《Unit 32: Team Subaru》


 1: Team Subaru - Mission Complete!

    Commander Subaru was very clearly - and very poorly - trying to hold in a laugh.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that look? Are you gonna cry? I said draw your sword!¡±


    The man who said this was certainly not somebody an ordinary person would laugh at. Especially considering his challenge was completely serious. However, Subaru, commander of Unit 32 was no ordinary person.


    ¡°Good grief.¡± said a voice from behind Subaru¡¯s large frame. Nat, his second in command stepped into view. She was slouching and had dark circles under her eyes. On top of that she looked barely 20. And her thin frame and lack of weaponry wouldn¡¯t have suggested that she was a soldier at all.


    ¡°Will you stop playing, we¡¯re wasting time that could be spent getting us a real mission.¡± Nat said, rubbing the back of her neck sleepily. Dangling from her hip was a small leather bound book. Well, the book was small in height, but it must have been several hundreds of pages thick. Next to it dangled a small flask of black ink.


    Unit 32 - ¡°Team Subaru¡± - stood inside a quaint motel. In what used to be the dining room, now there was a giant mess of flipped-over tables, shattered plates, and abandoned coats of patrons who¡¯d fled. Now Subarus sombered up and genuinely sized up the man who¡¯d challenged him. The mission of Team Subaru was to either kill or capture this man and return to their base. He knew some very valuable information that made Subaru¡¯s superior¡¯s very nervous.


    ¡°Commander, this guy¡¯s ticking me off.¡± Rei, the third but not final member of Team Subaru now spoke up. ¡°He seems to believe he¡¯s the strongest one in this room. I don¡¯t like that.¡± As hot headed and short-fused as Rei was, it was hardly a surprise that his fingers were twitching over his sword hilt.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The challenger spotted this and eagerly drew his own sword. The metallic shing! that sounded as the man pulled his massive broadsword from it¡¯s sheath would have frightened any individual lesser than the three members of Team Subaru standing in front of him.


    Rei grinned eagerly and licked his lips, almost as if tasting the tension that was in the air. His thin, toned body began to radiate a brilliant green light. ¡°Commander, let me handle him. He needs to learn some humility.¡±


    A door behind Rei swung open and there was a bonk as it whacked him in the head and nearly knocked him off balance. The green light was suddenly gone.


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s what you get for trying to act all cool.¡± Nat jabbed.


    Through the door came the fourth and final member of Team Subaru, Tyzor. He yawned and rubbed sleep out of his eyes as he walked past his teammates like a zombie.


    ¡°Hey, we get free breakfast from this place since we¡¯re saving their butts, right¡± Tyzor questioned, his voice raspy. Tyzor¡¯s body began glowing a dull, pale blue. He placed his hand on the shoulder of the challenger who had his sword drawn, and the hulk of a man instantly collapsed to the floor like a rag doll.


    ¡°¡®Scuse me, bro.¡± Tyzor mumbled.


    ¡°Tyzor!¡± Subaru proclaimed.


    ¡°Relax, he¡¯s alive, I can feel it.¡± Tyzor responded to a silent accusation. He now seemed full of energy and vigor, his eyes alert.


    ¡°Why do they keep giving our unit missions a new recruit could do?¡± Rei grumbled.


    As if to answer his question, a framed picture fell off the inn wall and crashed to the floor. It shattered, adding to the mess of the already trashed dining hall.


    ¡°Nat, take note.¡± Subaru instructed. ¡°Mission complete.¡±

 2: The Purpose of Training

    4:44 in the morning. Subaru liked synchronicity. He set up an alarm clock on one side of a massive arena. Rei, Nat, and Tyzor stood on the other side, looking anything but excited.


    The space they were in was a large stadium with seats all around them. They were of course, empty. Although they had a roof overhead, the stadium center was made to look like the outdoors. Several large trees were spread out within the space, and the floor was dusty cobblestone.


    ¡°Do I need to refresh your memories?¡± Subaru asked, an evil smirk on his face.


    ¡°Seven hours, stop the clock, you¡¯ll try to get in our way.¡± Tyzor mumbled. He hated being up early.


    Subaru laughed at the implication from Tyzor that stopping the trio would require any effort at all. Rei was twitching with excitement, as usual.


    ¡°Ready...begin!¡±


    Rei was the first one to move. He drew his sleek claymore sword and his whole body began to hum. Bright green light began to emanate from him in a large cloud, then it thinned out around his body and encased his sword. Subaru let out a low whistle.


    ¡°Using mana already?¡± He said. ¡°Hope you don¡¯t run out before noon.¡±


    Nat clicked her tongue in irritation. ¡°Don¡¯t let him provoke you, Rei. We have to work as a team remember?¡±


    ¡°That much is true, you need the backup Rei. After all, your mana control is the worst on the squad.¡± Subaru called out.


    The green cloud of light around Rei flared up, looking like a flame. Nat threw her hands up in the air. ¡°Ah forget it. No use now.¡±


    Subaru grinned as he untangled the chain belt from his waist. He wrapped it twice around his hand and let the rest drop to the ground. A cloud of dust kicked up as the chain hit. ¡°I think I¡¯ll stick to good ¡®ol hand-to-hand until I feel challenged.¡± He said.


    ¡°Man, he¡¯s really trying to get a rise out of him today.¡± Tyzor noted.


