Alton controlled his breathing and steadied himself as he cycled and drew mana in to fill his core. As he sat cross-legged in the middle of the training yard, his body filled and he felt renewed. He woke early in the morning after another dream of her. He tried to hold on to the warmth he had felt upon first waking, the happiness that fled soon after every morning. The taste and scent of the whiskey lingered longer than the memory, as it had every morning since that fateful day.
He sighed and stood up. The recruits would arrive in an hour and he wanted to finish his first exercise alone. He walked over to a mark on the ground that designated the running track. The entire loop around the training camp would total around five miles. It was important to enhancers to strengthen their body both with and without mana. If he ran out of mana in the field, he needed to be confident in his physical skill. He started jogging the track without circulating. He would finish the first circuit without any help.
Alton was wearing a training uniform like the recruits today. A simple shirt of cotton and pants that were flexible enough to train in while still providing enough warmth for the cool morning. His leather boots were custom fit for him and provided cushioning against the rough ground while still allowing for ankle flexibility. Some of his fellow soldiers preferred to forgo boots and circulate through their feet against the bare ground, to each their own.
The five-mile loop took Alton twenty-three minutes to complete at a pace that kept him breathing easily. When he rounded the original starting place, he sped up to the fastest pace he could run, which resulted in the next five miles taking nineteen minutes. For the last loop, he circulated mana through his body, focusing about half on his legs, and increased his pace to finish the loop in just twelve minutes. A few of the young recruits and various instructors joined in running the track by the time he finished and moved back inside the training yard.
Eighteen recruits remained after Alton had disqualified the sore loser from yesterday. He would be failed out of the specialty teams academy and returned to the regular army with a short leash. Alton was pleased to see the training yard filled, despite the sun not quite rising yet. He could tell the kids were tired, but he inwardly smiled at their pride and dedication.
“Morning, my young friends. Today, we test your physical capabilities, both with and without mana. We will also test your ability to recover after using your core and how you respond to mana shock. Every soldier should strive for physical excellence, and even mages need a baseline of body enhancement.” He greeted them.
“The first exercise will be one you are familiar with. You will run the track at the fastest pace you can hold a conversation at, then you will run it again at your fastest pace. The first two laps are without mana. After that, you will use mana to run the loop at your absolute fastest. We will time each of you. Line up by role, blades first, then shields, followed by utilitys and mages.” He gave the order and started walking over to the starting point.
He pulled out the mana powered time piece Yuri loaned him and waited for them to be ready. Yuri and a few of the academy staff members were present to help keep track of everything. “Begin.” Alton said when the first of them stepped up to the line.
“Trade you for a story?” Sergeant Yuri said, walking up beside him. He offered his flask and the scent of whiskey fluttered out.
Alton didn’t bother to hesitate this time and grabbed the flask. He took a long sip, feeling the warmth in his throat.
————
“Sir, the longsights report the village is surrounded by the Gwelli. Not much chance that the village has enough able-bodied to fight off that number. Once the wall is breached, it will be a slaughter.” Private Alton reported to Sergeant Veris of Hawk team.
“How far is the village from our location?” The sergeant responded.
“Twelve miles as the hawk flys, sir!” He answered.
“Damn.” The sergeant chewed his lipleaf for a moment before standing up and raising his voice. “Alright Hawk team, listen up! Late last night a longsight spotted mana signatures that resembles Gwelli surrounding one of the farming villages. Our orders are to get to the village and reinforce it against the fiends. It’s twelve miles out so we need to hurry and arrive prepared to fight. Only carry what you need. We move light and fast. Corporal, break the men in two teams. We attack from two sides and relieve the pressure on the village. Draw them back from the walls if you can,” He ordered.
“Form up!” Corporal Spike shouted. “Davih, Alton, Cessa, Lutine, you overshoot and come from the far side. The rest of you are with me on. We are the hammer and they are the anvil.”
Alton dropped his pack and all of his extra gear and took off at a jog beside Davih. He had kept only his sword and a small shield he had begun using. His boots smacked across the hard soil as he circulated into alternating legs to increase his speed but preserve his mana. He and Davih had already finished their morning training routine and both of them were tired, bad luck to get this mission today. Alton estimated his core to be just under half full at the moment and it would be down to one third by the time they reached the village.
Gwelli were large, dog like fiends that ranged from tier two to tier four depending on size and age. They had razor-sharp claws and teeth packed on a formidable body, capable of striking swiftly from the ground. They also had an annoying habit of climbing walls and trees and ambushing unsuspecting prey from above. Alton ran over their weaknesses in his mind. They had soft spots along the spine, their underbelly, and the inside of the armpits. The skin was thick and could take a direct hit from an unenhanced sword. The fiends traveled in packs led by an alpha and were considered non-intelligent. Death was the only deterrent.
His prediction turned to be true as they crested a hill and found the village under siege. He could count about seventy Gwelli surrounding the village and probing at its defenses. The people of the village were on the walls trying to prevent the fiends from getting inside, and he could see several corpses littering the ground outside the walls. He and Davih increased their pace alongside the other two to reach the far side of the village before anyone else died. Alton thumbed his scabbard open and readied himself for a fight.
