May 14, 535
Eldric was startled awake by a booming siren that blared throughout the town of Erdenjist. He jolted up and knocked his head against the bunk bed above him. He rubbed the spot he hurt as Kastor jumped from the top bunk and ran over to the wooden dresser on the other side of the room.
The previous day, Eldric and the others were shown around their new barracks where he and Kastor now shared a room. The barracks themselves were considerably less comfortable than the mansion in Westbrook, and nothing about the building was noteworthy except its immense height. Eldric and Kastor slept on the 7th floor, the recruit floor. The room was small but had enough room for everything they needed: a bunk bed in the corner where they could sleep, a dresser on the other side of the room, and a small mirror above that dresser. The bathrooms were communal, which Eldric was accustomed to from back in the Red-Light District. After a quick shower, Eldric changed into his new uniform. It was the same uniform all Einrich soldiers wore: a purple jacket with yellow buttons and deep blue accents, with pants to match.
As he exited the bathroom he had to duck out of the way of several recruits who dashed to the staircase. Henry and Hagen were among them, so Eldric quickly ran to his room to drop off his old clothing and then sprinted to the staircase.
Once he reached the bottom, Kastor, Erick, and Leonard were waiting for him.
"Took you long enough," Kastor said.
"Sorry, sorry." Eldric walked up to them and clapped his hand together in an apologetic way.
"We were supposed to head to that brick building, right?" Erick asked.
"That's where everyone was headed," Kastor responded, "I saw Hagen and Henry ahead of us as well."
The four ran over to the brick building where a group of soldiers lined up in front of the building. They followed suit, standing at the ready for whoever was to show up.
After a few minutes of waiting, Asante walked to the front of the group carrying a clipboard. He flipped through the first few pages before returning to the front and handing the clipboard to one of the soldiers standing beside him. He wore a long brown trench coat, buttoned with big black buttons down the center. He wore a black cap with a yellow band around the sides with the crest of Einrich embroidered on the front. When he turned to face the crowd, he saluted them and got the same in response.
"Today is your first day of basic training!" Asante yelled, "Should you prove capable, you will move to regular training in a month, and then advanced training the month after that. The elite of you shall succeed in three months time and be positioned along the wall. The rest of you will continue to train until we deem necessary. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir!" the crowd yelled.
"Good! If he calls your name," he said, pointing to the soldier he gave the clipboard to, "You will be coming with me, the rest of you will remain here and another commander will oversee you." Asante proceeded to name several soldier's names off. The group was not huge, only around 40 stood beside him in anticipation of their name being called.
"Freeman!"
With a jolt, Eldric heard his name. He adjusted his stance and stood straight up. He listened to the few names Asante said before he finished, Kastor, Hagen, and Erick's among them. As soon as he finished reading his names, he walked alongside the building and prompted the group to follow him. As Eldric stepped away, he waved goodbye to Leonard, who clearly did not like that he was put with Henry.
"This is the Guardian Force headquarters," Asante said as he pointed to the building with his thumb. "On your first day of deployment, you'll gain clearance to step inside to receive your rifles and caps." As he finished, he rounded the corner and presented two soldiers with large boxes in front of them. "Until then," Asante began, placing his hand on one of the boxes, "You will use these Enigma pistols. They're reliable enough in battle, power enough to kill, and good enough for training. Come forward and retrieve yours."
The group filed into two lines in front of the two boxes. As the line slowly moved forward, Kastor, who was behind Eldric in line, whispered into his ear. "I heard if you lose your gun they don't replace it and you are kicked out of the Guardian Force."
Eldric pushed him aside. "I won't lose it regardless." When he reached the front of the line, a soldier clad in the imperial uniform he wore handed him a small grey gun. It had black streaks running along the sides of it, and the trigger was a deep purple. Eldric's hand felt the weight of the metal as the gun sat in his hand. On the side inscribed the make of the gun 'Enigma', just as Asante had said.
Once everyone had received their Enigma, Asante stepped forward once more. "Let's head to the grounds!" He led the young group away from the brick building and a ways away from any buildings at all to a large field surrounded by a wooden fence.
"These are the grounds. Every day for a week you will report to this location at 6 o'clock every morning, and train in the physical arts until sundown. Next week, the other group will have this location and you will learn tactics in the classroom. If anyone is late, we will spend an extra three hours in the dark training to make sure it never happens again. Do I make myself clear!"
"Yes, sir!" The group yelled.
"Good! Pair up with another. There's an odd number of you, so I'll pair up with whoever is extra."
