Stepping off the wooden boat came as a relief to Jebe. The tossing, turning, and creaking had come to such a state of perpetuity that he had begun to have dreams of being on a boat that also tossed, turned, and creaked. Therefore, when he finally stepped off onto the dock with all the other boys and felt that solid ground beneath him, the smile that broke across his face was one of genuine relief.
Lifting one foot past the other, he walked down the rest of the dock and came to a bustling street. Unlike the shabby wooden boat that he arrived in, the street was paved with cobblestone and had a great variety of men, women, and beasts traversing its clean grey visage. The buildings on the other side of the street were pastel colored and made of some sort of local clay.
At any other time, Jebe would feel out of place in a city such as this. The people walking around were paler-faced than him, skinnier too. Their clothing was brightly covered and reveled things that his mother back home would had made off-hand comments about. The locals were akin to pedigreed dogs, and Jebe a wild stray who was scratching at their door.
But it was the Spring, and in the Spring the Leo Academy opened its door for two months to recruit new students. So, behind Jebe trailed a horde of equally bedraggled boys, wearing equally shabby clothes. Jebe, along with these boys, were all eager-eyed fourteen year olds with high expectations of a paid military life. Some even dreamed of joining as a proper student and working their way up towards nobility. Jebe did not hold such aspirations. Nobility was something best left to dreamers, and dreaming was not in his nature.
A triple length wagon led by two white oxen, and with the words Leo Academy painted across its side in italic scrawl, pulled up before him. This wagon only existed for two months of the year, for the purpose of carrying new students from the harbor to the hill. Afterwards it would be locked in some dank garage with other forgettable items.
“All men, and woman heading to the Leo Academy Recruitment Center, board now!” Shouted the driver in a loud and practiced manner.
Jebe lifted his tired, tan leg up high and placed it on the outside wagon step. Reaching his hand atop the inside rim of the wagon ceiling, he pulled his short stocky frame inside and took a seat beside the door. Sitting near exits was habitual for him, always had been. It was something he had acquired from his grandfather, an old frontier scout that felt more at home on horseback in the open prairie then in his own bedroom.
The rest of the boys entered in labored huffs. Most of them had been on the ferry with Jebe, which meant they had been short on food and water these last few days. The wagon took off as soon as it was full, leaving a few jealous boys to watch its shadow fade and wait on the next one.
As the wagon careened along the bumpy stone road, Jebe peered outside the window and admired Leo City. It was his first long trip away from home for anything other than a hunting expedition, and he was curious about the new sights and smells. Where he came from, it was uncommon to see anyone other than a relative within a 10 kilometer radius. It seemed here that you were unlikely to be alone within a 10-meter radius. Adjustments would be gradual at best.
Taking a winding route, the wagon first exited the harbor, then passed through a series of residential districts, dipped past a marketplace, and finally worked its way up a large hill to an undiscernible building in the distance.
“I damn sure hope my spirit is a rank 2,” said a voice to Jebe’s left.
Jebe turned towards the voice and spotted a young man in worn trousers with black mattered hair and some dirt caked upon his cheeks. He had green eyes with scrunched eyebrows displaying his nervousness.
“Be a hell of a waste to come all the way out here only to get rejected at the gates,” the boy continued.
“You didn’t check before coming?” Asked another boy, this one shorter and skinnier.
“Nah, didn’t have the money for it. My father was a solider with a low rank 3 spirit, though and my mom was a peak rank 2. It should be high enough,” the boy responded. “Just a frightening thought is all.”
A couple of the other boys nodded their heads in quiet agreement. While some of these lads had tested their spirits before making the journey, the majority came out here without doing so. Testing costs a lot of money, and money was distant existence to them all. These boys were as likely to find a dragon scale or a unicorn horn as they were to chance upon a gold coin. Besides, most people had rank 2 spirits, and rank 3 was nearly as common as rank 1. The chances of not getting accepted were really quite low. Jebe too had never tested his spirit.