    Nat snorted. ¡°Only Subaru would call using a weapon ¡®hand-to-hand¡¯. Rei! Are you still with us?¡±


    Rei growled as his green mana cloud whirled angrily around him, reflecting his mood. Tyzor himself began glowing his pale blue and raised his hand, silently offering to calm Rei down the hard way. Nat shook her head, no, and instead pulled her thick journal off of her hip. She flicked her arm downwards, and from somewhere within her flowing long sleeves out slipped a dip pen, which she brandished and dipped within the flask of black ink hanging by her side. With surprising ease considering it¡¯s size, Nat flipped the journal open to a blank page and quickly scrawled WALL. As she wrote, her mana began to materialize, a bright yellow cloud swirling calmly and slowly around her. Immediately once the word was done being written on the page, it began to glow a matching yellow. Nat tore it out of the journal and tossed it on the ground in front of the three of them.


    Impossibly, a large cobblestone wall exploded upwards out of the paper, growing and cracking as it spread up and out, across the whole width of the stadium. There was soon a divide down the center of the stadium, with Subaru on one side, and the rest of his team on the other.


    Rei shouted in anger. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stay out of it!?¡± He asked, turning back to face his teammates.


    Nat stayed calm. ¡°He was provoking you so you¡¯d charge in and he could take you out first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s true you have the worst mana control,¡± Tyzor stated bluntly, ¡°but you¡¯re also our enhancer, and that¡¯s a valuable team position. He¡¯s trying to break us up and with your thick head you¡¯ll run straight into his trap.¡±


    ¡°This is a test.¡± Nat stated, certain of herself. ¡°Something¡¯s going on. Maybe we¡¯re up for promotions or there¡¯s a mission they¡¯re checking to see if Unit 32 is prepared for. These intense training exercises don¡¯t just happen and the Arena doesn¡¯t get cleared out for just anything.¡±


    ¡°You picked up on that too huh?¡± Tyzor asked, leaving Rei feeling stranded in his ignorance. ¡°Well I¡¯m excited. Our missions have been a snore lately. I¡¯m all for upping our pay grade.¡± Tyzor¡¯s mana flared with his excitement.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just charge into this head on like idiots.¡± Nat said. And Rei wasn¡¯t sure why, but he felt mildly offended. ¡°Remember how we got picked off during our graduation exam?¡±


    Ah yes, the Mana Police Force official graduation exam. Every five years the newest class of graduating cadets was put through one final test. Sorted into teams of three based on their affinity, then assigned a commander of a higher rank. In order to ensure they would work well together in the field the new teams were put through a graduation exam of the commander¡¯s choice, and Subaru had chosen the Stop the Clock exercise, something of his signature. The teams were balanced by class grades, meaning the cadets who did best were grouped together and same for the cadets who did the worst. Out of a graduating class of 45 cadets, Rei, Tyzor, and Nat had come in the very bottom three on the class score list.


    During training, the cadets had learned basic mana control but not their exact affinity. There were four concentrations of mana control, and an ideal team would have a balance of equally strong fighters from each concentration. The concentrations were Transformers, Enhancers, Producers, and Transfusers. The transformer, Commander Subaru, had the ability to create a mimic of any intangible object. Transformers who work outside of Units often become spies and follow paths of work that require deception. Their mimics won¡¯t stand up very long against someone like Tyzor though, a Transfuser who can detect mana, and steal it from others through a simple touch. The ability to transfer that gathered mana to someone else means many transfusers opt to be doctors and healers, but Tyzor prefers using his concentration for more...offensive purposes.


    Nat, the team¡¯s producer creates truth out of words. Anything she writes is imbued with her mana and becomes real. Unlike a transformer¡¯s, Nat¡¯s creations are not simply imitations made out of mana, they become the real thing which makes it easier to hide their presence and defend themselves against transfusers. And Rei, was the team¡¯s enhancer. Most enhancers were indeed just as rash and hot-headed as Rei. His concentrations provides little room for those who prefer to fight defensively, as enhancers can strengthen any objects by surrounding it with their mana. This power gives Rei¡¯s weapon of choice, an ordinary claymore sword, the ability to cut through solid stone.


    ¡°Hmm...well they fit the team roles, but why do I get the weakest ones?¡± Subaru had asked upon reading his assigned unit. He paid no mind to the fact that the trio of freshly graduated recruits was right in front of him. ¡°I wonder if this is punishment for skipping all those meetings¡­¡±


    A bright flash of green light had filled the room as Rei¡¯s mana flared in sync with his anger. He grabbed an eraser and chucked if at Subaru. ¡°Bastard!¡± He proclaimed.


    The eraser whizzed by Subaru¡¯s head, and although he dodged it with ease, it made a sizable hole in the wall behind him. Subaru whistled softly, though he would never admit he was impressed. But Rei wasn¡¯t finished. Letting out a war cry, Rei charged at Subaru. However before he even reached him, Rei¡¯s mana faded away, like a cloud of smoke destroyed by a sudden gust of wind. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Subaru had snorted and said, ¡°And you¡¯ve got crappy mana control to boot. Well I¡¯ve certainly got my work cut out for me.¡±


    The trio had failed to stop the clock before noon last time Subaru gave them this test. But now, five years later they had trained significantly in their concentrations and had experience in real life missions. Before they had failed because they all rushed in attempting to overpower Subaru. They had no plan. This time however, they would.


    ________________________________________________________________________


    Subaru stalked around the arena, letting his chain drag along the stone behind him. He figured it was more intimidating to hear him coming.


