"Ah fuck, we are really going to get it now," Sirona said, hanging her head, depressed.
"Well, it is your guys' fault that you gave such lacklustre responses to the captain," Nekro said, very annoyed, looking at the other three on the ground.
"Well, sorry that we didn't know what to say," Brenda muttered, annoyed at Nekro.
"Hey, now don't start fighting because of something as simple as not talking," I said, appearing next to Brenda before kicking her to the back of everyone.
"Sis!?" Sirona yelled, seeing her sister fly passed her.
"Don't get distracted!" Nekro yelled, pulling Sirone back, making my throwing knife miss her head.
"Shit, we going to be killed if we don't give a decent fight," Brenda said, walking back to everyone while holding her ribs where I kicked her.
"You guys have your weapons now, right?" I asked, relaxed.
"yes?" Apricot muttered hesitantly.
"Now get them out before I drill you guys in the ground with my fists," I said, cracking my knuckles.
"Apricot, get behind and use it," Nekro said, summoning 5 humanoids.
"Your necromancy is still fucken weird," I said, making an ice spear with a bigger blade than normally.
"Hup!" Brenda yelled, bearing down her blade at me.
"Don't announce yourself now," I said, using the back of the spear to hit her sword away, making her miss me.
"Uh, right," Brenda said awkwardly, looking at my foot and heading towards her.
"Oh." Stopping my leg mid-way, dodging an arrow that was infused with quite a lot of mana.
"Sirona, that was quite the arrow," I said, seeing the ground disintegrate where the arrow hit. Jumping sideways, dodging Nekros living corpses. I looked at Apricot, wondering what she was doing.
'Hmm, Chinada will be a problem as well.' I thought, noticing I couldn't sense her.
"Hmm," Feeling confused, I looked at what I had landed on.
"hehe," I heard Apricot snicker to the side.
"You dumb dog," I said, cursing at her.
Boom!
"Got her!" Apricot cheered happily only to stop mid-way, feeling an arm wrap around her shoulders.
"Did you, now?" I said next to her, looking at the red and black smoke.
"ah, Aaaah! Help!" Shouting in fright, Apricot tried to get away, only to feel a chain wrap around her waist.
"bye," I said, waving at her and letting go of the chain.
'No one tried to interfere.' I thought, glancing at the other three looking up in the sky with a horror look on their face.
"Kyaaa!" Apricot yelled, being sent into the air.
"wow, you really are a monster. Will she be okay?" Nekro asked, a bit worried.
"Don't worry about her now. Worry about yourself." I said, appearing in front of Nekro, swinging the spear sideways at her.
Clang!
"Nekro moves back," Brenda said, blocking my spear.
"Right." Nodding at her words, Nekro ran back behind Sirona.
"let's see how better you got with that sword of yours," I said, pulling back my spear before stabbing at her.
"Alright, but I am not alone," Brenda said just when a hand grabbed my ankle, with Chinada coming out of a shadow behind me.
"Uh, I know," I said, freezing the hand coming out of the ground before breaking it. Looking back at Chinada, I saw that she had two daggers. Sighing, spun the spear at her, sending her flying backwards.
"Hey, that is no good," I said, looking at Brenda. I jumped up, lifted my legs and landed on the sword. The moment I landed on her sword, I swung my spear downwards to the side, hitting away Sironas arrow.
Bang.
"eh!?" Brenda exclaimed, trying to take her sword back.
"KYAAAAAA!" Was all we suddenly heard coming from the sky.
"Sigh, you're lucky," I said, jumping away into the air.
"help!!!"
"shut up already," I said, catching apricot princess carry.
"O-oh, thank you, mom," Apricot said tearfully.
"yeah, well, this got real boring fast. Hmm, you know what? Let's restart it all." I said, dropping Apricot on the floor.
"what do you mean restart?" Nekro asked, tilting her head at me.
"get information and attack me," I said, making the distance between them.
"Ah, I see. Are you ready?" Brenda said, fist-pumping getting in front of everyone.
"give me a second," Apricot said, taking out 6 puppets, surprising me quite a bit at the amount.
'6, huh, way more than I thought.' I thought happily but did not show it on my face, of course.
