Four
Taki Squad
"Why are we carrying so much? Aren't we supposed to be going to fighting?" Yori, complaining about the weight again, was the first to whine about his lot in life today. Again.
Wishing he wasn't currently marching behind the other three squads who occasionally looked back to spectate the ones they had recently inducted into their company, Takeo could only let out a sigh of frustration as the seven behind him continued to speak, no longer having the energy to force them to stop. All but stuck as an observer as his supposed subordinates spoke freely at the rear of their company's collumn formation, Takeo kept his eyes pointed forwards, knowing that a look of frustration, exhaustion, and disapointment stained his expression.
"Are you seriously complaining that they gave us more stuff? Shut the hell up." Ayumi lashed back, stuck having to walk beside him.
"It could be worse." Kazu decided to add in, angering everyone further from the back of the squad. However, Renzo decided for once not to instantly turn on the outcast, actually adding onto what he said.
"He's right. Before the company system was implemented, everyone carried multiple tools, adding another twenty or so pounds. We'd also be carrying javelins."
"Javelins?" Enri asked, apparently interested in military history.
"Wait, you actually know what our military was like before the company system? We've been using it for hundreds of years! How long have you been alive?" Yori asked, his ignorance having to be fake as no one was as stupid as he.
"Yes, javelins." Renzo said to the girl beside him, correctly ignoring the one in front of him. "During our expansion period, where our ancestors conquered the land from coast to coast, we weren't as organized, or had much in terms of skirmishing power, as we didn't have harquebuses or many ranged weapons. Our main strategy revolved around individuals who were skilled in melee combat, and chasing our enemies until they died. When the Octrian formed firing lines, we'd hurl thin, solid steel bars, wedged at the tips to give it a sharp point, to break their formation and charge them. Imagine if five hundred or so Inklings each threw one to two of these projectiles at packed ranks of any of our enemies."
"That's scary." Enri immediately returned, voicing out everyone's thoughts.
"It was also effective. The Octrian in range would be devastated by the precursor javelins, then have to fight in hand to hand combat, something they don't normally do. The only reason we don't do it now, was because we discovered militarizing our ink was more effective and easier to do when we converted the Octrian's technology."
"Was there anything that the javelin toss didn't work against? Like the crustacean?" Nara quietly asked, deciding to pitch in and join the conversation.
"The crustacean are a relatively new threat, if we're speaking of our country's entire history. Hell, two hundred years ago, there wasn't anything to even raid on the southern provinces. By the time we were invaded by them, we already had the company system in place, and had fought the urchin for a couple hundred years in on and off wars. But to answer your question, the only thing it didn't work against were the sharks."
"The sharks?" Kiko asked, horrified at just the idea of their existence. To most of those in the squad, sharks were just a tale to scare smaller children.
"It wasn't that the javelins didn't damage them. It was just that they didn't slow them down long enough for someone in melee to kill it. If you want to think about how insane our ancestors were, their overall strategy was to suicide charge at our enemies, and kill or get killed in the process. This strategy applied to literally everything, from sharks, to jellyfish swarms. Charges are just an exchange of life though, where one side does better and wins, or routs and dies. Turns out, sharks don't tend to lose in melee combat, so that strategy didn't work out so well for our people." Renzo summed up, showing that he had been holding out on a lot of information this past year.
"Then why aren't the fish our overlords, if sharks are so great?" Yori asked, remembering something from the education they had occasionally received, mainly that squids are vastly superior to every other race that has come to fight on their island.
"Because, we are vastly superior to our enemies overall. Sharks will rip and tear us apart, but eventually die to our numbers or some other variable. Hell, depending on the shark, a single crossbow bolt can kill it, and if it doesn't die on the battlefield, their wounds can become diseased, and kill them outside of combat. We aren't as physically durable as a shark, but we are all but immune to most diseases. Parasites can't live in our skin because we're ink based, and our arguably biggest strength is that we don't need to drink water."
"They drink water?" Yori asked, proving himself dumber than rocks.
"Of course they drink water, you retard. Only Inklings and the Octrian don't drink water. You've taken care of animals and worked in the rice patties, Yori. Stop acting like Kazu."
"OH! OOOOOOOH!" Kazu shouted, slapping his hand against his shield as loudly as possible while Yori was severely disrespected. Naturally, nobody laughed at the one who was all but dragging another down to his social level with his primal noise.
