Solace and Nox: A New Light

Chapter 5

It was time to get to work.

"Attention!" Raiden called to the group of recruits.

Every soldier stood strong and tall. Their backs were straight, their chests puffed out, and all standing at attention, as Raiden had commanded.

Loyal. Raiden liked that. No, he needed that.

"At ease, soldiers," he said. They all relaxed and waited for further orders. "I understand most of you are new to this line of work, and that's perfectly fine. You're here to be trained as soldiers, so that's exactly what we're going to do.

"As your training commences, you will be given a series of tests, and those tests will determine your military partner. Your partner will be your other half, your perfect match. Anything you cannot accomplish, your partner will."

"If partners are so important," one soldier said. "Where is yours?"

"Right here!" came a voice from behind.

Raiden turned to see Markis approaching with a cane. Bandages were still visible and in place of his arm. He walked forward with a limping wobble. Physically, Raiden's partner was broken, but that didn't stop him from keeping a smile on his face.

"Markis!" Raiden exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't think I was going to miss initiation did you?" he asked incredulously, as if Raiden should have known.

"You need to get some rest," Raiden said.

"Bah. Keeping me cooped up won't help me get better. Besides, the medics say I need to get used to walking again. That dark magic truly drained my physical strength. I'll have to regain it," Markis explained. "What better way than initiation?"

Raiden couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, you can help by giving these greenies some advice and tips where necessary. I don't want you to exert too much of your energy."

"Like there's any to exert," Markis scoffed.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he replied quickly.

Raiden smiled. "That's what I thought."

He turned back to his recruits. They all stood at attention once more. Their hands were crossed behind their backs, and their legs were perfectly spread apart.

These men will do just fine, Raiden thought proudly. Markis gave him a knowing look and winked.

"Let's get started."

Raiden circled around to each individual soldier, touching base with each of them. He fixed the form of one soldier, showed techniques of a spear to another, and demonstrated shield maneuvers. They all were willing learners, which made Raiden's job easier.

They trained diligently. The first day was preparing the soldiers for their tests, which would determine their skills, and their position in the military. Raiden kept an eye out for those who would be perfect for his new squad.

He had to build a new squad out of nothing. In the past, when he was first partnered with Markis, they were assigned a squad, and made their way to the top. Raiden remembered his days as a recruit. The leadership before Raiden was quite brutal. Some of their aggressive methods were effective, but Raiden, personally, knew that newer men would respond better to a kind leader, who would still give them useful feedback. If the men needed more aggressive direction, Raiden would send them to one of Direl's men, who would kick them into gear.

Markis had a lot of knowledge to share. He, like Raiden, joined the military at the same time. The fact that they, twenty-five year old men, were already ranked so high. Both joined at the age of twenty, and five years later, Raiden was a Captain, and Markis was a Sergeant. It wasn't common for someone to be ranked so high in such a short time, but Raiden and Markis showed great potential, catching the king's eye.