As the two new transferred warriors looked at their captain, they noticed others accompanied him. Noticing their gazes, the team veterans started introducing themselves one after the other.
"Jin Ouragan Codename Seth. Please don't call me that, though, as my dead dog was named Seth. So call me Jin instead."
"Elaine Légère, Codename Lilith, please don't use my codename as well as I hate it; I hope we get along!"
"Sklirós Dun Paladin Codename Abel, call me whatever you wish; welcome to the team."
After Jin and the rest introduced themselves, they started shaking hands and making small talk. The discussion began with Cannitrash and Aimzay's weapons.
El and Jin had completed the removal of their explosive collars, and Abel and Cain were undergoing the short procedure. Cain clapped his hands lightly and spoke.
*Clap. Clap.*
Remembering there was going to be a significant event in about 6 hours, Cain wanted to maximize the time they had left.
"We can continue discussions later; El, Jin, and Abel report first to the director in the Lab Wing. I will help Cannitrash and Aimzay have their explosive collars removed."
The two ranged fighters almost had their jaws drop from hearing the news. They could get their explosive collars removed; how much backing did this unit have? They knew that, while any Sun-ranked Asgardian could trigger the explosives, only 5-Sun Ranks had the authority to get them removed.
The two groups separated as El led the first group and went to the Lab Wing. Cain led the new blood to start the paperwork for the explosive collar removals. The clerks, however, were not easily convinced.
"Our orders only extend to the four of you earlier; these two are not part of the official request."
The Asgardian clerk who was responsible for removing the collars pushed back. If he undid just anyone's collars, he might be sent to the prison in shadow if he was not careful.
"We will amend the request; the directive was to remove the explosive collars on the Beowolves; at the time the request was made, only four of us were here; these two only arrived this morning. I am Cain, the unit's captain, and these are my men. So kindly remove their collars; I will take responsibility for them."
The clerk checked the recruits' papers and saw nothing wrong with the blond swordsman's logic. Verifying that the documents for the hunter and the marksman both did specify they were to be part of the Beowolves and only recently arrived. He then proceeded to remove them.
After the Beowolves moved away from the clerk, Aimzay decided to ask as he couldn't bear not knowing any longer.
"Captain, were the two of us included in the list of members who were supposed to have their explosive collars removed? I don't know about Cannitrash, but I revolted in EOS61 and was incarcerated for the next 30 years. I think they wouldn't take kindly to me walking around without insurance."
Hearing this, Cain stopped and looked at the two men, staying silent for a moment composing his reply. As the two awaited his response, both men were internally holding their breaths; they didn't have the best track records.
It was a regular occurrence that upon learning their histories, numerous groups isolated them as a result. Eventually, Cain cleared his throat and started speaking.
"I have read both your files and know of your histories; I am aware Cannitrash is seen as a psychotic cannibal while Aimzay is seen as a dangerous revolutionary. Therefore, I can infer that both of you were treated like hot potatoes and were thrown away as the Earthlings would deem it too difficult to associate with either of you.
However, that all ends today, no matter who you are or what you did. Both your sins and your shame no longer matter. From today on, you are Beowolves; if they have anything to say to you, they must go through me. And if your histories are what they are worried about. Haha.
I intend to make the Beowolves the most outstanding blade in the nine realms. We will wash your sins with the records of our victories, your crimes with their blood. We will be relying on one another; I do not wish to be a hypocrite and do so in a limited fashion.
Give your lives to me, and I will forge our strength. We will soon be going to the frontlines on Alfheim. We may never return, so we can only get as strong as we can. From here onwards, you are my brothers in arms. And I do not intend to let you die in vain. If we must fall, we will give them all something to remember us by."
Blood red energy erupted from Cain as he finished his speech, showing the new blood how passionate the captain was about what he had just spoken about. Feeling their hearts heat up with invigorated burning passion. Cannitrash and Aimzay stood at attention, placed their arms across their chests in an Asgardian salute, and shouted at the top of their voice.
"YES, SIR!"
While they both had made mistakes, being constantly discriminated against without being given a chance to explain made their hearts callous. No one wants to be ignored, ridiculed, or excluded on the battlefield.
They both had their own goals, so they could not die until both did what they set out to do. Yet, for the first time in 50 years, both men felt crying from vindication. should they be vindicated that they would not be left out to die and would finally be given a chance to show the world what they were capable of.
They also felt hopeful; the man before them was blinding for those who were so used to the darkness. If they were to be led by someone as bright as the sun, would they also shine like the moon? As they followed the back of the man known as Cain, they felt their hearts beat furiously in excitement.
********************
Living in this base for 40 years, Cain, El, and Jin learned where everything was in between hunting, investigating, and assault missions.
The three grew steadily; however, they lacked someone who could bear the brunt of assaults. So, they usually completed their missions using guerrilla warfare. Only after Abel joined could they take bigger targets and fight longer engagements.
A lot of their years were wasted in traversing the wasteland searching. Furthermore, they could not always rent modified Jeeps if the rent exceeded what they could make; the warriors would end up in debt instead.
Currently, the main problem the four had was they needed to get close, so if the target ran, only Cain would be able to keep up. So their main modus operadi had only two components: get in as fast as possible, and hit as hard as you can.
Getting lost was the second problem. Cain was hopeful that the hunter and the marksman could solve their weaknesses. The time was 10 AM; two hours had passed to complete the procedures for Aimzay and Cannitrash.
When he reached the lab, he saw the rest of his team covered in armor. Jin was in flashy eastern-looking blue heavy armor with silver and gold pieces in the limbs and a helmet with two horns curved up like wind gales.
He had what could only be large slanted eyes on his shoulders. He reminded the swordsman of the term "Samurai" which he once saw on a TV as a child.
Next, he saw El dressed in what looked like a white European suit of armor with blue accents, like traditional knights of the past. She had long pieces sticking out of her back like dragonfly wings. When she saw Cain, the mage turned to him and started to wave.
However, the most exaggerated of the three would be Abel. The shielder was covered entirely in heavy armor; he had an almost one-meter horn attached to his helmet. And two oversized armor blocks that looked like boxes on his shoulders.
The armor on his feet was thick and broad like he had boots 20 sizes larger. Lastly, he had what could only be described as a giant meter-long nail slapped to his right forearm. He looked highly bulky but also extremely durable. The entire armor was red as crimson.
"Cain! Look at the new gear. We look like robots from Japanese Anime! Hehe"
El glided across the floor with a massive smile as she slid across the floor to reach Cain. Cannitrash and Aimzay saw the ridiculous gear the other team members were sporting and started fantasizing if they would also get their equipment.
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Proofread By: Pearl_Wang,
Edited By: WorthyAdversary