“Sir! No activity spotted on the plains through the night. As far as our long sights can tell, they are still hiding in that cave. We don’t think they are aware they have been spotted. They look to be preparing for a raid. A repeat of the night raid on Rille, if you ask me.” Private Alton gave his report about the night activity.

“I didn’t,” Sergeant Holder replied without looking up from his coffee.

Alton was the newest private of the Hawk strike team and they had been assigned to track a raiding party coming east into the Antellan Valley. He had spent the last hour speaking with both the night sentries and the night long sights to get updates on the enemy positions. The longsights confirmed that the mana signatures were still located inside a cave on the valley wall.

Hawk team was camped out in a small hollow about five miles from the last reported activity of the raiding party. Between them and the suspected cave there was a section of mostly empty plain with a few hills before reaching a large forest. The forest had yet to be explored since the first army had retaken this section of the valley in a series of battles against the Edorians. Hawk team was tasked with clearing this area of threats before they found the raiding party in the cave.

“Hawk team form up!” Sergeant Holder spoke loudly enough for the other ten members of the team to hear him. “We need to get across this plain, through that forest, and find that raiding party before dusk. They can’t be allowed to strike the village or the infirmary set up there. Night watches report no enemy activity on the plain or up near the caves. Silent protocol across the plain and regroup after entering the cover of the forest. Move quick, circulate your mana responsibly, there may be a fight waiting for us in there.”

Alton dropped his pack and shed his extra gear. His newly issued sword at his side had yet to see combat, but he checked the blade for spots of blood or rust, anyway. He had a long dagger at his side that he checked and rechecked to make sure it was strapped in well. His heart was racing as he tried to remember what gear he could bring during silent protocol. Was he allowed to have his canteen?

He decided to empty it out to be safe so that it wouldn’t make any swishing noises and hid it beneath his shirt. His corporal rounded and flashed some hand signals at him, and Alton stared back at him blankly. The corporal sighed and leaned in close. “Relax, private, I am with you. Just stay low and quick, follow me. We stick together out there. First mission is always tough.”

Alton numbly nodded his head in agreement. He couldn’t believe he was failing this badly on his first actual mission. He cycled his mana to settle his nerves. He had just reached the second tier and was able to circulate it to every major muscle in his body. As soon as his corporal began moving, Alton followed behind, mimicking him as closely as possible.

They cleared the plain and reached the forest after an hour of agonizing running for Alton. He had been circulating his mana through his legs to increase his speed and keep himself from tripping while staying as low to the ground as possible. His teammates all took advantage of the shade and cover of the trees to take a breather and drink from their canteens. He felt foolish for having dumped his earlier. He hoped to find a spring or natural source of water and discreetly refill his before anyone noticed.

When the signal to resume flashed, Alton fell in with his team and they began to carefully move through the overgrown forest. The foliage above their head was thick and blocked most of the sun, making it unreliable to get a directional bearing. Thick, nasty brush covered the forest floor and made the trip slow and unpleasant. Between the silent soldiers and the limited light in the area, Alton was feeling jumpy with every sound. He felt a shiver start mid way up his spine and run all the way up through his neck. He turned to his corporal and started to hand signal that something felt wrong when an arrow exploded through the older mans neck.

Alton stared in disbelief as the corporal went down and began frantically grabbing at his throat. He tried to speak, but blood was welling up from the wound so fast that it drowned out any attempt. Alton fumbled with his pockets and tried to find a healing potion when he was tackled out of the way. Another arrow whizzed over his head where he had just been, and fighting filled the forest all around him. He stared at the face of his savior and realized it was Davih, the other private new to this team, his friend from the academy.

“Hawk team close in! Anyone see them?” He heard the sergeant shout.

“I can’t see a damn thing in here!” Someone else replied.

Alton and Davih crawled over to find cover behind a large tree trunk. Davih leaned around to get a look at the area behind them and whipped his head back as another arrow flew past. He made several hand signals in Alton’s direction and waited expectantly. Alton shrugged in confusion and frustration, his panic betraying his knowledge of the hand signals. Davih repeated the gesture this time, slower and more dramatically. Davih shouldered his large shield.

Check. Other. Side. I. Distract. You sneak. You fight.

He understood what the other man was saying. Alton slowly and carefully moved around to the far side of the tree trunk and slipped his head out just far enough to see. No arrows flew at him. The archer was waiting for Davih to reappear. Alton crept through the brush until he was able to see the Edorian waiting with his arrow nocked and ready to shoot. He circulated his mana through his feet and slid his sword out of its sheath. Taking a deep breath and saying a quick prayer, Alton jumped through the final bush separating them and spearing the archer with his sword. In his surprise that it worked, Alton stood frozen and stared down at the impaled man.