"Anyways… You know how we can survive for days, or weeks at a time without eating? Well, everything besides us have to drink water every few days, or they die. This goes double for the fish-folk, who need large quantities of the stuff. That's why you'll never see the fish creatures very far inland where there are no rivers or streams."
"Taki, shut your squaddie up! He's getting the other squads hyped for nothing!" Platoon leader Ren shouted from four squads away at him, making Takeo actually alert for the first time today.
"Guys… just. Just stop." Takeo softly commanded, too tired to get yelled at again by his platoon leader.
Kiko marched next to him, staring at his exhausted face, but said nothing. Behind him, Renzo halted his speech, probably realizing he had spoken way too much for the character he was always trying to portray, Enri quick to fall silent as Ayumi put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Yori looked defeated by their platoon leader's outburst, while Kazu and Nara's faces were unreadable, save for that damnable smile on the boy's face.
Takeo turned from the knowing gaze of the boy, trying to conserve his energy while he could. He was so tired, after trying to memorize all the names that were relevant, and spending a lot of time being inducted into the company by platoon leader Ren. He wondered at first, if his platoon leader was trying to break him mentally, by taking him away from his squad when it was time to eat, or waking him up halfway through the night, to be 'educated'. It had been over a week of this hell now, and none of his squad-mates even knew… or cared.
Not only was he dealing with other squad leaders and his platoon leader, but dealing with the pressure of the responsibility of his squad being the rearguard for the entire company. As the fourth squad in the last assault platoon, it was up to him to keep a look out for potential enemies coming to ambush them, and simultaneously hold the enemy while warning the rest of the company. This meant he had to constantly turn around, checking for nonexistent threats, and see his childhood friend walking beside that…
Kazu was staring at him and through him again, with his stupid fucking smile. As if he belonged. As if he was sharing a happy moment with his family. Takeo hated that. Hated him. Hated how the creature spoke without speaking, as if he wasn't the squad's laughing stock for a year. As if he was playing a great prank on the seven of them. What made it all worse was that he only did that stupid look to him. As if they were best friends, understanding each other's motives with perfect clarity. As if they were playing a game.
"Takeo? Are you okay?" Kiko whispered, making him realize just how his barely controlled anger was showing on his face in the form of a snarl. In fact, the ones behind him were also showing concern, making him realize how bad he had messed up.
Shaking himself and facing back forward, Takeo quickly shrugged the comment off, rubbing his face several times. "Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. I'm just... tired."
"Ah. I see. Did you um… ask, about... you know." Kiko started, too afraid to speak with Renzo so close to her apparently.
"I spoke with squad leader Hanako, who refused to answer my question. I can try to find another female squad leader, but I don't know any yet. Platoon leader Ren is riding my ass as well, so I rarely find time to socialize. Maybe when we're not strangers to the rest of the platoon…" Takeo trailed off, too tired to finish the thought.
He wasn't sure, but Kiko's eyes seemed to sink into her head a little, but he decided not to press the usually quiet girl further. She had already gone out of her comfort zone enough just by speaking to him alone, let alone asking him to speak with the only female squad leader in their platoon about the girl's medical checkup performed days ago. It was nice to actually be relied upon for simple problems, but it appeared the answer he gave to the girl wasn't what she was looking for. "I'm sorry, Kiko."
"P-please, don't be. It was rude for me to make you ask. I should have done it myself."
"It's alright. I don't mind. I just wish I knew what it was to help you."
"You've done plenty, Takeo. Thank you." Kiko smiled, even though her eyes found it hard to match his own.
At least he got appreciated for some of the effort he put into keeping his friends functional, underestimating just how much that simple thanks affected him. Takeo smiled, about to say he was happy to help, only to find his legs failed him for some reason, and he was quickly going to meet the dirt road, a sudden pain stabbing him in the side.
"Takeo!" Nara heard someone shout, standing on the tips of her toes to see why three fourths of her squad had broken formation and rushed to the front. As Nara was about to join her friends, Kazu shoved her in the side, managing to bowl her over. She was about to ask what his problem was, and about to go on the attack, when he drew his weapon from its scabbard and crouched beside her.
"Ren, we're under attack!" Takeo managed to shout, right before projectiles started to land in the dirt next to them. Nara felt her eyes widen in recognition that their first battle was starting, understanding that she had to draw her sword now and meet their assailants.
