A Very Grin Christmas

The sun had barely risen over Veura when Grin burst through the door of the training hall, practically tripping over his own feet as he held a ridiculously oversized sack.

"Good morning, everybody!" he shouted, his voice bouncing off the stone walls with enough energy to rival an explosive charge. "I bring gifts of immeasurable value!"

Kaion, who had been nursing a cup of barely drinkable tea, squinted at him. "Grin, if you brought us another one of those 'special' meals of yours, I swear—"

"Oh no, no food this time," Grin interrupted, hopping around in a circle and holding up his sack like it was the Holy Grail. "It's something better. Something grander. Something that will change the course of our destiny!"

Raya, who was trying to focus on her stretches, raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Something that won't get us all poisoned, I hope?"

Grin dramatically pulled something out of the bag. A small, oddly shaped, and distinctly untrustworthy-looking metal object that looked suspiciously like a busted-up blender.

"This, my friends, is the future!" Grin announced, holding the object high as though he'd just discovered a cure for aging. "Behold, the Anti-Voidbringer-Mega-Destroyer 5000!"

Kaion blinked. "What... what does it do?"

"Excellent question, Kaion!" Grin grinned, clearly pleased with himself. "It does... well, we'll find out, won't we?"

Raya threw her hands up in exasperation. "You can't just invent something and call it a weapon, Grin! That's not how—"

"I told you, it's the Anti-Voidbringer-Mega-Destroyer 5000," Grin repeated, as though saying it multiple times might make it sound more legitimate. "It has... special features."

"Like what? Does it make toast, too?" Kaion asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"HA! You're not even ready for the power of the Anti-Voidbringer-Mega-Destroyer 5000!" Grin beamed, proud of himself. "Behold!" He slammed the button on the side of the device, and a terrifyingly loud whirr filled the room. Then, after a long, awkward silence, it... did absolutely nothing.

Everyone stared at him.

"Grin," Raya said slowly, "What did you do?"

"I-I... may have forgotten to charge it," Grin admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Did you think maybe you should've tested it before bringing it to us?!" Kaion asked, struggling to hide his amusement.

"I was saving the best for last!" Grin said with a grin that looked far too proud for someone who'd just fumbled a potentially universe-shattering device.

Raya crossed her arms. "What exactly does this 'mega-destroyer' even do, anyway?"

"Well," Grin began, clearing his throat, "it could... possibly summon an army of robotic squirrels that will fight for us. But not, like, regular squirrels. No, no, these ones are enhanced." He looked around the room, trying to sell the idea. "Laser eyes. Jetpacks. The works."

"Grin," Kaion said, his voice tinged with disbelief, "you want to fight an ancient evil with robotic squirrels?"

"Of course!" Grin said confidently, as though it was the most logical thing in the world. "You see, squirrels are underestimated. Their sheer numbers and tactical brilliance will outsmart any army. Just wait! You'll see!"

"Yeah, sure, Grin. We'll see," Raya muttered, clearly trying to hold back laughter.

"So..." Kaion leaned in closer. "Does it actually do anything... yet?"

Grin fiddled with a few buttons, more out of habit than hope. The device made an odd, sputtering sound, and then, for about three seconds, a small, half-formed squirrel appeared in front of them. It immediately collapsed to the ground, twitching a little before making a sad beep sound and powering down.

"...That's your army?" Kaion said, his voice cracking with laughter. "It's dead already! Before it even got off the ground!"

Grin sighed dramatically. "It's... a work in progress."

"You're telling me that we're supposed to face down the Voidbringer with squirrels," Raya said, voice filled with disbelief, but there was laughter in her eyes. "And we're counting on the squirrels?"

"I mean, look at it this way," Grin said, grinning as he gestured to the tiny robotic squirrel lying limply on the floor. "It could be worse. Imagine if it was a hamster. Do you know how hard it is to make a hamster with laser eyes?"

"Honestly, Grin, I think that would be an upgrade," Kaion teased. "We could just roll them into battle like tiny, fluffy grenades."

"Maybe if we throw them into the Voidbringer's mouth, he'll choke to death!" Raya added, cracking up.

"Now we're thinking!" Grin cheered. "See? I knew you'd come around."

After a few more minutes of chuckling, the group finally gathered themselves together, though it was clear they were all still fighting back laughter.

"Okay, okay," Kaion said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Let's get back to the Voidbringer. We're going to need way more than an army of robotic squirrels to fight him."

"Fine, fine," Grin conceded, looking at his device with a forlorn expression. "But hey, if things go south, we'll still have the squirrels. I'm not giving up on them!"

"Somehow, I think we'll survive just fine without the squirrels," Kaion said, shaking his head with a smirk.

As the group walked out of the hall, Grin still carried the device, though he looked a little less enthusiastic about its "amazing" potential. But who knew? Maybe one day, those squirrels would save them. Maybe.