"Damn~ This is awesome~" I whispered with an excited smile as I walked out into the underground garage of the Dreadfort, staring at the large trio of scarlet red aircrafts with golden linings around the wings and doors as well as the large golden mantis head on the side doors.
"Say hello to the Praying Mantises, the official battleships of the Scarlet Mantis."
" 'Battleships' are pretty accurate descriptions." I muttered to Alya while staring at the two magic cannons on the front and back as well as the eight on each side.
"All on the ship. Danvers, you're on flight duty." Lieutenant Arreiks barked out as he walked onto the ship and we all nodded before following after the man as I watched the other units entering their ships as well.
As I walked onto the ship, I had to take in the red metallic interior while sitting down on the red cushioned seats with gold lining the chairs and the inner edges of the ship.
"Alright, should we go over what we should do when we land, sir?" Alex asked and we all watched as Arreiks frowned slightly before nodding.
"That would be best. Before we do, Eric Creed, what magic do you know?"
"Just simple ethernano enhancement and Jutsu shiki."
"How proficient are you in the latter?" He asked and I scratched the back of my head with a slight frown as I answered.
"I started it only about two or so days ago, but I have more or less learned most of the basics that one can learn."
"How would that work considering you just started learning it? Are you secretly a genius?" Liam asked with a smirk and I smiled before shaking my head.
"Not in the slightest. However, creating a domain around myself that doubles my learning speed as well as slightly healed my fatigue helped quite a bit in making sure I only needed four or so hours of sleep before I could continue learning."
"Wait, what? Then why doesn't everyone learn it?"
"Most do not have the patience to analyze and memories numerous new alphabets in order to figure out just how to make the basic of runes." He answered and they all nodded before he looked at me.
"When we land and the battle starts, I need you and both Hunters to go around the perimeter and make a barrier to both seal them off and make sure they can't run away."
"Sir yes sir." Alya, Alex and I all saluted and the man nodded before looking at Danvers as she took off.
"We are go, sir. ETA: 5 minutes."
"Good. Until then, let us make a battle plan to make sure we finish this battle as quickly as possible."
"Sir, we're a few meters above the dropzone." Erica spoke as she set the aircraft to autopilot, to which we all looked at Arreiks as he nodded and walked over to the doors.
"Good. Peekwold?"
"Got it." Liam said and I watched as he raised his right index and middle fingers to the side of his temple while Arreiks opened the door and looked down.
"Can everyone hear me?"
"Loud and clear."
"Holy sh-Oh, you guys heard that?" I asked in my mind with a sheepish smile, to which they all looked amused while Arreiks snorted and dove head first out the door.
"Waitwaitwait! What are we doing?!" I asked as I saw the others following his lead and Liam looked at me before grinning and pointing with a thumb out the door.
"Just jump and you'll be fine! See you below!" The guy exclaimed as he did a flip out of the door and I watched him falling down before letting out a sigh of relief as he sunk into the ground like it was water instead of shattering his legs upon impact.
"Oh, Earth Magic. Okay, look out below!" Jumping out feet first of the door, I watched as the ship automatically looked its doors and flew up high into the sky right before my vision was blocked by kilos of mud.
Moments later, I spat out nothing but dirt and mud as I was pulled from my ground onto my feet, ignoring the others' amused looks as Arreiks patted me on the back.
"That always happens the first time. Peekwold, Danvers?"
"Can't feel anyone in the thirty meter radius."
"And I don't see anyone within twenty meters." Erica responded after Danny did, making me wonder just exactly what her magic was before turning to Arreiks as he nodded and created a large circle on the dirt.
"We're in the centre and we have ten or so minutes if they possess some kind of Speed Magic. Therefore, Danvers, you and Peekwold are on high alert. I need your eyes and mind scanning every little thing within the perimeter. Lycan, you're with me. We're staying here in the centre with a ten meter distance between us and we are to ambush them the moment they try to run past. Hunters, Creed, start with your perimeter trap at the far back and work your way around in a circle. Make sure you're back here in nine minutes to prepare for the ambush."
