Chapter 3 - First Training (2)

My gaze followed the three men as they got into the ranks, they didn't care and some even harrumphed coldly when they they saw my smiling face with only my eyes following them.

"Firstly, I planned on getting you all to run for a bit, just one hour and a half to 90% of your velocity at maximal oxygen uptake but we might just go for 100% for one hour. After that we will train your magic. Start, NOW!"

All the soldiers looked coldly and displeasingly at their new commander's handsome face.

However, none of them voiced their disappointement, the lesson from yesterday wasn't much, however, it was true that talking back to one's direct superior was a grave offense, as such, because they knew that the Academy would back him up, they choose not to say a word and just obey.

That was how their training started.

Thirty minutes had passed and some were already drebched in sweat, those were the mages who choose to train more in the way of magic than the way of blades. A normal thing for magic casters, but definetly a bad one for battle mages.

The first hour of training passed smotthly and without any incident.

"All of you, you have fifteen minutes to recuperate! After, we will follow with magic training!"

Revastro's voice was loud and oppressing, like an unmovable mountain on the heart of the soldiers of the 7th Battle Mage Squad.

Fifteen minutes was not much and it passed very quickly, however, it was not enough for the soldiers to fully recuperate nor was it enough for them to bury their bellyful of grudges.

It was what Revastro wanted. Indeed, on a battlefield where death lommed everuwhere and in every corners, you would never be at your peak condition. So, it was necessary, from Revastro's point of view, to make his soldiers learn how to fight in such harsh condition.

Actually, Revastro himself didn't train with them, he had some... other ways of tempering himself, so, he would practice hard a bit after training his men.

After their rest all the soldiers stood their head high, some still panting quite heavily, on an imaginary line, forming a wall.

"Those who were late, take a step forward."

The three men had a surprised expression which flashed through their eyes but it soon disappeared, it was to be expected.

However, deep inside them, there still existed this sort of primal fear which made them gulp loudly.

They had all seen their commander's ruthless methods and even started to experience them.

Compared to him, their past commander was like a child playing around as he scolded them in loud voice and made them train on wooden training puppets.

They took one step forward.

"Is that all?"

None answered this cold, emotionless voice which drifted past them like the clouds over their head.

"Go there and stand. Once you are there, you are forbidden to move."

Revastro said as he pointed a zone on training field.

The men all walked toward the pointed place and stood there like pillars, unmoving, some closed their eyes while other kept them open.

Their young commander's voice echoed once more through the training field as it shook them like a bucket of cold water splashing onto their heads during their sleep.

"Hit them."

All of the soldiers, with no exeption whatsoever looked at him with surprised, exorbited eyes as a cold wind blew onto the field.

"Didn't you all hear me? Then I'll say it louder : BEAT THEM UP NOW!"

First, none moved, but some seconds after, a first one took a step forward, then a second, and a third. In their mind, Revastro had already become a hated, yet feared, figure.

The first took a punch and so on for good ten seconds.

Ten seconds seem short, but it isn't as you are being hit by people you knew for years because of their selfishness.

"STOP!"

Said Revastro who walked toward them and helped the three men to get on their feet.

Eight men did hit the others while the rest didn't interfere.

Then, his left leg moved, entangling the legs of the first man. At the same time, his left fist gave an uppercut to another while, using his momentum, he shifted his body in a clockwise movement, his leg flaying the ground and getting another to the ground. Three men : Out!

Following this came two punches which sorted two other men.

One flay, two more, and another punch, the last one.

All men were now dumbly on the ground.

"All of you, you are stupid."

"Soldier! You, proud men who swore not to ever fail, who swore not to fall and to stand tall, you, who wield the sharpness of the blade and the power of magic, you failed! You choose not ever to ever stop on your road, to sweep on the battlefield without any mercy for you enemies, and, today, you hit, you hit not your enemies but your comrades, your friends, your life savers and your own kin! Aren't you ashamed? How can you walk proudly, your head lifter, gazing at the mighty scorching sun without flinching if you are alone? You cannot, Soldiers! If I have been named your captain and commander, it his for your own good, and mine. I fight for myself, I fight for us! We, we aren't men! We, we are the 7th Battle Mage Squad! We are but Soldiers who will fend off all that stand in our way! I wanted to see. I wanted to see if any of you dared to hit himself, hurting your comrades his no different from slowly and painfully killing yourself! We are but one entity! We will fight and die together! This! This is the Oath you, Soldiers, made! I may be young, you may think I'm foolish, you may wonder why I'm saying this. It's because without my men I'm a lone commander, and so no different from a beggar."

In the deathly silent training ground, all gazed toward the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

"Raise your heads! You shall not flinch, so his my order as your commander! If one fails, all shall!"

The soldiers all raised their heads, however, something was different. Their eyes, they burned with a whole new fury, one that make the man walk straight to his goal without having to fear a thousand ennemies.

Their eyes didn't show contempt when they looked at their commander now : Reverence.

Maybe when they entered the regiment, they did have that burning will to fight. But they had all lost it, they lost what a regiment had : Comradery.

How Soldiers helped each others on the battlefield without flinching or having a second thought.

If one is late, even if they have to all face the wrath of heavens themselves, all shall be!

"Train freely for the rest of the day."

Revastro turned his back to the Soldiers has he slowly walked toward his room, however, has he stepped on the marble exit, a sentence, no, words, or more likely the power of will gave him a slight smile as it resounded through the whole gigantic training field :

"Yes, Commander!"