“Come on, let’s go!” Davih grabbed his arm and they moved back toward the downed corporal.

He lay there with his eyes open in a look that Alton decided was confusion. Davih reached down and pulled off his tag, a small silver medallion with a hawk on it, and led Alton away from the body and deeper into the forest towards the sounds of combat. They found the others finishing off a group of Edorians fifty feet farther in. As they approached, there was movement in the bush off to his right. Alton snapped around and saw an Edorian fleeing. He started to give chase, but stopped when Davih grabbed his arm and signaled him to stay. They approached the others and waited for instructions from the sergeant. He flashed instructions to the team.

Silent protocol. Together. Be ready. Corporal?

Dead.

Dagger formation.

Alton took the middle of the dagger and the Hawk team started moving through the thick underbrush again, already down a corporal and facing unexpected Edorians in the forest. Davih was in front of him and the sergeant and two others behind. Alton took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves as the team traversed the rest of the forest.

Another agonizing hour passed as they crept through the dense forest. Their tracker reported signs of recent travel but they didn’t encounter more Edorians. Alton’s nerves were raw by the point they reached the edge and the sergeant signaled for a halt. Feeling foolish again as he watched the other soldiers take a drink from their canteen, he fidgeted with his sword and scabbard, waiting for the sergeant and remaining corporal to finish discussing their plan. Sergeant Holder looked back and started signaling to them.

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Advance. Silent. Fast. Low. Cave. 200 feet. Northwest.

They crept through the edge of the forest line and took off in a crouched sprint towards the valley wall. Alton was out of breath by the time his back slid up against the warm rock. The cave in question was fifty feet off to their right, so Hawk team crept towards it, staying tight against the wall. When they reached the mouth, one of the other privates checked inside and motioned for them to advance and be ready to strike. Alton took in a deep breath and pulled his sword out from his scabbard. He hadn’t cleaned the blade, red streaking was down to the hilt.

As soon as the first of them entered the cave, the sounds of combat poured out. Sword clashed with sword as Hawk team pounced on the unprepared inhabitants. Alton entered behind Davih and circulated his mana through his sword arm and feet. He dashed forward and cleaved an Edorian’s arm in two before he could bring himself to bear against Davih. Once contact was made, Alton’s mind settled into a state of peace as all other emotions were dampened. There was only his sword and the enemy, and there were a lot of them.

Only six minutes later, and the fight was over. Alton leaned against the warm stone wall and wiped the blood off of his sword. He had received a few bumps and scratches during the fight but had escaped largely unharmed. His healing potions given away to the worse injured among them, at least one private would have to be carried back to camp as it stood now. All told there had been forty Edorians in the cave, half had been asleep when the attack started. Davih emerged from the cave and leaned up against Alton, both lost in thought. It would be considered a success by all accounts, but losing their corporal hung heavy over the two young soldiers.

———

Rico wasn’t sure how to feel about the mornings events as he paced the group through the plains. His slight and wiry frame made it easy to run long distances, giving him plenty of time to think. The first few interactions with Wolf teams captain had not gone as expected. His instructors throughout the academy and here in the training yard of Fort Kitsu had all been too serious, harsh towards any missteps or mistakes. Alton had seemed…playful?

Since he began hearing the exploits of the strike teams and then hearing the healer’s tale yesterday, it had painted a certain picture in his mind. He felt odd and unbalanced at the reality he had found himself in. Regardless, he wanted this and he would do whatever it required. If the fit wasn’t right, he could always transfer later on. Transferring teams was much easier than being selected to join one in the first place. Maybe he could get promoted to corporal even, more pay and less work.

The forest ahead was fast approaching, Rico guessed it had been half an hour since he left the training yard. He wished he had brought his compass with him this morning. The cave was supposed to be directly west. It was easy to remain in a straight line out here on the open plain, but it would be a very different experience inside the forest. Rico had grown up in the city, spending very little time inside the dense forests that spotted the valleys of Agorra. He turned and saw Amelia behind him by a few hundred yards. They met eyes and Rico turned back around and started running faster, a small grin on his face.

————

Amelia saw Rico turn and look at her before increasing his speed. She gritted her teeth and sped up to match his. There was no way she was letting him beat her back to the training yard. He may be able to stay in front of her out here in this open space, but the forest was her home. She had been playing among the trees and brush since she could remember. She would be a blade for strike team Wolf and nothing was going to stop her.

