two or three stocks, or chances to stay in battle. If opponent takes all of your stocks, you lose."
"Okay, so how do we lose these... stock things?" Scout questioned.
"Come, little Scout." Heavy led the youngest of the mercs to the edge of the Battlefield. Then, without warning, he grabbed Scout and threw him with all of his might. The skinny fighter could only shriek in horror as he fell into the void, before a colorful blast of energy indicated that he had received an up close interaction with the blast zone.
As the other mercenaries stared off in mild shock at Heavy for his actions, a respawn platform appeared above Battlefield. A somewhat traumatized Scout jumped off and stomped up to the strongman who had just KO'd him.
"What the hell?!"
"That is how baby men lose stock."
"Could ya not have just told us?!"
"No. Experience is best teacher." Heavy turned to the rest of the mercenaries, who could not help but take a step back, hoping they did not have to receive a personal KO. "Now, let us begin with training."
Foremost in Mikhail's instruction was getting his fellow mercenaries acquainted with their newfound mobility. Scout found himself becoming put out: his once singular ability to jump twice in the air was now made redundant. However, this down turn in Scout's spirit evaporated when he discovered he could effortlessly jump a third time in the air. At once, he gleefully experimented with his ability to move about, timing his jumps to juke around and across the gaps between the floating platforms on Battlefield.
The transition to double jumping was a bit uneasy for the other mercenaries, but soon the remaining four newcomers were comfortably jumping around. Pleased with the mobility exercises, Heavy moved on to defending.
"Focus in order to make shield, like this." Heavy made a guarding pose with both of his arms, and a crimson, glass-like barrier surrounded his body. It slowly began to shrink over the three seconds it was up, then it disappeared as Heavy relaxed. "Shield can protect from attacks, but if shield is broken, you will be vulnerable."
The others followed through. Some took to shielding better than others, but soon everyone was able to put up a defensive barrier. Demoman even noticed how his Charge N' Targe shield appeared on his left arm when he was concentrating.
"Defense is also about avoiding damage." Heavy continued. "Shield takes time to build up after use. Dodging is good option against powerful hits and projectiles."
Mikhail went through all the motions, with roll dodging, side dodges, as well as air dodges. His mercenary comrades found themselves surprised at how easy it was to perform the various jukes and evasions that were available. Scout especially enjoyed testing out his aerial dodges.
Finally, Mikhail explained that each of them had a select number of attacks and special skills at their disposal, not all of which were explicit attacks. He showed off his Mini-guns, being careful not to level the bullets at the other mercenaries. Likewise, he demonstrated the use of his Sandvich as a healing option.
"Team will know what is available and not. As Master Hand says: it is matter of willpower. Some things will show, and some things will not. Use what you have to best ability."
Basic attacks were an easy matter. Everyone used their classic melee weapons from their days in Mann Co. The same could be said of their "tilt" attacks and aerial attacks. It was when special attacks came along that each mercenary discovered the extent of their potential.
Scout was overjoyed to have his Scattergun in his hands again. The sound of its thunderous blast and the satisfying click of shells being reloaded made him feel like he was back at Upward, Highpass, or Viaduct. It was only a matter of time before Scout started to practice attacking while jumping and running. With every swing of his bat or firing of his Scattergun, the blood pumped precipitously through his veins. Jeremy became happy again, and the other mercenaries soon heard him expressing his joy aloud.
"Woo ho ho hoo!" Cried Scout as he jumped and juked around, a Scattergun in his hands. He was pleasantly surprised that not only was his primary weapon fully available, but he could still use it whilst on the move. He could not use his newly acquired third jump whilst doing so, but he was too excited to let this fact dampen his spirits.
"Yeah! Dat's what I'm talkin' about!"
"Scout!" Shouted Heavy. "Battle is more than jumping and shooting gun." Indeed, Scout had become transfixed with using his Scattergun and aerial attacks without using any other techniques.
