Scarlet Crypt

First Training Day

Standing out here in the wilds, where no royalty was fit to be seen, you would never have expected me to have been the luxurious boy I once was. Yet, here I was, standing amidst the fifty other recruits and full rebels for training against the troops of our opponent, our better yet to call them the government troops. Yes, yes, by now you’ve finally figured out that I am a highly seasoned soldier, trained to infiltrate the very protected areas in the Euphrasian Islands. You may picture me running around areas where things could go wrong at the least possible minute, or maybe even fighting my path to righteousness and democracy for a better world. You are half right about that.

You see, this was my very first training session. The one I was given after I’ve proved myself useful to the rebel leader, Zaccarius Kane. To tell you, this was a great improvement from the moldy cell I was kept in for months, but then I barely complained after the “name- calling ” incident I had with Mr. Z. No need explaining that. It wasn’t very pretty, let me tell you. Anyway, I stood there with my chest out, hands at the sides, and head held high like I was proud of everything I’ve done, which was quite ironic, because my recent actions were nothing to be honored.

At that exact moment, the current trainer of the day, I think I’ve heard some other trainees calling him Slinky, started walking down the straight path where the line of people faced. He was walking to my line. In fact, it looked like he was heading straight for the guy in front of me. I was the third one at the edge of the gathered people. As he approached, he took his time in trekking to our line. From our distance, it looked like he was holding a light wooden club. I was mildly surprised as he continued past the guy in front of me and went straight behind him- to me- and hit his wooden club a bit roughly to my stomach. Surprised, I stuttered a little.

“Soldier! What the hell are you looking at?!”

 Suddenly, as I looked around, I realized I’ve raised my head a bit higher than the others. I guess my soldier act was a bit trying-hard. I swallowed up the laughter going up my throat- it seemed to have come from nowhere- and repositioned my head properly. The dark-haired young man named Slinky went back to the pathway to discipline more unruly problems. After a few minutes, orders came up for push-ups. I went unto my knees and started pushing my way through every minute. I’m barely what you call “lanky and hard-muscled,” because I was not used to being handled like this- being pushed to the limit and to the core- but I can honestly tell you that I am a well-educated man and I can try. And try I did.

It took me an hour to finally smoothen out my push-ups a little. I did my best to hasten my cycles, but the best I can come out from myself was five full pushes for ever ten minutes. Anyway, after the warm-ups we went directly to the worst- excuse for a cafeteria.  They called it the stovehouse. And why they called it that, I don’t know. Maybe it had something to do with the stolen stove they had?  Arriving at that beaten down old cottage with its outer walls removed, I went inside and had myself some unidentified meat old Merva concocted with different spices that made it a little bearable. I sat alone at a rickety table which looked like it was pieced out from broken furniture. Though it moved with every budge I made, it still seemed pretty sturdy. I greedily ate my meal-the first meal I had outside, with the wind blowing smoothly in my face, for ages. After eating, weapons training followed. I learned the basics of weapon dispersal and gun control. Knife combat was practiced. And then followed more body training composed of running, jumping, a bit of wall gliding, and more running-in the rain. As I jogged through the muddy landscape, headed for the last training activity, I looked up to the sky and saw more dim silhouettes of dark clouds, a sign of a storm brewing on. A voice went up right behind me.

            “Looks like another ones starting again.” A boy who looked a few years younger than me appeared at my side. He had light, wavy hair that was cropped on his head. He also had a babyish face mixed together with green, knowing eyes. Full of intelligence, but based on him talking to a stranger like me, probably naïve.

            “Oh, joy, no training.” I said sarcastically as I continued running down the rocky terrain.

            “Yep. No kidding. Everyone’s probably going to chill out and relax tomorrow. ‘Til the weather cools down, atleast.” He had this accent, though I can’t place where. Maybe the twang of the Fourths.

            “Well, so much for my second day.”

            “Don’t worry. You’re at bunk 11, right? This means were bunkmates.” He sounded optimistic, like a little boy wanting to hang out with his busy brother.

            “Uh huh. That’s interesting, kid.” I replied nonchalantly. Poor kid, I thought, probably a sore loner out here.

            “Hey, the name’s Garrick, by the way.”

            “Cassel.” I think I’d keep my last name to myself for now.

            “So… Where yah from?” Garrick asked with a tone that was a few pitches from annoying.

            “Here. There. Everywhere.”

            “What are yah? A voyager?”

            “It depends on how you look at it.” I said as I arrived at the training grounds. The training ground was actually a clearing with scattered tables full of weapons and other knick knacks.

            “Awwe, man.” Garrick said as he smacked his palm to his forehead. “I almost forgot I’m on duty tonight.”

            On duty for what? But then I remembered the night patrols.

            “Well, I guess I’ll see yah around, Cassel.” He said shortly, saying my name slowly like he’s testing it out.

            “Sure. No problem.” He walked towards the entrance to the woods to the campsite, where they keep warm once the cabins gets boring. Like it’s never boring. The cabins were deserted, most of the time, until it’s time to sleep.

I went up the rocky landscape that served as stairs and went to the back of the nearest line. It was probably in the rules to stay with your quadrant, but since I tired from all the jogging, I decided to give myself some slack since it’s my first day. Immediately, a voice echoed from the front of the line.

            “And who might that little hiker be?” A low voice of a man asked from affront. As a moved to the side to see, I was faced with a man built like a boulder commanding up front, several meters away. He had the air of authority about him, unlike that Slinky who kind of looked out of place once he started commanding.

            “Um, sorry, Sir. Didn’t mean to disturb. I’m kinda lost here. My, um, quadrants been, er, hard to find.”

            “You’re one of the new boys from Quadrant seven, eh?”

            “Um, yessir.”

            “Quadrant seven’s back there.” He pointed his thumb behind him, to the middle of the grounds, just next to the thin cluster of trees to my right.

            “Thank you, uh, Sir. A pleasure meeting you.” I said a bit nervously, and started at my line. I immediately recognized my comates and the boy in front of me that morning. There were a total of five boys and one girl in our group. I stood straight once I got at the back.

After a listless hour, lecture ended and we returned to the stovehouse and ate pork stew. Garrick sat next to me then and told him about some things about some cargo accident that left them off without food for some time before. He also said something about a close encounter with the Euphrasian troops a few miles off the island a few months back. After quickly gobbling up my food, I immediately went to the cabins, which was located at the southern edge of the stovehouse. I counted down the beds and when I reached to the eleventh, I immediately collapsed on the bunk below and quickly fell asleep. I barely even got my shoes untied as I dozed off to slumberland. And that was how my first day of training went.