"Yes two years is now all the time I have to turn you into weapons, this is going to be the most intensive and brutal training you have ever been through, we don't have the luxury of time to coddle you, or to help most of you pass the training, some will not make it through this training. It will kill the weak and the useless, but I will be left with the sharpest blade I have ever sharpened to hold at our enemy's throats.
We will be doing a lot of real combat training by sending out groups into the Southlands more often than any other year! We are aiming to not only train you for war but to make you efficient killers! You will be trained in teams of six and your team will be your bunkmates.
At this, the crowd started to talk louder than the change in training time had, some even started to protest, seeing this, Kevin stepped forward "SHUT UP! Yer all Sparks and have a duty to fulfill for the country! Keep this nattering and whining up and I will not let you sleep for a week straight!" he yelled in his dwarven accent once again and all of the talking and mumbling stopped instantly.
"Ah good, let me introduce you to Staff Sergeant Kevin he will be in charge of your training and he reports only to me!" she said while glaring at all of us.
I know this is sudden but we just don't have the time trainees. We are at war! The sooner you learn this and I mean truly learn this the better off we all will be! Your training starts now!
"Sergeants, take them fer a run!" Staff Sergeant Kevin announced in a clipped tone, and that's when all hell broke loose.
As soon as those words came out of his mouth, Sergeant Kace Was all up in our faces yelling at us to run for the east gate, all the while he had one of those training staffs that he would slam against out backs, legs, and waist if we weren't moving as fast as he wanted or if we stumbled or any other reason he could find,
We ran for the east gate with Kace hot on our heals I was the first one through the gate followed by Hazel then surprisingly Bell after her, came Fes and Hes, with looks of absolute terror as they sprinted as fast as they could to stay ahead of a struggling Richard, they didn't want to be Sergeant Kaces's center of attention.
Kace was on Richards's ass, hitting him with the staff while yelling all sorts of profanity some of which brought into question his patronage, his courage, and some even questioned his gender!
We ran till around midday. Sometimes we were jogging, sprinting, but never walking. If we collapsed and fell, Kace kept striking us while also lifting us back to our feet with his staff. If we threw up, we damn well made sure we did it while running because Kase would jab us with the staff until we got up again.
We were finally allowed to collapse when we reached a stream and we all dived to the water's edge while I just ran into the water and completely submerged myself in the knee-high water while I started to drink, I didn't care what was going on my only two thoughts were water, and where was Kace and hoped that we weren't the source of his irritation at that particular moment.
He was a demon! He drove our group harder and faster than any other group, he stayed with us the whole time he didn't switch to any other groups.
Kace was only breathing like he had done a light jog, not run and yell for hours on end pushing 6 rubber-legged children faster and harder than they have ever gone before. the man was an absolute beast, I felt as if my lungs were going to burst while he calmly took a sip from a canteen he had at his hip. After we had our fill of water Kace gave us a half-hour to eat some dry rations he brought out of but the catch was only 5 dry rations were provided and there were 6 of us. I grabbed a pack up first and quickly made my way to a rock at the edge of the clearing all the while Hazel and Bell both grabbed on leaving only 2 packs left, Richard grabbed one of the packs but before he could turn Fes stopped him and tried to grab the pack from his hands.
Richard swung out with a fist at Fes trying to force the boy to back off but Fes dodged it as he took a step back just in time for Hes to leapfrog over his brothers back feet first and planted his boot into Richard's chest causing him to fall while Fes Rushed forward and grabbed the food pouch from the winded Richard.
Richard got back up spitting mad and charged at the two boys, both of which stood in a unique fighting stance, Fes had his hands up in a defensive stance as Hes stood behind his brother with a hand placed on his brother's back, palm down. As Richard got into range he swung his fist at Fes who ducked the blow once again as Hes grabbed his brother's shirt and yanked him back seeing a foot coming for Fes's body. Richard had performed a feint! Much to Richards dismay when Hes had pulled his brother back he had effectively pulled himself forward at the same time and snapped out a kick at Richard's face to force him back.
As soon as Richard dodged Fes jumped forward this time but not straight at the boy but to the side as he pegged a rock that was a few inches in size at center mass.
Richard was now focusing on Fes when the real threat was Hes, he had waited till his brother threw the rock before moving in and with perfect synchronization landed with one foot and kicked up as hard as he could into Rickards balls with the other.
It was a perfect kick, it lifted poor Richard a good foot in the air before his momentum came down and he landed in a heap on the ground.
The twins backed off breathing heavy but with savage grins on their faces as they watched the poor boy they had just ganged up on puke up all the water he had just drank.