Kastor smacked Eldric in the back. "Let's ride, partner!"
Eldric smirked and nodded.
Soon, the whole group was split into different groups. To Eldric's surprise, Erick and Hagen were not paired with one another. Instead, Hagen had been left alone and was now paired with Asante. Erick's partner was a stout brown-haired man with a large mustache and round nose. He wore a smug look on his freckled face as Erick awkwardly stood tall next to him.
"Today, we will be focusing on basic hand-to-hand combat. As it is the first day, I expect no more than one lucky takedown out of the lot of you. If you are cornered, you may tap out and your opponent has won. Punching the head is not allowed, otherwise, proceed."
Eldric was surprised at how few instructions Asante gave to the group, and before he knew it Kastor was standing at the ready.
"I ain't gonna lose, Eldric, I've been sparring with my siblings all my life."
Smiling, Eldric did the same. Once they were both ready, they charged at one another, swapping blow for blow. Kastor's hands were quick as he dotted Eldric in spots he never knew could hurt as badly as they did. He staggered back and forth, and like a stream Kastor slid up close and locked his arms around Eldric's neck, kicking the back of his legs to toss him to the ground.
Eldric tapped out and the two rose to their feet. "Where was this precision in the mock battle?" He asked jokingly.
"I become completely useless when guns get involved, never had them growin up. Unarmed though? I think I'm one of the best."
The next round of fights repeated like clockwork. The two would exchange blows before Kastor would take advantage of an unfair position Eldric would wind up in. They went round after round, the final score being 18-4 in Kastor's favor.
"I think it's time to take a break," Kastor said out of breath. "We've worked pretty hard I think."
"I'll say," Eldric replied sarcastically. "And here I thought I'd do fine enough coming from the RLD."
Kastor shrugged. "I've been training in real combat tactics for years now, it doesn't surprise me that they can beat street-trained tactics."
Eldric rolled his eyes and sat on the grass. Other groups were beginning to wear themselves out as well and followed suit. One group that hadn't finished once was Erick and the stout boy. They'd gathered a small group of recruits cheering on the ensuing fight as they constantly got themselves in and out of chokeholds, knocked each other down, and exchanged blows.
Hagen and Asante had taken their fight to the clear opposite side of the grounds, with no end in sight for their battle either. Eldric was more interested in that battle considering Hagen's mysterious speed. He watched as the two dodged each other's attacks smoothly, like a dance with one another. They used the environment around them, Hagen jumping from ground to fence and then fence to ground in one swift movement.
As Eldric turned his head back to Erick's fight, it looked to be near its conclusion. The stout boy had been knocked clean to the ground, and he struggled to get back up. The crowd erupted in cheers as Erick was surrounded by people congratulating him on his incredible victory. Kastor had been among them, and the two exchanged words before heading Eldric's way.
"That sucked the life out of me," Erick said, flopping to the ground.
"You came out on top, that's all that matters!" Kastor exclaimed, giving a thumbs up.
Erick laughed. "It shouldn't have taken as long as it did, I'll admit. But it felt good to win."
Kastor and Erick exchanged some banter as Eldric looked over to see how Hagen's fight had gone, but to his surprise both him and Asante had vanished.
"Worried about me?"
Eldric jumped. Hagen had appeared out of thin air behind him and bore a large smile on his face.
"Sorry, Eldric, but I lost to the Captain. Looks like he still holds the upper hand after all." He wiped his brow and adjusted his hair. "How'd you do, Erick?"
"I beat him after 11 years!" Erick said not moving an inch.
Hagen chuckled. "There are more to fights than simply brawling your way. I think you exemplify those qualities very well."
Erick did not respond.
Soon, the group heard a loud gunshot coming from across the field. Asante had been there and expected everyone to come to him. Without noticing, the fights had taken the majority of the day, and the sun was well past noon.
Once the group of recruits had lined up in front of Asante, he returned his handgun to its holster. "We will now have a lunch break and return for more training."
Eldric was getting used to Asante's few words, and followed him like the rest of the group to the cookhouse.
* * *
The second half of the day went just about as smoothly as the first half. Eldric was paired with a stranger, the two sparred against one another, and quickly Eldric was beginning to learn tactics taught to him by his peers and occasionally by Asante. Eventually, the sun ducked behind the large wall and the recruits were instructed to head to the cookhouse once more for their dinner, and then to return to the barracks to rest.
When they returned to their room after dinner, Eldric and Kastor could not fall asleep without discussing their day. The two changed into their pajamas and then pulled a chair from the hallway in order to engage in conversation.
