Teaming Up

"Gather round! C'mon, off your asses! Daylight is a wastin'!"

Alessia shouted from the center of the outpost, the golden haired Dogkin standing beside Trania and looking at the various soldiers milling about, waiting for us to come to attention around the two Talonmasters.

All twenty members of the two women's squads approached the center, looking towards their Talonmaster's and wondering what we were going to be doing on our third day of this deployment; the first had been spent getting the outpost's shell made, whilst the second had finalized its structure and completed most of the work.

We still had some more to do, but pretty much all of the outpost had been finished, so... we were curious about what the two Talonmaster's would have us do for the remaining days, and it seemed that question was about to be answered.

"So... We have today, tomorrow, and the day after to make use of, and Trania and I came up with just the thing to make these days worth while~! What have we decided, I can hear you all mentally asking? Well, it's just the thing for a bunch of soldiers like yourselves~!"

Grinning, the Dogkin looked around at the gathered soldiers and continued to speak, clearly taking enjoyment from the oration she was giving.

"To start, we'll be teaming you up with three others, for a total of five teams of four! These teams of yours will be working to slowly clear out the surrounding area and mapping out any Monster Dens, Monster Lairs, or any other points of interest! Any Goblin Hunting parties that you come across are to be taken out, unless they are a Horde, are led by either an Ogre or a Troll, or they are comprised solely of Hobgoblins! These next three days are going to be about scouting, hunting, and killing!"

Trania stepped up next, the calmer, quieter spoken Catkin taking over for the grinning Dogkin as she said "Mapping the area out is of the utmost importance, but taking out any and all Goblins or Hobgoblins that you can is also important. And as an incentive, Alessia and I are going to reward the team that brings back the most Goblin Ears, maps out the most areas, and brings back any additional materials with the funds needed to purchase a fresh, better weapon back at the Supply Depot."

An excited murmur filled the air as the soldiers grinned at one another, already beginning to playfully tease and challenge their squadmates at the words of the Talonmaster's, which made Alessia grin even more.

"That's right! We're going to be funding you poor saps with some new gear by the end of this! BUT! That is ONLY for the winning team of four, and as some of the smarter amongst you have noticed... there is an odd amount of you. Helik, as the medic I am having you step out and remain with Trania and I to maintain the health of the squads. Don't worry, we're upping your pay for this. Instead, Kira'll be taking your place."

The squad all looked at me, and I stared at Alessia in surprise at that announcement, having expected me to be the one to sit out thanks to my lack of strength and that I had no real place in this squad; no trust built between me and them, and no reason for me to aid them - and vice versa.

A few shared that sentiment, though a majority just grinned and nodded, accepting that without issue as they turned back to Alessia, who continued to speak.

"We'll be doing this in shifts as well, and I expect each of you to abide by the rules I am about to set, got it?! Three teams out on the first wave, then the remaining two head out after that! Each team is given three hours before they need to return to rest up and share their findings, which WILL be shared between EVERYONE! This is a competition, yes, but we are STILL a single UNIT! No underhanded tactics..."

Alessia's grin dropped, and the Dogkin raked her gaze over the squad, the claymore on her back suddenly becoming far more apparent as she growled "And if I hear about any of it, you can enjoy the confines of a cell back at Qingrad from now till next year... or you can take your shot at being a Talonmaster, if you'd like..."

Everyone gulped and stepped back, the mana and strength radiating off of the Dogkin stifling any of our movements as we just stared at her, only letting out our breaths as she resumed grinning at us, the warning made.

"So, let's get those teams together, hmm~? First Team! Kira, Paci, Victor, Inga! Gather there! Second Team-!"

I moved towards the area that Alessia pointed towards, Paci grinning at me as she and two others joined me, our team nodding to one another as we took in who we were working with.

The red haired Dogkin Paci had her spear resting against her shoulder, still wearing a grin as she playfully looked around at each of us, exuding that laid back confidence that I had felt back when we went out with Alessia that first night.

Victor was a hunk of a man, standing somewhere in the upper sixes and strapped with muscle, his fuzzy, rounded ears and permanent scowl making him rather intimidating; if that didn't, the giant, thick bladed axe strapped to his back, as well as the twin Gladius' on his waist certainly did.

Finally, Inga was wearing a polite smile, the thin, brown haired woman nodding to me as she looked me over, before she turned towards Paci; the pale yellow, thin legs that ended in taloned feet, paired with the large set of wings behind her made it clear that she was from some sort of Avian race... to no ones surprise.

Her weapon of choice was a longbow that was nearly as tall as her, its dark wood engraved with runes that gave it a primal beauty, though I knew that such a weapon packed one hell of a punch, especially since she had a quiver of equally long arrows slung between her wings.

Our squad looked rather balanced; a vanguard, a ranged attacker, and two balanced fighters with Paci and I.

Whether or not we could make use of this balance and earn ourselves those rewards was an entirely different question.