"Aww c'mon man! This is a freakin' blast! Let me have my fun. I haven't felt this free in ages!"
The sound of an explosion filled the air, and before Scout realized it, the Soldier had launched himself above the young man. With a swing of the Market Gardener, the Scout was swatted down to the ground. The Soldier landed next to the prone form of his junior comrade, the smoke under his boots fading.
"That's enough of your frolicking, city boy! If we're gonna be kicking the asses of those Smasher hippies, then we are going to sharpen every skill we have!" Soldier roughly grabbed Scout and settled him shakily on his feet. "Now less jumping and more bat swinging, private minor league!"
Soldier had quickly recovered his rocket jumping skills. Time and again, he tested out numerous approaches and tactical retreats, sometimes reaching the other side of the stage with his jumps. Upon landing, he transitioned to attacking with his shovel or pulled out a shotgun for longer ranged attacks. His practicing was more wholistic than Scout's, though it would be more accurate to call his regiment unpredictable and scatterbrained.
He was mildly surprised to find he could jump twice in the air, but Jane found himself enjoying the new options for attacking an opponent much more. Soldier experimented freely with everything at his disposal, and he did so without complaint or any hint of exhaustion. One thing he was disappointed in was that there was little in the way of target practice, but the Soldier stayed focused on his "technique" for the time being. All in all, Soldier was having the easiest time adapting to fighting in an arena setting with an emphasis on individual skill.
Demoman was equally having fun practicing his aim with his grenade launcher and Eyelander. Time and again he practiced jumping away and shooting at as of yet, non-existent opponents. Much like his rocket launching best friend, he took the time to understand what options and attacks he could use in a potential situation. There was, however, one significant frustration: his sticky grenade launcher could only place a single sticky on the ground.
"Whit's this?" He questioned. Every time he launched the special explosive, the one launched prior disappeared into thin air. "Me bloodeh stickies are broken!"
"Calm down, Demoman." Heavy assured him. "It is likely way to balance power of sticky launcher."
"Balance? Whit dew ya mean balance?"
At this, all of the other mercenaries gave the demolitions expert a very pointed look.
"Tavish," Engineer said, "have you forgotten what your damn sticky launcher can do?"
Dustbowl: 1968
"We have commandeered this point!" Yelled the BLU Soldier. BLU team had managed to steamroll through the initial defenses, taking out most of the RED team. Only Sniper, Demoman, Spy, and Medic had managed to fall back to the last point just outside of the RED team spawn.
The BLU team eagerly sprinted to take advantage of the fact that it would take a considerable amount of time for over half of the RED team to respawn. All it would take was a push past a winding around a narrow pairs of corridors. Soldier and Scout went ahead, the former rocket jumping off of the walls with incredible skill.
"That point is as good as mine!" BLU Soldier hollered confidently.
"Not if I get there first!" BLU Scout ram and jumped as fast as his legs could carry him.
As they rounded the final corner before the second and final control point, they saw a black, Scottish cyclops with a red uniform giving a vicious smirk. In his hand was his sticky launcher.
Soldier and Scout did not even manage to turn in order to fall back before the RED Demoman clicked the detonation button near the propulsion trigger. The line of sticky bombs just feet away from the charging BLU team members erupted. Blood, guts, limbs, and shrapnel festooned the area.
Further down the corridor, the rest of the BLU team heard the blast.
The BLU Demoman paled. "Oh, this is not good..."
"What is drunken baby talking about?" Asked the BLU Heavy.
The answer came via a barrage of glowing, red sticky bombs. Unfortunately for the Heavy and Medic, the latter had already used his Ubercharge on the offensive push that had allowed them to capture the first control point. All that the BLU team could do was scream as they were turned into blood-soaked gibs of flesh and BLU issued clothing. In the end, all that was left in the corridor was the messy remains of most of the BLU team.
At the far end, a pair of RED team members thoroughly enjoyed the death and destruction they had wrought.