"Got it." We all nodded and the man nodded before we all rushed to our positions, with Alya, Alex and I quickly rushing to the back edge of our ambush zone.
"How much time do you need for the traps?" Alya asked and I rose an eyebrow at the vibrant blue hunter's bow with sapphires studded at the ends before responding.
"If it's for a large circle with a thirty meter radius from the centre, give me eight minutes to write it all."
"Cool. Alex, we're going to need vigil up top."
"Got it." He answered and leapt into the tree before my second eyebrow joined the first when he conjured a bright golden compound bow with a red drawstring.
"Bow Magic?"
"Yep, family magic." Alya answered before I stopped as Liam spoke in our minds.
"That's the 28th meter mark you're on, Eric. Start your domain from there.'
"Right, thanks." I answered as I gestured down at the ground for Alya, to which she nodded and signalled for Alex to start paying attention as I knelt down and gathered ethernano at my finger tips.
'What to draw? What to draw? First, a barrier to stop them from leaving it is needed to make sure the ambush is a success. Secondly, another pattern that allows us to leave in case there are too many of them. The third…ooh, I think that could work.'
"Lieutenant! We got twelv-no, eighteen new contacts from the north and six more from the north-east and north-west? No, that's six on the north-east and eight on the north-west."
"This was a concentrated attack. I feel there might be more so Hunters siblings, you two provide cover fire from the trees.. Peekwold, you stay on transmission and Creed, you stay with Creed near the backlines. Danvers, Lycan, you ready?"
"Ready./ Let's go." Erica and Danny spoke up and I heard Arreiks hum through the link from my hiding spot near the back edge of the ambush zone as we waited.
"Now, Eric!" The moment Liam gave me the signal, I activated the barrier and sealed them off from the outside world right before the two of us heard all hell break loose.
"Four to the right, Alex! Three heading for you from the south-east, Alya! Another trying to sneak up on you from the left, Lieutenant!" I was sure Liam had shut off everyone but me as he barked out locations at rapid fire.
While I did want to ask what I was supposed to do now, I decided to figure out something for us as I crouched down and drew a circle of jutsushiki around us, drawing another line that connected it to the larger barrier before activating the one around us as well.
The moment I did, Liam's eyes widened as I sat down inside it and felt his ethernano surge, looking at me right as I gave a grin and a thumbs-up.
"I gave you my ethernano as a boost. Keep going."
"Nice. Oh, Erica, two charging from your right. The one of the left has a weak right foot so jump to the right and shoot that leg." Liam spoke and moments later, I winced as a pained cry echoed in the air before shaking my head as I heard Erica thanking him.
'Now, what do I do?…More traps, I guess?'
"Good work, everyone! Keep it up and…well, crap." Liam's words drew my attention from where I was drawing a pattern on the ground and I frowned as I saw him looking out to the north-east of our spot.
"What's wrong?"
"Creed, Peekwold, you have three incoming! Peekwold, take out two of them! Creed, take out the last one! Remember, capture if possible and terminate if not! Good luck!" I feel like that last part was meant for me, but I didn't have more time to ask as Liam cut off the connection and stepped out the circle.
"How much do you got in the tank?"
"Three-quarters full. You?" I asked as I finished drawing the pattern I wanted, to which he frowned a bit before answering.
"Four-fifths for me. Listen, this is your first fight so here are the rules. Do not waste time talking and take your opponent out as quick as you can. Aim for any fatal spots you can because the more you hit, the faster the fight ends, understood?!"
"Got it!" I nodded right as three people in black cloaks with red crescent moon sigils on the back of the cloaks burst through the foliage.
"One of them is the jutsushiki user! Kill him and the barrier deactivates!" One of the cloaked beings shouted and I felt adrenaline pumping through my veins as a curved sword appeared with a flash of light in their hands.
"Scatter!" Liam exclaimed as he quickly rushed off to the left and I followed by going to the right, looking behind me before cursing as I saw two of them rushing after me while the third quickly stopped Liam before he could try and slip past them.
"That's the jutsushiki user! Kill him!"
'Well, looks like I'm going to have to do this all by my lonesome.' I thought with a frown as I came to a sliding stop while spinning around, readying myself right as both of them charged with their swords pulled back.