    Nat sat high in a tree, looking through the scope of a sniper rifle. A ripped piece of journal paper with the glowing words bolt gun written on it floated to the ground below. She was surrounded by massive trees, hidden quite well in the foliage. On the lookout for Subaru. She had placed several more pieces of journal paper around her, some with trip mine written on them, others with alert written on them, to protect herself from an attack from Subaru. Other than that, she was the support player. Rei and Tyzor were going on the offensive, getting over the massive wall in the middle of the arena.


    Remember the goal is to stop the clock. If we can avoid a fight with Subaru, we should. Nat¡¯s words echoed in Rei¡¯s head, despite his attempts to block it out. The temptation to find Subaru in this mess of a forest and smack him a good couple of times was very hard to resist. However, part of the reason Tyzor was paired up with Rei was because a simple touch was all he needed to sedate someone who was being hysterical.


    Rei and Tyzor had reached the wall. Rei charged up his mana and drew his sword. It glowed fiercely, almost like it was glowing in anticipation. ¡°I¡¯ll just cut right through it, we¡¯ll get the clock and that¡¯s it.¡± Rei said confidently.


    Tyzor tensed.


    At the same time, Nat spotted Subaru coming up from behind the pair. She thought of how best to warn them before realizing that not only was he dragging his chain along the ground, he was using his mana just walking through the forest. A dark purple mist surrounded him as he walked, swirling and writhing. Nat knew Tyzor would be able to sense an aura that strong from a mile away. Nat placed her finger on the trigger of her sniper, aimed, exhaled slowly, and pulled the trigger back.


    A shot rang out through the forest, loud and unexpected enough to get Rei to stop what he was doing and lose control over his mana. His green mist dissipated. ¡°Nat found Subaru.¡± He breathed.


    Rei concentrated, preparing to charge up his mana again and run back to assist his teammate. As if sensing his intentions, Tyzor shook his head. Focus on the goal. Stop the clock. Nat could handle herself.


    Right after Nat fired the first bolt she loaded another into her gun and fired. Then another, and another. She wasn¡¯t taking any chances against a Commander Subaru at full strength and wanted to weaken him as much as possible. Nat looked up from her scope in shock as she saw Subaru whip around lightning fast towards the sound of the gun firing. He began twirling his chain in front of him until the whole thing was just a dark purple, circular blur. When the twirling finally stopped, the chain dropped to the ground, and in between a few of it¡¯s links were the bolts Nat had fired.


    Without wasting a millisecond, Nat dropped her gun and leapt out of the tree she was staying in. Now Subaru had found her position, it would be easy for him to take her out before focusing on the other two. And without having to worry about ranged attacks he wouldn¡¯t have to hold back against Rei and Tyzor to watch his own back.


    Shit. Nat thought. She frantically tore a page out of her notebook and scrawled the words hook and line on it. The paper began to glow the signature yellow, and from out of the page erupted a grappling hook and line of rope. Nat began swinging downwards to the ground, hoping to be able to put some distance between her and Subaru while also obscuring his vision. He definitely found me because I fired at him. Maybe it will buy Rei and Tyzor more time but only if I can avoid him for long enough. If I meet him face to face my chances are non-existent alone, even if I only wanted to stall him. Nat¡¯s thoughts swirled through her head like liquid in a blender, each passing by too fast to really contemplate any one of them. The most pertinent thoughts were saying run. Now. And that, she could do.


    ¡°Yo.¡± Said a voice.


    Nat froze. What the fuck?Howthe fuck??


    In front of her hanging upside down by his legs on a tree branch was Subaru. His long chain just barely scraped the floor. Subaru smoothly flipped himself onto the ground.


    ¡°Those were nice shots. Your control with your creations is getting better. And that grappling hook was good thinking, your reaction times with writing and grabbing paper are much faster than the last time.¡± Subaru took a step towards Nat, speaking as though he was offering feedback on a homework assignment. Nat took a step back.


    ¡°But my favorite new power of yours...is these.¡± Subaru pulled from his breast pocket a slip of journal paper.


    Trip mine.


    ¡°How long can your creations stay tangible off the page for?¡± Subaru queried.


    Nat tensed up and faced him properly. ¡°About 48 hours, depends on how many things I¡¯ve got at once.¡±


    ¡°Well done. You¡¯ve been practicing in your spare time. I wish I knew the same was true for the boys.¡± Subaru took a step forward. Nat took a step back.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ve also found out how to create intangible things and written actions.¡± Nat finally spoke first, aiming to distract Subaru until the boys could reach the clock.


    ¡°Written actions?¡± Subaru sounded intrigued.


    Nat ripped out a sheet of journal paper. Subaru didn¡¯t even bother to tighten his grip on his chain. He¡¯s relaxed. Nat thought.


    Nat dipped her pen in the ink and scribbled something on the paper. She turned it around and showed it to Subaru.


    On fire.


    The paper shone with the yellow light, and then it burst into bright yellow and orange flames. Nat let it go and it fluttered to the ground, turning to ashes before it¡¯s journey was complete.


    ¡°I can do a few more. Explosion. Tidal wave. Alert. As long as I concentrate my mana I can delay the activation of the words, and even set up traps.¡± Nat sounded more confident. Not only did Subaru have his full attention on her, she was rather fond of talking about her own accomplishments.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I love about you, Nat. You¡¯re always searching to improve...Hmm.¡± Subaru suddenly looked perplexed.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just debating internally.¡± Subaru stated. ¡°Even though you¡¯re just trying to distract me I feel tempted to teach you a lesson that might benefit you in this exercise.¡±


    Nat¡¯s eyes widened. Her hand inched towards her notebook.


