Chapter 73 - 71

"The fuc-" "No way, still small fella?" "Oh, hi, welcome to the group!" Their reactions go all around, and as they talk all at the same time I keep my annoyed face up.

"You can't be serious Captain, didn't know we were accepting starving kids now. How about putting a charity sign at the front yay?"

"Gunner, come own, can you not be a jerk about it? I know is hard but make an effort." Says a woman on the side with a short brown hair and two screens shinning in front of her.

Gunner grunts at her in a sneer, his bearded face contorting as he crosses his arms in front of him. "You are too soft Hacker, aren't you in the wrong working field? I bet the Citadel would have a cozy place for you to work at if you ask nicely."

"You!" She seems to fume at his words, closing her hands into fists and getting red from anger, but before she can say anything another voice resonates beside me:

"Let him." Asher says, and his cold monotone chilling voice brings all the attention back at him.

"But-" Hacker starts, but one look from her Captain makes her close her mouth back up.. "Starving kid, you said, Gunner?" He asks, turning back towards the bulky blacksmith looking guy. "Perhaps you think I was wrong in my judgment of bringing him into my troops?"

"Perhaps I think that." All the other frown at his answer, but Asher is unfazed by it as he says:

"Then how about we test it out? Ten seconds on the ring."

"Ten seconds? Ha! I won't even need five!"

"Very well, five then." At that he turns towards me and says:

"Seiji, 'Go fight gunner, do not kill or hurt him badly, and end it the quickest you can.' Understood?"

I just look at him with narrowing eyes as the command settles in with a buzzing skin crawling sensation. I follow suit at the end of the line as all go to the back and down a roll of stairs, not before one of them that I recognize as the Crazy Hound howls in excitement, and Asher falls back a little to call out to the uninterested one at the back table, requesting him to watch too against his will as he lets a deep sigh before following suit.

We go down a narrow dark stair, but what awaits for us downstairs is an open space that I soon recognize to be their training grounds by the impregnated smell of sweat on the wood and on the tatami floor, as well as the practicing weapons displayed on one side.

By the smell of it there are showers too at the back, a small yet completed place he has running here, all hidden in secrecy, I like it.

"Oi, kid, watch it, if you stay that out of it you cannot blame me for hurting you." Says Gunner as he gives a few jabs in the air to warm his body up.

I just look at him.

…Hurt me?

I smile at that, which makes him scold further.

"Are you two set?" Asks someone on the side as all the others stay out of our way but positioned well enough to watch us every move.

I don't get why we are fighting, but I don't mind a little play, and trying to have a good grasp of Asher's intentions I think his command over.

Not hurt him too badly, finish as quickly as I can, but no worry nor command telling me to hide my presence and not change forms… right?

Are you trying to display me in a showcase Asher?

"Aright, then… start!"

It all ends in a second.

In one moment we are both standing there, watching the other's move, and the other he is on the floor with me on top of him with my hand in front of his face, my nails aiming to his eyes.

And I stay there, letting the situation sink in in the eerie silence, especially to the guy below me that stares at my nails, so close to his fragile orbs, that the realization of the situation takes a moment to settle in as cold sweat starts running on his forehead.

"… What the hell just happened? I didn't see anything."

"Something dropped Gunner to the ground." Says a burly woman, the only one to see part of it, and the only one to make me look up to watch out for.

"Did you see what happened Queen?"

"Yes… And I think our Captain owns us an explanation… right?"

Captain and the Queen have a staring contest at this point as Gunner gives me a push back so that I let him go, trying to stand, but I like the increasing terror in his eyes and the swelling fear that I can smell coming from him, so I push him back down, giving him one more taste of my strength when he can't even make me flinch.

"Ohmmm, Captain, a little help?" Oh, asking your Captain for help, where did that brave cocky man go?

However before Asher has the time to change his commands and force me out of him another one does it for him, and with my instincts screaming and a cutting shushing air I jump backward, away from the way of a lace that flew in my direction, now embedded in the wall on the other side.

I slowly look up at the source of the attack, and I'm not surprised to see the woman, Queen, staring back at me.

She is definitely one to keep my guard up against.

With well defined muscles, thick thighs and arms, black hair shaved on the sides, her warrior look is completed by a fearless gaze as she watches me as I watch her.

Is this an invitation?

She takes her shoes off and steps over the tatami.

I guess it is, I think with a buzzing burning sensation increasing inside me, getting me on edge with adrenaline.

She grabs a small heavy mace that can be wielded with one hand and give it a few swings in the air as I wait for her attack, legs open and eyes attentive to her body language, but she, as I, does not get cocky in this fight, so she grabs another thing on the side that I soon realize to be some sort of shield, not a big one but a round small one that does not weight her down.

I spread my own legs, smiling, ready to pounce.

This shall be fun.