Trial by Combat

Her expression brightened. "Alright! Let's do a supply check." She opened a pouch on her belt, revealing an assortment of vials and small objects. "I have five healing potions, two antitoxins, three Aether potions, and two smoke bombs."

"Aether potions?" Cutter inquired. "They boost one's physical abilities and strength for about five minutes," Brielle explained.

"So, doping, basically," the British agent muttered under his breath.

"What's doping?" the pink-haired girl asked, confused.

"Ahem. Never mind," Cutter said with a theatrical cough. He produced two syrettes from his belt, followed by three M67 fragmentation grenades and four M84 stun grenades from his CRAS armor. "I've got two syrettes of painkiller, three frags, and four stuns."

"The what-now?" Brielle asked. I had expected this.

"A frag grenade is a powerful type of bomb," I explained, taking one of the dull green spheres from Cutter's hand. "Don't let the size fool you; it has far more destructive power than any bomb you're likely familiar with. It's designed to spray lethal shrapnel when it detonates." I could almost see the gears turning in her head as she processed that. I returned it and picked up one of the cylindrical grenades. "And this is a stun grenade, or a flashbang. Much like your smoke bombs, this device is non-lethal. It produces a blinding flash and a deafening bang that can incapacitate anyone nearby. We use them to disorient enemies for capture or to cover an escape."

The concept of a stun grenade seemed to click with her more easily.

I checked my own gear. "I'm carrying five frags and three painkillers."

"Let's see…" Bard said, patting down his armor and rucksack without actually removing anything. "I've got five frags, two smokes, two blocks of C4, a painkiller, and three spare rockets for my LAW." As the team's walking arsenal, it made sense that he simply rattled off his inventory without needing to show it.

"Yosh!" Brielle declared once we'd secured our gear. We all turned to face the forest, our expressions resolute. "Let's head in!"

"Hoo-yah!" Bard cheered.

And with that, we entered the Gloomwood.

The forest was as dark as its name suggested, though not so much that we needed flashlights. A strange chill crept over me, as if something ancient and alien clung to the very trees.

"Man, it's quiet," Bard whispered, his rifle sweeping back and forth as he scanned every shadow. He and I brought up the rear while Cutter followed Brielle, who had taken the lead. She was our guide, the only one who knew the path and seemed to possess a preternatural sense for danger. It was becoming clear that the humans of this world had a connection to Aether that we lacked.

"Wait!" Brielle's whisper was sharp. Cutter immediately raised a clenched fist, the universal signal to halt.

I moved up to her position. She had her Springbright rifle shouldered, aimed at a dense thicket to our right. "What is it?" I asked.

"I sense something in there," she said, not taking her eyes off the target. A few seconds later, a low growl emanated from the foliage.

"What the hell is that?!" Bard yelped. I flicked the safety off my Type 91 and aimed it at the bush. Three colossal gorillas, each easily over three meters tall and brandishing massive wooden clubs, burst from the leaves. "Whoa!" We all stumbled back. They had shaggy black fur, sharp fangs, and glowing red eyes.

"Giant Black Apes," Cutter stated, as if reading from a field manual. "C-class monster. Primarily inhabits forests, especially the Gloomwood. No elemental affinity. Flesh and skin are rock-hard. Weak to speed and fire. A direct strike to both eyes is fatal."

"Where'd you get that book?" I asked.

"Pinched it from some poor sod back in town," he replied, tucking it into a pouch on his CRAS vest.

"Right."

Our chat was cut short as the central ape roared and swung its enormous club at us. "Watch out!" Brielle cried. We leaped back just in time, the club slamming into the ground where we had been standing and leaving a crater. Getting hit by that would be like getting run over by a dump truck. I also noticed that I was jumping higher and farther here. Was the planet's gravity lower than Earth's?

We scattered, taking cover behind the massive trees. I saw Brielle fire her rifle, the sharp crack echoing through the forest as the bullet struck one of the ape's heads. It staggered but didn't fall. She worked the bolt to reload, but before she could fire again, the ape swung its club at her. She dodged backward just as the blow shattered the tree she'd been hiding behind. Landing gracefully, she drew her rapier.

"Lightning Stabs!" she cried. Her blade, Gleaming Falcon, flared with light as she unleashed a dazzlingly fast flurry of thrusts. The ape's torso was riddled with deep punctures, as if it had been hit by a heavy machine gun. My eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

As the first ape collapsed, a second one loomed up behind the musketeer, raising its club to smash her into a pancake.

