《Beasts of the Woods》


 Masks

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    "Okay, we''re here. You can take the bag off now."


    With the recruiter''s permission, I pull the burlap sack off my head, and immediately take a lungful of fresh air as he jumps out of the carriage, letting the cool forest breeze in.


    "Come on out, it''s late enough already. We have introductions to do." he hurried.


    I hop out; and the sight of an impressively large fortress greets me as soon as I lift my gaze up from the slightly damp soil - the road to here was far from beaten. The stone the walls are made of is just a contingency; its true defense is its elusive nature. Deep in the woods, with no trail, any forager or hunter would think it''s just another Imperial fortress, a spy would remain clueless.


    "Quit staring and move on!" he shouts out at me, he''s already a bit ahead, moving towards the slowly opening gate, its sheer weight and mechanisms creak and clank as it swings open. I rush to catch up and in process, I notice the walls'' curious defenders.


    Clad almost entirely in leather - so dark, it''s almost black; some stare down at me from above, faces resembling animals. Instead of a human looking at me, I see an ever-so-slightly reflective wolf head. Another guard bears the face of a fox. Matte, metal masks just barely reflect the sun''s glow, which hides itself below the horizon quickly, as they man the walls'' ballistae and make the rounds on top of the walls, crossbows at the ready.


    "This place is the training camp? I was expecting tents in an open field." I comment as I catch up to the recruiter past the gate.


    "Just one of the many, we''re not interested in half-measures. Anyone who wants to take this place will have to pay a heavy price. And they won''t hold it for long; no vulnerabilities, anywhere. That''s our trade." He answers with absolute confidence in his voice.


    A handful of similarly masked men are practicing with ranged weapons, shooting bolts and arrows at round archery targets from across the redoubt''s courtyard. It seems even almost at night, this place is still busy.


    I follow the recruiter down a set of stairs, underground. We make a turn and continue down a stone corridor, dimly lit by torch sconces. Many sets of doors pass us, as a pair of footsteps echoes.We make another turn and pass through a doorway, then we continue on through another dim corridor, then again down a set of stairs.


    We turn, pass a doorway, turn, pass a doorway. All the doors look the same, all corridors too. Lack of any decorations or points of relation seems to be by design, creating a semi-intentional maze, yet, the recruiter doesn''t appear to be lost at all.


    "We''re here." The recruiter abruptly exclaims and interrupts our journey, "I have confidence you''ll make it, but it''s up to you to not screw up. Straighten up." he says as he pulls a door open and enters.


    We enter a room that could be called ''decorated'' by standards I''ve seen on the way here. A desk and chair hold a central position in the far end of the room; large, standing cabinets line the walls; a wooden chest sits far in the back; a large map is rolled out on the desk, and what seem to be documents, litter it. A bulky man in a bear mask sitting at the desk lifts his gaze up from them to look at us as we enter.


    "Captain Bear, reporting a new recruit. I''m leaving him in your care." The recruiter says as he salutes him. Bear-masked man nods with an acknowledging grunt.


    "Remember what I told you." The recruiter says as he passes by me on his way out.


    The door closes. I''m left alone in the room with the large man as he stares at me from his desk. Elbows on desk, his chin on his fists, looking like he''s in deep thought. Suddenly, he gets up and walks up to me.


    The equipment strapped to his armor claps against the leather, along with all the pouches on his belts. A small crossbow strapped to his hip rattles, buckles on straps ring gently as metal bits collide and a long dagger in a sheath weaves and bobs with each heavy step he takes.


    He was already big when he was at his desk, I''m not exactly small, but now that he is standing on front of me, he can only be described as towering. Immense presence emanates from him as he looks down on me, feint glint of his eyes visible from behind the bear roaring at me.


    The longer he stares at me, the harder it becomes to swallow. It''s not a stare down, yet it''s difficult to keep looking in his eyes, and the uncomfortable feeling I''m getting is only growing. The longer I look, the more I can gather who he is, and we haven''t exchanged a word yet. He has nothing to prove, nothing extraneous to say. I''ve dealt with highwaymen before and sent them screaming as soon as they were chopped slightly; I never really sensed I was in danger - until now. I''ve only seen this kind of gaze from weary, bloodied war veterans as a child-


    "Well? Don''t tell me Hawk sent me one of the mute ones." He says as he spreads his arms out, in expectation of an answer. His entire presence screaming threat disappears off to somewhere. "What do I call you?"