They entered the forest at slightly different points and Amelia pressed on as fast as she could. The brush wasn’t thick here at the edge and she could navigate the trees and roots easily. Amelia frowned as she thought about the task they had been given. It seemed too easy. None of the recruits that made it this far would struggle to cover the distance with the amount of time they had. Finding the cave may be tough, but once she got to the other side of the forest, the visibility would ease up. She glanced up and tracked the sun, adjusting her path towards the west just a hair. She couldn’t see or hear any of the others anymore.

———

Rico was just rounding a large tree trunk when he heard a sharp whistling sound. He dropped to a knee and ducked his head in time to dodge out of the way of an arrow that punched into the bark and bounced off on the ground. Rico slipped around to the far side of the trunk to put it between himself and his attacker, noting the arrow on the ground. He picked it up and realized it was blunted. Was this part of the test? He kept his head low and peeked back around the trunk, but couldn’t see anyone, friend or foe. He whistled three times to alert any nearby allies of danger and then dashed over to crouch down behind another trunk. No more arrows pursued him, so he took a moment to collect himself and calm his racing heart.

———

Amelia had just hopped over a fallen branch when she heard the three whistles. She dropped and scrambled over to a thick bush for cover. She waited to listen for any sign of threats, debating with herself if this was some form of sabotage. If Rico just wanted to slow her down…she banished the thought. They may be in competition, but she didn’t think he would stoop that low. She waited another minute and worked her way to the far side of the bush, and surveyed the more open area before her. She saw a hunched figure up against a tree in the distance and her heart rate spiked as a moment of panic took hold. Lowering herself down to make it harder to see her, she whistled once.

The crouched figure turned, and she recognized it for Rico. Her suspicions of sabotage flared again and she started to stand and confront him when he began to sign.

Danger. Archer. No sight.

Did she trust him? She found she did. She signed back that she would move back and wrap around to his location. Circulating her mana to her feet to keep her steps light and sure, she worked her way to where Rico was crouched. He kept his head on a swivel, scanning for danger while she approached. His posture remained relaxed as she crouched down to kneel next to him.

“What happened?” She asked in a whisper, just barely audible to herself.

“Someone took a shot at me, blunted arrow. I think it’s part of the test. I can’t see anyone out there. I was about to keep moving when you found me,” Rico answered just as quietly.

She started to respond when a twig snapped off to her left. Whipping her head around and she saw Riley walking in their general direction. She was about to whistle and identify the danger when Rico poked her in the side. He shook his head sideways and shrugged. Amelia was about to whistle anyway just to spite him when they heard a grunt of pain and saw the other recruit take an arrow to his side. He went down hard and stayed down. After a moment, a man in camouflage walked out of the woods and knelt down next to him. She recognized the uniform as a skirmisher. She realized he was talking and strained her ears.

“Sorry, son, you're out for this challenge. Keep your head down for a few minutes so you don’t give any clues to the others and then head back to camp.” She heard him say. He got up to return to his hiding spot when he looked in her direction and gave her a wink.

———

After the recruit was taken out, Rico waited another few seconds before deciding to move on. This was a competition, after all, wasn’t it? He wasn’t here to hold anyone’s hand. He looked at Amelia and signaled to her he was going to advance. She signaled to move out. They kept low and raced from trunk to trunk until they had created a significant amount of room between them and the ambush site. Abandoning stealth for speed, they soon reached the edge of the forest and hid in another thick bush to observe the area between the forest and the valley wall.

He didn’t see any sign of movement, nor was there any from the cave. It was easy to spot since it was the only one in the area. He signaled he was about to go and then grunted in surprise when Amelia pushed her way by him and took off towards the cave. He hesitated for a second before he ran after her and soon they were both sprinting towards it. She turned the corner and moved inside before yelping and holding her hands out. Rico stopped short and held himself flat against the wall, trying to keep his breathing as muted as possible.

“Dead, my young friend. Never enter an ambush site at a run like that. You made enough noise I could have shot you blindfolded. Always take a breath to think and observe before you enter any closed off areas. Your pal out there did it right. Come on out, you pass and get a stone. As for you, start back now empty-handed and be grateful this was a training exercise. Learn from this. I see your anger. Use it.” An unknown voice said.

Rico rounded the corner and saw one of the skirmisher instructors holding a crossbow. Amelia was seething as she watched him pick up a stone with “R” painted on it. He gave her a shrug and smiled to himself as he turned and started back towards the forest. He kept his guard up the rest of the way back just in case, but the trip back was uneventful. He was the third back in the training yard by the time he got there, but the only one with a stone. It was still several hours before dusk, so Rico walked over to the bleachers and relaxed himself down. Rico smiled to himself and his pride swelled. He had completed the first test.