From the soldier teams that participated in the dungeon raids, several stood out. But undoubtedly the one that most caught Jim's attention was the team led by that guy with a determined expression and short black hair: Marcus. The same young man with the scarf.
Marcus headed a team of four with stupendous coordination. Whenever one faltered, the other was there to block the blows of the goblins and cavemen.
Balto, the sharp-faced, aquiline-nosed spearman, the partner with whom Marcus always consulted when in doubt.
Pit, with a shield and a mace. A giant with a gentle smile, who always kept a cool head even in the middle of battle.
And Harris, the youngest of the four, a green-eyed boy with straight golden hair cropped at the neck, who was clearly struggling to keep up with his comrades. Jimbo guessed he must be 14 to 15, and when asked Hilda if it was normal for people that age to enter the army, Hilda arched an eyebrow and clarified that there was nothing peculiar about it.
"If they are old enough to marry, they are old to fight for the kingdom" said the captain.
Jimbo reminded himself that it's a mistake to evaluate the kingdom with judgments from his original world.
The reason for choosing Marcus and his group was not just that they showed talent. Other men and women also performed fluently in all the trials. But Marcus was the first to raise his hand and volunteer when Hilda communicated the idea of training where the real possibility of death exists.
Interestingly, one of the most enthusiastic about the idea was Captain Lynel. When Jimbo asked Hilda why the old soldier was excited, the captain explained that Lynel has ancestry from the city-states.
"The city-states are a non-aligned kingdom. In fact, they do not possess kings only commanders. If you ask a noble, they would say the city-states are savages who should have been purged by the wizard king during pacification... If you ask me, they are warriors not to be underestimated. I hear they train from childhood and several die in the process"
«And does such severity work for them?»
"Sure. They remain independent for a reason"
«Do you agree with their way to do things?»
"Obviously not" The captain's eye squints. "Discipline is necessary, but unlike the children born and raised in the city-states, the soldiers choose this life by choice, nothing was imposed on them"
Marcus and his team arrive at the starting chamber. They look relaxed, already accustomed to the basic dungeon compasses. But when a creak is heard, and the bone gate shifts to make way for the route marked by a red hand mark, the men's shoulders tense for the promise of unknown threats. Still, when Hilda asks if they are ready to enter, the four line up with raised brows.
"The time to retreat, it's now" says the captain, sweeping the group with her eye.
Jimbo sees Harris's lips half-open, but noticing that his companions are silent and determined, the boy swallows his doubts.
Hilda gives them permission to proceed, and the soldiers enter the stone corridor that leads them toward the first test.
«Captain Lynel is not coming?»
"He's busy, it's his granddaughter's birthday," Hilda says without taking her eye off the men as they walk away into the corridor. When Marcus and his group are no longer visible, the captain faces Jim's presence. "I'm following you to the secret shortcut. I want to evaluate the performance of my men"
«Do you have no faith in them or what?»
"I have full conviction. You're the one making me doubt"
«Ouch. That hurt»
Jimbo allowed himself to joke. He couldn't complain, his conservations with Hilda were much more bearable since Hilda stopped trying to rip him to shreds.
...
Before reaching the first test, Marcus' group hears the sound of heavy swaying, causing them to slow down. The soldiers exchange glances.
"The captain was very clear about this... We have to take the challenge as if we were invading the domain of a wild dungeon," says Marcus, confident that his group is in full concentration.
"If those smug idiots in the adventurer's guilds can handle this, why can't we?"says Balto. "We're veterans, we've been in the war.... Well, almost all of us. Here's one who remains a virgin"
He jabs Harris with his elbow. The boy remains silent and crestfallen.
They reach the first room, and the sound source comes to light. As with the route of intermediate difficulty, instead of a narrow bridge there are stone platforms, barely large enough to support a grown man, but there is more to it than that in between.
Constantly shaken by vines, heavy boulders work as pendulums between the platform. Harris pales and swallows saliva. Pit peers into the void.
