The Prodigies: The Return of Equinox

Chapter Three - Militants

Back hand, shield. Back hand, shield. Over and over again. The new recruits were learning basic attacks. These would of course only work when used in conjunction with one another, but that would be for a later time. These kids, which is exactly what they were, would start sparring in a year or two. They started teaching them young in the mountains, but that was because they needed to. People called the mountain range Camp, Home, or Hell depending on who you asked. Officially they were known as the Gorund Mountains, the training grounds for all things to do with the military. Even the Prodigies

It wasn't really something that the common people or even high ranking officials knew about. Prodigies were not even a thing that people thought about. If a normal person was to hear the word prodigy they would assume a talented kid that would possibly end up working for the Royal Family or someone who would master a craft at a young age. These weren't, of course, the type of prodigies that the Royal family or the High Council kept in secret. These Prodigies were of a whole different type of caliber, and one would be able to recognize a Prodigy if they saw one.

Prodigies that train under the Warrior Aspect or Militant Aspect trained in the mountains. These places were always hard to reach. Their entrances were sealed with magic. Honestly, they were mostly caves. They were located near or at the top of the highest mountains and had holes in the ceilings for ventilation. There would usually be three to four different year-groups within each cave. In the caves were their barracks, a mess hall, a study hall, and a sparring ring along with all their other structural needs.

In the barracks you could hear the Prodigies of many ages studying, competing against each other, or playing amongst themselves during their free time. The study hall was big for the amount of people that lived in the caves as there were less than that of a small village. The mess hall was a standard mess hall being rectangular in shape with very long tables running the length of the building in rows. The sparring ring, however, was truly interesting and was the center of the settlement in the mountain.

The sparring ring was multileveled, with ramps leading between higher and lower levels. There was a hole in the cave directly above it allowing for the structure to receive adequate lighting. Each level was different compared to the others; one level would have many columns while another had vines hanging from the ceiling with another level flooded with water. There was a level for almost every type of battlefield that one would encounter. To the people overseeing the Militant aspect Prodigies, these facilities were absolutely necessary.

There are, of course, students that are more valued than others. The higher valued students are those that are nearing mentoring or war age, something that is important for not only the Prodigies but also the country as a whole. There is little say on part of the Prodigies, though that was much like other Prodigies. Even so, others aren't ordered to participate in the ongoing war. Such is the life of the Militant aspect Prodigies.

Early every morning, before protocol dictated to be up, there would be three Prodigies training and hard at work. The three were Garvhoz, Svetra, and Seilan. These three were of the same group year and wholly depended on each other to be at their best, even if they had different reasons to do so. They had just got out of the target range.

The ground was wet, and slippery at parts, and there were faint stains of blood on some of the pillars in the cave. They could see the distant glow of the rising sun while they walked toward the ring to spar amongst themselves. There was a heavy dew on the gates of the ring, and there was signs of a light frost on the sturdy fencing of the ring.

Each of the Prodigies were lightly armored, wearing at most hardened leather. The difference between each of these young adults was the different areas they chose to protect. Garvhoz mostly focused on his torso, and his legs. Svetra chose her forearms, her chest, and her shins. Seilan protected his head, his arms, and his legs.