Chương 49: So It Begins

The next morning, I rushed to the ranking board posted outside the mess hall. There were no preferred names posted, so you had to go by your identification code. I searched the list for DD-333 until I stumbled across it. Our squad, number seventy-six, was third from the top. I was officially named its sergeant. Grinning, I raced into the mess hall, where I found the others waiting for me. It wasn't hard to find them now—there were only about a hundred young Dupes and druids left after the exam.

Sage, Brawl, and Anchor had already grabbed their food. I took a plate and sat down beside them, then asked, "You guys checked our ranking?"

"Third from the top," Anchor said.

"A respectable placement."

"Who's the top team?" Sage asked.

"I don't know anyone by their identification numbers."

"You barely knew our names until a few days ago, sister," Brawl said.

"At least I'm not 'little sister' anymore," she grumbled.

"One day, you may just become 'my lady'."

"In your dreams."

"I did not mean it in a romantic or otherwise impure sense. You are a Lady, and thus, I may eventually treat you with the respect that comes along with it…"

"I have no idea how you haven't been hanged yet." Sage shook her head, and Morph made an exaggerated sigh.

"Most nobles wouldn't tolerate the insult."

"He is fresh from Homecamp," I said.

"He has time." Brawl shrugged, "I do not want to—" Before he could finish, the Drillmaster stepped up onto the plinth and clinked his sword against his armour, quieting the room.

"Those of you who remain are now among the top hundred soldiers of your generation. You may remember your ranks from before today, but as of now, those earlier ranks no longer matter. Our goal is to forge you into the strongest soldiers Gate has ever seen, and there will be a new ranking system to ensure this.

"You will be ranked with a variety of metrics, beginning with your performance in the entrance examination and an ongoing assessment during daily sparring training. The top ten ranked trainees will receive two extra Presences a week, the top fifty will receive one extra, and the rest will receive no extra.

"Yes, to those of you who believe that your training is over, I regret to inform you that it is only just beginning, and you will have a long road ahead of you. It will last for two years, and we will spend all that time to the best of our abilities. Mornings will be daily physical conditioning. Druids will have exceptions for some tasks, and although you will have different trainers, you are still expected to keep up with your squads.

"Your afternoons will consist of guided sparring training. Your only free time will be evenings—however, you are still expected to attempt to obtain Skills, and you must use your free time wisely.

"Lastly, once every week, you will delve into the Labyrinth, where a continual assessment of your ability will take place. This is the best place to increase—or decrease—your ranking. For your first year of training, you will remain in the Labyrinth's upper city, and for your final year of training, you will delve into the untamed lower city. Your goal will be to gather as many Presences as possible and gather any ancient equipment you find.

There isn't much left in the upper city, so don't expect miracles in your first year.

"To close off my introduction, I will remind everyone that you are expected to reach Steel within one year and Titanium within two years. Most sappers are then sent north after training, where you will serve on the front lines with the most difficult tasks. Some of you will make it to Silver, and others perish long before then. I wish you all the best of luck. Finish your meals, and meet your lieutenants by the time the bell tolls next. They will guide you through your physical conditioning."

I folded my fingers, then glanced at the others.

"I've been looking forward to this." The other three stared at me like I was crazy.

"Well, the training part," I said.

"And the Labyrinth delving part. Plus…I have some ideas for our squad."

"I don't like the sound of that…" Anchor mumbled.

"Come on, we're never going to have an easier time of it than this. We may as well make use of it." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. ~ ~ ~"The resonance nodes in your body are intended to allow you to access the system and enhance your body beyond what a regular man would be capable of," said our lieutenant.

He had introduced himself as Owl, but the only thing unique about him was his long hair tied up in a ponytail and a pendant that indicated he was a Titanium-tier sapper. Like the rest of us, he only wore a simple tunic and trousers. We stood in a field in front of him. Each lieutenant was a senior sapper who had five squads under him, and since our druids were all off training with a different instructor, it meant there were fifteen of us in front of Lieutenant Owl.

"But without training, those nodes will fail you," Owl continued.

"They can atrophy, which is why even once you reach Titanium, you will be expected to continue your general conditioning. But that is talk for the future: for now, we must build you up. To reach Steel, you must have ten Presence and fifty total attribute points distributed across your different stats. One must be over fifteen. Questions?" No one spoke.

