Chapter 21: Chapter 21

The last few months had been studying, tests, training, exercises, combat training, and all manner of things that a military operative required. Sometimes she forgot this place was military from the cosy warm feelings it gave off, but other times it was impossible to forget as the day dragged on painfully. Kiko had to put in accelerated training for a week due to missing training from the whole being kidnapped and tortured thing. She could have just graduated a week later, but Kiko specifically requested to not do that so she could graduate with the class. While she wasn’t the most social of people and didn’t hit up the lounge very often- given her backed training, her Kitsune studies and her Magic studies, she rarely had any time too – she had gotten to know them, and wanted to graduate with them.

 

So, when the ten-week basic course was done, she graduated with them and with the rest of the recruits, was directed to a new room. Here, she was face to face with the Division Heads. She had met all of them, except for Lassadora. A Tsuchigumo, Lassadora gave off a terrifying aura. The eyes and skin colour were pitch black, she had six arms, four eyes and generally massively unnerving, so she avoided her.  Some person she had never seen before was at the head of the Foot Teams – basic, none-specialized infantry, it seemed – and from the looks of the requirements, it was easy to get into this division. Though, she was going to the Assault Teams if anything, looking around didn’t hurt.

 

Bruyn’s Rifles required an exacting score in marksmanship, something Kiko missed, and so she wondered if there was going to be anyone joining. But apparently if you got within six-point margin, Bruyn did offer extra lessons and a retake after the lessons. A courtesy she learned was not offered by Mizia and the Ten Blades. The marksmanship requirements were as high as Bruyn’s, plus high physical training, mental aptitude and cqc proficiency. Inquiring there, she learned that the Sheaths – Apprentices of the Ten Blades – were not something that came from the recruits, generally. She was just here in case someone did get the required scores. Much like the Fire Teams, one could join the Sheaths at any point in their life, which made a lot more sense.

 

After meandering and looking in on everyone, she eventually put in her sign on the Assault Team. Having Queenie on her side to make sure she got the required scores, it was easy enough to get her name down, and by the end of it, she was arrayed into a team of three others, which would be their team for the rest of their service, excluding deaths, retirements and moving between divisions. When everyone was done slotting into their divisions, the teams were taken to one side by sergeants and other instructors to be given the lowdown. 

“Alright. If you four can pass the six months of advanced training, you will be part of Watcher Squad. The Assault Teams are close-combat vanguards, clearing way and taking point. We are often supported by the Rifles, so expect to have multiple combined training operations with them in the coming months. During training operations, we will refer to you as call-signs, to ensure that you are fully ready for their use in the field” The sergeant then pointed to each of them in turn and reeled off their call signs. “You will be; Sneeze, Dog, Red and Fluffy”

 

The call signs were shocking, and everyone cocked their eyebrows and looked at each other. Clearly, nobody had had any forewarning about them, and the sergeant wasn’t about to explain. He just ferried them off to a new part of the building – every time Kiko got taken to a new part of the building she was amazed at the size of the place for such a small building when you were outside of it – which served as Assault Team barracks. It was late in the day so there was nothing planned, and the night was spent socializing with the other recruits and then sleeping.

 

Though the day after was certainly an adventurous one. No plans to ease them into anything, there was a ten v ten urban combat exercise that they were immediately thrown into. They got to choose their own weaponry, and Kiko took an assault rifle and semi auto pistol sidearm, thankful for the training she had gotten at Bruyn’s over the ten week course of basic training. While they were only gas powered paintballs, the recoil was specifically designed to be equal to their real counterparts for authenticity. A man took control of the group and set up the plan of action before executing it.

 

Of course, this plan left Kiko pinned down against a wall with three others looming over her ready to strike. She agreed with the principle behind it, but still felt irate.

“Cheeky little shits” Kiko muttered, pressing against the wall. She had yet to pass Eteria’s tests, so there was no magic she could use here, and the studying she did at Asha’s office in her free time was not getting her very far on the racial magic – officially called Borrowing, so called because it borrowed power from the surrounding area rather than casted by herself. The metaology of it was that the race was steeped in Magic from their God right down to the children, and so there were things that were embedded into the very tails of the Kitsunes. One could “Borrow” specific powers depending on the number of tails they had to borrow from. The only thing she had managed to get was none-lethal Foxfire. Though her senses had improved quite considerably from how they were, but that was merely auxiliary.