But before it could strike, a .338 Lapua Magnum round tore through its hand, forcing it to drop its weapon. A burst of automatic fire stitched across its head in an instant, striking its glowing eyes. It fell in a dead heap next to its companion. I turned to see Cutter and Bard, smoke curling from the barrels of their AWM and CQBR.

"Nice shooting, mate!" Bard yelled.

"Uh, don't mention it, Captain," Cutter replied, scratching the back of his head.

Their exchange was interrupted by a furious roar from the last ape. It went berserk, swinging its club wildly and sending splintered wood flying through the air. "Shit!" Bard cried, ducking for cover. "That thing's nuts! Doesn't it know it could hit another animal?"

"It's an animal, you berk!" Cutter shot back, scrambling through the undergrowth for a better angle. "It runs on instinct!"

My own instincts took over. Seeing my friends in danger, my composure vanished. My rifle would have been the logical choice, but a different, more dangerous impulse took hold.

I drew my Getsuei katana and charged our opponent. "Taaah!" I shouted, a kiai exploding from my lungs. As I slashed its torso, I vaguely noticed a faint green light shimmering along the blade. The ape staggered back, roaring in pain. I landed gracefully on the balls of my feet.

I heard Bard gasp. "What the fuck?"

With another roar, the ape swung its club at me. I leaped high into the air to evade the attack. As its arm slammed into the ground, I ran up its length, launched myself from its shoulder, and delivered two swift slashes to its neck. Then I pushed off, using the trunk of a nearby tree to reverse my momentum. I leveled my katana. "Uryaaa!" I screamed, the blade glowing brighter than before. The ape twisted, its red eyes locking onto me. I drove my blade deep into its left chest, right where a heart should be.

It let out one final, agonized scream and crashed to the forest floor.

I landed in a crouch, then stood and sheathed my blade with a sharp flick of the wrist to clear it of blood.

"Whoa," was all I heard. Bard and Cutter were standing there, their jaws slack. "That was incredible!" Bard shouted as they approached.

"How in the hell did you do that?!" he demanded. "That's not fair! I wanna be able to do that too!"

Cutter had his arms folded across his chest. "Don't worry, mate. I think we all can." Bard and I both looked at him. "You've felt it, haven't you?" he said. "How we can jump farther, run faster?" We exchanged a glance and nodded. "If we can master it, we can use our melee weapons more and conserve ammo." We nodded again. It made sense.

"Amazing!" We all turned to see Brielle approaching. "But I think you still need more training. There was almost no Aether in your attack. You have almost no Aether affinity; you barely seem to use it."

The three of us stared in disbelief. "Aether?" we said in unison.

"Yes," she said with a smile, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But it does make me wonder how someone with so little Aether could have sealed the Great Dragon."

"Great Dragon?" Bard asked.

"She thinks our downed aircraft was a literal dragon," I clarified. He nodded in understanding.

"Even without Aether, we have the training and equipment for a threat of that magnitude," Cutter stated. "It's not all about magic, you know." She nodded, conceding his point.

"Alright, let's continue our adventure!" she exclaimed cheerfully. Her expression, however, faltered into one of longing. "I suppose… once we reach the capital, we may have to part ways." She tried to smile. "It's been wonderful meeting all of you."

We were struck speechless, just staring at her. We had never met a girl so willing to help a group of heavily armed, mysterious men like us, let alone one so capable and kind. Though I had only known her for a day, it felt like we had fought countless battles together.

I stepped forward and gently patted her head. "Arc?" she asked, looking up at me with wide, curious eyes.

"I don't care if we part ways or not," I said, my voice soft but firm. "As a soldier of Yamato, I will not forget your kindness. I'll be in your debt." I removed my hand from her head as Cutter and Bard came to stand with us.

Cutter placed a hand on her shoulder. "We haven't decided on our billet yet, but I imagine it won't be far from the castle. If you ever need us, you call. We'll have your back."

Bard gave her a thumbs-up and a toothy grin. "Yeah! We're practically family now, right? Siblings gotta have each other's backs. Always. Okay?"

"Guys…" I saw tears welling in her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. "Thank you so much!"

We all gave her a reassuring smile.

"Let's move, lads," Cutter called out. "The capital awaits!"

We continued our trek into the Gloomwood. It seemed our team had a new, de facto member.