Commander Subaru was very clearly - and very poorly - trying to hold in a laugh.
“What’s with that look? Are you gonna cry? I said draw your sword!”
The man who said this was certainly not somebody an ordinary person would laugh at. Especially considering his challenge was completely serious. However, Subaru, commander of Unit 32 was no ordinary person.
“Good grief.” said a voice from behind Subaru’s large frame. Nat, his second in command stepped into view. She was slouching and had dark circles under her eyes. On top of that she looked barely 20. And her thin frame and lack of weaponry wouldn’t have suggested that she was a soldier at all.
“Will you stop playing, we’re wasting time that could be spent getting us a real mission.” Nat said, rubbing the back of her neck sleepily. Dangling from her hip was a small leather bound book. Well, the book was small in height, but it must have been several hundreds of pages thick. Next to it dangled a small flask of black ink.
Unit 32 - “Team Subaru” - stood inside a quaint motel. In what used to be the dining room, now there was a giant mess of flipped-over tables, shattered plates, and abandoned coats of patrons who’d fled. Now Subarus sombered up and genuinely sized up the man who’d challenged him. The mission of Team Subaru was to either kill or capture this man and return to their base. He knew some very valuable information that made Subaru’s superior’s very nervous.
“Commander, this guy’s ticking me off.” Rei, the third but not final member of Team Subaru now spoke up. “He seems to believe he’s the strongest one in this room. I don’t like that.” As hot headed and short-fused as Rei was, it was hardly a surprise that his fingers were twitching over his sword hilt.
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The challenger spotted this and eagerly drew his own sword. The metallic shing! that sounded as the man pulled his massive broadsword from it’s sheath would have frightened any individual lesser than the three members of Team Subaru standing in front of him.
Rei grinned eagerly and licked his lips, almost as if tasting the tension that was in the air. His thin, toned body began to radiate a brilliant green light. “Commander, let me handle him. He needs to learn some humility.”
A door behind Rei swung open and there was a bonk as it whacked him in the head and nearly knocked him off balance. The green light was suddenly gone.
“Hmm, that’s what you get for trying to act all cool.” Nat jabbed.
Through the door came the fourth and final member of Team Subaru, Tyzor. He yawned and rubbed sleep out of his eyes as he walked past his teammates like a zombie.
“Hey, we get free breakfast from this place since we’re saving their butts, right” Tyzor questioned, his voice raspy. Tyzor’s body began glowing a dull, pale blue. He placed his hand on the shoulder of the challenger who had his sword drawn, and the hulk of a man instantly collapsed to the floor like a rag doll.
“‘Scuse me, bro.” Tyzor mumbled.
“Tyzor!” Subaru proclaimed.
“Relax, he’s alive, I can feel it.” Tyzor responded to a silent accusation. He now seemed full of energy and vigor, his eyes alert.
“Why do they keep giving our unit missions a new recruit could do?” Rei grumbled.
As if to answer his question, a framed picture fell off the inn wall and crashed to the floor. It shattered, adding to the mess of the already trashed dining hall.
“Nat, take note.” Subaru instructed. “Mission complete.”