Chapter 11 Morning Antics
The next day Sam and her squad had to wait for almost an hour for their trainer to show up. The man had gotten himself in a lot of trouble by not telling his recruits all the information before letting them go into the dungeon. A different trainer explained a few new things, and they were cleared to keep leveling up. Luckily for them, most of the others had already gained their tenth level. Only Xanthe and George were still level nine. Sam herself had forgotten to check her notifications the day before. There was just too much excitement when they were marched back to their trainer, the shouting match between the trainer and a captain, and the information they had gotten after that. When they were finally free to leave, Sam had gone to her bed and had slept until a few minutes ago.
Now that the trainer was running late, it was a good time to check the notifications.
Log updated: Dungeon summary.
Killed 57 lvl 1 monsters.
Status updated: 5 Levels gained.
Status updated 5 Statpoints gained
Status updated: Experience gained.
Status updated: Extra Experience gained for fighting alone.
Status updated: Achievement gained.
Skill updated: Slash has gained 2 levels.
Skill updated: Stab has gained 2 level.
Skill updated: Stab has gained 2 level.
Skill updated: [Shields] learned.
Skill updated: No skill slots detected. Select a skill to replace. Y/N.
“Wow, that’s a lot of snails. And another achievement as well. Maybe it’s time to check that out, because I also got one when we went in the first time.”
“Are you only now checking your notifications?” Jasper sneered, “have you at least leveled enough to join the rest of us?”
“I did, but aren’t you forgetting about Xanthe and George? They still need to gain another level.”
“They do, but we already made fun of them last night. Too bad that we can’t tease you right now. It would make this wait a bit less boring.”
Sam decided to ignore the arrogant snob and focus on looking at her full status.
Name: Samantha ‘Sam’ Bello
Age: 24
Statpoints: 8
Pending skills: 1
Class: Warrior level 10
Skill: Slash level 5
Skill: Grab level 1
Skill: Stab level 4
Skill: Practice makes perfect level 1
Skill: Physical training level 1
General Skills:
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Language - level 1
Identify - level 1
Running - level 1
Knife – level 1
Special Skills:
War Machine - lvl 1
Weapon Specialist - lvl 1
Natural Fighter - lvl 1
Titles:
World traveler
Achievements:
First kill
Run before you walk
Dungeoneer
Salty
Status:
Str: 7 Int: 5
Agi: 8 Wis: 7
Vit: 7 Cha: 3
End: 6 Luc: 5
Health: 70/70
Stamina: 60/60
Mana: 50/50
Not much had changed, apart from the ten stat points and the short sword skill that she had to keep ignoring. Hopefully she could soon start to assign the points so she wouldn’t feel as vulnerable. Those health points looked pretty low for someone who had to fight in close combat.
Then she focused on the new achievements.
Dungeoneer
You have entered your first dungeon
Salty
What did those snails do to you?
Sam snorted when she read the second achievement. Apparently the being that made up those descriptions was getting bored of giving basic explanations. Right when she was done reading, the trainer arrived.
He looked like he was still drunk from the day before, with circles under his eyes and with an uniform that had clearly been slept in.
“Right, all of you can go to the dungeon to level up today. I have no patience to train you bunch of idiots this morning.” He grunted.
Sam and the others exchanged looks. Most of them had gained the tenth level, and had nothing more to gain from going to the dungeon at this moment.
When they didn’t move, the trainer started to get red in his face. But right before it looked like he would start to yell at them, George spoke.
“Sir, both Xanthe and I have to gain a few more experience points to gain the last level. Would it be fine if we went inside the dungeon to get them, while the rest waits for us? Then we could pick up our equipment at the same time as the rest. That would also be easier for you, wouldn’t it?”
It looked like the trainer had trouble following the fast talking boy, but eventually he agreed.
“The rest of you can start trying to march around the field while I go wash, and maybe get another drink.” That last part he said a bit quieter, but still loud enough for them to hear. Then he walked away towards the sleeping quarters.
“Thanks George, now we have to march around the field.” Jasper exclaimed immediately when the trainer was out of earshot.
“Well, at least he didn’t get mad at us. Did you see his face? Let’s just hope he gets it together before we have to get our stuff.”
“Just hurry up, I don’t want to keep marching, while none of us have even been told what that exactly means! We really got the worst trainer in the entire legion.”
“Don’t worry Jasper,” Lufir interrupted the two, “my father taught me the basics of marching. It’s one of the easiest things we will learn in the legion.”
That ended the discussion, as the duo of Xanthe and George went to the dungeon at a run, while the others listened to Lufir about how to march in a way that at least looked like it was right.
It took the two almost an hour and a half to go to the dungeon, go inside and kill enough to level up, and get back to the training field.
By then the others were starting to get really tired about walking circles around the field. Unfortunately the trainer hadn’t gotten himself back out there. Thus both Xanthe and George fell in with the rest.
Another hour went by before their trainer came back. Almost all of them were out of stamina by now, and they were only limping along with the others.
“Now that is the most miserable group of recruits trying to march, isn’t it.” The trainer jovial voice was shouted from across the field.
Jasper really couldn’t accept the fact that the man only now came back to them.
“Well, you could have helped us, if you had been here!”
“Yes, but why didn’t you take a break? I wasn’t here, so why did you guys keep going?”
“Because you told us to!”
“So? I didn’t do everything my trainer told me to, and if that trainer had been as drunk as I was this morning, then I really wouldn’t have done so.”
“…”
Even Jasper with his big mouth didn’t know wat to say.
Luckily the trainer was now in a better mood than a few hours earlier. Soon they were all in the quartermasters office, getting their gear.
When Sam was here only a day and a half ago, she only got some equipment that was left over from other recruits that never bothered to get it back.
This time around though, Sam and the others were measured for custom made equipment. This meant a uniform, a cuirass, chausses, boots and vambraces.
All of these pieces had to fit the recruits perfectly, thus it took the quartermaster and his helpers several hours to get them all equipped. Eventually though, they were done.
Now there were eight freshly looking soldiers standing there awkward in their new getup. They kept looking each other over admiringly.
“Okay puppies, you can prance around later. Now we need to get back to the training field to get you guys used to this stuff.”
“What about the others?”
“You mean the other maggots that got their stuff yesterday? They should be about done with their own training by now. They get to rest while you get sweaty. If you wanted to Should’ve gotten your own level ten yesterday.”
Ten minutes later they were all back to running rounds around the field. Apparently this was the trainers preferred manner to test his trainees. It took them thirty rounds before the trainer was satisfied. But their suffering didn’t end there.
After the rounds they had to do all kinds of exercises to test out their equipment. Where the rounds around the field were to get used to the new weight, these exercises were to find out if there were any parts that pinched or chafed.
In the end two of the recruits had to go back to the quartermaster to have some part of their equipment adjusted.
All this took them the rest of the day. Afterwards Sam and the others were exhausted, and the parting words of the trainer were not all that encouraging.
“Remember recruits, tomorrow we will push you with even more exercises to try and get you the [Legionary recruit] class.