Struggling to free her blade, Nara's frantic motions were spurred with the sight of Kazu's small shield start to be embedded with twisted brown arrows, along with the sound of the company's signal horn blare to life.
"Platoon on me! Taki squad, Hanako squad, rally on me! Go! Go! Go!" Platoon leader Ren shouted, his voice clear amongst the panicked yells and shouts of those being hit by the incoming barrage.
Nara was shaking with such intensity as each part of her body tried to do a different task. Her head was swiveling around her, trying to find the enemy, but all she could see were the thick reeds below them, growing out of the river bed. Her hands were simultaneously trying to draw steel, along with pushing herself up while trying to protect her head with her forearm shield. Her legs refused to find any purchase on the dirt road, making her feel like a bird with its head cut off.
"Nara! Are you hit?" Kazu shouted down at her, making her freeze.
"No? I don't think so."
"Then get up! We're being left behind!"
Blinking once to process this information, Nara was able to get her arms under control, focusing on getting herself back on her feet, and copy Kazu's posture, crouching on the dirt road. Without drawing her blade, Nara began to make her way down the road, focusing solely on Ayumi's back, who was following the rest of the squad.
As she reached her squad, Nara saw Takeo's side, the wooden shaft of an arrow broken in half as red and orange began to seep out of the wound. She would have went to help her friend remove it, but their platoon leader began shouting as the rest of squads started to form a fighting line. Noticing the new faces for the first time, Nara realized the hail of sharp wood had ended.
"Eighth platoon! Draw blades! Double ranks! Move it!" Platoon leader Ren shouted, slapping his own weapon against his shield twice to gather the attention of the younger soldiers beside him.
Gripping her sword confidently, Nara drew the blade in a single, well-practiced motion, just as she had done during her training. She was ready now. Ready to face whatever was coming up the small incline leading to the road. Nara was about to stand next to Ayumi on the front line, who Yori was currently cowering behind, but Kazu filled the gap before she could even take a step, filling her with a dull sense of anger.
"Yori! Come here!" Takeo angrily growled, gripping the boy next to Nara by the back of his collar, and forcing him to switch with Enri.
"What the hell?!" Yori asked, disappearing as Takeo took him from her periphery. Nara wanted to glance at why her squad leader was moving the squad around now, but the first of the slick scaled enemies were coming onto the road. Seeing the gray mass of flesh and hatred coming towards her, the small hill they ascended from the water to the road doing little to slow their advance, Nara continued to readjust her grips on her weapon and shield, feeling as though her heart was going to burst.
"Infantry! Charge!" Ren was able to shout before the world exploded around them in a cacophony of noise.
Nara felt disgust as she ran behind Kazu, seeing the slack jaws of their enemies, their mouths filled with small jagged teeth. These ugly, beady eyed fish monsters were made of skin and scales, very few of the foe covered in clothing or armor. The idea that these creatures shared blood with a food resource made Nara feel further distraught as Inkling steel met against the bare flesh of the first of the fish-tribe.
In the following moments, only yelling had filled her ears, only to be replaced by metal on metal, and screams of terror and death. Nara watched as Kazu parried a spear made of bone and wood with his shield, simultaneously bringing his blade into the neck of his assailant. Seeing one of the fish-barbarians, as Renzo called them, about to strike her friend in his blind spot with a jagged, curved blade, Nara stuck out her own, trying to defend the one in front of her. Feeling fear more for her sword leaving her grip, than the pain in her hand, Nara unwillingly screeched in pain, scaring the girl next to her as she reeled her hand back.
"Kazu! Right!" She was able to say through her pained yelp, desperately trying to find her sword's handle amongst the number of feet around her. Making sure her hand was intact, Nara grimaced at the already healing wound, glad the edge of the scimitar of her enemy had struck her with was blunt from disregard of maintaining their equipment.
Kazu said nothing to her warning however, only deflecting the second strike coming for him from the creature that had hit Nara's hand, before turning to the enemy that had come to take the fallen spear-creature's place. Fearing for her friend's life, Nara located, and rearmed herself, about to lunge over Kazu to get at the fish, but saw it dead, the swords of Ayumi and Renzo fixed in its body.
"Renzo, you shit! Stop pulling him!" Ayumi shouted over the din of battle, apparently struggling to get her sword free.
"You're the one pulling him! Twist your blade, like you were taught!" Renzo shouted back.
