Red Squadron

It didn't take long before Sir Conduit finished his induction ceremony and walked off the stage. Soon after, the instructors that had stood below him started ran over, shouting at the children to begin moving. Guided by the screams of their instructors, they were lead directly into the main building of the Institute. Cain soon figured out that the name of the main building was the Rock.

Aptly named.

As Cain got closer to the Rock, he realized that it was much larger than it seemed. The entrance was at least five times as tall as Cain himself. Comically large dark oak doors were opened from the inside, where the children were lead into the main hall. Cain gasped.

The hall was incredibly large. Unnecessarily so. Illuminated by torches than ran along its gray walls, large stone pillars shot up in two columns to support a looming curved ceiling. The hall itself was nearly empty, with only a small shrine to Fa sitting opposite to the entrance. Somehow, all the children managed to fit inside.

They were all ordered to sit down. It didn't take long before the instructors started taking them away in batches. Each instructor seemed to take a total of twelve children with them. After approximately fifteen instructors took children away until an instructor walked over to Cain himself. Cain looked up.

Perhaps the most ugly woman Cain had ever seen stared at him. Tall, brutish, with a twice broken nose and a shaved head, Cain's instructor was more man than woman. The only thing that indicated her gender was the slight rise of breasts under her heavy uniform.

The woman spoke.

"My name is Instructor Gallah Thorne. You may call me Instructor Thorne or Instructor. Not ma'am. Instructor."

She then started pointing to different children.

"You four, you three, you, you and you. Oh and you two. Follow me."

Cain stood up with him group of children. Instructor Thorne began to lead the boys and girls further into the building. Taking one of the many hallways that lead from the main hall, they walked in double file with Instructor Thorne at it's side. Cain had noticed that the short boy and the tall lanky girl that stood next to him at the ceremony were present.

The short boy had gentle features. He had a small nose and mouth, with thin lips and wispy curly hair. His bright brown eyes shined in the dimly lit hallways. He had a noticeably thinner build, and while his skin looked like porcelain, Cain could see hints of callouses on the palms of his hands.

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Interesting.

Cain, however, knew exactly who the girl was. Probably did any child in the Institute. Tall, with bleached hair and eyebrows. Sharp alluring features. But most importantly, glowing red eyes. A child of the Bellona family. Even at the orphanage Cain grew up in, he had heard incredible stories of the Bellona. A martial household with an incredible history and ability to create incredible killers, Bellona's reputation even reached the capital itself.

She's a monster. I can already feel it.

There was one more person that caught Cain's attention. While he wasn't anywhere near Cain during the ceremony, he immediately stood out among the children. Taller than Cain himself, he stood tall and proud. The cotton shirt did little to hide the lean muscle covering his wide frame. His steps were confident and his gaze arrogant. The boy seemed to notice Cain's gaze. A face with high cheekbones and dark matted hair stared back. Cain quickly lowered his gaze.

Soon enough, the group had reached a room far in the belly of the Rock. Tucked away at the very end of a short hallway was a red door. Instructor Thorne opened the door and lead the group in. Cain found himself in a relatively small room which resembled some sort of living area. In the middle was a round wooden table. To each side of the rectangular room were six beds with a thin blanket and meager pillow each. By each bed were small chests supposedly for the children's belongings. At the end of the room was a rack filled with weapons. Swords, daggers, spears, and bows. Small round shields were propped up by the rack. Above the rack hung a small archaic clock.

Instructor Thorne gestured to the old chairs surrounding the table. The children all took seats facing the instructor. All the children seemed subdued with exception of the Bellona and muscular boy. Instructor Thorne cleared her throat.

"Welcome Inductees. I'm going to keep this little orientation short since you will have a proper one later today. This is the room you boys and girls will be living in for the foreseeable future. This is your new home. Get comfortable."

The short boy looked even more down that he had earlier.

"As for how life will work around here. You will all gather at the Third Company's mess hall soon enough. And before you ask, yes you all are a part of the Third Company. You are now a family. This is Red Squadron. There are a total of six companies in this Institute. Each company has four squadrons. Red, blue, yellow, green. Understood?"

All the children nodded.

"First off, when responding to a superior, you respond with 'Yes Instructor'. Am I clear?"

"Yes Instructor!" the children shouted.

"Good. I will be the overseeing Instructor for Red Squadron. As you can guess, each Squadron has it's own Instructor. I will be responsible for your safety, well being, questions, and individual training. There are also Head Instructors, who deal with teaching the entirety of a company. You will meet them later when you begin your training. Assume that they are your professors, and I am the assistant. Similar to your previous schooling no?"

"That's enough for now. I'm sure you all noticed the sack on the table. There are twelve water skins and loaves of bread in there. Eat the bread before dinner and keep those water skins on your person. We wont give you another one if you lose them. Store your belongings in the chest by the bed you choose. In your chest will be multiple sets of the clothes you are all wearing right now. Wear those clothes during you resting time and when you sleep. There will also be your own training uniform for when you train. By the way, this room is called the Red Room. The door closest to this room in the hallway is the communal bathroom. The only other door in the hallway is my room. Use the bathroom freely but don't leave the hallway for today. I will come escort you to the hall later for dinner. Now, get to know each other."

Instructor Thorne promptly exited the room, leaving the children in silence. The children glanced at each other nervously.

Oh ain't this going to be fun.