Acclimation
'Landor, huh?' Xander spoke through the telepathic channel the squad had developed between themselves.
They followed the captain through the streets and observed the town, and in many ways, it reminded them of Avoma, in that the infrastructure was developed to cater both to normal people as well as soldiers.
'It's said that due to its proximity to the Hell Gate as well as the frequent attacks it faces from demonic beasts, Landor is something of a military town, with 1 in 3 people being a soldier or having a related occupation.' Aubrey explained while adjusting her glasses.
'Sounds... hard-core.' Curtis hummed as he looked around, spotting two children who were clinging to their mother, only that their mother was armed and had a staff strapped to her back.
'It's necessary. While this is my first time here, I've heard stories of the Eastern Frontier and the things the town along it have to go through. Just the attacks from demonic beasts alone cause immense pressure. They have no choice but to be armed and alert at all times.' Falael shrugged, glancing around as more than a few people looked at them. Specifically, their ears.
Actually, the whole group garnered attention, but that was to be expected. Other than the fact that they all wore Avoma uniform, they indeed looked like a pretty interesting sort. Two weapon users, a half-elf, a very tall mage, a sleepy girl, and one winged lizard along with a green bird.
'Anyway, what do you make of that guy?' Xander looked at the broad back of the captain, and Aubrey was the first one to answer.
'Preliminary observations suggest that he's a combat mage. A sufficiently powerful one at that, considering that he managed to snag the title of captain in a place like this.' Xander nodded, having guessed as much.
Combat mages were similar to those who used casting whereby they fought with cold weapons and used mana through them. However, the fundamental difference was that while channelers used their weapons to channel their mana, for combat mages, their weapons were essentially their wands.
'Another path that's considered a "dead path" due to the difficulties it entails.' Many considered it a foolish path to take, as one had to cast through their weapons, something that required an absurd amount of concentration. Moreover, by casting through their weapons, it was extremely easy for spells to get disrupted, and these were just among a few of the issues.
'So for him to become a captain...' Nothing else needed to be said, it spoke volumes of his ability. And yet...
'Meh, it's so-so.' That comment made the other three glance at Falael, but they didn't back down.
'In terms of potential, it's simply not that good. That guy looks like he's pushing forty and this is the best he managed for himself. In comparison, Xander and Aubrey's forms of combat are at least presentable.' They snorted, and Xander, Aubrey, and Curtis froze.
'... Was... that supposed to be a compliment?' Aubrey blinked.
'An extremely backhanded one.' Xander followed.
'Take it as you will.' Falael sounded casual, but the tips of their ears turned just a bit pink. It made Xander and Aubrey snicker inwardly while Curtis just smiled at the sight.
Soon enough, the group arrived at a region of the town near the wall. There were a few buildings and tents for barracks, areas for captains and commanders, what seemed to be a mess hall, and a training field. All of which were teeming with soldiers.
'Doesn't feel much different from Avoma to be honest.' Curtis mused.
'Yeah, but I bet Xander here is gonna have to share quarters with other people. So no more Gold card privileges.' Aubrey teased, and Xander just rolled his eyes.
'You seem energetic, maybe you can handle some extra training, then.' That made her to stiffen.
"Alright fledglings." The captain suddenly turned and regarded them.
"Seeing as you're already a squad, there will be no need to break you lot up. However, even if Avoma sent y'all here due to your probably promising skills, I don't know what you can and can't handle, so here's what's gonna happen." He cleared his throat, then let out a shout that sounded more like a roar which quite literally reverberated throughout the area.
"SPARROW! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE IN 5 MINUTES OR YOU'RE DEAD!!!" The shout carried enough force to make everyone's hair flutter.
'... Ow.' Xander resisted the urge to wince as his ears ached, and he quickly looked down, but luckily, Mia seemed unperturbed as she slept soundly.
The baby dragon did open its eyes and glare at him, but whether he didn't notice or just didn't care remained to be see. Rather, the captain found Mia's lack of reaction interesting.
