The three hundred C-ranks currently not training recruits or busy elsewhere relaxed in the vast C-rank common room. The usual classic look found in the official military buildings contrasted with the personal seats most had brought, which went from still-bloody skulls to intricately carved works of art.
Most of those present, all Staff Lieutenants or higher, occasionally glanced at the screens around the room, which showed the new conscripts' ongoing training sessions. They mainly focused on talking to each other, though. Some had brought their own drinks or food, while others had filled tables from small to big with snacks or a banquet. A few dozen even played card games.
That lasted until Lieutenant Specialist Karlov entered the room.
Abbav hadn't even tried to make his avatar too different from his actual self. He wore silver armor, only slightly less well made than his dark blue one had been, and had changed his scales from white to brown. His unhelmet face was still the same, including the silver eyes.
Few D-ranks had ever had contact with the Captain. Not by design; they just didn't happen to meet in the front line's daily affairs. At least, not outside deployment, in which case, Abbav was fully armored. Those who recognized the undercover Captain would know better than to reveal the truth to any other.
All C-ranks recognized him, though.
The moment "Karlov" appeared, silence befell the place as everyone stood to attention. Food, cards, and seats disappeared into Inventories or spatial rings. Abbav was neither strict nor tyrannical, but his presence usually meant business. Everyone was prepared to kill some Void Spawn.
"Relax, relax," he had said jovially while waving his hand. At least he had changed his voice a lot. He sounded like a young adult.
No one relaxed. If there were no Void Spawn to kill, the new recruits were more relevant than the C-ranks had thought. They immediately started paying attention to the screens.
Everyone kept glimpsing at the screen that Karlov unceremoniously fixated his gaze on.
Most C-rank recruits on the screens were still in the question-asking phase, but some were already displaying their power in practice combat. Few of those showed anything interesting. The recruits undergoing training had no military experience, so no matter how good their skills were, they were lacking compared to those posted on the front lines. One or another might've received personalized elite training, but it didn't substitute for experience fighting real enemies of the Alliance. In the front lines, it was kill or be erased, and every fight was like that. The survivors who stayed around in permanent postings were a cut above any civilian.
Of course, there was an exception to every rule, and at least a couple of newcomers surprised the permanent troops every Standard year.
Zyn and Karlov arrived right when Shen's second bout was finishing. The three-fight introduction was an ancient tradition. It let the military quickly determine a recruit's competitiveness and how good their foundations were. From there, they could determine how much time would be wasted on making the newbies better than toddlers.
Recruit Shen did well in his second fight, but it was nothing extraordinary. An aura user with a technique that let them deploy their aura was very, very rare—enough that most of the C-ranks present probably believed he had developed a domain instead. Which, of course, was impossible at early C-rank. He would've injured his soul and died. A few others would believe he was just simulating an aura with another kind of special technique, but Zyn could tell it was a true aura. Many people would be making inquiries after Abbav left the room.
Whatever the case, the human's timing was good, but winning by confusing Staff Lieutenant Uya was only a slightly interesting fluke.
At least, that's what Zyn had thought. Karlov had other thoughts.
"First Lieutenant Zyn," Karlov said, and even heartbeats stopped as everyone listened to his words. The silence was so heavy it felt like a domain.
"Yes, Lieutenant Specialist Karlov?" Zyn replied.
"I know I'm just a consultant for Guardian training, but may I suggest something?" Karlov didn't even wait for a reply to continue. They weren't trying to fool any C-rank. "Tell Staff Lieutenant Uya not to use her weapons or Laws in the third fight."
Zyn frowned. He didn't like interference with his people, much less this directly. However, as much as Abbav was undercover as a lieutenant, Zyn would never question the Captain's orders in public. He sent Uya the orders through the system at once.
"I want to see what happens," Karlov kindly explained without a prompt. "It's obvious he got scared by her Law and doesn't want to risk upsetting her even more. Your order will show your support for him and make the Staff Lieutenant upset. I want to see if and how that affects their decisions on how they approach the battle after that."
They soon had their answer. Recruit Shen only lost because his stats and Laws were too inferior to Uya's. Of course, it was to her merit, and people on the front lines understood the value of a strong Path better than many. No matter Shen's tactics, he couldn't kill a Void Spawn that required a mastered Law to kill.