"I didn't realize training would be as relaxed as it is," Kastor noted.
"Yeah, I'm sure they have something planned and are watching our every move."
"You say that as if you're acting like they are, Mr. 'I'll sit on the ground and watch others fight'."
Eldric chuckled. "My head needed a little break from constant slamming against the ground, thanks to the younger brother over here."
The two sat in silence as they heard other recruits talking in the room next to them. Their muffled voices soon rose and a loud argument ensued, causing Eldric and Kastor to laugh.
"How many siblings do you have?" Eldric asked.
"Two younger sisters and an older brother. They give me a lot of shit to deal with but I'm proud of them."
"You come from the Middle District, right?"
"Yeah, we're not a very rich family but we get by. I'm hoping my involvement in the military gives them some sort of relaxation knowing that I'm paid for. My last thing I want is for my parents to be concerned I won't survive another day because they can't afford it. I was talking with Erick about it, he comes from the Middle District as well, a family of mechanics I believe, and he's here for the same reason."
"To support your family?"
"Yeah, I mean, my parents have done so much for me, that if I did nothing for them I'd feel like I'm cheating them out of a happy life. Of course, they'd never admit that, but I can't help but feel that I need to do what I can."
"Do you know where Leonard and the others come from?"
"Hagen I'm not too sure," Kastor said, rubbing his chin, "But I know that Leonard comes from the lower district. Not from a lack of money, far from it. The Rietvelds are some of the most successful people in the empire. If they wanted to go join the nobles, they could do so in a heartbeat."
"So why don't they?"
Kastor looked at Eldric with a dumbfounded look. "His ancestor committed the greatest act of treason against the state. Regardless of how great his family may be, they can't erase that sin from their history. It'll always be a stain on their back, no matter where they go. In fact, that's why Leonard's here to begin with. Every male in the Rietveld family must serve at least five years in the military, or so they say. Leonard couldn't hold a gun to save his life, less so protect the nation, but because his last name holds so much power to it, there's a lot that stems from it."
"I guess I can understand where he's coming from." Eldric thought about his time in the Red-Light District. How, because of his heritage, he was forced to live in the slums for his entire life. Forced to pick the scraps off the ground in order to survive.
"Kistler's a different story. His family is close with the royal family. I think the Kistler's were originally from Arlington and rebelled against them in the First Alcrestian War to help Einrich, something like that. You'd have to ask Henry, he's more likely to know than I." Kastor flipped his chair backwards and propped his elbows on the back. "As far as I know, Henry's got some crazy money back home."
"Not enough to buy him better manners at least."
Kastor laughed. "What about you? You obviously want to get out of the RLD but is there more than that? What about your family?"
"It's just me and my father, but he barely works and is a drunkard most of the time I'm around. He constantly tells me he's going to quit, but quitting time never comes around. Instead, he goes right back to his old habits of being overly apologetic and sincere, just to ruin it with a bottle of whiskey."
"So why not run away? I'm not saying it was wrong of you to join the military or anything, but if all you want is to leave the RLD, what's stopping you from hopping on a boat to Arlington, or Balcesteria, or Mondal?"
Eldric thought about Buddy and his offer. How everything would've been so simple if he'd just accepted that offer. He'd never have to join any military, never have to pick up a gun, just simple living in the Arlington countryside. "I think it's because I think I hold some responsibility to him. Regardless of where I go, he's going to drink himself away in a bar in the RLD whether I do something or I don't. This is an easy way to make money while being close enough to still help him when necessary."
"That's fine and all, but what're you going to do afterwards? I mean, let's say you get the money, you go back to Heldenstadt, then what? I doubt you're going to want to head back to the RLD for any reason, so are you going to have your father move in with you?"
"I'll figure it out when I get there." Eldric paced over to the lone window the room had and looked down at the street below. Several deployed soldiers were swapping with their night-shift replacements, heading either straight to the barracks or to the cookhouse. The night had gotten dark and the air was still.
"Well, I'm off to bed," Kastor said, casting the chair to the corner and climbing to his top bunk. "Day 1 down, who knows how many more to go!
Eldric chuckled as he put out the light. "Day 2, here we come."
* * *
The remainder of the week proceeded as it did the first day. Eldric and Kastor would awaken to the swarm of recruits heading to the grounds, they would train for a few hours before lunch and then a few more after that until dinner. They'd head to sleep, and repeat the process all over again.