 

So she had nothing to help her when a paintball whizzed past the wall she was hiding behind and clipped her helmet. Glances were fortunately not a hit to take someone out, but the jarring of her helmet from the blow jolted her out of her mental complaints and pulled her back to reality. Which was not much better, as the aforementioned plan explained. Now all she could do was wait for help and pin these three down by being pinned down by them. Though, from the sounds of things, someone was taking their chances storming up to her position, numerical advantage and all. Maybe they got bored first.

 

Kiko waited for the footfalls to get close and then, drawing her sidearm, suddenly darted from her half-broken wall. Sudden, frantic shooting came from her oppressor, but they were too clumsy to hit the rapidly moving target. Levelling the pistol and accounting for her own movement, she fired off a quick three round burst, each pellet covering the other in case of miscalculation. One went wide, but the second splattered across the recruit’s arm and the third hit them clean in the chest, taking them out of the fight. They weren’t terrible tactics, as only one had moved up while the other two covered, and the covering fire did harrow her as she made a run for it. Not fast enough either, as she got hit by one round. Splatting clearly across the calf of her leg, she stumbled and barely managed to get into a controlled roll, before lying flat on the ground and hissing.

 

Sure, they were only balls of paint, but the dam guns had a kick to them and those balls really hurt. She couldn’t stand on it without limping and making herself a target, so she was just incapacitated on the ground and waiting for the other two to come find her. Queenie was so going to chew her out later for charging from a stable position into unknown territory.  Still, she rolled about frantically until she found herself in a house, and crawled to in there, tipping over a table and leaning behind it.

“Any time, guys” she spoke into her radio. Hopefully the now 9 v 7 fight had gone poorly in their favour and they could spare some time to come get her.

 

Not leaving it to chance however, she spawned her three tails and spread out her senses. The rushing feet were coming to her position, but when they got outside they weren’t confident. Discussion was had, something she could hear but not really hear. She knew they were talking but it was too muffled to comprehend. Eventually, and fortunately, they went in next door first to search for her, giving her a moment.

“I’m at number 11, the enemy has just gone into number 10. Hurry your ass up and you’ll be able to take them as they leave” Kiko told the squad, leaning against the table and sighing. This lame leg was stinging like hell, and there were two guys that were going to come in and shoot at her with more sting-like-hell rounds when they got here.

 

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Though her self-doubt was strong, she was able to get up on her knees, peak over the table, and when the two entered her house after searching the previous, she unleashed a frantic spray of paintballs from her rifle, driving them to the ground. And it was on the ground that Kiko’s relief squad found them. It was like fish in a barrel as they both got shot down and then Kiko rescued proper.

“Thanks for the help. We flanked west around them and they didn’t have the numbers to hold that position. We got three of them before they retreated, and another one as they did. With the three taken down here, there is only three left to fight our seven” the man who had led her rescue was a man part of her own squad, the rather interestingly named Dog.

 

“Thanks….Dog….we really need to talk about where those Call signs came from” Kiko told him, shaking her head and standing gently on her wounded leg.

“Well, for me and you, it’s not so hard. I’m a Lupian, and your tails are really fluffy. Though, I’d have gone with Snow” He would gesture to Kiko’s white-hair strand. Though, it was not a gesture Kiko appreciated.

“Oi” she exclaimed, scowling.

“Or Specs, because that eye is super creepy” Dog continued, grinning broadly.

“Double Oi. I’m going to start throwing fire in a moment” Kiko threatened. Dog took the hint and changed the subject.

“On the topic of fire. Red, is probably a fire guy or something? Red fire, you know? Sneeze is the hardest one to guess though. Maybe he sneezes loudly or something?” Dog was a fun guy, seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, outside of the teasing commentary. She’d be happy to know him, ultimately. It wasn’t vindictive. Kiko sighed and nodded gently.

