Chapter 5 - Preparing

The morning light shone through the glass windows located on the door of the barrak's training as Alastair had just completed his nightly routine training. Sliding his blade back into its sheath, Alastair slowly pulled open the door and headed over to his allocated Commander's sleeping quarters; getting a quick change before making his way to the cafeteria for breakfast.

The majority of the members were already there. Some looked groggier than others; most of them begging Reisa to cast a hangover cure on them one more time.

"Commander!" Their voices rang out clearly as Alastair approached.

Alastair gave a small nod with his usual poker face as he headed into the cafeteria to grab himself something to eat. The quality of food served within the Squad Zero cafeteria was akin to that presented within the Emperor's Palace. Anything could be ordered, from breakfast to dessert, and the quality of the delicacy was guaranteed to be greater than any restaurant within the Empire.

"We'll be leaving in an hour. Everyone, change into your uniform and prepare for departure." Alastair ordered, holding his plate as he sat down on his usual seat near the entrance.

"Understood!" They all replied in unison, instantly stopping all they were doing to heed the word of their commander before separating off into their small groups.

Len and Tonia ran off to the female side of the barrack, giggling about one thing or another whilst some others remained to either polish off their weapons or get breakfast.

"Ah~ Good Morning, Commander~," two quiet voices sounded out next to him. Turning to his side, the pair of twins wearing their adorable black and white dragon pajama onesies stood there, rubbing their eyes with one hand and holding each other's hand with the other.

Alastair nodded silently at their presence before turning back around and digging into his food.

The twins looked at each other and shrugged, claiming a seat next to each other, and began waiting for their meal, eagerly tapping the butt of their utensils on the table as they waited.

"Finny! Rinny! Come play with us if you're waiting to eat!" A voice suddenly called out from behind, causing the twins to turn around to see Tonia and Len floating inside a giant bubble cast by the group's red-haired mage.

"Oh~?" The twins' eyes widened as they immediately hopped out of their chairs, their little feet landing on the ground with a soft thump as they ran towards them with a giggle.

A sigh could be heard from Reisa as she began casting the spell on the twins as well.

Cheerful gasps and laughter filled the air as the twins became engulfed by a giant bubble that slowly began floating up into the sky. The now-ready breakfast sitting on the cafeteria counter already long forgotten.

When the noise from the girls began to fade the further they moved away, the other group of squad members entered the cafeteria.

"I bet I can drink another 10 barrels." A deep baritone voice bragged by the entrance,

"No, you can't. You'll pass out on the 4th barrel, you dumbass." Another voice replied, a smirk escaping from his mouth, "3 and 3 quarters, to be precise. Then you'll fall on your back and be crying your eyes out."

"That's cheating! Stop looking into the future like that." The first voice grumbled, wrapping his arm around the other's neck.

"Gah! Get your filthy paw off of me!" The second voice retorted, smacking his arm off.

"L-Leon, Enga, please stop fighting." A quiet third voice whimpered beside them.

"Hahaha!" The thunderous laughter of Leon echoed throughout the building. "Jyn! You gotta man up more! C'mon buddy," Leon jokingly grinded Jyn's head between his fists, gaining himself a flustered response from the timid boy.

The trio slowly made their way towards the bar, grabbing a barrel of top-quality, abnormally high concentrated beer before heading into the blacksmith a few meters away.

An hour passed quickly as each member changed into their allocated squad uniforms and grabbed their precious personalized weapons.

They all wore a customized black and gold uniform, each fitting their very own tastes and personality. Their black and gold hats were all identical with a badge of the Royal Demonic Crest centered in the middle.

"Let's go," Alastair ordered, adjusting his hat as he stepped out the gate.

Reisa, Seilon, and the rest of the squad followed close behind.