When Sunday came around, Eldric, Kastor and the others were directed to a small building close to the wall containing a single classroom and nothing else. The classroom had long wooden tables that split the room and a large chalkboard in the front with various maps upon it.
Erick and Kastor sat next to Eldric in the classroom and they were both as bored as the other. When everyone had filed into the room, an officer stepped to the chalkboard in the front and prompted the recruits to stand and salute.
"I am Captain Schenk, same rank as Asante." The man was clearly very tired and had giant purple bags under his eyes. When he spoke, his words trailed off into oblivion as he sighed in between sentences. "Some of you we've met, others this is our first time. I'm to oversee your tactics teachings and the other things, I guess." He scratched his head and turned to the board. Beginning to ramble things off as he wrote upon it.
Erick nudged Eldric's shoulder. Eldric, nearly falling asleep from the monotone speaking of Schenk, turned to Erick who had written on his notebook in front of him. 'Give me your gun'. Eldric looked at Erick with a confused expression. Erick rolled his eyes and wrote once more on the paper. 'I can modify it to make it better and more powerful'. Eldric turned to his own paper.
'What're you gonna do?'
'Modify it, obviously'.
'I know, I mean how'.
Erick thought. He tapped his pen on his chin several times before returning to the paper. 'Faster bullets'.
'That's it?'
Erick rubbed his forehead. 'If it was a rifle I could easily do more, there's only so much I can do with a pistol!'
'Can you have it done by the next time we'll need it?'
'Give me three days'.
Eldric looked back up at the chalkboard, which had a slew of writing he couldn't understand. The captain was discussing something revolving the history of Einrich, but Eldric couldn't care less about whatever it was he was saying. Eventually, he slid his pistol into Erick's hands under the table and gave him a small thumbs-up. Erick nodded in return and the two returned, or rather, joined the class for the first time.
"-also on top of the wall are these wooden lowering machines," Schenk said in a monotone drawl. "They are hand operated by whoever is on top of the wall, and must be lowered to the ground in its entirety before being raised once more. Honestly, you'll probably never have to use them unless you spend a decade in the Guardian Force." Schenk stepped in front of a map of the wall, which showcased the inside and all the various rooms. "Now, who can tell me how many floors the wall has?" Nobody wanted to answer this man's questions. "Anyone? Anyone? It's eight. Eight floors. Depending on skill and use, you will be on a designated floor."
Looking around, Eldric saw some of his fellow classmates nod their heads as they fought the urge to dose off. Kastor was well asleep at this time, and Hagen was reading a book he brought to class himself.
The captain asked several more unanswered questions before giving up and beginning another Einrich history lesson, this one more irrelevant than the last. Erick anxiously fidgeted with Eldric's gun, excited to begin work on it.
When classes finished, Eldric and the others stayed behind in the classroom as the rest of the recruits filed through the back doors. The rest of the day was more of the same—Schenk asking questions that no one would answer, him then proceeding to talk about some unimportant topic, and then asking more questions.
"I thought this was supposed to be tactics!" Kastor exclaimed slouching across the table in front of him.
"That was possibly the most uninteresting lecture I'd ever sat through," Erick said as he stuck Eldric's gun into his bag.
"You expect them to teach anything of worth?" Hagen closed his book and rose from his seat. "All they want you to know is what your specific position is doing, which won't come until you're assigned it. This is purely semantics. Things they do to say they do it."
"Still doesn't make it any better," Kastor rose from the table and followed suit as Hagen stepped away and made haste to the back doors. Eldric and Erick followed a pace behind them.
Outside the building, the group found Leonard waiting for them. "How were classes?" he asked. Eldric couldn't tell if it was a genuine question or mere sarcasm.
Kastor and Leonard caught up as Hagen and Erick continued to the barracks, talking about something out of Eldric's earshot. He stayed back with Leonard and Kastor and the three went to the cookhouse to get some dinner.
At dinner, Leonard explained his troubles with Henry and how he'd chosen him as his partner for sparring. Eldric didn't need the details Leonard wouldn't provide, but he could imagine a similar scene to that of the training grounds back in the capital. As Leonard went on, Kastor joked about his weakness, and the night was good.
* * *
The following weeks were more of the same. Every week Eldric would practice physical training at the grounds, and every other week he'd fall asleep in Schenk's classroom. May passed, as did June and July. As August came to a close, the weather began to cool and the training became more intense. The classroom remained the same, and Eldric remained bored in it. Erick's upgrades allowed Eldric to perform better in the weaponry training, but aside from that he'd performed as average as one could.
Soon, September came, and Eldric was called to be deployed.