Still, the display was skilled enough that a dozen C-ranks gasped in wonder.
"Ha!" Karlov exclaimed with joy. "I knew it! Staff Lieutenant Uya hasn't seen action for a while, but she's still a permanent warrior on the front lines. To compete with her means someone repeatedly assaulted his mind until he died or thrived. Actually, I think he might've made Staff Lieutenant Uya dazed for a bit longer if her willpower wasn't so pumped from the desire to erase her humiliation and prove you wrong, First Lieutenant Zyn. Then again, Recruit Shen might not have fought her if he thought he was destroying his military life. You saw it, too, right? The contemplative look on his face. He's a gem."
A gem he might be, but a tainted one.
"Recruit Shen received illegal military-tier training," Zyn declared.
"He did not," Karlov rebuked. "He has been under B-rank Monitoring for a while now. You never dealt with the drow, did you?"
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"I don't think any has served in La'sing since I arrived, no."
"Draw a line on the floor and tell them not to cross it. They'll get to the last photon in the line and proudly declare they obeyed your command. They might not even want to cross it, either, but they'll be almost compelled to test the boundaries."
Zyn's face twisted in contempt. "Politically driven scum."
Karlov disagreed. "They are survivors constantly testing the rules, so they always know exactly how to obey the rules that matter to keep existing. Read on their history; I believe you'll like it."
Zyn nodded noncommittally and was prepared to watch more battles in the room, but Karlov said, "Let's go. Staff Lieutenant Uya will probably destroy everyone too fast for us to learn anything useful about the other recruits. You'll have to test them yourself later. Also, I'm pleasantly surprised she didn't try to kill the boy. I can't promote her too soon due to her recent demerit, but tell her I put her in line for promotion because of the restraint she showed."
The First Lieutenant followed the avatar out of the room but was confused. "What restraint, Captain? You just said she'll crush the others."
Karlov raised an eyebrow at Zyn. "I keep noticing I greatly overestimated you, First Lieutenant. You don't really understand the depths of Staff Lieutenant Uya's resentment, do you? I wasn't jesting when I said I'm surprised she didn't try to kill the recruit."
"She's just stressed because she got stuck at C-rank in a posting without enemies to kill for AP. She'll get over it when we start killing Void Spawn. This Calamity might be the best thing to ever happen to her."
"No. She's genuinely resentful, so much so that she's one step away from developing a perilous domain. I don't want her anywhere close to a battle against the Void when it happens. In fact, the extra resentment for being ordered to stay behind while you go kill Void Spawn should help her with her domain."
Zyn frowned. He would not manipulate events to have anyone under him develop a resentment-based domain. He cared about his people, not how powerful they might become if he made them suffer enough.
He shook his head firmly. "That's what got you banned from training the troops, Captain. There's a line between helping your troops progress and not minding the consequences. Staff Lieutenant Uya will go whenever the 77th goes, and I swear you'll regret it if you try to manipulate her or anyone in my Brigade like that again."
In fact, Abbav's willingness to see a subordinate's training to the end, no matter what, was one of the very few things Zyn was firmly against in the draggor.
The First Lieutenant expected a rebuttal or punishment for disobeying orders and threatening a superior officer, even if the rules let him. Abbav's orders for Uya could be considered a lousy risk-gain call, which let Zyn be assertive to show Abbav how serious Zyn felt about it. However, if Zyn failed to convince the man, Abbav could still be punished for insubordination.
Instead, Karlov thought about it for a few moments, then nodded. "You're correct. I guess a fight against the Void Spawn might also be the trigger. A more positive one, too. Developing a domain mid-combat at peak C-rank isn't that dangerous. "
Zyn was surprised, and it showed.
Karlov smiled. "I'm not perfect, First Lieutenant, but I can learn from my mistakes. Even if I need to be reminded about them sometimes. I... hesitate to breach the subject, as I have a policy against meddling in my subordinates' personal matters. Still, if you're worried about Staff Lieutenant Uya's psychological state and are this oblivious, I think I should tell you something."
"Yes...?" Zyn asked, unsure if he would want to hear whatever was coming.