Realizing that both of them had stabbed the creature, as opposed to slashing the creature to death, Nara and Enri both seemed to understand the pair had gotten their weapons stuck and moved to assist. As Enri grabbed Ayumi's back, Nara moved forward, finally getting to the front rank and prepared to swing at the next creature that came to the road.
But none did. The legged fish were already running back down towards the small river they were following. Finding no enemies next to the huffing Kazu, Nara looked towards Renzo, and the kneeling Takeo, seeing the rest of their company successfully repel the ambush that had tried to break through the middle of their formations, several platoons over. It appeared they had broken the invaders within a matter of seconds, most likely from the combined fire of their harquebus units. Nara watched with a mixture of awe and disappointment as the bright orange trails followed after their fleeing enemies, the invaders writhing in agony if the liquid touched them.
"Platoon! Do not chase after them! Do not chase! Make sure those corpses are corpses, and gather the wounded! Every fourth Inkling needs to be watching that river, if the enemy decides to stop routing! Everyone else, get to it!" Platoon leader Ren shouted, signaling the end of the skirmish while coming to check on their squad for the first time.
Angry, Nara took her frustration out on the nearest carcass, kicking it in the head. When noise came from it, she stabbed it quickly in panic, perhaps over doing it with the seventh strike against the motionless body. Turning to see if anyone was watching her, Nara got to see a very concerned look from her platoon leader directed at her. Ren said nothing to nervous conscript though, his attention turning back to the sitting squad leader.
Nara soon ran out of bodies to stab, seeing the bulk of the dead ambushers were busy being melted by Ink salvos, a several dozen yards away from her. Nara double checked Ayumi and Renzo's work, keeping half an eye on a fussing Kiko, who was trying to remove the broken arrowhead from Takeo's side.
"Taki, who's your eighth guy?" Ren asked, gesturing to Kazu, who had very few bodies to double check and was currently eyeballing the river.
Takeo hissed as Kiko finally pinched the arrow tip out of his flesh, the wound closing almost immediately as the orange and red tipped metal was removed. "Kazu, sir. Why?"
"No real reason." Ren said slowly, not removing his gaze from the boy who was now coming towards them. As Kazu neared the eight of them, Ren began to give out orders. "None of you are dead, so go help the other platoons sort the dead from wounded. The commander's no doubt ordered fire wood to be gathered. I don't expect many to have died, but the sixth, fifth, and fourth assault platoons were hit the hardest."
"They were?" Enri asked, distracted by the sight of Takeo's blood on Kiko's fingers.
"Yeah. The fish like to charge our harquebusiers. They think if they take our ink shooters out of the fight early, they stand a chance in a sword fight."
"Do they?" Renzo asked, getting a scoff from the platoon leader.
"Sometimes. Now stop asking questions and do as I ordered. Oh, and be glad."
"For what, sir?" Takeo asked, getting his feet under him with Kiko and Renzo's help.
"For not being in platoons three through six. If you were, you'd have been the ones to blunt the fish-folk's charge."
Nara's platoon leader left as Kazu finally joined them, standing behind Ayumi and Enri with a smile on his face, happily asking, "What'd I miss?"
Only Takeo sighed, grumbling a, 'Shut the fuck up,' before marching after their platoon leader.
Ren could have been slightly more instructive when he had told them to 'go help', Kiko thought as she felt very out of place. Her squad-mates stood motionless, each observing the carnage around them, each of them standing where the thickest of the fighting took place. The fighting had lasted the same amount of time on every part of the road, but the evidence of destruction that surrounded them made Kiko feel as if she was merely an observer of a great battle.
A perimeter had been formed closer to the river, where pairs of warriors were moving reeds and grass with weapons, looking for any remaining ambushers. The remaining Inklings were busy cutting at the dead fish-creatures, or moving bodies. Kiko passed by several kids as old, or barely older than her, cradling dead and weeping openly, having lost someone close to them. Those not grieving were moving slowly in pairs, lifting bodies as best they could and moving them towards the side of the road that hadn't seen battle. A few individuals were just standing or kneeling amongst the carnage, not moving. No one dared to go near these ones either, Kiko instinctively knowing that she should do likewise, or be in danger.
Takeo said nothing, only grimacing as he kneeled at the closest Inkling carcass, using his hand to close the poor creature's lifeless eyes. "Yori, help me. Everyone else, break into pairs and copy what the others are doing."