His group turned and curved around the village to come at it from the backside where a large gate was closed. Six of the fiends were scaling the gate, with the village defenders, poking at them with spears and shooting down at them with arrows. Alton shrugged off his exhaustion and Hawk team entered the fight. They made quick work of the ones scaling the wall, able to kill three before they realized they were under attack. One of them roared out, and the pack grouped together and refocused on the new arrivals.
Alton blocked the Gwelli’s disgusting mouth with his sword and skewered it between its neck and shoulder. He kicked the corpse off his blade and turned in time to dodge beneath another one leaping at him. Circulating to increase his speed, he stabbed his blade upward and sliced it open from underneath and rolled out of the way. Davih battered one out of the way and sent it skidding towards him, and he used its momentum to impale it on his sword. Davih grinned as they regrouped and fought back to back, thinning the pack in seconds. Alton slowed his circulation to draw out his reserves and settled into the fight.
The Gwelli didn’t last long after Hawk teams arrival. Ten minutes later, the village gates were open and the corpses being collected by families. The mood was somber as the head of the militia gave his report to the sergeant. Alton listened with interest as he cleaned his sword of the acidic blood from the fiends. This was the fourth attack on a remote village by fiends in the past few weeks. As the ambient mana returned to the area, the fiends were growing stronger and getting far more aggressive. They would be no lack of work for the strike teams.
----
Rico started jogging in a group with the four hopeful blades. He considered himself in good physical shape and after leading the pack during the last training exercise; he planned to win this one as well. He kept his eye on Ameila and the others, making sure not to let them pass. His plan was to pace himself until the second loop. They had run this same track every morning since arriving a month ago, although they usually only ran it once. His boots found the familiar bumps and holes as he navigated around the camp.
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When he could see the training yard and the start of the second loop, he increased his pace to give himself a lead. He grunted in annoyance as he heard Amelia keep pace right behind him. He knew she would try to beat him. She was too competitive not to try. It had been surprising to see her ready this morning after what had happened the day before. He had watched in shock as the recruit she had defeated got back up and slammed his shield down on her with her back turned. Although he wouldn’t pretend he didn’t enjoy it a little bit.
He passed Captain Alton and sped up again, trying to find his maximum pace. Normally, he didn't run all out without mana enhancing anymore, but the captain made a valid point that he needed to understand his body's limitations. He and Amelia separated from the other two quickly and everything faded away as Rico focused on the ground in front of him. After a few minutes, he had to pull back his pace as he started struggling to catch his breath. He grunted in frustration this time as he watched Amelia pull ahead of him.
By the time they reached the starting point for the final loop, Rico could only just see the back of Amelia as she ran. She was evidently more used to this than he was and he vowed to himself that he would race this track in this style every day until they left. As he thought about it, he realized that was likely the point of this test. He circulated mana just as he crossed the line, dug into the dirt, and sprang forward as his speed increased. Rico was newer to the second tier of mana use, but his core was larger than average and he used every bit of it now.
He pumped his legs furiously and tried to keep his mind settled enough to circulate while keeping his balance. His back and shoulders ached, and he increased his speed faster and faster. When he reached the halfway point, he realized he was catching up to Amelia, and that further energized him. His mind became singly focused on catching the red head. He grinned as he thought of her pouting face when she lost.
They rounded the last turn and Rico could tell she was running on empty. He closed the distance over the course of a minute and overtook her with half a mile to go. His legs, back and shoulders were on fire by this point and he couldn’t catch his breath at all. Ignoring his flagging body, he pushed on, the end of the loop in sight. When he passed the captain and tapered off, his body was at the breaking point and he staggered over to the bleachers and collapsed on one. He closed his eyes and smiled, enjoying the warmth of the first sun's rays when he felt a cold sensation on his neck. He opened his eyes and jumped at the sight of a sword hovering above him.
“Dead.” One of the academy instructors said and laughed. “Got another one, Alton! You are right, this is fun!”
---
Amelia sighed in frustration as Rico passed her just before the finishing line. Having exhausted too much mana early, she misjudged the duration she could sustain that pace. She entered the yard about a minute after him, but just in time to see the instructor declare him dead. She froze, not sure what was coming next when he turned to her and spoke.
“Form up! You have until the rest of the runners finish and then we have another training exercise. You may not eat or drink nor discuss with your fellow recruits. At attention.” He said and walked off to wait for the rest of them with the captain.
Despite knowing it was petty of her, she couldn't help but absolutely love the look of anger Rico was giving her right now. She winked at him and moved to her spot in the practice yard before standing at attention. Despite her preference for sitting or lying down, she did her best at cycling while standing. She was down to about a fifth of her total core and felt like she was scraped raw. Whatever happened next was going to be painful. Her back and shoulders were stiff and aching, but she refused to show it.
