Suma’s POV
“Up! Down! Up! Down! Up! Down!” Our drill instructor shouted. We were in aerial maneuver and endurance training. Fly up as high as you can in five seconds, then plummet back down as quickly as possible, making sure to stop only a single body length from the ground. “Go Go Go! Faster!” He screamed from his perch located about halfway between the ground and how high most of us could fly. I was a bit on the lower side of the benchmark, but there were a few in our group who double the average height of our group. Someone in the group asked why it was necessary to do this since this was a strictly healing mages training camp, and we were not going to be in combat… because of that question we have been doing this for two hours. “Up! Down! Up! Down! Up! Down!”
“I’m going to kill the guy that asked that question.” Someone from behind me complained.
“Not if I do first.” Someone else said.
“Is that chatter I hear? I guess that means you all want to do another hour?” The drill instructor bellowed.
“Sir! I need to stop; I am going to throw up.” The Neame beside me said to the instructor.
“Do it on your own time recruit. Now get back to maneuvers.” The instructor ordered. The recruit did not do it on his own time….
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Jake’s POV
I sat on the bench at a local gym, having just finished the last set of my new workout regime. Upon arriving at the training camp, Suma and I discovered that they really didn’t have anywhere for me to stay while I was there. Most of the recruits just sent their familiars back as soon as they were done with them. Suma sent me back after I got a copy of the daily training schedule from the camps directors. With little variation, familiar training, that's the training done with both a mage and their familiar, would be every day at two hours past noon.
Aside from strength training, I also have been brushing up on my martial arts and fencing. I even found a teacher who knew spear fighting techniques that worked with a shield. I go to fencing classes twice a week, spear classes once a week, and Krav-Maga classes twice a week at night. I looked down at my watch, 1:50 p.m.; I would be getting summoned any time now. I decided not to rest until then because the summoning will just heal and reenergize me anyway. Actually, because of the fact that now I get summoned every day, and that I work out every day, which shreds muscle fibers, I have put on quite a bit of muscle. I work out and get good and sore, then the summoning makes it so that I skip the post workout aches and keep the gains.
“Okay Jake, are you ready?” Suma asked.
“Yup,” I answered.
“I summon you, Sentinel!” I heard as I closed the bathroom door so no one would see me vanish.
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Suma’s POV
“I summon you, Sentinel!” I said performing the spell; Jake began to appear. He was wearing strange clothes when he arrived, but it did not matter because he performed his own summoning and was robed in his “Armor”.
“Have all familiars been summoned?” The instructor shouted with a brief glance around; they had, and they were varied. Even though we were all healing support mages, we all came from different flights of life. Some of the other recruits summoned borogs, some had salamanders, some had Vedel (mountain cats), and one recruit had a Black Serpent. None of us were allowed to wear any kind of indication of status symbols, but it was clear by the familiars who came from nobility.
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“Wow, that’s a lot of familiars.” Jake said over our private connection. “I’ve never seen so many in one place before.”
“I am surprised at the quality of them as well. I was not expecting so many high-level familiars.” I said examining the Black Serpent and Mountain Cats.
“That is a big snake,” Jake said in a worried tone. “Boy I hope that guy performed that mental domination spell correctly. That thing is as long as a python and as wide as a golden retriever.” He stared nervously at the Black Serpent. I do not know what those creatures Jake mentioned are, but a Black Serpent is an intimidating familiar indeed. One of the other recruits could not stop staring at Jake, actually, as I looked around, I noticed he was getting as much attention as the serpent was.
“Alright recruits, here’s the drill you and your familiars will be running today. We are going to pair you off in teams of six. That’s three mages and three familiars. You have until nightfall to make it up and back down Dragon’s Hoard. The first team to make it back will get to sleep in an extra hour tomorrow. The last team wakes up two hours early for extra training!” The instructor announced. No one was talking before the instructor made that announcement, partially because we were too busy looking at one another’s summons, partially because we were too tired from the day’s training, but as soon as he said Dragon’s Hoard no one was even thinking about talking anymore.
“What’s Dragon’s Hoard?” Jake asked me.
“Bad… very... very... bad.” I told him. “Dragon's Hoard is just that, an old dragon hoard from before the falling away. Other things have moved in in their absence, wild beasts that can slaughter a Neame in a heartbeat. There is a path up that is maintained and relatively safe, but all the shorter paths are much harder with fewer willing to brave the new tenants of the mountain.”
“This is an exercise in your ability to get into and out of dangerous situations. As medics, you will need to go places that might be hotspots of enemy activity. Your ability to survive, evade, or overcome is paramount; perhaps even more necessary than your ability to heal.” The instructor explained. “At the top of the mountain there have been placed 4 silver bands on poles. Each team will go up the mountain, retrieve a band, and return.”
“This is like some hunger games stuff.” Jake whispered to himself, shocking two of the nearby Neame who had not realized he could talk.
“The teams are as follows: recruits one through two and Lauric are team one, recruits three through five are team two, Von-Pac, Suma, and recruit six are team three, Toman and recruits seven through eight are team four. You will have ten minutes to find your groups and discuss strategies. When you hear the bell, leave camp and begin your trek up the mountain.” The instructor finished.
“I don’t think I will ever get used to people not having names.” Jake said over our private connection. “So, how are we supposed to find recruit six and that Von-Pac guy.” I flapped my wings and flew up to perch on his shoulder.
“There are tags on our feet.” I said and lifted one of my legs to show him. “Mine has my name, but unnamed Neame will have numbers based on order of arrival to camp.” Jake nodded his head that he understood and examined the tags. I looked around and saw several Neame already looking for their teams, some were asking for tag numbers, others were bending down to examine the tags.
“I think I have a faster solution,” Jake said then cupped his hands around his mouth. “THIS IS SUMA’S GROUP! IF YOU ARE ON TEAM THREE, COME OVER HERE!” He shouted, nearly causing me to lose my balance and fall off my perch. I let out an involuntary squawk as I regained my balance.
“That is certainly one way to do it,” I mumbled embarrassed as every single Neame present turned and looked at us in shock. But I cannot fault its effectiveness, within a minute every member of team three was accounted for; perched on the saddles of their respective familiars.
“I take it that means you’re Suma?” A Neame with the number six on her leg, and riding on the back of a Zantorax Hound, asked.
“I am,” I answered.
“I did not realize it could talk,” one of the Neame, who’s tag read Von-Pac, said; he was perched on a Salamander.
Jake raised one of his “eyebrows” as they are called, and said, “It has a name… Jake.”
“I heard Lady Suma summon you earlier, she said Sentinel.” Number six pointed out.
“You may just call me Suma.” I told her.
“Yes, my summon name is Sentinel, but my actual name is Jake.” Jake explained. The other two exchanged looks; it is quite unusual for any familiars to not use the name given to them by their summoners. “So, you don’t have a name?” Jake asked the numbered Neame.
“Um yes, unlike lad… uh, unlike Suma and Von-Pac, I’m not from a wealthy noble family, so my parents didn’t have the mana needed to name me.” Number six explained.
“I am not from a noble family, it was Jake who named me.” I explained. They both seemed to be caught off guard by that.
“What!? Is that even legal?” Von-Pac asked shocked.
“The Grand Duke had no complaints with it.” Jake told him.
Von-Pac scoffed, “Of course, I should have guessed.” I was not surprised at his reaction, Von-Pac was a noble and most nobles disapprove of the Grand Duke.
DONNN DONNN DONNN
“The bell!” Number six said.
“All recruits, leave the camp now and begin your journey!” The instructor yelled.