Yori didn't complain about being ordered, but his facial expression made it clear to everyone he wanted no part in moving the dead. Takeo's exasperated sigh made it clear he wasn't in the mood for the boy's attitude, but before a yelling match began, Kazu took the role, grabbing the dead's legs and lifting without a word.
After a hesitant pause from Takeo, the pair began to move towards where others were lining the dead, leaving the six of them to continue standing in the middle of the road.
"Come on guys, let's get this done." Nara grimly whispered, getting Renzo to help her with the next corpse. Kiko watched as Ayumi and Enri quickly moved the other direction, already discovering the next to be moved.
"Yori…" Kiko started, turning to where the boy had been standing, but she could see him walking off, back towards where their platoon was.
"Fuck this. I'm not moving other's dead." Kiko heard Yori say before he left. Knowing nothing would come from watching Yori go, and knowing there was nothing she could say or do to convince him to stay and help her, Kiko began to head towards the river, where scores of dead fish creatures had rolled to in their deaths. Amongst the great number of ink stained gore, a few individual soldiers lay motionless, most likely dragged out of the battle line, where they had met their fate. Kiko tried to watch her step on the slope, not wanting to slide on any of the blood, guts, or ink where a harquebus's discharged salvo landed.
Making her way to the first orange head she spotted, Kiko was careful not to touch the body, swallowing hard as she stared into the lifeless, colorless face of the girl, imaging herself in the dead girl's place. Kiko felt guilty as the words of platoon leader Ren haunted her, knowing it could have easily been her lying on her back, staring at the blue sky lifelessly... and being glad it wasn't.
Kiko shook herself, rubbing her face with her shield hand as she realized it was pointless to think about things like that. She had been lucky during the battle, and that was it. She was lucky to have someone like Takeo watching over her, forcibly shifting the squad to make sure Kiko hadn't been the first to meet the charge of the ambushers. During the hesitant seconds before the scaly beasts had collided with her squad, Kiko had originally been standing in front of the downed Takeo. Instead of being cut to pieces by the fish warrior, Takeo had grabbed Yori, moved her behind Renzo, and then stood to engage the enemy with Yori behind him - all with an arrow in his side.
Kiko tried to move the dead girl she had found, feeling the squishy flesh underneath the deceased's under armor. Orange ink was spilling from wherever the rubber mesh wasn't, making the body feel much heavier than it was. After pulling for all she was worth, Kiko suddenly fell on her butt, feeling the dead girl's weight massively diminish.
A sudden, wretched smell greeted her nostrils, making her gag as Kiko realized how big of a mistake she had made in trying to do this alone. Looking down, Kiko saw the girl's body had torn at the waist, liquefying organs spilling onto the orange and red stained dirt.
What happened next was pretty predictable as Kiko's stomach vacated all she had eaten that morning, luckily having enough time to turn away from the body before desecrating the dead further. As she checked to see why what had happened, happened, Kiko realized that the girl's lower half had been weighed down by a dead fish creature, or what she assumed was a dead fish creature, that was covered completely covered orange, camouflaging it in all the great swathes of ink that had been used. If she had been paying attention to the whole body, as opposed to just the girl's face, she would have noticed such an obvious thing. Now all Kiko could do was feel horror at the scene she had only made worse.
"Kiko?" Nara asked, suddenly behind her, with Renzo not too far off. Seeing her failings, Nara whispered in horror, "Oh."
"I-I-I was- I was trying to…" Kiko tried to explain, feeling the burn of stomach acid in her throat as she swallowed.
"It's okay. I know. We'll handle it, so don't worry." Nara ensured, immediately moving to stand over the dismembered torso, gripping the ripped rubber under armor, and tying it off, unafraid to get her hands dirty in the mess that came with death. As Renzo went to grab under the dead girl's shoulders, Nara lifted from the knot she had made, removing the first half of the carcass within seconds of her arrival.
It would be a minute or two later when she would return, bringing Takeo and Kazu with her, who would roughly shove the still dissolving dead fish off the lower half of the girl Kiko had tried to remove, with Nara and Renzo repeating what they had done with the upper half soon after.
"Come on Kiko. We're done." Takeo said, grabbing her by the arm and helping her to her feet.
"We are?" Kiko worriedly asked, passing other friendly corpses on her way up to the road.