The moment the one on the left swung their sword first, I slipped under it with a duck while grabbing their leg, pulling it along with a grunt and making them stumble right as the second leapt over their comrade and slashed down at my arm.
However, I was quick to pull my arm back while wrapping my own around their waist, spinning and throwing them into the first one whilst ripping their sword out of their hand.
Without wasting time, I rushed in right as the first dodged around his friend's body, quickly raising his sword to parry my initial slash before they grunted as my free hand came around and delivered a powerful punch to their chest.
That was not enough to take them out though as the cloaked person quickly delivered a flurry of slashes at me from all angles, with me barely able to block them all as I tried my best to not die.
However, I overextended to block a feint attack and hissed as the person managed to deliver a deep cut onto the front of my thigh.
My leg buckled from the pain and I quickly rolled with the stumble, raising my sword above my head and slicing blindly right as the person tried to end the fight with another slash to my neck.
Hearing the sound of flesh falling to the floor, I spun around with gritted teeth and ignoring the burning pain in my leg to block a counter attack only to be ecstatic at the sight of the person lying on the floor and screaming in pain as their arm had been cut off at the sword.
However, that proved to be my downfall and my eyes widened as a pair of arms wrapped me in a full nelson before I felt myself being weightless.
Moments later, nothing but severe pain rippled through the back of my head and my neck as I got suplexed into the ground, my vision spinning and my limbs feeling weak as I was lying on my stomach.
'C-Come on, Eric…don't let it end like this.' I thought to myself as I felt someone kicking me over onto my back, looking up at the hooded man under the cape as he looked back while tightly gripping his sword.
Before he could swing it though, though, I forced my body to move and kicked at their leg, making them stumble right as I lunged upwards and bit down on his shoulder.
"Fuck!" He exclaimed in pain while I strained to keep his sword arm still as I ripped my head back and tore off a chunk of his shoulder, spitting the blood right into his eye and blinding him right as I yanked my arm forward and up.
The motion was too much for his shoulder and he screamed as it popped out, but I didn't waste any time as I took the sword away while pulling him face first onto the ground and stabbed right through his side with a growl.
His body shook for a while as I ripped the sword out and stabbed a few more times to make sure he was gone, but after the fifth stab, I gasped as I left the sword in him while falling backwards with a groan as chunks of his heart and lungs lied on the dirt floor..
'Holy…holy shit…' I should have been more concerned with the fact that I just murdered a man or the fact that I shouldn't even be alive, but I was just more thankful that I survived the fight as I sat up.
"Die, you fucking bastard!" However, my heart dropped and I was too late as the one whose arm I cut off lunged at me with a battle cry while bringing his dagger down.
A moment later, a trio of flaming arrows sliced through the air and took his other arm with him, a rock arrow flying past my head and fully impacting his chin with enough force to knock him out cold.
"Damn, Creed. You're not bad." Alex spoke with a grin as he landed besides me and I groaned before nodding proudly as he was quick to fire another barrage of arrows into the limbs of the surviving fighter to pin him to the floor.
"…Nice."
"I know. How many fingers?"
"…Four."
"Five, but close enough. Come on." He said as he held a hand out and I was confused for a bit before taking it and grunting as he pulled me up.
However, my eyes widened at the sudden movement and he quickly moved to the side as I buckled over and threw up what little I had for breakfast this morning onto the corpse of the man I just killed.
"Huh, first kill?"
"Suplex on the neck." Alex corrected Liam and I heard him wince while I groaned as I spat on the floor while wiping my mouth clean with my hand.
"Is that common?"
"You have no idea how many Dark Mages love the suplex. It's like a fetish for them to at least give out one."
"Grand. Are we done for the day? Because it's my first day and I need some rest." I spoke and rolled my eyes as they laughed before groaning as Alex patted my back.
"Come on, the ship landed outside of your barrier and the others should be done soon."
"Great, I'm devouring a pizza the moment we're out of here."
"…Same./ Same."
