“I was never a leader and my current rank is only meant to give me authority. You, instead, started from nothing. You’ve made an outstanding career and the army trusts you so much that they are going to put countless lives in your hands.
“Sergeant Tepper thinks you capable of teaching others how to protect their lives and those of the civilians and so do I.
“You should be proud of yourself. Just don’t let it go to your head. Every life your cadets will save will be on you, but so are also those they’ll lose.” Lith said.
“Thanks.” Vipli straightened his shoulders.
Lith’s words were more than compliments. Hearing Vipli’s own accomplishments from a brother-in-arms allowed him to put things in perspective. Lith was indeed more successful than him, but that didn’t take anything away from Vipli.
“Save the speeches for the recruits, cadet 1416.” Tepper said with a grunt, calling Lith with his recruit identification number. “They are going to need it.”
“With all due respect, Sergeant, introductions are due.” Kamila outranked Tepper but she gave him the salute first since she was a guest in his base. “I only know General Berion and Captain Eari and so does the rest of your guests.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Lith said. “Tepper was my Drill Sergeant during my boot camp and Vipli was one of my barrack mates. He was the second-best scout in our unit. He and Nhilo were the only two to become non-commissioned officers right after graduation.”
“With all due respect, Captain, your husband was a Major even back then. A major pain in the neck. He used teamwork for toilet paper and made my training sessions a nightmare for everyone else.” Tepper returned her salute and then stood on attention.
“My attempts to break him and make him fall in line almost killed the unit more than once.”
“I know.” Kamila smiled. “I read Lith’s file several times and after meeting him in person for the first time I experienced how… intense he could be.”
“What Lith forgets to say, ma’am, is that everyone in the barrack hated his guts.” Vipli said while giving her the salute as well. “We tried making him a practical joke only once because his retort was… merciless.
“I was the second-best scout, but leagues behind him and he became Lieutenant right off the bat.”
“Tell me about it. It took me a decade to reach the same rank of a freshly graduated recruit.” Her silvery laughter made Vipli demote Lith’s Magus title to the second thing he was envious of the most.
“Let’s get moving, or this will take us all day.” Tepper said, Leading them to the training grounds.
Lith crossed the familiar paved walkways of the camp reserved for the officials. The recruits, instead, had to walk through the mud, earning demerits whenever they didn’t clean their boots and pants properly.
A boot camp was a place filled with yells and people wearing tense expressions even during times of peace, but during war, it was much worse. The Sergeants said things that would have made a sailor cry but the recruits just gritted their teeth and nodded.
Death was no longer a remote possibility but a cold reality. Every mistake they made in the camp would have led to one or more funerals in the field. Anyone who messed up during mock battles knew that they had just killed their entire unit.
The cadets didn’t resent the Drill instructors for being harsh because it would save their lives in the future. They thanked the gods for those battles being just a simulation and for having a second chance to fix their mistakes.
Vipli’s class consisted of five lines of twenty people each. They were all sixteen years old youths who had volunteered to protect their country. Their expressions were either stoic or desperate as if they were attending their own funeral.
Not all of them would be entrusted to Vipli. Berion had simply put together as many cadets as he could to take part in the event without it becoming a mess.????we??oѵ??.?o?
“Listen well, maggots.” Tepper took the lead, addressing the troops. “For some of you, this is your first month here while others have been in the camp for a while. The only thing you have in common is that you are all a disgrace for the uniform you wear.
“You haven’t been chosen because we think you are special so get off your high horse and wipe those stupid grins off your faces. You have been selected because you are the worst of the worst. The scum of Grimatros.
“My hope is that meeting two real soldiers, someone who fights for the Kingdom and has reached the highest honors, might straighten you up. Pay close attention to what they have to tell you because one day it might make the difference between life and death.
“They are both commoners, with no noble mommy or daddy pushing them up the ladder. They both worked their asses off, becoming two M-ranked graduates and Rangers as that.
“I introduce you Captain and Great Mage Morok Eari-Ernas and Major and Supreme Magus Lith Tiamat Verhen.” At those words, the recruits went pale and their eyes focused on Lith, looking for signs of his inhuman nature.
Every one of them had something to say, their faces twitching from the strain of keeping their mouths shut.
“What’s the matter, princesses? Did your fairy godmother shove her wand up your ass before sending you to the ball? Because that’s the only possible explanation for your pathetic display of self-control.” Tepper said with a snarl to the recruits in the first line, his voice loud enough to deafen them.
“Cadet 2483, speak freely.”
“Thank you, sir! Magus Verhen is not just an M rank. He’s an actual monster, sir. There’s nothing we can learn from him, sir. We are humans.” A young man said and the rest of the cadets nodded.
“As always, you are wrong, cadet 2483.” Tepper replied, without ever lowering his voice even though their noses were millimeters away. “Magus Verhen is a Divine Beast, not a monster. And that’s now. Back when I trained him, he was painfully human.”
Tepper pressed a button on his communication amulet, projecting videos of Lith being taught hand to hand combat and swordsmanship by the army instructors. The montage focused on all the times he had been disarmed, tackled, or swept off his feet by a good kick.
“I know I’m good, but not enough to lift dozens of tons off the ground.” Tepper continued. “Back then he was no different from you so don’t try to use the race card to justify your shortcomings.”
“It’s true.” Lith took a step forward taking a mental note of how the average person looked at him “During my boot camp I was half-human. I weighed just like you and my strength was nothing like today.”
“If you want an excuse to chicken out of here, you are out of luck.” Morok stepped forward as well. “I got my M rank fair and square. I’m no Divine Beast and had no special powers to cheat my way to success, yet here I am.”