When the last of the recruits crossed the line a few minutes later, Captain Alton walked to the front of the yard. Six more of them had returned too exhausted or collapsed after finishing, each one being marked “dead” for the next exercise. She had barely recovered any of her mana, and her body felt even worse from standing at attention.
“Congratulations to those of you that are still standing. When you are out there in the wild or on mission, if you completely exhaust yourself, you will be of no help to anyone. Often you will be asked to cover long distances at rapid speed, only to have to fight immediately upon reaching your destination. Like right now. Your weapons have been blunted. Collect them and get ready.” He finished and grinned.
A skirmisher trainee team came in through the opposite side of the yard and assembled into an offensive formation. “You get one minute to prepare to fight the skirmishers. I suggest you use it wisely. Three hits to the body or one hit to a vital area and you're out. Losing team runs the loop ten times tomorrow. Good luck!” Alton said and walked away to sit on the bleachers with the eliminated strikers.
“Wait what?” Someone said off to her left as the recruits started realizing what the sergeant had said.
“Fight them? Theres eighteen of them!” Another one said.
“What are we supposed to do? How many of us are there?” One of the utility hopefuls next to her muttered. “Wait, they are in full gear!”
“Shields up front! Blades to me! Utilitys and healers behind the shields!” Amelia shouted as she tried to take command of the situation. It took a few seconds, but one shield ran over to her, pulling his tower shield off his back and slamming it into the ground. Once the first one had moved, the rest followed suit. There were four shields, three blades, three utilitys, two of whom were archers, and one mage. She desperately tried to remember her academy lessons on strategy.
“Get ready! Shields protect the archers and healer. Blades stick to formation and stay close. Try to take out as many as you can. We have to be aggressive or they will outlast us, theres too many of them!” Amelia shouted just as the skirmishers started advancing.
They advanced in a wide line that would collapse around the rear of the strike team. Amelia ordered the blades to fan out and bolster the line. As contact was made, Amelia gave up on grand strategy and just focused on herself and the immediate area. The first skirmisher came in with a wide sweep of his spear. She battered it down and jumped over it to close the distance. She grabbed the top of his shield and pulled towards her while lashing downwards with her sword. It glanced off his chest piece but hammered into his neck. He quit immediately and held up his hands, signaling his defeat.
She missed her step as he retreated abruptly and stumbled forward to take a hit from a spear in her calf. She rolled forward and found herself behind the line of skirmishers and surrounded. Four of them had turned on her and circled her, leaving no escape. She took a deep breath and circulated her remaining mana. It was now or never. Amelia exploded into action and closed the distance to the closest one, side stepping his spear and getting two hits on against his chest. She retreated while grabbing his spear and ripping it out of his grip and turning to face the rest.
They advanced on her, but didn’t expect the spear. As a hopeful strike team member, she had trained with every weapon the academy would allow her to use. She went low with the spear and forced another step back before throwing it at another skirmisher. The one closest to her allowed himself to react to the throw and was distracted as she got inside his shield and stabbed him in the stomach. The first one she had tagged came in for a hit on her side. She narrowly dodged it and slapped him on his helmet with the flat of her blade.
Two down and two to go. The man she had thrown the spear at was in the middle of throwing it back to her when she turned. She sent mana to her arms and only just got her sword up in time to block it upwards. He attacked with his own spear at the same time as the last one, and she was pushed back. Her muscles ached and her core was near empty. A deep breath later and she circulated mana to her legs and jumped as high as she could, getting above the two foes. With one swift motion, she stabbed down and scored against his helmet, while the other forcefully slammed the butt of his spear into her gut. With a grunt, she hit the ground hard and rolled to evade his next strike. She whipped out with her sword and hit the side of his leg, knocking him off balance. She got to her feet and closed the distance, getting inside his spear and striking him twice on the chest.
She took a ragged breath and got her bearings. The strike team was losing, that much was obvious. She saw one shield, Nelson, and a mage defending against four skirmishers. Without hesitating, she pounced forward and stabbed one of them in the back, eliciting a loud yelp. The mage took his chance when one other turned their head and whipped out with his own sword, hitting him in the neck. Three against two now made it easy to take out the two remaining skirmishers in this half of the yard.
She heard a curse and saw the last blade left aside from her, Riley, go down. The seven remaining skirmishers circled them. Amelia was beyond exhausted. The mage went down quickly and Nelson was struggling to keep his shield moving quick enough. Amelia tried to circulate to her sword arm and felt a sharp pain in her chest. The world became blurry and her hearing faded. She tasted metallic in her mouth and raised her hand to check for blood. She hit the ground face first and hard, blacking out.
---
Alton grimaced as he watched Amelia hit the ground hard. Yuri shouted out to a stop, and the skirmishers retreated from the strike team members. They won with seven remaining, and Alton signaled the healers to tend to the kids. He hoped this would be a lesson in pacing themselves. It very well might save their lives. It was too tempting to run full burn on mana all the time. The strength and speed felt exhilarating, even to him after all this time. He dismissed the rest of the recruits for the day and gave Yuri instructions for the following morning. He had some hunting to do.