    ¡°See,¡± Subaru started, staring her down, ¡°I¡¯ve met people like you before. People who focus so much on the abilities that their concentration gives them that they forget the power mana has on it¡¯s own.¡±


    On it¡¯s own? It was true that mana did have some battle capabilities by itself, but surely using one¡¯s concentration in a fight was the surest way to victory.


    ¡°Do you know why I never start out with a mana weapon, even though I can make one faster than I can untie this chain from my waist? Because people lower their guard. And when they see me with a real weapon instead of one I created using Transformation, they forget.¡± Subaru took a step forwards.


    Nat forgot to step back. ¡°They forget?¡±


    ¡°That there¡¯s more to mana usage than the concentrations.¡± As Subaru said this, his mana began to swirl around him fiercely and deepen into an even darker shade of purple. A warm breeze drifted off of him, as if Subaru was producing heat.


    ¡°The ability to create illusions and cause hypnosis in people without an effective mana mental shield up.¡± Subaru¡¯s words sounded distant and quiet to Nat¡¯s ears. To say she lost consciousness would not be exactly accurate. It was more appropriate to say she lost herself. Nat found herself drifting in absolute nothingness, there wasn¡¯t even a breeze to feel to let her know she was still a physical being. Nat heard from somewhere around her:


    ¡°That one¡¯s always been my favorite.¡±

 2.5: Expo-

    Each unit is made up of four mana users, ideally one from each concentration. Typically the commander is a higher ranking individual than their team members.


    Concentrations of mana usage:


    Transformer - The ability to create mimics of inanimate objects out of their mana. These mimics are not as strong as the real thing and are also detectable by Transfusers.


    Transfuser: The ability to take mana and give mana from and to others by touch. Transfusers can also detect mana from another person, which means they can tell the difference between a Transformers mimic and a real weapon.


    Producer: The ability to channel their mana into the written word. Perhaps the most versatile of all the concentrations, Producers can create tangible, legitimate objects by channeling their mana into written words. Some more advanced Producers can create things that are not simply objects, for example creating flames out of thin air or a massive wave, a bright light or even an explosion. The words do not come to life until the Producer has channeled their mana into them. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Enhancer: The simplest of all the classes, enhancers can use their mana to strengthen their bodies or their weapons. They encase themselves in their mana which then becomes a solid like substance, enhancing their power.


    Outside of the concentrations, mana usage also has capabilities on it¡¯s own.


    The ability to cause illusions and hypnosis in those without an effective mental barrier up.


    The ability to improve stamina and dexterity.


    The ability to overpower the will of those with weaker mana and effectively ¡°seal¡± someone¡¯s mana, rendering them unable to use it.

 3: Stop the Clock

    Rei and Tyzor heard the shots ring out from Nat¡¯s bolt gun, and understood she must have seen Subaru someone nearby.


    ¡°We should hurry up and get past the wall.¡± Said Rei.


    At almost the same time Tyzor said, ¡°We should go find Nat.¡±


    For a moment they both blinked at each other. What? For each of them the immediate goal was obvious.


    Tyzor took a breath. ¡°If Nat¡¯s down, we won¡¯t be able to get to the clock without that backup.¡± He reasoned.


    ¡°Are you kidding? She¡¯s buying us time, that was the whole purpose of having her watch from afar.¡± Rei argued.


    Tyzor almost couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. But despite his large size and intimidating appearance, Tyzor was actually a very patient man. ¡°What chance do you think she has against Subaru?¡± Without waiting for an answer, he then asked, ¡°And how much of a chance do we have without Nat distracting Subaru for us?¡±


    Rei grit his teeth. His mana flared as he got angry. ¡°We need to take advantage of this opportunity while he¡¯s still distracted.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tyzor took a deep breath and closed his eyes, turning his face to the sky. ¡°Her mana is disrupted for some reason. She¡¯s alive but I can tell she¡¯s in no fighting condition. Which means that Subaru is probably after us.¡±


    Rei thought for a moment, then his mana nearly exploded around him. Tyzor put a hand in front of his face as heat radiated off of his teammate as if he were standing in front of an open oven door. ¡°Bastard!¡± Rei screamed.


    ¡°He must have put her in an illusion. He might be waiting for us to come and break her out of it.¡± Rei said, surprisingly reasonable considering his emotional state.


    ¡°We have no choice we¡¯re going to get her.¡± Tyzor said.


    ¡°Tyzor-¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to find her before we go through the wall.¡± Tyzor cut him off without listening to his argument. ¡°We¡¯re a team, we need all members in order to work as a successful unit.¡±


    Rei knew it was no use arguing. Even though he wanted to, he knew he was wrong to even suggest leaving behind a teammate. That¡¯s right...if this were a real mission- Rei shook that thought out of his head before it completed itself.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He said, looking up at Tyzor. ¡°You can sense her mana right?¡± Tyzor nodded. ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ___________________________________________________________________


    Where indeed.


    Physically, Nat was fine, and they would have no problem finding her as Subaru had left her out in the open. Like bait, a bit of food suspiciously out in the open with a rope around it waiting to snap. Mentally however, getting Nat back would be more of a struggle.


    Nat floated around in nothingness, emptiness, until her feet touched something firm beneath her. Ground, dirt.


    Whatever it is, it isn¡¯t real. She told herself.