"Ha ha ha! Vhat a bloodbath!" Declared the Medic as the Demoman he had Kritzkrieged spun about and posed in a celebratory spin.
"Guts and glory, doc! There's absolutely nothing a DeGroot cannae handle!"
"Ahh, I ne'er got tired of that." Demoman reminisced.
"Yeah, but just imagine that power in a Smash battle." Engineer pressed.
"But I had Medic givin' me crits!"
"Tavish, just two of your damn stickies can kill most of the team. Trust me, it wouldn't be fair to the other Smashers if you could put down multiple bombs while most people can barely use two at the same time."
The Demoman sighed, conceding the point and moving on to other attacks in his arsenal.
Pyro had two unique challenges: convincing it to not use its skills directly against the other mercs and reminding it multiple times that its flamethrower and flare gun were not the only tools in its arsenal. Heavy remembered that a Sandbag could be used as a target and decided to direct the mumbling mercenary's attention towards it. He summoned one of the motionless targets and ordered Pyro to do the worst it could do to the vacant-eyed sack.
It became clear that Pyro's attacks by themselves did not do much in terms of damage. His fire axe inflicted little knock back, same as his non combustible attacks. His Smash attacks, done by themselves, were not much more impressive. To the Pyro's delight, his fire-based attacks and weapons inflicted afterburn. The burning debuff lasted only five seconds, but whenever Pyro attacked with specific moves or weapons whilst the Sandbag burned, it was launched a considerable distance. Having discovered this offense-based mechanic, the Pyro had the time of its life, juggling the Sandbag with the goal of keeping it in the air as long as possible.
Meanwhile, Engineer was not sure of what to do. He discovered that he could build a level three sentry, dispenser, and Teleporter, though the latter was restricted to a single, revolving port, as opposed to the entrance and exit that he was so used to. The sentry had to be relocated to the far end of the stage, lest it target the other mercenaries; their shared coloration did not prevent it from targeting them the moment it was fully activated.
Beyond the buildings, there were other perks that proved quite useful to the defense minded genius. Engineer quickly discovered that he could more easily traverse over his buildings thanks to his double jump. When using his "Smash attacks," as Heavy described them, he found that his shotgun could change its form, depending on how long he "wound up" the attack.
Unfortunately, Engineer was stumped as to how he was going to practice his skills more. He was not a very effective fighter in one on one engagements. His primary strength was maintaining his buildings, relying on the sentry, in particular, to deal damage and take down any potential threats. This strategy had its limitations, but in a one on one, or even group battle, Engineer was hard pressed to think of how practical an entire "nest" of buildings would be.
His metal supply was limited, as shown when he had to wait a considerable amount of time for his level one dispenser to refill it back up. It took multiple swings of his wrench to upgrade his individual buildings, making Engineer a sitting duck, especially against an opponent who could attack him safely from a distance. All of the calculations in Dell Conagher's head did not add up to a strong package for a capable Smasher. Doubt now filled his head as he stood, glancing over his buildings.
"Darn." He muttered. "No other way of puttin' it: I'm obsolete without my buildings, but I can't reliably build them unless my adversely just up and lets me build them." Dell knew that no serious contender would let him get that far, and it depressed him that, outside of a potential team battle, he was a detriment to the team.
"Hey hard hat, what's with the long face?"
"I'm not convinced I can do well in these brawls, Scout."
"Why not?"
"My primary strength is usin' my machines to do most of the heavy liftin'. If I spend time and energy settin' up and upgrading my sentry and the rest, I'll just get jumped and get the tar beaten outta me."
"Doesn't Engineer have little sentry to use?" Asked Heavy.
"Hey, dat's right! Why not use that mini-sentry thing?"
Engineer perked up at the idea. 'How could I have plum forgot that little thing?' Glancing at his gloved right hand, he gripped at the sleeve and slowly removed it. Underneath was not a normal flesh and bone hand, but a mechanical prosthesis with dexterous, construction grade steel fingers and a pressure dial which varied as the wrist and fingers rotated and flexed.