"And there I was, man alone against two foes. Did I fear? Oh, hell yes, but as a brave warrior of the Rune Knights, one must feel fear, but you must never let it control you. So I dove at the first and-!"
"Private Creed, while I do enjoy the story and want to hear how it ends, my office in a minute." General Sparda spoke and I blinked before giving a slow nod at the man.
"Uh, will do, sir."
"Good. Also, the ending is that he threw up, but I'll let him build up to there."
"…Well, there goes my heroic tale." I grumbled with a huff as I sat back down even though I felt amused at everyone snickering while others that were listening in laughed.
"Considering you took on two assailants on just your first day, that was a good job, rookie." Liam spoke up and I nodded before groaning as I stood up.
"Well, time to go see what the General needs of me."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. It's just the mandatory questions of whether or not you're okay after your first fight and stuff like that." Alya spoke up and I hummed at that as I began making my way to his office.
The hallways were still a bit confusing since I wasn't used to them, but after some instructions to the 5th Floor, I took a deep breath as I raised a hand before knocking on the door.
"Enter." Opening the door, I was a bit surprised to see Lt. Arreiks standing in front of the General's desk while Baul leaned against the wall behind the General, the two of us sharing a nod before I looked at the General as he spoke up.
"Eric, come in. We shall finish this another time."
"As you command, General." The lieutenant nodded with a salute as he turned and began walking out of the room, but my eyes widened slightly as he reached up and patted me on the shoulder.
"I heard from Liam about your extra you made. Excellent work."
"Uh, t-thank you, sir." I responded with a smile and a salute and the man nodded before he left the room, leaving me to turn back and see Baul's amused smile as he spoke.
"It takes a lot for Nioh to congratulate someone on a mission, especially if that person is a new recruit."
"Really? Guess I'm pretty unique after all."
"Eh, considering you threw up on your first mission, you're just as average as us all."
"Wait, even the General?" I asked while looking at the person in question who simply looked amused as he nodded.
"I was a young and new private just as the rest of you. It is to be expected. However, I must admit that taking out a foe on my first mission out was not something most of us did."
"Speak for yourself, General. I took out an army in my first job."
"Four assailants, while impressive, is not an army, Baul." The General spoke up, but I was still shocked at the revelation of Baul taking out four guys on his first mission as he snorted.
"Wait, four guys?"
"Yes, Baul here was the former record holder of the Rune Knights Training Camp before my sons and Private Myrsky broke it."
"Oh, you should have been here to see the ecstatic look on his face when we heard the news."
"Ahem! Yes, while the news was pleasing to hear, we are here to talk about Private Creed." General Sparda spoke up and Baul smirked while filed away all the juicy information to my memory as I stood straight the moment he looked at me.
"How do you feel?"
"…Define 'feel'."
"What emotions did you experience when you finished your first mission?"
"Oh, relief mostly at the fact that I didn't die followed by pride in the fact that I managed to take out one person and helped the team."
"Most of that is expected but that's also a textbook answer. How did youfeel?"
"…Just glad that I survived instead of him. There was no pride or fear or ecstasy, just joy."
"That is a mindset that is crucial for this life. Most want to serve for fame or wealth, but there are some of us that know how brutal this life is and simply want to survive." Baul spoke and I let out a relieved sigh at the fact that I wasn't just being a coward before turning to the General as he spoke.
"Listen, Eric, you're a young man and seeking glory and wealth in battle is to be expected, but just like how I ask many in the battalion, make sure you always put your well-being first."
"Don't you worry, General. You're asking that of the biggest coward in Fiore." I said with a grin and he simply rolled his eyes as Baul let out a barking laugh.
"Glad to hear. Dismissed."
"Sir, sir." I nodded at both before making my way back out, taking a deep breath as I closed the door behind me and grinned.
'Maybe this life won't be so bad after all.' I thought to myself as I made my way back to the cafeteria, already having another story of this 'daring' battle in mind.
Yeah, I think I'll fit in just fine.
A/N: And just a quick battle for Eric to learn just where he fits in this world as he takes his first life and makes some new friends.
Next chapter, though, it's time for more bonding and our second mission…at the border again?
Ooh, wonder where this is heading?
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