    "Ah, I''m Grimwald E--"


    He sticks his palm out in front of my face, "Now hold it there, I asked you what do I call you, not what''s your name. Grimwald is fine for now. But most here won''t call you that. Shouldn''t, even." he says, as he returns his hands back to his rather dignified stance, one holding the other behind his back. "Follow me."


    We leave the room, turn and start walking down the absolutely unremarkable stone corridor again. "I''m sure Hawk gave you the rough idea what do we do. But why are you exactly here? What did you do?" He asks as we move at rather leisurely pace, he keeps his hands behind his back, as if he was simply on an evening stroll.


    "Well, I was just having an afternoon drink at the inn, and three drunks were giving the bartender and the girls trouble, were loud and incredibly rude for an hour straight, so I told them to quiet down or go home. They had trouble with me asking them to behave, so I just had to tell them off, so to say." I pause for a moment to make sure I didn''t skip a detail, then continue.


    "A moment later- Hawk, was it? Was asking me if I wouldn''t want to serve the Empire in a way that matters, sir. That''s about it." I give the bear-masked man a slightly sanitized account of what happened, so I don''t look like a drunken brawler.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story."Tell them off?" The large man erupts in a jolly guttural chuckle, but quickly contains himself. "I am now grasping why Hawk picked you out." He says in a still amused tone, and continues. "And as for sir and somesuch, you can spare yourself pleasantries and platitudes - but it''s good that you''re respectful." He continues.


    "As you know, this is a training camp. We will train you to stab, to picklock, to thieve, to deceive, seduce, we''ll train you in skulduggery and other such pleasant things..." He suddenly stops in his tracks and turns to face me.


    "Respect is best shown through actions here. You''re here to learn how to kill and destroy." He says in a low, rumbling tone I have not yet heard from him, the presence he had when I first met him is back, and many times more oppressive as he glares down at me. "Do not get cocky. I don''t give a shit how much experience you have, a mere Novice from inside these walls could rip you apart in a fight." I am dead-sure I did or said something that offended him, suddenly--


    He turns, and continues walking, "I''m just saying this right now so you don''t get the wrong idea." He says in a completely normal, jovial tone, as he had just a moment ago. His overbearing presence once again disappears as suddenly as it appeared. "Too many new recruits come in here thinking they''re hot shit because they got in a little scuffle and won, or pulled out a blade and scared off a big bad robber with pubes on his chin. It''s a big waste of time to drag each and single one of them through mud, you see." He looks to me for a second.


    "But Hawk seems to pick out the better stock. He has a good eye, I''d expect nothing less of a bird of prey. Ha ha ha!" Despite the mask, I can almost tell he had a toothy grin while laughing. It''s baffling how quickly this man can leap from making me think he''ll stick a dagger in my throat, to laughing at his own dry, unfunny puns.


    "Aaand we''re here." I didn''t even notice when our trip ended, he opens a door to a rather spacious room, men in masks - interestingly; some wooden, stand at attention in front of a wolf-masked man who''s on a slightly elevated platform of cobblestone. He notices us as we enter, and nods in acknowledgement towards the bear-masked Captain.


    "That''s all for tonight. Everyone else, your schedule is unchanged. Dismissed." The wolf-masked man announces to the crowd, they salute, then each of them picks a door to disappear through. Some - through the one behind us. As the room empties, the wolf-masked man walks up; not in a rush, but neither taking his time.


    "Captain Bear, new recruit? Went over the rules?" He asks as he salutes the bulky man, his salute is brisk, but shows no sign of sloppiness and his tone betrays a lot of familiarity to the bear-masked Captain.


    "Uh-huh. Picked out by Hawk. And no." These two figures seem to be almost mirrored copies of each other, maintaining same posture as they talk.


    The wolf turns his growling face to me, "The rules are simple. One, no snooping. If we find you where you don''t belong, you''re going to regret it. Two, you focus entirely on orders given to you by superiors. No goofing off - no doing it later. Three, no leaving the fortress until you complete your exam. For any reason."


    The bear masked man nods, "He''s in your care now, Lieutenant Wolf." Captain Bear says as he turns towards the door we came through, but stops abruptly, "Oh, and don''t worry about the last one. I don''t know any living person who didn''t finish the training. Ha ha ha!" He once again lets out a jolly laugh, at what I can only guess is attempt at a joke, but its message is undoubtedly grim and thinly veiled. "Goodnight Lieutenant. I''ll be watching you, recruit." He says before his face disappears behind the door frame.


