Year 567 of the Harley Dynasty, 4th month, 17th day.
I was standing inside a huge tent in front of a desk which was filled with papers, probably rapports of some kind. On the other side of this desk, sitting on a simple chair, a man was looking straight into my eyes. He was one of the only officers in this damned regiment that I respected, except he very likely hated me right now.
*sigh*
"Corporal, do you know why you are here?"
"Yes, lieutenant!" Of course I knew why I was here, but whatever he would reproach me, I would plead not guilty.
"So," He must have had a headache since he was massaging his temples, "can you explain to me why the hell a sergeant from the 2nd Company is now being treated for a broken arm?"
"Firstly, lieutenant, permit me to say that it isn't my fault." I didn't let him time to formulate a question, if he had the time, I would die. "I only saw someone riding a horse charging toward my men, and since we are in time of war, I thought it was an enemy, so I didn't have the choice but to take action. It was only when he was on the ground yelling, crying, and sobbing that I saw he was in fact a soldier from the second company."
I could see that Lieutenant Barnes was trying to extinguish his rising smile before returning to his usual self.
"You do know, corporal, that we are several kilometers away from the frontline right? And you thought it was an enemy? While the regiment had been doing joint training since the morning? Are you taking me for a fruit maybe?"
"I wouldn't dare, lieutenant, but I think being prepared at all eventuality is the sign of a good soldier."
"And so jumping toward a horse charging at high speed, catching the rider by one of his arms, and falling accompanied by the victim to crush him on the ground is what you call being prepared?"
"Exactly lieutenant!" He didn't seem to believe my story, but it truly wasn't my fault! What kind of stupid guy charge on a horse against allies? I might have indeed seen that he wasn't an enemy, and I might have done it on purpose to break his arm to teach him a lesson. But really, it wasn't my fault!
*sigh*
"It is the second time I will cover your ass, corporal, don't you dare to do something like that again. You will apologize to the sergeant. Do you hear me? And real apologies coming from the heart!"
"Yes lieutenant!"
*sigh*
It was already the third time he sighed since the beginning, and it wasn't a good sign.
"Do you know why you are still in the squad of Sergeant Lamy even after you punched him?"
"No lieutenant." Actually, that was a question I would love to have the answer to. Normally when there's a problem inside a squad, you change the effectifs to make it operational. Even more at that time since we were at war.
"Because of you, corporal." He stood up before he went around the desk to come in front of me. "You are a really good element in this platoon, maybe even the best, but no sergeant will want to have you under their command, that will put them into too much pressure."
"With all due respect, lieutenant, I do not think I am a ticky time bomb. If my superiors can do their job correctly, or at least are not complet dicks, I would have no problem at all."
"That is exactly for this reason. Well the discussion is over, I will take care of everything." He waved his hand with a slightly annoyed expression. "And don't forget to apologize to this sergeant."
"Yes lieutenant!" I turned around before walking straight through the entrance of the tent.
On the other side, a soldier was waiting there. He was tall and thin with short blond hair and a common face. What was unique in this man were his sharp blue eyes staring straight at me. The moment he saw me exiting the tent, he almost jumped on me.
"Corporal, at least!" Then, lowering his tone, he whispered in my ears. "We might have a few problems."
"And what happened, Anis?" We walked away from the lieutenant's tent, as it would be a bit foolish to talk about it there, before Anis explained to me the problem.
"Well, let me tell you first, corporal, it isn't our fault." That was the problem when you were finding excuses everydays, at the end, your soldiers were taking example of you. "Some guys of the 2nd Company were coming to insult us, so at the end we answered back, some things happened, and now they're probably fighting outside the camp."
That was Anis with his legendary flegme. Sometimes he was so calm that it was pissing me off.
"Fuck! Seriously? Quick guide me there!" I pushed Anis before me as we began to run outside the camp, the lieutenant told me to not do anything more, but here we were five minutes later.
After a few minutes of rushing, I could hear muffled shouts in front of us, attenuated by the high trees. Then the noises grew until I distinguished what was said.
"Fuck them, Jimmy, the balls! Hit the balls!" The clamor of a fight came to my ears as I knew I was too late, and the distinguable voice of Jean made my blood shake. I was a hundred percent sure it was his fault if they were fighting!
Before long, after crossing the line of trees to have the scene in sight, I could perfectly access what was happening.
My team was surrounded by almost ten guys, who were definitely the squad of the sergeant from the second company. They were all wearing their tunic, at least they weren't with their armor.
Dereck, this mastodon with large arms made of powerful looking muscles, was throwing an opponent on another one, before charging in the heap to massacre them.
Jimmy was badly beaten up, with bruises everywhere on his young face, but he was still fighting like a lion against three men as he gave a kick in the balls of one of them.
Jean was nimbly dodging a soldier from the second company as his black hair floated in the air, before he was restrained from behind. The one he had dodge following with a punch in the stomach.
"Anis, go help Jean, and slap him for me after that."
"Yes corporal!" He dashed toward his comrade, and crashed with his shoulder forward into the one hitting Jean.
But I didn't look anymore, and I turned my face toward the guys bullying Jimmy. I advanced, a step after another as I took off the coat I had used to see the lieutenant, before letting it fall on the ground.
Now, I didn't really want to boast about myself, or anything like that, but when it came to fighting, I was undeniably one of the best in my company.
I rushed in the back of my first prey, and as he prepared to punch Jimmy, I kicked with my heel on his knee, trashing it before I struck his face with a fierce blow. He didn't even understand what was happening, that he was already falling on the ground like an old rag.
The two others turned around on the sudden noise, and when they saw it was me, they smiled bitterly. They knew they would suffer.
I charged into them as I saw Jimmy sighing before shaking his head and going toward Dereck while running.
The two opponents attacked together, I punched the one in the right as I dodged the blow of the left one. I hit, followed by a jab, a kick, a parry and a dodge. Then again! Each one of my blows landed on the same place.
I received a hit that stunned me for a breath or two, but it wasn't enough to knock me out, and I rushed into them a second time. I tilted my head to the side to dodge a punch, before catching his arm.
I couldn't break it, otherwise I would be in an immense sea of shit, so I just grip his wrisp before turning it and crashing him on the ground as his shriek echoed in my ears.
I continued by jumping on the second one. We rolled together in the grass as his knee was on my sides, but I never stopped punching again and again before all resistance suddenly disappeared.
I stood up, slightly panting as I looked around me. I had put three guys moaning on the ground, while the adversaries of Jean and Anis were also lying face down against the ground, eating the grass. In Dereck's side, he and Jimmy were also finishing off their opponents.
Well, we weren't in the 5th Company for nothing.