Chapter 33 - Preparation To Graduation

Two months flew by.

 Snow fell in sporadic periods every day and everything spoken turned to steam, no one saw their neighbor's hand or neck, or anything but their faces.

 The only people who came out of the walls did so to get firewood, since the footsteps easily penetrated ten centimeters into the ground and the cold air hurt the lungs when it was inhaled with force.

 "Pan, for the salt, how good it is to see you friend!" Exclaimed Thorin enthusiastically. "To think I would be the designated leader of your team, I can't wait to tell you the new stories, I've seen and been through so much in these six months that you wouldn't believe it," Thorin said as he walked over and patted Pan on the shoulder. 

 'Yeah sure, I'm sure you've killed many fallen lords of the night by stabbing your ass in, just one more day for Thorin, haha'

 "Right," replied Pan without showing all the jokes that were going through his mind.

 He thought the crusader was fun, but he couldn't wind it up too much, he was already crazy without an incentive, Pan didn't want to see what he was like if he got one.

 Pan could hardly believe that six months had passed and now he was seventeen.

 'I was born in winter, I just don't expect to have to die in it.' Thought Pan about the upcoming test.

 The graduation exam, which was taken in the sixth month, was a test for apprentice crusaders.  A test to determine what they learned and how adept they were in battle.

 The test was usually separated into classes of "varied" learners.

 'Varied my ass.' Thought Pan as he noticed that most of the people in his class were among the last places on the first day. Aside from Bjorn, no other apprentice was above the top twenty.

 As Pan talked to Thorin outside the great gates of the Order, a small battalion of fifty men was riding across the bridge.

 "Looks like the aspirants are finally ready," said Thorin, rubbing his hands together only to later remember that he had gauntlets on.

 "What did you do wrong?" Asked Pan.

 "Did I do it wrong?" Asked Thorin, putting his head to one side and raising the palms of both hands up to his chest. In which Pan looked at himself then his "arm" and then the other students.

 "Don't make a fool of me, friend," said Pan indifferent to Thorin's antics.

 "You know me, I talk too much," replied Thorin as he gazed at the aspirants approaching.

 Pan saw briefly a frown in his friend's eyes that had rid him of the pain many times, maybe it was just the cold, but he doubted it, it seemed to be a bitter reminiscence.

 'What did you do?' Thought Pan.

 Leading a graduating class was a colossal task, only one crusader would go per class, with five hundred aspirants who were men and women who had failed the Rock of Enlightenment exam but still wish to fight the terrors of the night, in the vain hope that they will be capable of awakening if held on a razor's edge. Some did, of course, but most eventually died.

 Fifty mundanes, ten apprentices, and a crusader, Pan didn't understand why the Order would place such responsibility in Thorin's hands that he's only been a crusader for two years and is also far from the ideal profile of a leader.

 As the wannabes watched, he simply ignored the other nine apprentices and was happily chatting and gossiping with Pan.

 "Don't you think you should at least introduce yourself?" Asked Pan and as if turning a key in Thorin's head he noticed that he ran to Pan and forgot about the rest of the students.

 The other apprentices as well as Pan were wearing the cross apprentice robe and underneath they wore leather and wool that came out a little at the neck, their countenances were more mature now than they were six months ago, this combined with the large warhorses that could walk. even in the thick snow without tiring, he created a vision that, to a normal man, would look like young mystics ready for war.

 This time they all received horses, but Pan preferred to take his steed, a raging beauty of nature, he named him Gavgar. The steed was slightly larger than given by the Order, more muscular and black as night, its mane was long and lustrous, it snorted sporadically in anticipation as if it wanted to be guided into war.  Gagvar wouldn't be frightened by blood or the clamor of battle, and Pan could swear that if he were a carnivore, he'd be no less a threat than a fallen one.

 "Hello everyone, my name is Thorin, white crusader and I will guide this expedition," announced Thorin to the young apprentices who were waiting outside the gates.

 Then, when the aspirants arrived, Thorin told everyone of their fate. They would head to the Northwest, to an unwalled city called Lurea that has been sending out calls for help.