"Oh, seems like we have a strange one here." He chuckled, and everyone in the squad stiffened.
'Sir, please do not do anything to antagonize the eldritch horror in the shape of a little girl.' Xander pleaded with his eyes, and the man just laughed loudly, though whether it was because he knew what the look meant or just found it funny... yeah.
"Captain, you called?" At that moment, a female voice sounded, and they all turned to see a dark-skinned woman standing some feet away from there.
Her dark hair was braided, and she wore a set of light leather armor, leaving only her toned arms bare. She was also armed to the teeth with all sorts of small weapons, from daggers to knives, and a pair of short swords on her back.
'A barbarian?' Falael suddenly said through the link, frowning a little, and he felt varying reactions from the others. Curtis tilted his head, and Aubrey's gaze turned intense.
He was confused for a moment, then he remembered.
'Ah, right. Dark-skinned people are called barbarians. And they probably aren't used to them.' He rubbed his chin.
On the continent, among the Human Race, there was the Human Kingdom Solvaren, and surrounded by it were tribes of humans who were primarily referred to as barbarians, but tat was less because they had barbaric tendencies and more due to propaganda.
'I guess some things don't change even across worlds.' He almost rolled his eyes.
That's when he noticed the woman who he assumed was Sparrow was staring at him with surprise and slight interest, but before he could question it, the captain spoke.
"Sparrow, you remember Avoma, right? These fledglings are from there. So I'm temporarily entrusting them to your care so we can see if they'll be useful or not." Hearing this, Sparrow pursed her lips slightly, and Xander couldn't help but find the motion appealing.
'Well, black women on earth always had that charm to them.' He thought in passing.
"Captain, no offense, but my squad is already busy as is. Babysitting is a bit..." She trailed off, her meaning clear.
The captain just smiled and patted her shoulder.
"Figure it out." Then he walked away.
"..."
'... I honestly just got reminded of Sergeant Alya just then...' Curtis sounded almost exasperated.
'Agreed×3'
With a muttered curse in what Xander assumed was her native language, Sparrow turned to the group and scrutinized them for a few seconds. Specifically, she looked at Xander, then at Mia, then at his two occupied shoulders.
"... Are you part comforter or something? What's going on with you?" She raised a brow, and Xander just shrugged.
"People tell me I'm warm."
'No one tells you that!' Ignoring Falael's mental shout, Xander just stared at the older woman expectantly, and she huffed.
"Whatever, follow me. I'll introduce you to your temporary teammates." She turned and started walking.
'She's pretty good looking.' Curtis commented.
'Of course that's what you're thinking about,' Falael rolled their eyes. 'Besides, it's probably just because you've never seen someone with dark skin before, so it's appealing to you.' Just as Curtis wanted to sputter, Aubrey chimed in.
'I feel like you should be the last person to make racially insensitive comments, Falael.'
'What is THAT supposed to mean?!'
'... Heh.' As Aubrey and Falael bantered, Xander's lips quirked up slightly, but the action soon ended as he noticed Curtis out of the corner of his eye.
He seemed... more nervous than usual, constantly fidgeting with his hands and looking around like something might jump on him.
'I guess not everyone can quickly acclimate when they get sent to a real battlefield. Even with the training.' He sighed and told himself he'd have a more decisive talk with the boy later.
The group followed Sparrow through the base, drawing more than a few glances from the soldiers there, and soon, they arrived at a tent near the wall.
Sparrow gestured for them to wait outside, then she walked in. A few seconds later, sounds akin to a cat going crazy in an enclosed space came out, and Xander glanced at Aubrey, only to see that she was blushing intently.
Just as he was about to voice his question, Sparrow came back out, and trailing behind her were 4 guys who were all half dressed, and Xander suddenly had an idea what Aubrey saw that made her react like that.
'... Still, sleeping in your birthday suits on an active battlefield? Bold.' He forced a cough and finally looked at his new temporary teammates.