The sound of the level three sentry exploding startled Engineer. He saw that, indeed, the heavily upgraded killing machine was now a loose collection of sparking, crimson junk. Dell glared at Demoman and Soldier, suspecting that they had something to do with the unceremonious destruction.
The two explosives users were currently engaged in a melee duel, though they had stopped in their tracks to stare at the ruined sentry as everyone else had. Engineer sighed, suspecting that the loss of the level three gun was related to balance, or some other limitation. Ignoring that tangle, he walked over to the location of where the large sentry used to be. With a spark of his will, another tool box appeared in his hands, and he lowered it down to the ground.
"Buildin' a sentry." Just as Engineer had hoped, the sentry that emerged was noticeably smaller than uneven the standard level one sentry gun. It had a checkered body of red and white and had a bright siren light haphazardly taped onto the chamber portion of the gun.
Dell was quite pleased. "Heck fire. That gives me a bit more flexibility. Just have to be smart about putting this feller down." The Engineer, now assured of his ability to fight outside of his comfort zone, started to experiment with aerial attacks and close quarters fighting.
The only step left for them was to practice their skills against each other.
"You'll neva' hit me! You'll neva' hit me!" Sang Scout as he and Pyro sparred against one another. To call the event a spar was a bit generous, as it involves Scout jumping around and evading any attempt by Pyro to hit him. Occasionally, Jeremy would transition into using his pistol, which he used to take pot shots at the increasingly frustrated pyromaniac.
Beneath the gas mask, the Pyro was frustrated as why its "friend" would not stand still. All Pyro wanted to do was to spread "happiness" to everyone. The jumping about was becoming very tiring, and Pyro could not sustain his "happy" vibes forever.
At last, Scout juked at just the right angle for Pyro to draw out its Thermal Thruster. With the push of two buttons on the arms of the jet pack, the rockets on the back fired up, and Pyro launched towards Scout. The big mouthed mercenary could only stare in scared disbelief as he saw Pyro fly at him, its flamethrower in its gloved grasp.
Scout learned from that point, to take care about teasing his enemies.
Soldier and Demoman were engaged in a thrilling battle of bombs and blasts. Demoman had one advantage in that he could move more readily while firing his grenade launcher. Conversely, Soldier could effortlessly launch himself to one side of Battlefield or the other with a rocket jump. Once he got in close, Soldier proved to be a vicious melee fighter.
The two old friends were neck and neck, with each of them having taken one make believe "stock" in an unofficial match with no audience besides the other four mercenaries. Each man traded jests at each other, just like they did back in the days of the Gravel Wars.
"You've gotten rusty, cyclops!" Soldier yelled gleefully. "I've seen old ladies with better aim than you!"
"Now that ye mention it, private haircut, yer rockets are missin' me by a bloodeh mile!" Came the reply.
Eventually, the action came to a standstill. Both had grown tired of shooting each other from a distance. Something had to give.
Soldier made another rocket jump, propelling himself high into the air. Demoman countered by jumping twice in the air and drawing his Eyelander and Charge N' Targe. He dashed thunderously in the air towards his helmeted friend, whilst the latter drew his Market Gardener. Whomever landed the blow would win in this first to two KO's bout.
Shovel and long sword swung at perpendicular angles. American patriot and Scottish demolition's expert let out cries of pain. Both were enveloped with dark, crimson energy as both were blasted away into opposite sides of the blast zone. Each lost a stock, much to the entertainment of the other mercenaries.
If one asked either Soldier or Demoman who won that first spar, each would claim victory. The old friends knew otherwise.
Engineer scrambled to the other side of the stage and jumped onto a platform. He quickly peeled off his construction glove and set down his mini sentry. "Buildin' a sen-"
A hail of heavy bullets tore apart the small tripod before it even fully erected itself. At the platform directly opposite, Heavy raised the smoking barrel of Sasha with a stoic look on his face.