    Slowly, a scene began to form around her. Nat recognized it, and she cursed her own mind for bringing up such repressed memories. A village, where Nat grew up surrounded her. People wandered by, civilians not paying any mind to Nat. The people were giants though, and Nat found herself looking up at everyone as they walked past. What the-


    Nat¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as someone placed a strong hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see a towering man in a Mana Corps uniform looking at at her firmly.


    ¡°Curfew is in ten minutes little one.¡± He said to her. ¡°Are you far from home?¡±


    ¡°Little one?¡± Nat herself speak for the first time since she¡¯d arrived in the village and was surprised that her own voice was that of a little girl. She looked down at herself and saw herself wearing a beige dress and flat slippers, the signature look of a peasant in her village.


    ¡°Shall I escort you.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question.


    Nat let herself be led around the village by the soldier, warily looking around herself for any mistake, any sign that this wasn¡¯t real. She couldn¡¯t let herself be tricked into believing this was real, even for a second. She knew the damage that a thorough illusion could do to someone¡¯s mana.


    Damn that Subaru. She thought. It wasn¡¯t all his fault he couldn¡¯t control what I see¡­.damn him all the same.


    Nat led the soldier to her old home, a place she¡¯d tried very hard to forget.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± She heard herself saying.


    The soldier waited until Nat walked inside her home. She watched him leave through the window before she slipped off her shoes and proceeded into the house.


    ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± She called out, without even thinking about it. She heard the patter of little feet and a smile crept up on her face involuntarily. But she also felt a twinge of pain in her heart.


    Nat grabbed an immaculately decorated robe off of a hook on the wall and draped it over herself quickly. Soon her younger brother, 7 years old, and her mother came from another room, both also dressed in beautiful robes.


    ¡°The soldiers walked me home.¡± Nat said as she proceeded into the house.


    Both her brother and her mother stopped dead. ¡°What?¡± Her mother breathed. ¡°Please don¡¯t speak so casually like that around here. Your father is home.¡±


    That¡¯s right. Nat thought.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t so bad.¡± Nat heard herself say.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t so bad!¡± Her younger brother echoed.


    ¡°Natalia, you encourage Elijah to say things like that when you speak so plainly! It¡¯s almost time for dinner, come now.¡± Her mother said, and they all began walking into the kitchen.


    In the kitchen was Nat¡¯s father, sitting at the table surrounded by papers and looking stressed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to finish up dinner, can you put your work away?¡± Nat¡¯s mother asked timidly. Nat clenched her little fist. She always hated that meek tone her mother used around her father.


    ¡°Natalia you¡¯re late.¡± Her father said, collecting his papers.


    ¡°The soldiers helped her home! They aren¡¯t so bad!¡± Said Elijah excitedly.


    It was as though the air in the entire room became thicker. Nat heard her mother inhale sharply, and she heard the crinkle of paper as her father clenched his fist around a stack.


    ¡°He¡¯s just repeating what he heard from me.¡± Nat said hurriedly, unconsciously stepping in front of her brother.


    ¡°What he hears from you means more than you know.¡± Nat¡¯s father said.


    Here we go again. Nat thought. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Nat¡¯s father pushed his chair back and stood up. ¡°Children are influenceable, the mana corps are counting on that. They want to take our life energy and corrupt it, use it to gain their own power.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nat said immediately.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure the problem is that they want power? Or is the problem that you¡¯re afraid they¡¯ll take away ours?¡±


    ¡°Natalia!¡± Her mother hissed.


    Nat¡¯s father shook with rage. Then, he became still and eerily calm. He became like this often, but this time felt different. A sort of serene anger took over him and Nat felt a chill through her entire body as her father looked her in the eyes. ¡°Mana is something sacred. These soldiers use it for their own gain. Yes, we have power, and we have not always used it in the most honorable of ways. But the system with our family in power was much more...secure than the chaos that will come from the growing influence of the mana corps.¡±


    With that, he left the room.


    Nat¡¯s mother was shaking, whether out of fear or anger no one would know, for Nat also left the room before anyone could say another word.


    As she was walking to her bedroom, she noticed her father leaning against a wall in the hallway. She slowed down for half a second and warily made her way past him. When she was nearly at her bedroom door, he spoke up.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t always done right leading the village. But we did what we believed was necessary. What the soldiers using mana don¡¯t understand is our customs, they¡¯re perverting the very essence of it. Nat, you¡¯re a smart girl. My only daughter, you¡¯re all I have for a legacy. I don¡¯t like to think of them brainwashing you. You can¡¯t believe what everyone tells you.¡±


    Nat stayed quiet for a moment, standing outside her bedroom door. She slid the wood panel door open and stepped inside. ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone include you?¡± She asked. As she shut the door she heard her father mumble.


    ¡°We will do what needs to be done.¡±


    ______________________________________________________________________


    Nat laid down on her mattress - and screamed as a hand grabbed her roughly by the shoulder. She felt a shiver go down her spine and her mana suddenly exploded out of her in a bright blast of light. She was back in the arena, staring up at the trees and the sky in confusion. Dazed, she looked around and saw Tyzor and Rei standing over her. Tyzor still had his hand on her shoulder after having disrupted her mana flow to snap her out of the illusion. Both the boys¡¯ mouths were moving, but the sound came muffled and foggy to Nat¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Nat! Nat wake up!¡± Rei called, his voice finally clear.


    Nat blinked. ¡°Wha-where¡¯s dad?¡± She mumbled.


