IL SIGNUM

The Rookies

Chapter 11

The Rookies

The duo was met by the guards at the main gate who advanced towards them swords raised. Dante stated something in barbarian, being of noble birth he had learned Latin well but it wasn't spoken commonly amongst natives. The guards smiled and sheathed their swords proceeding to pat Dante's back.

 "They will take us to their leader" he muttered under his breath. They continued on through the camp taking in their surroundings. Men sharpened swords and studded leather armour. Some trained with wooden weapons while others drank horns of ale in the mobile tavern. Not being a fan of drink Maximus made a face of disgust as he saw a man sleeping in own vomit and piss. "Surprisingly I am not a fan of alcohol too" Dante stated smugly at Maximus's expression.

 They passed a Medical bay filled with grunting soldiers being nursed by clumsy druids with their primitive methods. One man was being relieved of his leg and the screams prickled the hair on Maximus's back. Through the labyrinth of tents and activity one more dominant structure stood out, the chieftain's tent. 

Not being such fans of style and comfortable clothing the tent of the chief was quite bland. There were some display swords that peppered the canvas walls surrounded by shields, each studded and painted differently. Words could not describe the suit of armour rested upon a stand. There were matt steel plates that covered the mail openings there were steel fox heads for shoulder plates and leather belts holding the armour together. The helmet was even more thrilling to see. Black and silver and very Greek looking with a black mane crowned the helm. There were patterns carved into the sides giving it a very historic feel to it. The captain smiled at Maximus's wide eyed expression as he gazed at the armour. "It’s only for display young man; I'm too fat to fit in it even if i tried. It was made for someone with a lot more class than me anyway. So! Who do I have the honour of meeting at this early hour?" 

The chieftain was a huge man with a tidy platted black beard streaked with silver. His hair was in a ponytail and his pot belly was surrounded by a sword belt. He looked as if he had just woken up. "I am Dante and this is my companion Maximus we have come to enlist as freedom fighters to rebel against the tyranny of Rome."

The warrior smiled at the young men “I have lived through enough winters to know when people of a high class background stand before me, although I am puzzled. One of you is roman and the other a Gaul. Quite a strange mixture if I don’t say so myself.” The curiosity of the chieftain was beginning to annoy Maximus “our cause is true and our hearts are strong! I believe only a fool would deny our skill and courage. Our backgrounds are behind us and we stand here together as brothers with vengeance in our hearts! Answer me yes or no!”

The guards half drew their swords at the raging teen only to be stopped by the chieftain. “I hope your sword is as sharp as your tongue my friend, I am General Ragnarr Scarvix leader of this mighty hoard of fighters. Welcome to my army.” The emotionless mask on Maximus’s face was dawned with a smirk “happy to be of service General” and the duo proceeded by bowing.

“Take some armour and a shield and make your way to the training area then we will see what you are truly made of.” Exiting the tent they began to make their way once again through the maze of tents and soldiers. Soon they began to distinguish the smell of sweat and blood coming from the training area. Loud grunts and battle cries could be heard over the bustle of the camp.

 An arrow zipped past Dante’s face only missing him by a centimetre. Pale and shaken he looked in the direction the projectile had been shot and saw the cloaked figure hidden under his hood and holding a longbow. “Fresh meat?” he sneered as he slowly began to walk towards Dante.

“I am now a soldier of General Ragnarr so stand back or I shall relieve you of your ugly head.” The shocked man stood there baffled at the young man’s threat. A shallow chuckle erupted from the main door of the training area. “Go pick on someone else you ugly maggot! Oh what a day! Don’t worry rookies he doesn’t bite, unless you’re his enemy! I’m Sphax the melee trainer of this camp and I believe I am in charge of showing you round. Follow me!” They continued to walk into the training area and were surrounded by men at each other’s throats trying to train to the best of their ability.

 “This is the melee training area; try to stay out of the way of the hooded men. The archery area is just over to the back and there is a nice round pit for wrestling. “Sir, what type of test are you going to put us through?” Maximus blurted bluntly. “Straight to the point rookie we are having a tournament in an hour and it just so happens you are in it so be prepared to fight. I will show you to your tent.”

They arrived at a medium sized red and white coloured wool tent and began to unpack. Their horses were taken to the temporary stable so that they could recover from the journey. The tents consisted of two bedrolls and chests in order to store their possessions. There were also chamber pots and an urn of water. Dante fell onto his bedroll and gave a very audible sigh. “Don’t get too relaxed my friend, put on that armour and get ready to show these guys who the real rookies are!”

 Hey this is usky here! Please leave a comment and a vote if possible. Wow! 222 reads is an awesome number to have reached. I hope you continue to enjoy my writing and dont forget to comment on any mistakes i have made or what i can on improve on. Have patience with my updates too because college is getting really hectic at the moment. Il have a chapter up ASAP!