The usually reasonable and sometimes even pleasant Abbav might've returned to his extreme trainer habits, and that persona bore no arguments. However, instead of using official punishments, he was subtle about lashing out. He made people feel terrible about themselves.
"Do you remember Staff Lieutenant Lucilania?"
Zyn's mood soured. "The traitor. What about her?"
"She saw Staff Lieutenant Uya cut her hair off and craft a Mating Whip. I'm not sure of the specifics, but she made Staff Lieutenant Uya believe you had chosen Staff Lieutenant Lucilania as a lifebond. The Staff Lieutenant Uya has been sad and resentful since, and Staff Lieutenant Lucilania's treason only made her feel worse. She believes you chose a traitor over her; that she is just that bad, or you're just that blind."
Zyn froze on the spot. A Mating Whip? But Uya had said she had forgone her feelings when he asked her about her bald head!
How was that—
No. Zyn shook his head and kept walking.
"I know what it looks like," Karlov said. "I'm not scheming anything or lashing out. I'm just revealing it to give you a chance to make things right before she goes into a darker Path—because I saw how much you care. It's a legitimate gift. Also, if you choose to feel bad for not realizing things before, it's your business. I don't believe you should. I found evidence that you asked your subordinate about it, and she lied to you."
Karlov was right about everything, which made Zyn even more uncomfortable. If this was a scheme, it was too deep for the First Lieutenant to see through.
Zyn was starting to regret not just saying he was thankful for the opportunity to train a Mixed Brigade.
----------------------------------------
There were no surprises after Shen's defeat.
Uya challenged the others one by one, crushing everyone without bothering to make it look like a matter of skill. She was strong, everyone else was weak, and she put them in their places.
No one had said anything about Shen's fight, but the surprised, calculating, uncomfortable, and admiring looks on people's faces were enough. No one said anything at all in the subsequent battles, either, but the anger on Uya's face was also enough for them to keep their mouths shut. The military laws might punish the Staff Lieutenant if she lashed out in anger, but no one wanted to find out if they would survive to see her pay for it.
That reaction showed they also believed she had only received a slap on the wrist for the terrifying Law she had unleashed on him, even if it hadn't caused physical harm. Yet, paradoxically, it only made Shen wonder if he was on the wrong side. Those people were weak. Anything might look like too much for their limited minds.
Was he just a frog in the well?
Something to investigate later. For now, First Lieutenant Zyn returned as soon as the last recruit lost. It became even more evident that Uya was meant to test the recruits.
Shen had believed the man to be stoic, but Zyn's face was full of worry. It was the opposite of the humanoid dragon beside him, whom the system automatically identified.
C-rank Lieutenant Specialist Karlov wore eye-catching silver armor with intricate blue runes. His head was exposed, and his face was that of a rigid but fair dragon. His silver eyes seemed to measure Shen, but nothing overly aggressive.
"Attention!" Karlov said as they approached.
Uya's eyes widened when seeing Karlov, evidencing something was going on, but she didn't react otherwise. Like everyone else, she got to attention when the Lieutenant Specialist demanded it in the First Lieutenant's name.
Or maybe not at Zyn's name; he looked upset at Karlov, then said, "At ease. Staff Lieutenant Uya, thank you for caring for the troops while I was occupied. You're dismissed."
"Yes, First Lieutenant!" she said and left at the same speed she had arrived.
Zyn turned to the newcomers. "Recruits, Lieutenant Specialist Karlov will offer me his expertise in training mana-wielding Guardians. He's a cultivator, but he comes highly recommended and has a shining track of getting the job done when training troops."
"Well met, Lieutenant Specialist Karlov!" Shen and three others who had read the rules said in unison while once more standing on attention. The others followed suit.
Karlov nodded. "Well met indeed. It'll be my greatest pleasure to help you become the best you can be." He turned to Zyn and nodded. "First Lieutenant."
Then, he turned back to the recruits, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the horizon like a statue.
Everything in Shen's feelings screamed that Karlov was irrelevant, a paper pusher, a bureaucrat. It explained Uya's reaction, but it only made Shen cautious. His instincts had never been so adamant about him dismissing someone before.
He stared firmly at the Karlov's draconic face and swore never to show his back to the man.