    ¡°Who?¡± Tyzor asked.


    Nat sat up. ¡°N-nobody. What happened? Subaru. Right? Right.¡± She was starting to remember. It was just an illusion. But...an illusion of what had actually happened that night.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time to stop the clock.¡± Rei said, standing up straight. Now that Nat was back to her senses he didn¡¯t want to waste any more time.


    ¡°No you certainly don¡¯t.¡± A voice said from behind them. The trio whirled around to find Subaru leaning up against a tree, his chain dangling casually from his hand, dragging the ground. ¡°You know, I was gonna take you two out while you were tending to the sleeping beauty. But I thought it would be more exercise to take you all on at the same time.¡±


    Rei grinned, his mana flaring around him. ¡°Fine by me. This is all I¡¯ve wanted.¡± He drew his sword, eager to fight.


    Subaru laughed. ¡°Actually, I wanted to play with you too.¡± He said. ¡°So would you like to go first?¡± He asked cordially.


    ¡°Rei don¡¯t let him bait you.¡± Nat spoke up, back to her usual self. ¡°All together, front, side, and back.¡±


    ¡°Discussing your strategies in front of me? Pretty bold.¡± Subaru dropped the chain to the ground, and channeled his mana. He began to glow his threatening deep purple.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Tyzor grumbled. Each of them knew that Subaru ditching his chain meant trouble. ¡°Maybe we should come up with another-¡±


    Before Tyzor even finish his sentence, Subaru was upon them, weilding a sword identical to Rei¡¯s claymore, except it appeared to be almost immaterial in nature, just a sword shape made up out of his dark purple mana. Subaru made a wide swing at Tyzor, going straight for his head. Rei leapt in front of Tyzor and blocked Subaru¡¯s sword with his own, grinning eagerly as he looked up into Subaru¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I hate that pitiful knock off.¡± Rei growled, his whole body emanating light. It funned into the sword as well, almost as if the sword was just another appendage of his. Rei pulled back and went for a thrust at Subaru. Subaru¡¯s chest glowed brighter than the rest of his body and his mana formed itself into a shield protruding out of his body. Rei¡¯s sword clanged off of the shield and knocked him off balance for just a moment. But a moment was all Subaru needed. In half a second his mana sword became a spear, and Subaru was going straight for a thrust at Rei.


    Tyzor came around from behind Subaru with his palm open and swung for the back of his head. Catching him in the corner of his eye, Subaru ducked down at the last moment and Tyzor¡¯s hand whizzed over him. This bought Rei all the time he needed to recover and he was back on the offensive, swinging his sword at Subaru.


    Nat grasped her notebook and pen and began scrawling words furiously and tearing out sheets of paper, letting them litter to the ground. Trench. Water. Quicksand. Spikes. The pages touched the ground and glowed brilliantly, become the words written on them. Not only Subaru, but Rei and Tyzor too now had to dance around the myriad of traps Nat had set up.


    ¡°Nat! Are you still fucking out of it? You¡¯re making it harder for us!¡± Rei shouted. Subaru capitalized on this moment of distraction and thrusted forwards with his mana spear. Rei dodged at the last minute but the spear left a deep wound in Rei¡¯s bicep. Blood trickled down his arm and he cursed loudly.


    ¡°You bastard.¡± Tyzor mumbled softly. Subaru looked at him surprised. ¡°Sometimes you really do go too far.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you finally getting your head in the game?¡± Subaru asked, bouncing on his toes eagerly, like a boxer getting ready to bob and weave away from his opponent. He twirled his spear around, showing off, and then pushed off on his back foot and rushed at Tyzor. Tyzor had nothing to block with and was forced to dodge and retreat from Subaru¡¯s rush of attacks.


    Subaru¡¯s goal was to distract Tyzor so that he wouldn¡¯t have time to heal Rei¡¯s wound. Tyzor backed up steadily as Subaru advanced on him, swinging and stabbing at him with the spear almost playfully.


    ¡°You¡¯re boring!¡± Subaru called. ¡°It¡¯s more fun to play with Rei!¡±


    Suddenly, Tyzor ducked down and swung his legs at Subaru¡¯s calfs. Subaru side stepped the leg sweep easily, but he stepped right into a puddle of quicksand. He sank up to his knee and was nearly doing the splits to keep his upper body at ground level.


    Tyzor and Rei took some much needed breaths, before they both realized something. Nat was gone. Realizing she was going for the clock, they both headed in the direction of the wall, leaving Subaru to struggle against the quicksand that had captured his leg.


    Rei and Tyzor met up with Nat at the wall, a blank piece of paper sat on the ground and she was drilling at the wall.


    ¡°Nat.¡± Rei called, and she knowingly stepped aside. Rei pulled out his sword and took a deep breath, then, as his mana began to radiate around him, he took a mighty swing at the wall. A large chunk of the wall crumbled away, wide enough for them to fit through easily. They could see the clock just on the other side, ticking away. Twenty minutes left. Plenty of time.


    ¡°You got much closer than you did when you first took this test.¡± Subaru said from behind them.


    ¡°God damn it! I hate when you do that!¡± Rei yelped, swinging around quickly.


    Subaru chuckled. ¡°Sorry.¡± He said, and he did sound a slight bit apologetic. ¡°As I was saying. You got closer. But you¡¯re still not gonna finish.¡± He grinned and took up a fighting stance. His mana began to radiate and concentrated itself in his hand. When the large cloud of purple mist dissipated, in his hand was a bundle of mana in the shape of a wire gun.


