Year 382 of the Gorlund calendar- leaf fall: day 47
"Attention!" shouted a man clad in leather armor from atop a small podium. All the young men and women snapped their bodies into a salute. "At ease" said a smaller man standing next to the man at the podium. "right onto business we don't have time to waste, those of you who pass this exam will address me as commander Johnson and this is my second in command, captain Drake, you'll probably all come to hate me for the next 6 months.
"All right the first test is fitness you will all step up to these tables and pick up a bag" Said commander Johnson indicating two long tables to his left and right. A perspective cadet stepped up to the table to take a bag. "DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO MOVE, CADET ?!" shouted the commander. "N...N...NO Sir" stuttered the cadet. "what's you name cadet" asked commander Johnson stepping down from the podium to get into the cadet's face. "cadet Charles sir" said Charles. "well Cadet Charles thanks to you the entire trainee squad will be going on a 10-kilometer run instead of a 5 kilometer run, oh I forgot to mention these bags weigh 40 kilograms because they are filled with rocks, you will also all be running in leather armor with a sword." Said Johnson. Everyone glared daggers at Charles but no one dared to say anything out of fear of having to run more. "Right Cadets you can step up to get your armor and sword then pick up your bags and meet me at the west gate, after putting you bags on your back you are not allowed to take it off until we finish our warmup run" said commander Johnson turning on his heel and marching towards the gate.
As I was about to step forward to get my armor on I felt a tap on my shoulder. A tall boy with brown eyes and a kind yet tough face stood before me. He had hair that was neither blond nor green nor brown yet all of them at the same time. "Hi, my name's Ethan" said the boy. "H... Hi" I said stuttering because I realized I was staring. He was looking at me expectantly. I just stared back blankly not knowing what was going on. "And your name is?" asked Ethan smiling dashingly. "o...O my name is Kassandra" I said stuttering again because I was surprised with his smile. " A nice name, means Dragon in the Ancient tongue." Said Ethan. "yeah" I replied turning away to put on my armor.
I was one of the last ones to get kitted up because of my chat with Ethan. I did not take one of the training swords because I had my own, it was the sword that Arthur Pendragon had used to kill the first dragon and had been passed down through the ages from him to his son and then eventually my father handed it down to me because I'm his eldest and only child. As I slung my bag over my back and started a slow walk towards the west gate Ethan jogged up next to me. I gave him a quick nod but did not face him. "If you want, I can carry some of the rocks from your bag" said Ethan looking sincere. "I would not be here trying to join this guild if I did not think I could handle it!" I shouted infuriated by the fact that he thought I was soft. "Sorry I did not assume that you could not handle it I just wanted to make a friend by trying to make myself helpful." Said Ethan looking a bit downfallen. "Well next time don't assume that I needed help, and someone should not be your friend just because you help then with things" I said putting on my best frown even though I was actually happy. Ethan frowned and did not say another word after that.
We caught up with the rest of the cadets having been the last to arrive the commander gave us an unappreciative glance. "you Two!" shouted commander Johnson. Ethan and I straightened our backs. "Yes, sir!" we shouted at the same time. "Do you think that you are so special that you can just take as long as you want to kit up?" asked the commander. "Definitely not sir!" I shouted. "Then why in Arthurs name did you take so long" said Johnson "I... I..." I never got to finish what I was saying because at that moment Ethan stepped forward. "Sir it is all my fault Kassandra was helping me kit up because I could not do it myself" said Ethan much to my surprise. "Well then cadet... who are you again?" asked commander Johnson. "Cadet Ethan... Ethan Posy." Said Ethan. Everyone erupted into laughter until. "SHUUUUUUUT TTTTHHHHEEEE HHHEEELLLL UUUPPP" shouted commander Johnson. And the entire squad settled down instantly. "Well Cadet Posy, you will now need to make this run with a pack of 50KG rocks" said the commander smiling maliciously as captain Drake walked up to Ethan and placed a big rock in his hands giving a small snicker.
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Dragon Slayers: The Ancient Tongue
FantasyDragons had always been feared by mankind. They were feared by the elves whose skill with a bow and who's knowledge of magic were unmatched. They were feared by the Dwarves whose weapons were made of the finest, strongest metals you could get. They...
