Day to Day
The rest of Logan’s first week at Marineford went similarly to the first half, only once the Squadron divided for the night Logan would give the Captain a massage, before getting a private lesson.
When he phrased the situation like that it sounded like a ‘fun time’ might be happening, but there was no fun for Logan to be had. Just giving the massage was enough to get Logan sweating again, as Captain Frear’s muscles were impossible to work without Logan using his entire body.
Then came the lessons, which Logan tried to purge from his mind after. He thought he would have learned the Soul Sword Ability already if the Captain wasn’t always cursing him out like a sailor from about two inches from Logan’s ears.
Her ‘reasoning’ for the abuse was simple, if Logan couldn’t handle a verbal assault while using the Soul Sword, what illusions did he have of using it under a physical assault? Unable to argue with her reasoning, Logan continued to submit himself to the unique brand of torture for about an hour every day, until the week passed.
Then, the Frear Squadron had another mission.
“Alright listen up people, it's mission day again. This time, you all got lucky, we aren’t headed down to the shore again. Instead, we have received a request to deal with a new population of Mruklurks that have appeared in a cave formation by the bluffs.”
“In case you’re a bit daft, that means bring a portable source of light, you will need it. Any questions?”
Without waiting for a response, the Captain turned and continued on.
“Good, let’s get going.”
And just like that, the Squad was off, following their Captain as she led them on towards their destination. However, the atmosphere of the Squadron was tense, and there was not a lot of trust to go around it felt like to Logan. Maybe that was something he could change.
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“So, me and Amar joined up from Alteep Village. I think we heard from Jerry and Arasaka, but I would love to know a little more about you all.”
Everyone in the group looked over at that, but they looked a little hesitant to come forward. So Logan took a page from his old high school teachers, and called on someone who had just spoken to him, even if she was slightly rude.
“Aerie, how about you start us off?”
“I-Alright. Similar to Jerry, I come from Mirris, where I was an… associate of the Organics Research Team.”
“Oh, do you two know each other?” Logan asked her.
Jerry spoke up instead. “No, I have heard of her, though.”
“You would have, wouldn’t you?” Aerie retorted, with an intense vitriol.
“Uh, Aerie, what does your skillset look like?” Logan changed the subject. A shouting match would be the least productive thing for team cohesion right now.
“I’ve already saved your life with it. I’m a Water Attuned, did you think that everyone just walked off getting hit by that wave the Salt Kings made? That much force would have crushed most everyone's ribs.”
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“Huh. I thought it was weird that it didn't really hurt. Thank you, Aerie.”
This seemed to take the cyan haired woman aback. Some of the anger visibly drained from her face, and her face’s heat took on a new meaning. The break in the conversation let Logan turn his gaze over to Jerry. So far, the man had appeared nothing but kind, but Aerie had a serious grudge against the man for some reason.
Jerry noticed Logan’s gaze on him, and winked. The expression looked odd on the studious mans’ face, but Logan was the only one to catch it. The rest of the group had once again focused on themselves, leaving Logan’s intentions unrealized.
He would have tried again, but the bluffs were coming into view, and Logan realized their destination was upon them. As the Captain turned to give them one last pep talk, Logan focused up.
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“Alright now, your targets are in there somewhere, good luck finding the buggers. And remember, you can leave one alive, but you can’t leave two. We found sex doesn’t matter when these things wanna reproduce, they’ll find a way.”
On that disgusting note, the Captain shooed them onwards. The Frear Squadron walked forwards as a unit this time, Larry having learned his lesson. The big man was still at the front of the squad, but was keeping pace alongside Arasaka and Amar.
This time, Lucius and Sophia were slightly farther behind that front trio, in a formation they had practiced throughout the week. It allowed them to focus on damage with their double sword style, while the front three could harry their opponents and attract their attention.
Then, in the back Logan, Aerie and Jerry were the rearguard. Although Logan had been practicing, he wasn’t proficient enough with the Soul Sword to use it safely and consistently. Jerry’s inclusion in the backline was obvious, because the man was their tactical foundation, while being the only one who could keep the others alive, beyond his other utility.
Aerie carried with her a crossbow, which she had used as her primary weapon in training. Logan didn’t know why she didn’t just use her Divinity, but so far he had never witnessed her using any mystical skills directly.
As for Lexie, that was anyone's guess. She had disappeared as the Captain was still talking. Logan was hoping he never had to fight her, when Jerry started talking.
“I’m sure you’ve heard, but Mruklurks appear like small, humanoid salamanders. They are weak to fire and any attack to their heads, with minimal intelligence at best. Be careful, as they possess a mild contact poison that will paralyze a person in large doses. They often try to swarm larger prey to accomplish such a feat.”
“Good intel.”
With that, the Frear Squadron was in the cave system, hunting Mruklurks.
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Arasaka had several pieces of metal that had been enchanted to glow a soft yellow color. Passing them around, the Squad had more than enough light to navigate by in the tunnels. The only problem was they didn’t know where to navigate to.
At a fork almost 50 feet into the small mouth of the cave system, the group had already come to a small impasse. They had no information on where in the cave the Monsters were, and taking a wrong turn could delay the mission by hours, maybe even a full day. These caves were apparently notorious for connecting to a much larger system.
Finally, Jerry spoke up.
“The Mruklurks should attack us as soon as they become aware of our presence. Either way we travel, we don’t need to explore completely as long as we make plenty of noise.”
That's how the Frear Squadron had ended up wandering down the left branch of the caves, singing a folk song.
“Tomorrow, the songs have been sung.
Tomorrow, the bells have been rung.
Tomorrow, the tears have stung.
Our eyes upon our face.
Tomorrow, the fathers are gone.
Tomorrow, the taps have all run.
Tomorrow, the tears have stung.
Our eyes upon our face.
For when War comes, the worst is done.
Our fate is sealed, our lips are mum.
There is no hope beyond the hope
That you find in rum.
Tomorrow, the songs have been sung.
Tomorrow, the bells have been rung.
Tomorrow, the tears have stung.
Our eyes upon our face.”
It added an eerie overtone to the entire expedition, as they traveled further and further into the ground. At every intersection they repeated the song, to increase the chance of stumbling upon their targets. Logan was completely lost at this point, but Jerry was confident he knew the way out.
So far they hadn’t run into any Mruklurks, but it was only a matter of time. The Frear Squadron would be searching through these caves for as long as it took to find them. Larry alone carried enough food for the entire group to eat today, so time was not an issue.
They would keep hunting the Mruklurks until the job was done. Logan just hoped he would be able to take a shower tonight.