Jayhawk+, Nick Venom [i have read the book a hundred times .TXT] 📗

hand and a sword in the other. Both men approached the Enlisted, Sand patrolling back and forth to see the faces of each Enlisted.

Satisfied, he turned away from the Enlisted and towards Link. “Where is she? Don’t tell me she’s late.”

Link shook his head. “No, sir. She told me she’ll be here.”

“She makes as many promises as she breaks.” He muttered.

“Well, that’s rather rude.” A tall black-skinned girl said, appearing from Sand’s right. She tilted her head, her beautiful black locks hanging in front of her eyes, shielding an eye from view. She had on a blue beret, wearing the same outfit as Sand, except that she had on dusty yellow combat boots while Sand had black ones.

“I only break promises that include you. Otherwise, I’m the most punctual and perfect person ever.” She smiled, teasing him.

“Ahem, anyway, Ms. Skylar Wickman, these are the new Enlisted for the WRG.”

“New guards?” She asked, dropping the smile and staring intensely at the eight Enlisted standing in front of her. “Aren’t they a little too green? None of them seem strong enough to…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes identified one of the Enlisted. “Well, I’ll be darned. You see who I see?”

“Yes, Marshall’s kid. Like father like son.” Sand remarked, facing the Enlisted that they were talking about---a large but slim teenager with burning red hair that was cut short. He wore a normal soldier’s attire---a green or blue shirt with matching pants---and stood at attention, his back straightened. His body was toned, developing a six-pack, fitting perfectly with his clothes. It was evident that he had the clothes tailored for him, unlike the others who bought their clothes in whatever size they could find from nearby stores. Tailors were extremely expensive to the Ashburn and other communities within Holy Legend. Only the wealthy could afford their services and, even so, they used them for high-profile balls and similar events.

“Rahim Marshall, correct?” 

Rahim nodded.

“I expect a lot from you.” She turned around and faced Sand. “Okay, let’s begin training. I’ll have eight of my men ready to face the Enlisted.” She told him.

“Good, send your men to the dueling circle-” He pointed at a circle set up in front of the Empire. “-and we’ll have the Enlisted face them. It’ll be random pairing, so line up your men however you want and I’ll do the same.” He instructed her. She nodded, letting out a loud whistle. Eight men emerged from behind a building, marching up to her, standing some distance away from her - all of their backs straightened as they saluted her.

“Line up in front of the circle, nobody is allowed to enter it without my permission. Stand there, your next order will come soon.” She ordered them. Her men responded instantly, standing in front of the circle in a single-file line. 

Sand ordered the Enlisted to do the same, Breanna leading the Enlisted with her friends behind her, standing on the right of the circle.

Sand cleared his throat before standing behind the circle, his back towards the Empire. “The 97th has the advantage, being more experienced than the Enlisted, but that doesn’t matter. This isn’t a test of strength, but confidence. Enlisted - show me what you can do.”

“You heard?” Skylar asked, her men nodding their heads. “No fatal blows or anything of the sort - your only weapon will be a wooden practice sword. This is a simple one-on-one duel that will end with one side submitting or knocked unconscious. If an opponent is killed during the duel, the murderer will be jailed or executed on the spot. We will have a medic on standby for any serious injuries; the inflicter will be punished for the wounds.” She announced, rattling off the rules of the duels. Her men nodded simultaneously as if they, collectively, had one brain.

“The first duel will start; Enlisted’s Breanna and 97th’s Pvt. Yeget.” Sand declared, taking a step backward as both competitors stepped into the large dueling circle, facing each other. Skylar handed them wooden practice training. “On the drop of a bronze coin, the duel will commence.” He took out a bronze coin from his pocket, flashing it to the competitors. He then laid the coin on his thumb, flicking it into the air, watching its descent.

It landed without a single sound, colliding with the ground as the first strike was thrown. Pvt. Yeget underestimated Breanna, taking the full brunt of the straightforward attack. Yeget, however, quickly found his confidence, brandishing his sword and provoking the inexperienced Breanna.

Breanna took a few steps backward, standing near the edge of the circle. She gritted her teeth as she gripped the practice sword tightly, squinting at her opponent. Yeget held his grip on the sword, observing Breanna for her next movement. 

Breanna stared at Yeget, monitoring his footwork. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, granting her a valuable opportunity. She charged forward, her eyes focused on Yeget’s head while her true aim was left hidden. Yeget watched her charging towards him, observing her movements. 

She threw a wild swing, but Yeget easily dodged the attack. However, the slash aimed at his head wasn’t the intended target, Breanna dropping to her knees, sword in hand, and slashed at his legs. His already off-balanced legs crumbled under the strike. Yeget let out a small shriek as he hit the ground, falling forward, his head bouncing off the hard cement.

He rolled to his back, looking up at Breanna as she held her sword towards her throat. “Your loss.” She muttered.

Yeget smiled. “It is.”

Skylar approached them, holding out her hand. Yeget grabbed her hand and was pulled up by her with ease. She turned to face Breanna. “1-0.”

Sand stepped into the circle, dismissing Breanna. He sent in the next pair to duel; Maysa and Pvt. Gomez. Maysa grabbed a sword from Skylar, facing Gomez. He faced her, his confidence overflowing from him.

Sand stepped back, laying the coin on his thumb and flipping it. Once it hit the ground, Gomez charged forward, catching Maysa off-guard. He jabbed at her, hitting her in the gut, before retreating a few steps. He then circled her, jabbing again. He was using the hit-and-run tactic, circling Maysa to get better angles for attacks.