"Do not forget opponent is near. They will not let you build, Engineer." He cautioned.
Dell let out a sigh. He jumped off of the platform and drew his pistol, firing three shots in Heavy's direction. The strongman shielded himself from the bullets and saw that the Engineer was dropping below the platform he was on. Mikhail dropped down, drawing his Mini-gun. Instead of landing in front of Engineer, he saw that Engineer was directly behind him.
Before he could react, Heavy was grabbed by the collar. Engineer hauled him around and behind him before drawing out a standard issue Mann Co. trench gun. With the blast of a single shell, Heavy groaned as he was thrown a fair distance away.
Knowing better than to let up on this assault, Engineer made a desperate attempt to add pressure on his old coworker. He managed to dash forward and throw a spare toolbox at Heavy, which impacted his gut. For a few seconds, Engineer looked close to landing a combo. He threw two punches with his Gunslinger which landed cleanly. The third hit failed, as Heavy managed to get juggled into the air just long enough to double jump upwards.
Dell growled in frustration, jumping up after Mikhail to continue the assault. As his feet left the ground, he was met with a Fist of Steel. Engineer was smacked into the ground, and he got up on his feet in a hurry, rolling back to get some distance. Unfortunately, Heavy had landed and chased after him with a dashing grab. Dell gasped with fright as Heavy's right hand easily wrapped around his neck, before being manhandled and pushed painfully into the ground. He was so paralyzed by pain and shock that he could only stare up as Heavy lifted the brass beast and sent him flying with a forward Smash.
After being KO'd in such a fashion, Engineer conceded to Heavy. Scout and Soldier were displeased with the quickness with which Dell had surrendered, but the prodigal machinist could not bring himself to care about the jeering. He limped away without noticing the disappointed look on Misha's face.
The nine mercenaries had all met back at the front of the Smash Mansion. Heavy followed through on his promise and led them to the commissary, which promptly became the mens' favorite place out of the entire Smash area. Soon all of them were eating and drowning in drink.
Scout and Soldier had themselves a veritable buffet of random American foodstuffs, the former loving the fried chicken that was available. Pyro was (somehow) able to drink an entire bottle of Tabasco sauce through the filter of its gas mask, to the morbid fascination of everyone in the food court who did not have any prior experience sharing meals with the pyromaniac. Demoman could not eat standard food without a copious helping of alcohol. Thankfully, he could summon Scrumpy and whiskey bottles at will, a benefit which he found just as, if not more useful, than being able to draw his weapons with a single thought.
Engineer felt much better with a barbecue plate, with healthy portions of ribs, brisket, coleslaw, and potato salad. Heavy, meanwhile, had settled for his own Sandvich, though he did grab a bag of nondescript potato chips from the snack kiosk on the far side of the food court to supplement his humble meal. Medic and Sniper both settled for late breakfast meals, each having enjoyed sausages and eggs. Sniper preferred poached eggs whilst Medic liked them being scrambled. Spy, being the sophisticated man he was, settled for chicken confit with roasted potatoes and parsley salad.
They shared tales about their experience in training mode and the accommodations for non-Smashers. There was the usual bluster and back biting comments, but the atmosphere was content, and all of them could agree on one thing: this was the start of something new, and perhaps, something better than their situations after the Gravel Wars. It was decided that they would begin their careers properly tomorrow, once they were all settled in and well rested.
Come tomorrow, Team Fortress had to show just what it was capable of.
Jeremy is confirmed to be the first name of Scout, so his name will be used interchangeably with his title throughout this story. The same goes for Soldier and his alias of Jane Doe, Demoman and his name of Tavish, and Engineer with his name Dell.
For references to the movesets and capabilities of all of the mercenaries, please check out my related piece: Super Smash Bros: Team Fortress 2 Movesets.