"Yep. We're done. Keep moving." Takeo ordered, not giving her a chance to point out that others still hadn't been moved. He continued to half drag her up the slope, sitting her down on the edge of the road and telling her not to move. Unsure what to do, she decided to just follow the order, before she defiled another body by accident.
Sitting alone, Kiko covered her face in shame, trying to hide from the questioning looks that glanced at her, as real warriors moved past her.
Renzo once more walked side by side with Enri, this time in nervous silence as each warrior of the company kept an eye on their surroundings. His career in their military had almost ended before it even begun, and only by luck had he been given a second chance. Renzo had let his guard down, absorbed in his own words and knowledge, and hadn't been paying attention to the obvious ambush spot that had been barely thirty yards away.
After removing the equipment, rations, weapons and armor from the dead, they had finished burning the company's fallen before noon. Smartly, their commander hadn't let them linger, Renzo knowing that if the emotionally distraught stayed near the battle area it would just be a detriment to the company's mental health. The road soon took them away from the river as well, lowering the chances of a second ambush by the survivors of the damned savages.
Brutish, malicious, scheming, suicidal, cannibalistic, and evil. That is what the fish-tribes were. In all of their nation's history, they had never once encountered a single group of the scaly barbarians that had been anything but hostile. They fought for the sake of fighting, then rearmed themselves from the dead like scavengers, their tools for hunting the same as their tools for war. They were a disgraceful species, unable to be tamed or civilized. Unlike their smaller, peaceful cousins, they couldn't even be consumed safely, their flesh infested with parasites or just foul from long lives of degeneracy. There were few things that could make an Inkling sick, but consuming the dead flesh of their submersible raiding neighbors was one of them.
But he doubted they would attack again. If that was an individual tribe that had attacked, they most likely had just killed half their adult population, and even more young adults, hopefully a generation of the degenerates. If they were smart, they'd take the shortest route to the ocean, and either recover their strength and manpower, or be absorbed by another, stronger tribe. Or... perhaps they'll do the opposite of what Renzo thought was the most obvious choice, and strike the Inkling's as they slept in revenge. No doubt his commander was already planning to double the night sentries tonight, and perhaps for the week to come.
"Platoon, halt!" Platoon leader Ren shouted, Renzo quickly obeying as he watched the exhausted of his squad immediately drop to their knees. Stamina paced perfectly, Renzo prepared for the incoming orders to disperse and set up camp. If they were expecting rain, individual canvas had to be rolled out to keep their food dry, and with the setting sun behind them, they would have to move quickly if they didn't want to set up in the dark.
"Each squad needs two on watch at all times. The first platoon is setting up the perimeter. You all know how this works by now. Get to it!" Ren shouted at his tired conscripts, immediately off to go report to his commander.
Takeo groggily stood, and began to usher out orders of who would be doing what. "Renzo, Kazu, you two are on first watch. Ayumi, Yori, you two will be next. I'll take third with Nara. Enri, Kiko, you'll be morning shift. If you want a fire, go get firewood now, but I'm about to crash."
"Is your side okay?" Nara asked as she rubbed the back of her hand, Renzo vaguely remembering she had been hit there during the battle in a foolish attempt to protect one who wouldn't have been hit anyways.
"Yeah. The arrow hurt more going out than going in, to be honest. Those fish make cruel arrow tips." Takeo spoke, realizing he was blathering and decided to turn the attention back on the female, asking on her own condition. "How's your hand?"
"I'm fine." Nara weakly answered as others began to move off into the nearby trees. "I'm lucky the sword was blunt, otherwise it would have taken my hand clean off."
Renzo realized the two were flirting, and decided to go find dry wood before all the over squads scavenged the area clean.
"Remember guys, pain lingers because it lets you know you're alive! Don't let it 'crush' your spirits!" Kazu joked, getting the group to turn their heads in unison at him in a shared look of confusion. "Get it? Blunt force? It doesn't cut? Oh, come on guys! That one was good."
Renzo barked a single 'ha', realizing Kazu's pun was making direct fun of his only friend's pain. Perhaps Renzo was a funny guy himself, because suddenly the group started scoffing and convulsing in shared laughter, save for Ayumi, who was far too callous to laugh at the stupidity of the target Kazu had made himself. Realizing it was probably just to release their pent up stress and anxiety from today's bloodshed, Renzo decided to ignore the laughter that becoming an embarrassing moment and get back to the business at hand.
That wood wasn't going to gather itself after all.
Heh, wood.
