With the training hall completed, the Cucks and Cunts had first dibs on using it. In fact, they could use it whenever they wanted, thanks to Maeve's negotiation prowess. It was an impressive hall, with three floors and high ceilings, an architectural feature that wouldn't be possible without magic. There were several training areas and a hall, allowing multiple groups to use the facility simultaneously. Harmony District's makeshift militia and another group Adrian had never heard of had their own rooms.

  "Welp, let's get started and figure out how to work as a team." Maeve clapped her hands together and started their team practice.

  "We've all grown since fighting in the convention center. We've looted magical items and gained skills from their class and attunement. It's time to put it all together.

  "Adrian has a shinobi class and a gravity attunement.

  Dusky has a shinobi class and a shadow attunement.

  Paige has a shinobi class and a mist attunement."

  I have a shaman class and a summoning attunement, and-" Maeve stopped for a second.

  "Todd, what do you do?"

  "Machinist class and a metal attunement."

  "Brody?"

  "You seriously don't know? I've been telling you all the significance of my magic, and it just goes ignored!"

  "Care to be an adult and a team player? Just tell us." Maeve still didn't like Brody, but the fact that Brody never used his powers on anybody in town helped Maeve get over his bullshit.

  "Artist class with a mental attunement." Maeve nodded at Brody's answer.

  "Now, we need to find the best ways to work together and see the best ways to kill. From my account, we should each have about 5 or 6 skills by now."

  And they got down to business. There weren't any sword masters or sensei's lying around for them to talk to, so they'd have to learn from scratch and hope for the best. Todd and Brody, the non-combatants, tried to learn self-defense and escape tactics.

  The point of all this wasn't to hold off an army in an open field. The goal was to gauge everyone's strengths and weaknesses. They would plan and prepare for a mission that had worked out for them, except for the horror-style debacle with the Unwoke. To Adrian's surprise, his teammates had some great spells.

  Maeve's powers are already understood with her totems and tattoos. We were all aware of the fire totem and the entrapment totem, but she had another she hadn't used yet, the [Acid Trip Totem]. Another weapon in the arsenal to create chaos.

  "I had other totems I could've picked, but I'm a team player, and I'm building for our team." The group nodded, liking the addition. Maeve then smirked and dropped the totem, causing everyone to stumble, and causing Maeve to cackle at the result. "Lovely! The [Acid Trip Totem] is going to be useful." She said before canceling the totem.

  "You had this totem the whole time and didn't use it for fun?" Brody asked, just getting a scoff from Maeve in return.

  "Holy shit." That was all Adrian could say before Maeve cut in,

  "Anyone with poison resistance would be able to combat the totem, but it's a new flavor to add to our repertoire." Maeve looked around and pointed at Dusky. "What do you have that you haven't shown us yet?" Dusky gave a solemn nod and stepped forward. He did a quick hand signal and said,

  "[Shadow Snare Jitsu]!" and his shadow jumped at Maeve. She tried to move but was incapacitated entirely by the shadow.

  "Not bad, Dusky. We can use this to lock down targets. Range?"

  "About 10 meters. I think I can train it to increase the distance. Haven't used it because it's just easier to kill them." Paige concurred, taking a bite from a magical apple she was eating.

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  "Yes, that's been common in our fights so far. We haven't fought a high-level creature since Vegeta. I think that's going to change when we go after more high-profile targets. We need more finishing moves for these kinds of targets."

  "Does anyone have high-damage finishing moves? This may come back to bite us in the ass if we can't finish off a target. We've been relying on Todd's explosives for big damage, but explosions aren't exactly subtle."

  "I have an assassination skill," Dusky said.

  "I have an explosion swing skill, but it isn't the high damage output we're looking for. Fucking nunchucks." Adrian's nunchucks are a growth item, but he hasn't had the chance to upgrade the weapon, causing it to lag behind a bit. He never had an assassin's skill set, but that's what they needed from him. Todd gave him a flat look,

  "You have a lightsaber."

  "Yeah, but it isn't as good as the nunchucks."

  "Debatable." Paige countered.

  Paige, Todd, Brody, and Maeve all shook their heads.