The wagon lurched to its expectedly unexpected halt and Jebe grasped the seat below him with his thick knuckles to prevent lurching forward.
“Out!” said the wagon driver.
The boys shuffled through the exit in a haphazard line. None of them spoke much other than a few nervous jokes followed by forced chuckles. All too suddenly, the future had become the present and the present always had a feeling of heaviness to it.
Stepping out in to the grand courtyard, Jebe sucked in a much-needed breath. Before him stood what appeared to be thousands of people milling about, noisily arguing, laughing, and chattering. Some of them looked poor like Jebe, but just as many were dressed in colorful finery with jewelry made from gemstones whose name he could not pronounce.
This bipartisan mob of military and scholastic hopefuls was loosely organized in to ten lines. Each line led to a raised stone platform, in the middle of which rested an orb upon a black iron pedestal. On the other side of these platforms sat trios of judges. The judges donned the golden and azure colors of Leo Academy. Two of them wore gowns and one of them wore a military uniform. Jebe took this to mean that two of the judges were teachers, and one was an officer. At first, he found this surprising since the military academy was far larger than the martial school, but soon came to the conclusion that most military men would not be here but instead serving on the Eastern border.
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He gingerly walked over to what seemed like the shortest line and waited impatiently for his turn. From where he stood, he could hear the shouts of disappointment and exhilaration from the participants – a hallowing mixture of joy and despair For many, these tests were an awakening moment. It was when they realized that they are not so special afterall; except perhaps to their mother and dog. They are just another insignificant mortal needlessly crowding the world.
Spirits were upsetting like that. They played such a large role in one’s life, they were often the deciding factor between fortune and misfortune. Yet they were completely uncontrollable. You could read all the books about them in the world. You could know different spirits like the back of your hands, but that doesn’t mean you can choose which one you had. It was Heaven’s Will.
That’s what the old folks called it. Fame and fortune, or despair and destitution were all controlled by an amoral Heaven’s Will. It was, in a way, both terrifying and comforting. The acceptance that if you screwed up it is not entirely your fault.
The line advanced slowly and methodically. Gradually the crowd slithered forward and vanished like a snake disappearing down some unremarkable black hole. Except this hole was remarkable, as it would decide their future. Soon Jebe would go down that hole too.
“Next,” a voice spoke.
Jebe stepped forward onto the stone platform and stood shakily before the testing stone.
“Name?” One of the robed judges asked.
“Jebe.”
The judge scribbled down something on a piece of paper. “Are you attempting to enter the Military Academy or the Martial School?” He inquired.
“Military Academy,” Jebe responded.
The man nodded in response and wrote down a few more things before leaning back and waving his hand casually, “proceed.”
Jebe nodded and forced a conscious swallow. He raised his hand and let it linger in the air for a moment before slowly placing it on the testing stone. He needed at least rank 2 to join the academy and 3 if he wanted any level of respect. Anything above that wasn’t a possibility. Rank 4 and 5 spirits were something that only noble clans with carefully cultured bloodlines had. And above that? Well, those were the chosen sons of Heaven, the kings, queens, generals, and emperors of the world.
As his hand came in contact with the cool stone orb it began to swirl with colors and hum lightly, but nothing significant took place. Jebe felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Could his spirit be this weak? What if he had a low rank 1 spirit? He would have no future at all if that were so. He would be forced to become fodder for some well-to-do noblemen.
“Press harder, please,” said the middle judge with a trace of annoyance in his voice.
Jebe let out a relieved sigh before pushing his hand down more firmly upon the stone, wrapping his fingers around its edges. Suddenly he could feel a faint sliver of something wholly unnatural sneak it way up through his hand, past his arm, before diving into his dantian.
There, it separated into tens of thousands of minute strands that scoured his meridians.
They were like phantom fingers running through his veins, searching desperately for his spirit. Beads of sweat rolled down Jebe’s neck as he waited nervously for those strands of energy to find their target. To determine his worth.
