However, this is not the same for Paul. "What the hell are you looking at?! Get back to work, lest you lose meal privileges for a week! Concern yourself with only yourself, otherwise, the enemy will get the better of you!" Paul shouted, making most of the soldiers go back to working out and practicing combat. It was a very formal workout routine, and it made me wonder if I was going to end up the same, lifeless and full of muscle.
Getting over to the training dummies, we stopped right in front of one in the shape of a man, all squishy. I assume that the harder ones would be for the more experienced members. "Alright, boy. I was told by the Boss that you cannot speak, however, you can listen. So, I guess we have to work around that basis. Alright, I was also told that you have a pretty good kick, which we can work with. I will teach you to perfect that kick, as well as some combinations you could use." Paul said, walking up to the dummy.
I could not guess what was wrong with my kick, as it did the job, but I was excited to learn how to make combos. Watching intently, I saw why he was the leader of the combat training. Not only did he do a roundhouse kick, but he also did a flourish of punches and a series of kicks as well. Although it may seem like you could not do much without a moving target to practice on, Paul somehow managed to do it. The way he moved his body and his consecutive attacks looked like something out of anime, with no flaws to be seen.
Finishing with a light tap of his fist, many dents could be seen in the rubber. "That was a light demonstration of what I expect you to be able to do in about a year. If you are made of the same stuff Mark is, you will be able to do so. Although I am not expecting much out of a shrimp-like you, I cannot go against the Boss, so I guess training will start today." Paul said.
Moving in front of the dummy, I had a sinking feeling that this was going to be just like the gang's name. Hell.
Present-
The first thing that assaulted my senses was the smell of cooked meat. It confused me greatly because I could not think of any monsters around here that could use fire, let alone cook something. Regardless, I had to find out where this delicious smell was coming from, as my old habits of eating food were resurfacing.
I don't need to eat anything, but I still have taste buds, and my senses took steroids in this body, so having a nostalgic experience is something that I need after a full night of sex, which is an entirely new experiance. Going into a light jog, I followed my nose towards the scent of what smelled like steak, although I knew it could not be so. Dodging a weaving through the thick forest, I slowed down a bit once I saw smoke filtering through the foliage.
I hopped onto a tree as quietly as possible, swinging my way above what appeared to be a campfire, with three mysterious figures chatting around it, chomping noises resonating in the night. With darkness surrounding everything, the three figures looked pretty scary, as their features could not be seen from above. Shifting my ears down to my feet, hanging right above the group, I was able to faintly hear what they were saying, as the tree I was currently hanging from was tall.
"...And the Hellhounds that I encountered nearly ripped off my other teammate's arm, which they would have succeeded if my amazing reflexes didn't dismember the one attacking him…" A gravely male voice boasted, holding what seemed to be a very muscular arm. As for the reactions from the other people around him, they seemed disinterested, one with their head on their palm.
{Language comprehended: Human}
{Language type: Verbal}
"Is this all you talk about? This mission we got assigned to us was supposed to be very dangerous, a full Gold Plate. Not to mention, if we fail, we will get our plates demoted, so we cannot just sit around talking about past experiences. Alright, I will take the first watch, you two go to sleep. I'll wake one of you up to take the next one." A feminine voice sounded, the opposite of the previous man's voice.
With a little bit of grumbling in front of the man bragging about his strength, he reluctantly stood up from his log and walked over to his tent, which I overlooked until he got closer to it. Well, it was almost as dark as the night and blended with the surroundings. Anyways, the last person, who seemed to be a man, silently went back to his tent, no noise coming from him. I guess he is just in it for advancement, whatever that means.
As for the woman who said she would get the first watch, she pulled out a broadsword. Although it was very shiny and had no signs of dullness or damage, it did not look as good as the weapons Argas makes. What was even stranger is that she brought out what looked to be a block of stone, although I have no idea what it could be used for.
But I did not have to wait long to know what its use was. Seconds later, a bright flame seemed to cover the surface of it before disappearing as fast as it came. The only thing that remained from the flame was a faint red glow surrounding the entire block, changing the color from a dark white to a light red.
It looked extremely hot, however, the woman did not seem to mind it. She palmed the whole thing and ran it up and down both sides of the sword. The glow itself seemed to rub off of the stone and onto the sword, sort of like paint. A weird site, to be sure, but a very cool one as well. As I did not want to reveal my presence, I had to keep hanging on the high branch right above the woman's head, watching her drag the stone up and down her sword.