"I can see the bottom," Pit says, prompting the rest to look as well.
Instead of an insoluble darkness, the drop's bottom is visible, but instead of being a source of tranquility, it unsettles hearts because of the sharp stalagmites below.
"Don't worry, guys," Marcus is quick to speak and flashes a smile that seeks to convey confidence. "Look different, but we've done this a handful of times already. The key is not to fall down"
It's a truism, and telling it perhaps makes a silly thing to say, but both Balto and Pit cling to that simple logic for a question of mind peace.
"Who will go first?" asks Harris with a noticeable tremor in the voice.
Marcus decides to speak with actions, stands at the edge and looks ahead, at the platforms and rocks he must avoid. Breathing to relax, Marcus remembers that he still has the handkerchief with the embroidered crystal, a detail that gives him strength. Marcus feels that he owes a lot to the Dungeon Core, that motivated him to volunteer for these new challenges.
The Dungeon Core not only saved his sister and father, Marcus is sure that it was the crystal's influence that led him to interfere in the assassination attempt of the captains, an event that later turned him into a small local celebrity. Before that, he was just another soldier.
That's why Marcus finds it hard to waver, he feels safe because for the moment the Dungeon Core, whatever it is, has delivered him many blessings. Even more than those distant gods he was taught to pray to as a child.
Marcus studies the pattern of the first pendulum, and as soon as the rock passes in front of him with a sharp sound and a gust of wind, the young soldier jumps with all his strength and lands on the first platform. Due to the inertia he almost falls face first into the void, but he shakes both arms and regains balance.
Alive.
He lets out a relieved sigh and turns to his group, smiling. The soldiers' spirits improve, they now feel more capable of conquering the challenge.
The stone pendulums are intimidating, but beyond the initial impression, they give a considerable time to jump, you just have to wait for the right moment and not think that there's a gruesome death below.
One by one they overcome the different platforms. The soldiers discovered that Marcus was right, although the platforms are more compact, the distance between them is almost the same as the intermediate route. Jumps are what they are used to.
"Alert everyone!" Balto exclaims as soon as they reach the middle of the route.
Goblins are summoned on the sides and they start throwing rocks. Marcus, with the flat side of the sword, swings a couple of projectiles back. One of the goblins is hit in the chest and disappears into dust.
Balto swings his spear, blocking the rocks. Pit and Harris do the same with their shields. A minute passes and the throwing stops. The soldiers relax as they realize that the goblins are empty of stones, and the only thing left for the little beasts to do is to grunt in helplessness.
Marcus turns back to congratulate his group, when he notices their surprised expressions of shock. No sooner does Marcus turn around than he sees a green figure clinging to the nearest pendulum.
The little monster, indifferent to its own safety, jumps off the vine and lunges at the soldier, knocking him off balance.
Both fall off the platform onto the spikes.
Jimbo looks away. Hilda in the secret shortcut, watching through hidden cracks in the wall, clenches her jaw.
Baldo curses and jumps. The pendulum almost takes him by the front. He lands on his belly on the platform and extends his spear with one hand. Balto's arm tenses as a heavy weight pulls down, but he manages to endure.
Marcus is left hanging with one hand grabbing the end of the spear's hilt, his arm lying on the blade, a position that opens his flesh and causes bleeding. Meters below, the goblin is impaled on a stalagmite, where he remains for a couple of seconds before disappearing.
Pit and Harris watch impatiently. Balto manages to retract the spear and save Marcus. Jimbo, seeing this, sighs in awe. Hilda relaxes.
The remaining goblins stand aside, Jim just recorded the instruction to jump on only one of them. But as the soldiers are unaware of that, the rest of the route is done with the utmost caution, always watching their flanks.
The soldiers reach the other side of the room, passing the first trial. Marcus, using a ki technique, stops the bleeding in his arm. The others allow themselves to gasp in relief.