The A Team

Chapter Five

Hi guys sorry this chapter took so long to come out. I am on vacation and haven't had much time to write. Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Day 12

Iskall studied the small figure in front of him. Stress smiled back.
"Bow and arrow" False decided, handing it to her. Iskall nodded in agreement and the two soldiers moved down the line.
They considered Xisuma.
"He has a similar build to me" Iskall noted.
"Sword then?" False asked.
"Yeah"
They moved to Doc. He was well built, and almost as tall as Mumbo.
"Maybe... a spear?"
"Or a trident" False added.
"Yeah with that metal arm I bet you have great range for heavy weaponry" Iskall said.
Doc smiled, his chest swelling with pride.
Mumbo shuffled nervously next to him, drawing the attention of False and Iskall.
"Mumbo-" Iskall started.
Mumbo was difficult. He was very tall, but very thin and anxious. Not really the makings of a great soldier.
But he doesn't need to be Iskall reminded himself. He just needs to be able to defend himself.
"Let's start you on a crossbow, and see how you do" False said, filling the awkward pause.
Mumbo nodded stiffly, accepting the weapon. He had never been very good at combat training, and preferred engineering traps to actual fighting. He just hoped he wouldn't be the worst one.
The soldiers moved on the the hybrids.
Ren brought himself up to his full height, which would have been more impressive if he hadn't been standing next to Mumbo. However Iskall noticed that he could see the outline of Ren's biceps through his shirt.
I suppose running on all fours would do that he thought.
"How about a battle axe?" False said, interrupting Iskall's thoughts.
He nodded.
"Good idea"
False pulled the heavy weapon from her belt and handed it to Ren, who began to strike poses with it.
Iskall scoffed, but Ren just wiggled his eyebrows, and flexed his arms.
"Ladies get in line" he said blowing a kiss at Iskall.
The rest of the group laughed while Iskall rolled his eyes, grinning despite himself.
He felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down at the avian.
"What about me?" Grian asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Iskall and False shared a glance.
Grian was slowly gaining weight, even putting on muscle from all the building he had been doing, but he was still quite skinny and small. His wings however, which stretched wider than Grian was tall, gave him an advantage.
"Crossbow" Iskall said, handing it to him. "If you can learn to shoot accurately from the air, you could be a great warrior"
Grian's smile stretched wide across his face as he happily accepted the heavy wooden weapon. He had always wanted to learn combat, but had never been allowed to stay at one compound long enough to do so. Any chance at learning a new skill excited him, and that made him a fast learner.
As the group dispersed, Grian made his way over to Mumbo, who was nervously turning his crossbow over in his hands.
"Hey!" Grian said loudly. He had learned that it was important to get Mumbo's attention if he wanted to talk to him, because Mumbo always seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Mumbo blinked rapidly and raised his head, waving awkwardly.
"Grian! Hello"
"So I guess we'll be training together then" Grian said giving Mumbo his most winning smile.
Mumbo's face flooded with color (which Grian had come to know as a normal reaction to any conversation with the tall engineer).
"You... want to train with me?"
"Well duh" Grian said nudging Mumbo with his shoulder. "We have the same weapon"
"Oh! Y-yes" Mumbo stuttered. "Of-of course that's... that's very true"
He groaned inwardly. Couldn't he act like a normal person around Grian for once? The small blond avian made him very nervous for some reason. Mumbo was convinced it was Grian's overwhelming confidence and utter lack of worry that confused him and made him stutter the way he did. Those feelings were just so foreign to him.
If Grian noticed anything strange he didn't let on. He just grinned and trotted away.
"See you later Mumbo Jumbo!"
"Jumbo?" Mumbo asked, bewildered.
"You needed a second name" Grian said with a chuckle. "You're too posh to just be Mumbo. Do you like it?"
"I-" Mumbo paused and smiled. "Yeah. Yes, I do"

Sorry this chapter was so short. The next one will be coming in the next couple days and it will be longer, I promise.
If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a like, and let me know if you have any thoughts or feedback!