    As expected, Rei was the first to charge. Nat went to back him up, and Tyzor ran for the clock. Subaru focused on the most prominent threat and shot the gun at Rei¡¯s legs. Rei swung his sword down and sliced the cord off of the bolts fired at him, and they dropped harmlessly to the ground. Subaru full out laughed and in his hands formed two hook swords. He rushed at Rei, but at the last moment ducked underneath Rei¡¯s wide swing and gave chase to Tyzor.


    ¡°Tyzor!¡± Rei called in warning.


    Tyzor didn¡¯t bother to look back, he kept his eyes on the clock. Still 18 minutes left before the alarm rang.


    Nat sprang into action, chasing after Subaru. As she ran she tore a page out of her journal and began writing on it. At the pace she was going she wouldn¡¯t have caught up with Subaru, but she didn¡¯t need to. She pushed off her feet into a leap and dove for Subaru, tagging his back with the piece of paper.


    Seal.


    Slowly, as Subaru continued to run, his wire gun began to dissipate like smoke in the breeze. His mana swirled violently around him for a moment, before it imploded and slipped back inside him, like it was taking refuge. Subaru paused the chase in confusion, trying to rechannel his mana outwards, and that second of time was all Tyzor needed. He leapt for the clock and hit the button, with 15 minutes left. All three team members turned to look at their commander.


    ¡°Seals away your mana, making you just a normal guy. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s temporary. I¡¯m not strong enough yet to make it permanent.¡± Nat explained, off of Subaru¡¯s perplexed expression.


    Rei ran up behind Subaru and gave him a good wallop on the back of the head. ¡°You son of a bitch! Look at my arm!¡± Rei gestured to his bleeding arm.


    ¡°Oh right, sorry about that.¡± Subaru said with a grin, not sounding sorry at all.


    ¡°Here.¡± Tyzor said gently, taking Rei¡¯s arm in his hand. He exhaled slowly and began to glow, his mana swirled around Rei¡¯s wound as it slowly began to close itself up, leaving only a drip of blood with wound.


    ¡°I went a little hard on you guys...but it was for a reason.¡± Subaru said, actually sounding apologetic for the first time.


    ¡°What was the reason?¡± Nat asked.


    Subaru smiled. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll be happy about this. I got us a mission. A B ranking mission.¡±


    B ranking missions were the second highest mission you could get without being in the Mana Police Special Ops. Most just graduated recruits were stuck with D rank missions, town cleanup duty and escorting children and the elderly, that kind of thing. On the other end of the spectrum were S missions and SS missions, which came directly from the head of the Mana Corps and were only carried out by members of their special ops team. The highest mission a team like Subaru¡¯s could receive was A rank, assassinations, spying missions, bodyguarding foreign powers, and the like. B rank missions were also intense, usually recon missions and stake outs, gathering information by whatever means necessary.


    ¡°B rank.¡± Rei echoed. For once, he was quiet.


    ¡°Oh yeah, and one more thing.¡± Everyone looked at Subaru as he said this. His fist suddenly raised in the air and swung down on the top of Rei¡¯s head without warning.


    ¡°DON¡¯T RAISE YOUR FIST AGAINST A COMMANDER!¡± Subaru shouted.

 4: The Joy of Humanity

    In the city center, miles away from the Mana Corps headquarters, a young woman in a suit sat in the penthouse office of a large skyscraper. Her office was...whatever the opposite of minimal is. It was cluttered with small trinkets and toys, pictures and gadgets. The only clean space was her desk, which only contained a computer monitor, and a chess board with two six sided die, and chess pieces set up on it.


    What does she use the dice for? Thought the young man sitting across from her. He had been called in to interview with her for a job, even though now that he sat with her he realized she looked younger than him, and he felt a little embarrassed.


    ¡°So.¡± Said the young woman.


    ¡°S-so?¡± Replied the man.


    The woman threw her head back and laughed like the man had just told a hilarious joke. ¡°That¡¯s good! You¡¯re receptive. I like people like you. What¡¯s your name again?¡±


    ¡°Briar.¡±


    ¡°Briar. What a good name. You can call me Celeste. So Briar. How do you feel about becoming my minion?¡± She asked casually, kicking her feet up onto her desk.


    Briar chuckled nervously, assuming she was being facetious, but his smile faded when he realized she wasn¡¯t laughing with him.


    ¡°Um...I-I¡¯m not sure what you mean.


    ¡°Oh no Briar. You have a good name, but you stutter far too much. And you¡¯re too indecisive, that¡¯s a shame.¡± Celeste said thoughtfully, sounding as though she was talking to herself more than him.


    Shit, Briar you¡¯re losing this job. ¡°Actually, I have been told I follow orders pretty well. I mean, what better thing than for a minion to be good at that. Aha...hehe¡­¡±


    Briar¡¯s awkward laugh grated against Celeste¡¯s ears so much she cringed and retreated backwards into her chair. Then she stood up and walked to her floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the view of the city below. She looked rather regal, standing above it all. Briar felt rather intimidated as he looked at her back.


    ¡°Are you from this city, Briar?¡± Celeste asked. ¡°I just moved here myself.¡± She didn¡¯t wait for his answer. ¡°Something about this place drew me here. And I don¡¯t know what exactly it was but it surely is an amazing city. It¡¯s such a lovely place to observe humanity from. There is so much hope and despair, pleasurable and painful emotions all swirled up into one here. It makes me a little bit excited.¡± Celeste mused, licking her lips. ¡°I¡¯m a bit jealous. You humans have the capacity to feel so much, just thinking of how much despair I can cause you makes me feel faint.¡± Celeste giggled, and eerily childish sound.