  "This will be a problem. We need to acquire high-damage skills when they're offered next. We have plenty of utility as a group." Paige stepped up.

  "My turn. You all know my mist is my magic. I'm pretty worthless outside the mist, so fighting in it is our best bet." Paige gathered a small amount of mist. "Here's a skill I just picked up from the experience against the Unwoke." Paige threw her apple into the mist, and the group just watched it…melt. "Can melt the skin off people now inside the mist. Should have good synergy with the [Acid Trip Totem]."

  "More AOE damage…" Todd added. "Its uses are plentiful, but high-tier targets are still going to be an issue for us. Sabotaging an army or a warehouse is our wheelhouse right now. Information extraction is another area with potential for our group, but we don't have specific skills for that either." Todd contemplated for a moment before opening a box next to him.

  "I'm a crafter, so don't expect me to partake in any actual missions. I can equip you all with appropriate tools and act as additional support. Here's something I've been working on." A drone emerged from the box and started flying around. "It doesn't do much yet, but once our AIs come online, I should be able to mod the shit out of these. I hope to use external comms in future missions."

  Adrian hoped that was the case. No one really knew what the personal AIs could do. Still, everyone assumed there'd be a massive spike in a person's capabilities.

  Brody just scoffed, "I'm not a fighter either. I can only create beautiful art with my performances, causing people to love my work... and me." Brody side-eyed everyone before he used a new skill that caught everyone by surprise. He morphed into Maeve.

  "The skill is called [Method Acting]," Brody said, still sounding like himself. He began honking his own breasts to the dismay of the real Maeve, who could only look on.

  "You're disgusting," Maeve commented.

  "You're disgusting." Brody copied. He was actively trying to get her voice and mannerisms down as he continued to perfect his craft, "MeN arE ThE wOrsT." Brody mocked.

  He tried to begin a tangent that the Manosphere would be proud of, but the real Maeve summoned her spear before Adrian decided to get things back on track.

  "You can control a person's mind on top of turning into people, Brody. Happy to call you our infiltration specialist." Adrian grinned.

  "Wait, what? That sounds dangerous."

  Dusky came over and put a hand on Brody's shoulder, solemnly saying, "Women love a man who puts himself in the thick of battle."

  "We're gonna need you. You're a vital part of the team." Adrian added. He hoped that making Brody feel needed would help him embrace a clearly dangerous role.

  "Again, debatable." Paige scoffed.

  "Adrian is right. Brody just countered that weird brand, resulting in the Unwoke's heads exploding when Brody tried to use his magic, so he isn't a completely worthless piece of shit. Brody may be a deplorable person with a small penis, but he's part of the team." Maeve said, trying to get the conversation back on track in her own way.

  "That's body shaming." Brody muttered, "All offensive speech was cancelled during the pandemic, but somehow making jokes about a guy's dick size was still socially acceptable."

  Both Paige and Maeve look amused, quips locked and loaded. Adrian didn't have the bandwidth for the mean spirited banter and stepped up and breathed fire out of his mouth, looking drained after the move. Everyone enjoyed the display, putting their prior argument behind them.

  "My newest skill is [Dragon's Breath]. Haven't had the chance to see if it could be a true finisher, but it takes a lot out of me."

  "Oh, that's nice," Todd said, and the rest agreed.

  "We need to find the extent of the power this generates. It could be the finisher we need. You and Dusky are the stealthiest of the group, so you two having powerful assassination moves is vital."

  "Hey! I'm a shinobi too!" Paige felt left out. "I even have a headband!"

  "That's another point. Your headbands synergize nicely. We'll need to find headbands for the rest of the team, and we'll be able to be mobile in fights."

  "Still don't understand the arms pinned behind your back", Paige grumbled as Dusky put a hand on her shoulder.

  "It's the shinobi way."

  "I think I know a way for better assassinations without having to use our skills." Todd teased. Brody raised an eyebrow before Maeve interrupted.

  "Enough bullshitting. We know we need more assassination skills, ranged assassination potential, extraction techniques,... and headbands. Let's train."

  The training hall was filled with nice equipment, magically fortified. The Cucks and Cunts would put that to the test.

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