We kept our pace as we continued our jog towards the stream, we started to see some of the boys and girls that had sprinted full tilt out of the gate about 2 hours into the run. As we passed we noticed that the sergeants started to pick up the kids that were part of their individual groups, they were yelling and prodding the kids that were laid out on the side of the dirt road or lay in the dewy grass on the side, staves started to smack against backs and shins till the laggards got to their feet and were forced to jog towards the stream.
Richard was running as fast as he could towards the stream "Let's see those peasants take food from me today! Let Bruni try it or the Twins!" he snarled out as he ran.
Sergeant Kace still kept a brutal pace, he rarely had to use his staves to keep us on track as we pretty much figured out what speed he wanted us to run halfway through yesterday.
Just before lunch, we all managed to arrive at the river, and it was about 5 minutes after we all gathered at the shore before the sergeants started to toss out packs of food but only 5 to each group. as soon as the sergeants left the pile on the ground and took a few steps away to give food to a different group is when the fights started to happen.
At first, they were squabbles where the weakest member of each group was left without food, and rarely the food was divvied up between all 6 people but then the fights started to get violent and the sergeants didn't bat an eye as a small kid in a group close to ours took the stick he had grabbed on the way to the stream and smashed it into the bully that had taken not only one food pack but two!
That group had quickly taken the food from the knocked down boy and used the stick to fend him off as they ran a short distance away to eat out of the grasp of the older boy who was right pissed now.
Seeing that his meal had been taken the large boy started to eye other groups and that's when you could see an idea come to him as he went to the closet group that had just gotten their food and picked a fight with the smallest person that had an unopened food pack wrestling it from his hand even as the boy tried to punch and kick the larger boy away from his prize that he had been quick enough to snatch from the pile.
Seeing that the sergeants weren't stopping the theft, other bullies started to employ the same tactic, picking on the weak had worked for a little bit before a few members usually friends had started to fight off the would-be thieves together so that they could keep the food at least in the same group to which it belonged.
As soon as Kace grabbed the food and dropped it in the middle of us we all quickly dived for the food, Richard had been waiting for this and dived headfirst into the pile of food.
He came up with a pack of food as he knew that if he was too greedy that we would all gang up on him this time. I managed to grab one pack and each of the twins grabbed one as well leaving one packet for Bell and Hazel.
Hazel picked up the last pack with a small frown on her face and headed back to sit near where Bell hadn't moved for the food, once she sat down she split open the pack and split it evenly between the 2 of them.
I hadn't ripped into my food yet, I held the small package of crackers and hard tac in my hands before looking over at Bell and hazel, and with a sigh, I walked to the two of them who were eyeing me the entire time a bit wary in case I attacked, I tossed the package at the girls lightly and started to head toward a group of fighting boys and girls, not 15 ft away!
When I arrived only 3 packages of food had been taken off the ground, 2 boys were wrestling to the side of where the food had been left, a girl had another boy in a headlock and was punching into his face with her other hand savagely, the last 2 had already taken packs and were a bit away opening the prize and eating while they made sure no one else was coming for their food.
I quickly ran to the food package that was closest to me but before I could get close the girl who had bin whooping the boy's ass that was in a headlock let him go and tackled me to the ground,
She was bigger than me just like everyone most others, I wasn't the shortest but I was definitely the shortest boy! She hit me at the waist and I went crashing to the ground with her into a heap as I clutched the package to my chest with one hand and used my other to try to block her punches that started to rain down on me as she landed on top of me and used her greater height to pummel me.
Every hit was making me madder and madder as the punches kept raining down more and more we're getting through my guard.
Sergeant Kace was watching this closely with a slight frown on his face, so far the Magelings hadn't used magic, but he knew I was a different case and couldn't really control my mana as I was a newly awoken, not someone who had been taught for a year or more in how to control one's emotions as all parents did when Mages came of age.
Sergeant Kace cupped his mouth and yelled out in a big booming voice, "NO MAGIC! fists and feet are fair, but I will give a beat down to any of you fucking sparks that use magic against a fellow trainee!"
At this, we all stopped and looked at Sergeant Kace for a few seconds and made sure no other hidden rules were going to be explained before all hell broke loose as groups started to fight once again in ernest!
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I set up a P.A.T.R.E.O.N. account/ OGYMpw. For those that want to support me! Every little bit helps! thanks so much!!