C80 Fury's Crucible

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the battle brothers called for them to stop.

"On your feet!"

Paul barked, standing up and glaring down at the recruits.

"Bends and thrusts! Let's go!"

Without hesitation, Yin and Yang shot to their feet along with the rest of the recruits. Their muscles screamed in protest, but they knew better than to hesitate.

Everyone started bending at the waist, thrusting their bodies down and up in rhythm, their movements mechanical, their faces etched with exhaustion.

"Keep going!"

Darius roared.

"You call this effort? You've got two more sets to go!"

Sweat poured down their faces and backs, soaking their PT uniforms as they continued the drill.

The air was thick with the smell of sweat and the sound of labored breathing, but none of them dared slow down. Not with the battle brothers looming over them like predators.

When the bends and thrusts were finally over, Roberts voice cut through the haze of exhaustion.

"Lap through the corridor! Move!"

The recruits broke into a ragged run, their feet pounding against the metal floor as they ran through the wide enough corridor.

The walls seemed to close in around them, the air growing thicker with each passing moment.

Sweat dripped from their faces, and their breaths were ragged, but they kept running.

Yin's legs burned with each step, her body screaming for rest. Yang ran beside her, her face a mask of determination, but Yin could see the exhaustion in her sister's eyes. They weren't used to this, not yet but they had no choice but to keep going.

After the lap, they were pulled back into formation, panting and sweating profusely. Their bodies were shaking from the exertion, and their uniforms were drenched in sweat. But they didn't get a moment to rest.

"Three rows! Form up!"

Airid barked.

The recruits quickly formed into three rows, trying to catch their breath while they stood at attention.

The battle brothers, still full of energy, paced back and forth, their eyes scanning the recruits with an intensity that made the hairs on the back of Yin's neck stand up.

"Light jog to the mess hall!"

Darius ordered.

"You've got 20 minutes to eat. Make it count!"

The recruits were lead to the mess hall, their bodies still trembling from the intense workout. Once inside, they were handed MREs and told to sit down at the cold alloy tables.

Yin and Yang grabbed their meals and collapsed into their seats, barely able to lift their arms. The room was filled with the sound of heavy breathing and the crinkling of MRE packaging as the recruits dug into their meals, desperate to refuel their exhausted bodies.

"20 minutes!"

Julian shouted, his voice echoing through the mess hall.

"You don't finish, you don't eat! Move it!"

Yin and Yang tore into their MREs, their hands shaking from the strain. The food was bland and barely warm, but they ate it like it was the best meal they'd ever had.

Their bodies were starved for energy, and every bite felt like it was bringing them back to life.

Across the table, other recruits were in the same condition, shoveling food into their mouths as quickly as they could.

The atmosphere was tense, everyone knowing that they couldn't afford to waste time.

As Yin took a deep breath between bites, she glanced over at Yang. Her sister was still pale, her face tight with exhaustion, but there was a flicker of determination in her eyes.

"We'll get through this,"

Yang muttered between bites, her voice barely a whisper.

Yin nodded, too tired to respond with words. They had survived another morning, but this was just the beginning. There was no turning back now.

The Iron Fenrirs had no room for the weak.

...

MC POV

I staggered into the mess hall, still feeling the effects of last night's "meeting" with the guild manager.

My legs felt like jelly, and my back, covered in scabs reopened with every step. I rubbed my eyes and groaned, trying to blink away the exhaustion clinging to me.

The mess hall was mostly empty now, save for the clatter of pots and pans from the back where my battle brothers were cooking their breakfast after dropping off the recruits back at their barracks.

Airid glanced up from the griddle, flipping a mountain of scrambled eggs with a satisfied smirk.

"Well, look who finally decided to show his ugly mug,"

He said, his voice dripping with mockery.

"You look like death warmed over, Drac."

Darius, seated at the table with his combat boots kicked up and a steaming plate of bacon in front of him, let out a low chuckle.

"You sure you didn't die and get resurrected in the night? You look like a g*ddamn corpse, man."

Julian, always the quiet one, sipped his coffee but raised an eyebrow in my direction. Even Paul, standing by the coffee machine, snorted as he poured himself a cup.

"Rough night, eh?"

Paul added, grinning from ear to ear.

I let out a heavy sigh and rolled my neck, trying to shake off the stiffness.

"You could say that,"

I muttered, plopping down into a chair across from Darius and rubbing my temples.

"That synth took more out of me than the last two ops combined."

Airid nearly choked on his laughter, banging his spatula on the counter.

"So,"

Darius leaned forward, his grin widening.

"How was it? I mean, we know you got laid, but a synth? Was it worth it?"

I glared at him through half-lidded eyes, too tired to muster any real venom.

"Best f*cking s*x I ever had."

Paul burst out laughing, nearly spilling his coffee.

"F*ck off, no way. Best? Seriously?"

I gave a weary nod.

"Absolutely. Unreal. The things she could do with that synthetic c*nt of hers..."

I let the sentence trail off, a small smirk creeping across my face despite the exhaustion.

"Well, I'll be damned,"

Darius said, shaking his head in mock disbelief.

"Our big bad vamp getting blown away by a synth. Gotta admit, that's not what I was expecting."

Julian finally spoke, his tone as dry as ever.

"You do realize you're going to be hearing about this for the next decade, right?"

"Yeah, yeah,"

I waved him off, the exhaustion in my voice evident.

"Laugh it up, you f*cks. I had a good night, and you lot were off playing babysitters."

Paul snickered, sliding a plate of food toward me.

"Good night or not, you're still walking like you got run over by a freighter."

Airid piled more food onto his plate and took a seat.

"So, what's next on the agenda, Mr. I f*cked a live s*x doll? When do we leave for our next op, you do know that our coffers are kinda empty at the moment"

I rolled my eyes, grabbing a fork and stabbing into the scrambled eggs.

"Well for starters its making sure those recruits don't collapse before we finish their training, from what I saw they barely survived the morning PT."

Darius grunted, taking a bite of bacon.

"They'll toughen up. They've got no choice. If they can't handle it, they don't belong here anyway."

"Agreed,"

Julian said, though his tone was more measured.

"But we'll need them in shape soon enough. We don't know what's waiting for us on that Homam mission."

I nodded, shoveling a forkful of eggs into my mouth only to raise my eyebrow.

"Yeah there's no point In keeping dead weight that will get us and others killed just because they will break down In the heat of battle but how the f*ck do you know our mission's next destination Julian?"

Hearing this Paul chuckled.