Suddenly Jebe felt an overwhelming sense of terror as ancient, primal existence seemed to awaken within his meridians. This was an existence not to be respected, but to be feared. To be looked at with trepidation and terror. In his mind, Jebe saw a world of endless twisting shadows and cackling voices. Within this world, there existed a hegemonic being forged from the fears of its own inhabitants. Jebe felt himself being drawn deeper into this world, and closer to this being of endless shadows. Then, the being opened its great mouth and let out a sky shattering neigh, awakening Jebe from his trance.
When he opened his eyes all the judges, and even the people behind him in line, were staring at him in shock and fear. The orb had turned a deep onyx black with crimson swirls running through it. Above the orb was projected a gargantuan shadowy beast with charcoal eyes and red fire spilling from its nostrils.
“That... that’s a Nightmare Steed!” Shouted a robed judge who had stood up at some point.
Nightmare Steed Jebe repeated slowly in his mind.
“Nightmare Steed? I’ve heard of that!” An older man off to the side said. “That’s a peak rank 7 existence!”
“Rank 7?” Jebe repeated. Everything Jebe believed he knew about the world slowly turned upside down as he heard those words.
“Jebe,” started the first judge with a noticeably kinder tone than earlier, “with a spirit like that, you have no need to join the military. The Martial School will accept you with open arms. We will waive the entrance fee and pay for boarding,” he said amicably.
Jebe grew excited. People who joined the Martial School had far higher prospects than those who joined the military. They would receive training from top-notch instructors and would mingle daily with nobility and clan descendants. It was a fast track to success.
He was just about to accept when the military judge who had been silent up to this point spoke up, “the Leo military will pay you two golds coins a year as a stipend.” His initial offer stunned the chattering crowd in to silence. The entire entrance fee to join the Martial School was only two golds coins, so for the Military Academy to offer Jebe four times that amount was obviously shocking.
“Furthermore, upon graduation you will immediately be conferred the rank of captain instead of Second Lieutenant.” With that said the cowed audience exploded in to excited conversation once more
The rank of captain is wholly different than that of second lieutenant. A captain will lead a company of 100 troops, which would immediately make Jebe someone of note within the Kingdom of Leo. A first or second lieutenant is little different from aids to their captain, they are arms used by the captain to better organize his troops. The respect Jebe would command with this position was not slight.
“That’s two paygrades higher, right?” Jebe quietly inquired.
“Uhm, what? Yes, yes, it is two paygrades higher,” responded the officer after a moment of confusion. “A second lieutenant receives ten silver a month, whilst a captain receives fifty. It is a very sizeable increase.”
“I accept!” Jebe declared with a beaming grin displayed across his formerly steely face.
The judges from the Martial School were both confused and caught off guard, they were about to make a counter offer when the kid suddenly accepted. Why did he accept?
A twinkle of understanding could be seen in the officer’s eye as he came to terms with how to interact with Jebe. “Good!” The captain responded enthusiastically. “You can report to the quartermaster and receive the standard supplies.” He then quickly scribbled on a piece of paper and signed it at the bottom. “Hand him this as well for your special accommodations.
“Yes, sir!” Responded Jebe.
The officer smiled at Jebe’s quick uptake of the lingo. “Train hard cadet, if you do well in the monthly tournament you will be able receive a bonus.”
The other teachers seemed confused at why this officer was already mentioning the monthly tournament but a gleam of excitement could be seen on Jebe’s face.
“Yes, sir. I will do my very best to honor both you and the army corps in the monthly tournament.”
A wry smile could be seen on the other two teachers faces as they came to understand why the officer had said that. It appeared the army’s new prodigy was a bit of a money-grubber. It is obvious then that the boy would end up with them, whatever connections the Martial School may have it could not compare to the military’s offers.
“Go then,” said the officer, “get settled in quickly, because your training starts tomorrow.
“I’m looking forward to it, sir.” Jebe replied in earnest.