Maysa raised her sword, gripping the hand tightly. She shuffled her feet to counter Gomez’s movements but his shuffle was quicker. He jabbed at her more and more, slowly tiring her out.

Nevertheless, Maysa didn’t want to go out without landing a hit. She took a few steps backward, glancing over her shoulder at the circle. She was nearing the edge, turning back to face Gomez and receiving a poke in the ribs. She nearly fell backward, almost leaving the circle.

She stood her ground, taking the poke, before charging forward. Gomez wasn’t expecting the small animal he was poking at with a stick to suddenly attack him. Maysa launched her sword at him, making contact with his side and throwing him to the ground. However, he didn’t land outside of the circle, creeping towards the edge.

Gomez recovered quickly, repeating his hit-and-run tactics. Maysa’s attack saw her sword being thrown at Gomez, hitting him before flying out of bounds. She was now defenseless, being poked at without a way to protect herself. She soon gave up, submitting.

Skylar nodded at Gomez, a small smile appearing on her face. “1-1,” she muttered.

The next pair to step up to the plate was Kodi and another 97th Infantry squad member---Pvt. Hank. Sand officialized the duel, flipping the coin and watching its descent. Upon contact with the ground, Hank flew forward. He wielded a normal practice sword but, to Kodi, it appeared as a broadsword. Kodi brought up his sword, feeling the impact travel through his body. His body nearly gave up.

Hank brought up the sword and began cracking down on Kodi, every swing putting more pressure onto the practice sword Kodi wielded. He began buckling under the pressure, his eyes darting to Sand for assistance. Sand simply shook his head.

Hank grinned as Kodi’s legs shook, the effects of the strikes becoming apparent. In a few seconds, he would collapse and submit.

“You got this!” Maysa exclaimed, jumping up and down, standing at the back of the line. “Fight back!”

Kodi heard Maysa’s shouts of comforting words, taking them to heart. He felt the pressure intensifying and heard the wood cracking, deciding on a Hail Mary attempt. He fought the pressure for a moment, waiting for Hank to raise his weapon again, before darting to the right. Hank’s downward swing nearly threw him to the ground, but he released the sword and its momentum. Even so, he still kept some of the momentum - resisting it awkwardly. 

Kodi gripped his sword tightly, going in for a downward swing on Hank’s back. Hank noticed the attack, darting to his right and spinning on his heel. He threw a fist, connecting with Kodi’s face and throwing him out of the circle. Kodi hit the ground harshly, his wind being purged from him.

Skylar stepped in, grabbing Hank by his collar and beginning to drag him away. “2-1.” She said as she pulled him away.

“Nope, 1-2.” Sand chimed in. “He’ll be punished for the attack, but he did win the fight. Enlisted’s Kodi left the circle.”

“That isn’t fair, he was punched in the face! Kodi should’ve won!” Breanna exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Maysa added.

Sand glared at them. “In the battlefield, nobody follows the rules. 97th’s Hank did break the dueling rules and he’ll be punished for it, but no casualties were caused. Enlisted’s Kodi is alive, so 97th’s Hank wins.”

“But that isn’t fair!” Maysa shouted.

“The world doesn’t care about fairness, so shut it Enlisted.” He barked before turning his attention to the fourth duel; Rahim versus Corporal Alak. 

The competitors stared at each other, their eyes never breaking contact. They both watched Sand flipping the coin in their peripherals. As soon as they saw it hit the ground, they charged forward. They exchanged brief slashes and swipes before backing off. Alak observed Rahim from afar, judging his strength. After a few seconds of observing, he extended his arm, holding the middle part of the sword, dropping it like a mic.

“I surrender.” He declared.

Rahim stared at him strangely but shrugged it off. Sand didn’t mention it either, calling in the next pair.

Rahim went back in line, shuffling in behind Kodi. Alak, on the other hand, turned around and headed to Skylar. She noticed him, finishing setting up Hank’s punishments. “You gave up?”

“Surrendered.” He reminded her. 

“Why? You’re telling me my second-in-command can’t handle a kid?” She playfully teased.

“You know why. From the few strikes we exchanged, I judged his strength to be surpassing me. He’s a monster like his father, full of strength and potential.” Alak reported. “He would’ve taken me down in the most violent way he could - and I knew he would.”

“I understand, keep observing the Enlisted. Aside from Rahim, see if any of the other Enlisted have potential.” Skylar ordered him.

Alak kneeled, saying “I understand, captain. Your orders will be fulfilled.”

She smiled a toothy grin. “Good.”

***

“Man, that duel was unfair!” Kodi remarked. They were given time after the duels ended to look around or converse before heading into their barracks. After Rahim won, the other four duels commenced with all of the losses being on the Enlisted’s side. 

“Yeah, I was surprised he allowed it,” Maysa said. “He gave you an injury, so he should’ve been disqualified.”

“I was confused as well. Why did Sand not disqualify him? He clearly injured you, so why wasn’t he kicked out or punished greatly. He got a simple slap on the wrist.” Breanna added, staring at Kodi’s bruised face and black eyes. He looked away from her, shielding his injuries from her.

“Well, it's in the past now. Let’s focus on our first day of training.” Maysa said, hoping to ease the tensions.

“You’re right, tomorrow’s a new day. Or so I hope.” Kodi gloomy stated.

“Yeah, but tomorrow gives you something important; a chance to start over,” Breanna said. She stared at Kodi, who had