    ¡°You...humans?¡± Briar echoed. Then he did that nervous laugh again. ¡°Hehe...that makes it sound like-¡±


    Before Briar finished his sentence, Celeste whipped around, touching her nose with the index finger of one hand, and using the other on the other hand to point at Briar excitedly. ¡°Bingo!¡±


    Briar blinked.


    ¡°I personally wouldn¡¯t call myself human. Which in my opinion, makes me inhuman. I mean, who else can say what you are except yourself, right? No one knows you as well as you, that¡¯s what I always say. And boy do I believe that! And boy...do I hate that!¡± Celeste squeaked angrily. ¡°Because it means I¡¯ll never know you as well as you know yourself Briar. I could dissect you, split you open and climb inside you, take over your mind and your soul, live in your skin, and I still wouldn¡¯t know you as well as you. Isn¡¯t that a bitch?¡± Celeste looked at Briar expectantly, like she was waiting for his agreement.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Uh-¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s worse,¡± Celeste cut him off again. ¡°Humans are such fragile little things. It¡¯s such a shame because I like to play with them, but I guess I can get a little too rough...but it is interesting to see what humans can be driven to if they¡¯ve lived through enough despair.¡± Celeste breathed the word despair with such delicacy, it was as if she were afraid that speaking the word would break it.


    ¡°Erm, excuse me Celeste¡­¡± Briar spoke up.


    ¡°Who? Oh is that what I told you to call me. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Well...if you¡¯re not human...what are you?¡±


    Celeste - or whoever - put her finger to her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Hmm, I like that question, you¡¯re doing good again Briar.¡± For some reason Briar felt relieved. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m what someone like you would call a god.¡±


    Briar blinked and Celeste laughed.


    ¡°Oh no no.¡± She said hurriedly. ¡°I mean I certainly don¡¯t refer to myself as a god. But someone ordinary and dull like yourself might see me as one. Because of all the power I have. But honestly, there are many more like me, and we can¡¯t all be gods because god is supposed to be the supreme right? You¡¯re following me right, Briar?¡±


    Briar nodded absently.


    ¡°Good, good. See, if gods are all powerful, then that means no one can challenge him or her. No one would have the power to defeat her. But try as I might I can¡¯t figure out a way to get strong enough so that no one could ever kill me. See, I think of it like this. I used to play chess the normal way, protect the king at all costs, use your pawns and your knights and whatever else you need to do so. And at first I thought, how great, wouldn¡¯t I like to be the king. But then I realized, the king can¡¯t do jack shit!¡± Celeste giggled again.


    ¡°I mean, he¡¯s the weakest piece on the board, yet he¡¯s the most important. Ok so, that¡¯s fine then. If I want to be king maybe that means being the weakest. If I want to be god maybe that means I have to have a strong army in order to protect me. I don¡¯t mind that logic, I¡¯m not conceited enough to believe I¡¯m the strongest or anything...except I am! It ticks me off that I have to be the weakest in order to be the ruler! I don¡¯t like that at all! But then...I realized. The king is actually pretty strong. Not because he can move wherever or take any piece he wants, but because he has all these pieces that are stronger and less vulnerable than him, but they all work to protect him. And hey, that¡¯s pretty powerful right?¡± Celeste looked at Briar expectantly.


    ¡°Oh uh, yes! When you think about it like that the king really does have quite a bit of power.¡± Briar agreed.


    ¡°Nah, then I realized that was bullshit too.¡±


    This woman is crazy. Briar thought.


    Celeste walked back to her desk and picked up the two dice off the chess board. ¡°That¡¯s why I use these.¡±


    How?


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you how.¡± Celeste said, as if reading his thoughts. ¡°But I use them to add an element of chance. Because that¡¯s what it¡¯s about really. I mean, does it matter how strong you are when so many things come down to luck. Your queen can be taken by a pawn. Your king can win the whole game. It¡¯s a crapshoot isn¡¯t it. Life. Jesus was taken down by mortals wasn¡¯t he? Kronos ate his own children to stop them from taking power and they still defeat him. It doesn¡¯t seem to matter how powerful you are if your opponent has the right luck. So who am I? I¡¯m the king, this city just doesn¡¯t know it yet. That¡¯s why I like my employees, my army haha, to be lucky. Would you consider yourself lucky, Briar?¡± Celeste looked down at him expectantly.


    A bead of sweat dripped from Briar¡¯s head onto his lap. He wanted to get out of there, but he also felt afraid to find out what would happen if he disagreed with this...eccentric woman.


    ¡°Yes. I suppose I am a bit lucky.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m glad you think so. I probably would¡¯ve killed you if you¡¯d said no. Now that would¡¯ve been really unlucky! HAHAHAHA!¡± Celeste threw her head back and laughed again.


    Then her body began to glow a bright orange.


    ¡°So then, Briar. I¡¯ve decided you¡¯re hired. You¡¯re going to do everything I say, when I say it, without question is that clear? Your life, which I think we both know wasn¡¯t much of a good one, is now mine. I am your king, you are my pawn.¡± As Celeste spoke, a deep orange light radiated out of her and appeared most intensely on her hand. She reached that hand out to Briar.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see if you really are lucky.¡±