"Then we shall begin." The morning began with a set of endurance exercises, and I understood why the castle had such a large estate now. We ran a lap around the outside, then a second lap, then a third. When we returned, Owl immediately had us doing strength exercises. We were to hunt for fieldstones outside the wall, and once we found some of suitable size and mass, he made us lift them, run with them, or jog with them. At first, my tired mind just wanted to choose any old stone, but I shut those thoughts down.

Although I didn't want to hurt myself, I had to push myself. My Strength and Vitality were nearing the limit of what a regular human man's was, and if I wanted to push them beyond, I would have to try harder. Which meant I took a larger stone. We ate lunch halfway through the day, which was a surprisingly balanced diet—but that might have been my modern biases coming through. They fed us a meat and vegetable stew, and we were all hungry enough to down it without complaint.

In the afternoon, Owl broke us up into sparring groups to practice. I didn't know the ranking of anyone else yet—nor myself, for that matter—and apparently, we were still allowed to duel to increase our ranking. I'd have to be careful, but if I got myself into a duel with someone I knew I could beat, I wasn't going to complain. All things considered, sparring went relatively normally. We trained in hand-to-hand combat, then with our preferred weapons, then with formations.

Despite our preferences, we were all expected to know how to use a shield and spear in combination. As usual, the shields were round and wooden, and painted orange with a raven on their front. They were heavier than I was imagining, but I was just happy to finally have a shield. Before dinner, we were given time to bathe, and no one seemed to care how crowded the bathhouse was. The water circulated quick enough, and no one took their time. We were all too hungry.

"Lucky healers," Anchor grumbled.

"They probably have a private bathhouse."

"Considering most of the healers are ladies, I'd expect them to," I replied.

"Not all of them are Ladies," Brawl told me.

"Well, yeah, there are plenty of guys who are druids as well—""No, not all of them are nobles, brother."

"Oh, true. But most are."

"Quit flapping your gums, you two," Anchor said.

"I want to eat." ~ ~ ~ At dinner that evening, we gobbled up as much food as we could. I didn't feel like it was even possible to be stuffed with how hungry I was. Although the four of us were reunited, no one was talking—at least, not until we were done. I glanced at Sage and said, "You're already looking healthier from a day in the sun."

"You're lucky I didn't get a sunburn, otherwise I would've been far less pleased."

"I don't think we can even get sunburns at a certain Vitality rating," I replied.

"Well, you certainly haven't reached it, Levi." Anchor dropped his spoon in his empty bowl, put his hands behind his head, and leaned back.

"Your forehead is starting to look a little pink."

"My Vitality is getting there," I replied.

"Besides, soon, it'll be winter, and we'll have to do most of our training indoors."

"This is the SAP, brother," Brawl said.

"There is no such thing as indoor training. Cloaks and coats will be your best friend."

"I should've guessed," I replied. Near the end of dinner, the Drillmaster stepped up onto the plinth again and rattled his sword against his armour.

"I have one more announcement to make tonight, and somewhat regretfully." He stepped to the side and motioned to the corner. A woman stepped out of the shadows. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, and she wore a black cloak with an orange eye on its back. Her hair was dark brown, and I was pretty sure she'd managed to find black eyeliner somewhere. Form-fitting scale mail hugged her body, and she carried a glaive on her back.

"Black and orange," I muttered." Creative."

"Be quiet," Anchor hissed.

"She's military intelligence."

"I am Frythlid," she said.

"And I belong to the Warlord's legion of Subtle Men. My men and I are here to seek out any anti-Warlord sentiment and snuff if. Like your Drillmaster said, it is regrettable that we have to do this at all, but alas, with the times being as they are…" She folded her fingers in front of her.

"There are rumours circulating, and we cannot afford any potential dissidents in the ranks of our most elite soldiers. If you suspect any traitorous behaviour, please report it to me at once, and I will be sure to handle it." Her eyes scanned the crowd, and a chill ran down my spine. It might have just been a coincidence, but when she looked at me, she adjusted the silver pendant she wore around her neck. Silver tier.

"That is all for now," she said.

"Continue your meals."