“Fluffy. Hmm, I could get a worse one considering my antics” she commented, ensuring that her gun was fully loaded and then leaving at a slow walk.

“Ohh? Not heard of them. Fill me in?” Dog asked, taking up position behind her.

“No. None of them would be in the least bit flattering, and while Fluffy is hardly valorous or intimidating, at least it isn’t embarrassing like the others could be” Kiko refused to tell, and Dog didn’t press, so they made their way back to their squad’s position. Two guys were on duty periodically firing pellets into some hastily barricaded windows to keep the other squad’s heads down, and the rest were watching for any trickery.

 

“We rescued the damsel!” Dog exclaimed, to Kiko’s dismay.

“Triple Oi!” Kiko replied, pointing one of her tails at him, lit up with the fire. After a few teasing seconds, she looked to the enemy location. They were well barricaded but it was mostly hastily stacked furniture. “Well, they haven’t told us any of the rules so if they complain, I shall shoot them” Kiko spoke. Before anyone could ask what she meant by that, she charged her Foxfire and shot it through the windows, setting fire to the table they were using for cover. The shouts of surprise as the cover burst into flames were easily heard, and the boss man looked to Kiko with a face between admiration and terror.

“Well……you certainly help keep them on their toes if nothing else. Dog?” the boss seemed to have had a talk with the group after Kiko had left, because Dog nodded and shook his head, growing rapidly hirsutisc and animalistic. Rushing forward on all fours and leaping through the window, there were more shouts of surprise and then the klaxon rang out signalling the end of the training exercise.

 

“Well, that was productive. And a great Quasi-Human display as well. Never be afraid to adjust strategies on the fly to use your partner’s biological capabilities to your advantage. Commendations for Fluffy and Dog for their combined assault in invading the stronghold. Brains for the plan and the quick modification of the plan when Kiko threw in her hand” the Sargent spoke through a tannoy. And with that they were let out of the training ground – the buildings and terrain melted into the ground in a spectacular show of power – and Kiko was amazed by it.

‘That’s impressive. They have Geomancy embedded into the ground to spontaneously create things on demand with the merest touch of power. I wanna meet who has made this place’ Vana spoke, as Kiko left the place for a more in-depth debriefing and lesson on the tactics they had exhibited. Kiko, as expected, got in trouble for her mad dash out of cover. But she did learn more about what was going on. The draw away went well and an ambush took out most of the enemy group, leaving a small batch of survivors to shore up in cover. And that was where she came in and dealt the finishing blow.

 

Then they learned this exercise was not one that was meant to go so cleanly. But between Brain’s intelligence, Kiko’s aptitude and Dog’s solid grasp of his lineage, the opposing side basically disintegrated. Brain really seemed to earn his name, but he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t meet Queenie’s requirements, so you could rely on him to be supporting you if you needed to go in. It was heartening to know that there were people that she could rely on. She’d have to make an effort to get to know them better than she knew her basics. And maybe without the double cram of said basic she could manage it. Though, the question of socializing brought about the question of barracks. And the question of barracks brought about the question of where she was going to stay. Would it still be Queenie’s room? Would that be awkward? They weren’t exactly conventional military but banging your boss was always a thing that sparked controversy. Even though Kiko wasn’t really ‘banging’ her so much as being with her for emotional support.

 

Still, those thoughts were for later, and so she just left them to be them and got on with the day. It was mostly theory and self-evaluation. They watched the video of their own combat and then read about ways to make it better and what they did. It seemed there was a lot of intelligence behind being one of the Assault Teams. Leading the way generally meant taking charge of frontline tactics, after all. But after cramming her head full of the stuff, the day ended, and she managed to get to Queenie’s so she could talk to the woman.

“We gotta have a talk~!” Kiko exclaimed as she opened the door, and saw the woman standing there. The outfit she got from her visit to Yeni’s tribe laid out in full view. She froze for a moment and then with a panicked franticness, gave a smile. “Ni-ce outfit. You want me to wear that now you got your fill of Maid?” Kiko asked, smiling badly as she made her excuse. This, was awkward….

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