    "Goodnight Captain." The door closes. I am once again left in a room alone with a stranger.


    "So." The wolf says with a pause as he quickly looks me over, "I am Lieutenant Wolf. I will be your direct superior during your year of training. Follow me."


    We exit through another door, "You really couldn''t pick a better time to arrive, could you? At the last minute, to give everyone more work. Oh well." he grumbles idly. I almost feel obliged to counter, but I bite my tongue instead.


    We arrive to a room with a snake-masked man behind a long desk, much like at an inn, writing something down in a thick tome, he seems almost furious that he sees us, turning his head away in exasperation for a moment. Many racks, shelves and crates sit behind his chair.


    "Quartermaster Snake, common issue for the new recruit." He barks out a command to the snake-masked man. To which he responds, placing his hand on where would be his forehead, "Lieutenant Wolf, I''ve got inventory to do and this really isn''t helping. I''ve got too much workload, I''m not even half-done." He grumbles, as he stands up and collects whatever the common issue is. "Can''t someone be sent here, at least to help me count the equipment?" He says, nearly shouting, hidden behind the shelves and crates.


    "Suck it up, it''s only once a year." The Lieutenant offers no mercy as the Quartermaster places a set of leather armor, a dagger with a sheath, and a pouch belt on the desk, then releases a deep and loud sigh as he sits back down and scribbles something in his book.


    "Put that on, I''m not going to carry it for you." The Lieutenant says, "Good time to explain the conduct." he continues, crossing his arms. "In the morning, a bell will ring. First ring is to wake you up. Second is your signal for you to gather in the assembly room - that would be the room where Captain Bear dropped you off."


    I put on the armor and strap on the pouches as he explains, "Do not miss the second ring. If you do, you won''t be punished. The rest will be. And they''ll be given permission to beat you as much as they want as long as they don''t break anything, or kill you."


    I pause for a second when I hear about collective punishment, "Once, you might get away with it. But I guarantee you - if you make it a habit, you''re not going to last long. Oh, and no fighting back either." I make a strong mental note to not allow myself to oversleep.


    I finish putting on all the equipment I was given, making sure it''s all properly secured. "Finished? Let''s go then." We leave the overworked snake behind.


    A few doors later, we arrive to a long corridor, packed with doors close to each other. We walk closer to one of them, the Lieutenant swings it open. "This will be your room. You can take off your gear here, the chest can hold your personal belongings, should you have any."


    I am presented with a dark, small room with only a small square table, a chest and a bed. The only light is from the corridor, through the bars in the door. I enter.


    "Better sleep now, you''ll wake early." The Lieutenant warns me as he shuts my room''s door. Echoing footsteps; another door opens and shuts in the distance, marking his departure.


    I am now alone, my thoughts my only companion. I take all my equipment off and set it aside and lay down on the bed to pay heed to the Lieutenant''s words. I''d rather not get on everyone''s bad side right from the start.

 Insomnia

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    Ring ring ring ring ring.


    A metallic clinking sound wakes me. I''m not even certain when I fell asleep, but I know I don''t want to miss the ringing. I quickly put my equipment on. I look outside the door through the bars for any commotion, but there isn''t any.


    Ring ring ring ring ring ring.


    As soon as the sound finishes echoing, the many doors swing open and masked men flood out, I quickly join them, as seamlessly as possible. I follow the crowd back to the gathering room. The wolf-masked Lieutenant is already patiently waiting for the room to fill up, standing on the elevated platform, his hands behind his back, one supporting the other.


    Suddenly, the entire room salutes, in same manner as I saw the Lieutenant and Hawk salute the Captain. It only dawns on me after a second or two as I look around, I am the only one still not saluting. I try my best to replicate it, but I am almost certain I didn''t get it quite right.


    "Ease." says the Lieutenant, the crowd lowers their arms from their masks. "Good morning, recruits." he continues, "As I''ve said last night, the schedule is mostly unchanged. Exam group - report to courtyard at noon, you''re free to prepare until then. The rest of you, proceed to your trainers. Dismissed."


    The crowd once again quickly salutes and disperses, in a repeat of the scene from last night. However, I have no idea what I am supposed to do from here on out. I''m once again left alone in the room with the Lieutenant.


