Kindred Spirits

//Chapter 3: The first of many to come//

It's nearing the end of the training period. Of the 200 or so recruits that started off this course, only 25 made it to this point where their entrance to the Watchers is all but made official. As far as batches of new recruits go, it was actually a fairly good year for the watchers. Sometimes, the number doesn't even break double digits. You were among those 25 brave souls, ready to fight and die for the King and his beliefs. There would be a last few set of duels to determine placement as either a lesser or greater watcher. 5 of the 25 had voluntarily chosen to just take posts as lesser watchers, making it easier on everyone.

You were dreading today most of all, as the second of the two duels you would be facing would be against a bow user. Against the other weapons, you did fairly well and often went 3-0 on hits in those duels. But it was even odds whether you would win against bow users, and even if you did, the score was 3-2 in your favor. Obviously, you were quite nervous about the whole thing. The first duel of the day was against a spear user, so they were practically a training dummy to you. Defeat a user of the weapon you were most unaccustomed to using and fighting, and you'd have a spot as a greater watcher.

The time came when you met your opponent on the ring arena. You drew your practice katana and she readied her bow with training arrows. Despite your nerves, you take a deep breath and tell your opponent "May the best cookie win." And she reciprocates with "May the best cookie win, indeed." With the ring of the bell, the match begins. Already, she fires off an arrow at you and you narrowly avoid it with it whizzing past your head. You rush to try and strike her legs, but she fires off another arrow that lands squarely on your shoulder. 1 hit on you already, don't give in now. You respond to the hit with immense aggression, rushing her done and frantically swinging your katana until one of the strikes lands for a Hit on her.

Quickly recovering, your opponent tries to gain some distance between you by swinging her bow by itself. It did that effectively, giving her the distance to line up another arrow shot. You dive out of the way and try to close the distance again. You deftly dodge another arced arrow and go for an overhead strike. Your opponent swiftly dodges out of the way and smacks you with her bow for hit 2 on you. 1 more, and you're out of the running for greater watcher. You retaliate with a decisive hit to the legs, tying the match up. Whoever got the next hit would win.

You both quickly back away, and lock eyes. She was determined to win this as much as you, so it was all down to raw skill. She lines up another arrow, recognizing that you were running out of stamina to keep dodging. You rush her again, and she fires. Now for the moment of truth, what you planned not might work but you had try. Before the arrow connects, you swing your katana to intercept it mid-flight. For a brief moment, time seemed to stop as now your fate was out of your control as forces of nature guided the arrow on an unpredictable path.

Seemed that nature choose you as the victor of the duel today. Your katana deflects the arrow and you close the distance rapidly to strike your opponent in the head for hit 3. "It's over! Y/N has achieved a close victory. But worry not, for every cookie present today shall have a place in the watchers." The second watcher declared, satisfied with the duel that had transpired just now. You sheathe your katana, remove your helmet, and take a seat to catch your breath. Easily the most stressful battle you've had thus far. And if this was what the recruits had to go through, then it would only get tougher as a proper watcher. But you would persevere, for you had people counting on you back at the village.

The very next day was graduation day. It was here they would announce the names of those who would go on to become Greater Watchers. There was definitely a palpable tension in the air, it was as if an invisible weight was placed on all your shoulders. As was customary for this sort of thing, the king himself had made his way out here to congratulate you all on your success. A hardy man, Dark Cacao Cookie was not one to be trifled with on any level. If rumors were to be believed, he had founded the kingdom of dark cacao after splitting a great two headed dragon right down the middle, and these tales had been told and retold for hundreds of years at a minimum.

"Greetings, all of you. As you know, I am Dark Cacao Cookie, king of this land. Your commitment to enduring the trials and tribulations set forth by this kingdom so many scores ago shows your respect towards myself and the cookies who have been in your exact place long ago." the king spoke as his deep, gravelly voice carried with it the weight of all the watchers he had seen come and go before him. "Once I am finished speaking, you shall receive your watcher's robes and be granted your weapon. But before that can began, I have two things to get through. Firstly, while you all have no doubt by now learned the watcher's code, I wish to remind you of it's 3 core principles."

"There is only Victory or Defeat. As long as I survive, both are valuable."

"Innocents will not taste our blades, and soldiers shall be granted a swift death."

"We are all brothers and sisters in arms. We will never fight one another, no matter what."

He finished speaking the watcher's code. You yourself had committed most of it to memory, but these 3 core principles would be words to live by, whether as a warrior or a simple laborer. The king continues on with his second item on the list, this being the names of those who would become greater watchers. Now was the moment of truth, time to see what destiny had in store for you.

After a brief silence, the king spoke 5 names. One of them was your's, and you instantly feel relieved. "All the cookies named just now, Congratulations. It takes grit and determination to not only succeed in this course, but succeed at an exemplary level. For that, we grant you the honor and title of 'Greater Watchers'. That is all I have to say. May your strength and wits guide you as they have guided our kingdom since its founding." The King finished speaking, quietly taking his leave afterward.

Needless to say, getting your robes and weapon was gratifying. You had also received your assignment. Guard duty at the black citadel was certainly something unique, as the citadel was even further away than the training camp was to your village. Still though, your service to the kingdom would bring hope to the village. 

After fitting yourself in your new robes and taking a moment to appreciate an authentic Cacaoin Katana, you decide to take another moment by yourself at the camp gates. Naturally, the first watcher comes calling after a short while when she notices you. "Hey, uh... You must proud. It's not everyday a cookie from an obscure village gets to become a greater watcher. I heard about your assignment, looks like we'll be working together." She speaks first, taking up a spot on the other side of the gates. You shuffle and say in a half mutter "Thank you. It's... It's not easy. I lived my whole life with my village until 2 months ago. I've never gone more than a week cut off from them, nervous can't even begin to describe how I'm feeling right now." "I feel you. It's not easy, leaving home for a place so far away. Doesn't help with the constant snowstorms of this place. But I'm sure you'll find a way." Caramel Arrow says, sympathizing with your feelings. "Y-yeah, uh.... I will definitely find a way. It's not like I got a choice, it's either this or let my village succumb to yet another harsh winter. But hey, I'm looking forward to working together as well." You say to the best of your ability, your social awkwardness on full display. Caramel Arrow shoots you an understanding smile, winks, and then leaves to prepare.

And so ends a long, grueling two months. You'd be traveling by foot to the black citadel with the first watcher and whoever else was assigned to the cacao kingdom's mythical fortress tomorrow. A small taste of the real struggles of a watcher now that the training wheels were off in full.