"is that all you can do, Apricot?" I said emotionless.
"tsk nekro show her." Apricot said gestering at nekro to behind her.
"Okay," Nekro said, nodding. Slamming her hands together, I felt devil mana gather around her, making me raise an eyebrow.
"so this is how devil mana actually feels like," I mumbled, intrigued.
'I can't feel my own, but I know when I use it. But this is definitely Devil mana. I don't even need to try to feel the malice.' I thought with a thoughtful expression.
"May thee follow thy?" Nekro muttered, slamming her hands on the ground.
'27 seconds to summon... 46 corpses!?' I thought, baffled at the amount. Looking around me, I raised an eyebrow.
"It's as creepy as always," Sirona mumbled discussed.
"Hey, it's one of our best skills! You can only shoot some arrows, and you haven't even hit one at all." Apricot complained, glaring at Sirona.
"What did you say? Do you know how hard it is to shoot someone that so fast?" Sirona rebuked aggressively.
"Hey! Not the time, guys," I shouted, unleashing a wave of ice magic. I destroyed all Nekros' living corpses and sent everyone falling onto their butts. Seeing their display, I sigh, shaking my head in disappointment.
"ag, sorry." Apricot never said apologizing while Chinada was helping the other two up from the ground.
"Whatever, I lost any motivation for this," I said, dispelling all my ice before turning around and jumping back to the mansion through the window we came out of.
"huh, your back?" Mom said, surprised to see me back.
"yeah, they are a disappointment," I said, walking to the kayda sulking at the corner.
"Kayda dearest, are you okay," I mumbled, getting closer to her.
"No!" Kayda yelped, in disapproval, not looking at me at all.
"oh, come on, you ditch me first," I said, grabbing her around the waist. I lifted her up into a teddy bear hug.
"no, let me go," Kayda whined, flailing her arms and legs in denial, trying to get out of my hold.
"Not happening~." I chimed, smiling.
"Wow, you two really... I will shut up." Mom said, seeing both of us glare at her.
"You are a meany," Kayda mumbled, stopping her protest.
"Says the one that just leaves her girlfriend behind an escapes on her own," I said sarcastically, taking a seat on the couch with kayda on my lap.
"hmph!"
"Right, so kitsuna, what do you think about your squad," Mom said, looking at me like she was waiting to get praised.
"they talk way too much. They are more useless than me at 5 years old."
"You don't know even how you were at 5. but I get your point. They do talk too much." Mom complained before nodding in agreement.
"it made me lose interest in them," I said, shaking my head in disappointment.
"... Sigh, are you sure." Mom said, sighing knowing what I meant.
"yeah, you can do what you want with them. I don't care," I said calmly.
"tell me if you change your mind, okay." Mom said, looking at me seriously.
"I dought I will, but I will tell you if I change my mind."
"Wait, what are you guys talking about," Kayda said, not understanding what was going on at all.
"I don't want the crazy squad as mine anymore. They are too useless. My mother trained them for 3 months, and they didn't get better on a bit stronger, but as a squad, they are weaker than a colony of puppies." I explained, shrugging.
"ah, don't you think you are shooting the gun already?"
"why are you asking that?"
"Well, you only saw them go against you, not how they do against enemies."
"pfft, they will die if I leave them to enemies," I said, laughing.
"... Stacy, just transfer them to me instead," Kayda said, thinking a bit.
"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 am doing?' I thought, looking at the closed double door where I could hear Apricot sitting behind, sniffing.
"They are more useless than they were before I left. Are you sure you actually trained them, mom?" I said, looking at mom with a raised eyebrow.
"sigh, don't start it." Mom said, shaking her head.
"Alright."
"When do we go to the Kuni?" Kayda asked, looking at mom.
"Anytime you guys are ready." Mom said, shrugging.
"What, really? Alright, then, let us go." Kayda said, getting out of my lap regrettably.
"wait, let me just get our things first," I said, jumping up before leaving the room. Closing the door behind me, I glanced at Apricot on the floor.
"sniff."
'You guys better get better faster. Teamwork is the most important. well, when it comes to squads.' I thought, walking past Apricot towards Kayda and my room.