The Order of Jade

Chapter 8 - Smartypants...

Kirin was a very smart man, considered by Valor as the brains of the group. As a young soldier was considered to be academically unable by training sergeants, who gave him extra intelligence training that wasn't offered to many soldiers, this made him who he is today. He was a member of a group of cadets called the Shine, who were being trained to participate in missions alongside the Jade creature when it was deemed necessary. The training sessions that he was put through were very difficult, they were long, exhausting, painful, and psychologically demanding, requirements that Kirin did not have at the time.

Kirin was in a barracks with Valor and Curtis, who were much more equipped to go through the training.

"Kirin, don't get yourself down about your last training session, the sergeants want you to feel that way, it makes you determined." Valor said to Kirin.

"CANT YOU SEE IT, I'm nothing like you two, I'm just a stupid thorn in the kingdoms side, there would be nothing better for the kingdom than to have me dishonourably discharged!!!" Kirin shouted in frustration, as his friend Curtis stood up and calmed him down.

"Hey, listen, you'll get through this, we were all in your place at one point, it's now your turn to dig yourself out of this hole." Curtis told Kirin, being unusually wise when talking to him, Curtis was normally a joker, but always had Kirin's back. Then the sergeants came in to the barracks...

"Kirin, come with me." The training sergeant ordered, as Kirin walked towards the door.

"Wish me luck guys." Kirin said as he left the room.

He followed the sergeant to the training area where he was being trained, the sergeants wanted to see if Kirin really had what it took to get through this program.

"Alright Kirin listen up, all you have to do is get past the obstacle course and do exactly as the sergeant says, nothing else, understood?" The sergeant asked, and Kirin nodded. And he stood at the starting line.

"Go!" The sergeant shouted and Kirin ran towards the first obstacle. All it was was a few rocks he had to jump over, he didn't have any problems with that, next up was a small tower which had to climb up without falling off, now Kirin was starting to get a bit anxious about failing but he kept going, managing to climb up the tower with ease. It was then when Kirin was stopped in his tracks with the next order.

"Kirin!!" The sergeant shouted. "I want you to jump down off of the tower into that lake." He shouted as he pointed to the lake. Kirin then got a bit scared, he was never the bravest, but he knew that if something happened to him during training, then the sergeants would be blamed for giving him deadly tasks. He was of course wrong however, the sergeants wouldn't get blamed for it, that was just silly, however it gave him the courage he needed to jump down.
He jumped, he felt the air pass him, and that weird sensation you get when your in a fast vehicle, he was pleasantly surprised, and landed in the lake with no injury's. The sergeant then shouted further orders.

"Kirin swim over here!!" He ordered, and Kirin swam towards the shore, feeling more determined than ever. He got up on the shore and ran over to the sergeant.

"There is one more thing I want you to do, see that mud pool over there, I want you to stand in that, and when I give you the order you have to submerse yourself for as long as you can, understand?" The sergeant asked.

"Yes sir." Kirin answered and he went over to the mud pool and stood in it. Kirin didn't like this feeling, the mud was cold and didn't smell very good, it reminded him of that time when he left a meal under his bed and forgot about it and found it 3 weeks later. But he stood there, and when he had just gotten over the smell......

"NOW GO!!" The sergeant shouted, and Kirin submerses himself under the mud. And it was here when the thought ran through his head, what would happen if he failed the program? He would feel nothing but shame for the rest of his life, he would fail at the one thing he had be working towards his whole life.

Kirin thought to himself. "I will never quit, I will pass this course if it's the last thing I do, I'm not just a smarty pants, I'm a soldier." And just as he said that in his head he couldn't hold his breath any longer and he got out.

"Alright Kirin, good work today go back to the barracks and get cleaned up." The sergeant said. And Kirin walked back with a smile on his face. He was proud of himself that he didn't give up on the course and made it through the session, it was a good moment for him.

Kirin made it to the barracks and he was greeted with some disgusted friends.

"What did you do, swim in a pool of horse dung?" Curtis asked jokingly.

"How did it go?" Valor asked. And Kirin with a proud look on his face answered.

"You were right, it was my turn to dig myself out of this hole, I'm not just a smarty pants, I'm a soldier, and I will do whatever it takes to win that title, your both amazing friends, and I will be proud to fight alongside you both any day." Kirin said with honour, as they moved in for a group hug.

Kirin really wasn't just a smarty pants.......he became one of the greatest soldiers to ever live, and Valor and Curtis never gave up on him.
Like true friends.......