    "Recruit." He says as he walks up to me, "That was a sad excuse of a salute. I suppose I can overlook it this once. Your welcome was hasty and incomplete due to your late arrival. I am not putting the blame on you or Hawk - it happens." he shrugs, and stops in front of me, his hands still behind his back, maintaining a noblesque posture.


    "Starting from today, you will receive training. You will become the Crown''s blade. You will be the flickering shadow on the wall. You will be the doublet footsteps. You will be the Crown''s ears; if necessary, mouth, fist... so on, so on. I''m sure you were told at least some of it." He says in a sighful, tired, exhaling statement.


    Indeed, my memory is foggy from the fatigue, but Captain Bear did gloss over some of what the Lieutenant is saying.


    "You will be trained in subterfuge, deception, seduction, skulduggery, the art of remaining quiet and unseen, as well as the fine art of becoming very loud and visible. You will learn how to kill, but also how to not kill; it''ll depend on whether it''ll please the Crown." He suddenly looks up, but nowhere in particular.


    "By the way. Don''t tell anyone your real name. Not only it''s meaningless, it could become a liability one day. We know enough about you already." His gaze returns back to me. "Follow me."


    We leave the room and move through the corridor to another, just a short walk outside the assembly room. I can hear talking inside, but it''s too quiet to understand through the thick wooden door. "Well? Go on in."


    I nod and swing the door open, entering a very specific looking room - a segment of the floor has animal hides piled up on it, as if to create a carpet. A bald, boar-masked man stands in front of some of the recruits I saw earlier, and interrupts his speech as he sees the Lieutenant enter with me, Lieutenant Wolf walks up to him, and I follow closely behind.


    "Sergeant Boar, new recruit in your care. He''s as green as they come." The Lieutenant says as he looks at me. I look back at him, then at the Sergeant, and immediately do my best at saluting him.


    I can only hear the Sergeant suck air through his teeth then sigh, as he looks at my salute attempt. He clicks his tongue, "I''m doing the deception and persuasion bit, but looks like I''ll have to start all the way from salute with you, huh?"


    "For now, just finish what you''ve started. I''m heading back." the Lieutenant says as he turns back. The boar-masked man flashes a proper salute, much like the ones I saw earlier, and says "Aye Lieutenant."


    "See that? That''s a salute. Get it right next time." he leans into my face and howls out, then walks back to the spot he was standing in before we entered. "And get in the ranks." he says without even turning his bald head back to me.


    I quickly look around and see an empty space that formed at the edge of the crowd. I slip in and try to make myself less visible, in hopes of aggravating the short-tempered Sergeant a little less.


    The Sergeant then goes on a long-winded lecture, explaining that people need to be told what they want to hear for us to get our way, as well as telling us ways a deception can be concealed and detected. Most of it is pretty obvious and self-explanatory, but even then something new catches my attention that makes me nod in acknowledgement.


    Suddenly, I hear a quiet "hey", and look to my side. A man with a wooden owl mask is staring at me, "You''re new like me, you''re faceless." He says. I tilt my head, a puzzled expression surely appeared on my face as he said that. "Faceless?" I ask.


    He taps his mask. "Yeah. I just got here two weeks ago, got my face." He chuckles quietly. Suddenly, ''REECRUUUIT!'' bellows out of the Sergeant, echoing off the room''s walls loudly enough to make ears ring. I clench my teeth and face forward on instinct, instead of being invisible, I managed to bring the bald Sergeant''s attention to myself within an hour. The crowd is staring at him as he barrels towards me.


    "YOU HAVE SOME GUTS TO COME HERE, DO A HALF-ASSED SALUTE AND THEN PAY NO ATTENTION WHATSOEVER TO WHAT I''M SAYING, RECRUIT!" He spends at least five minutes berating me on multiple points, as I listen quietly with a tight-lipped expression, after he''s done shouting creative insults, "I WANT TO SEE A PROPER SALUTE! NOW, RECRUIT!"


    I make my best attempt yet at the salute- "WRONG!" He yells out in my face. Despite the mask blocking his mouth somewhat, my ears ring. "AGAIN!" He demands.


    I salute, he either yells ''arm too low!'' or ''arm too high!'', I salute again, he yells something similar. Eventually, I salute. "Finally." He says, and immediately demands, "Again."


    I salute again and freeze. He stares at me, I stare back at him, still tight-lipped.


    "You better remember this is how you properly salute superiors." He says, as he turns and walks back to his spot. The crowd stares at him for a moment still, before glancing at me, then again at him. I don''t dare to look anywhere but the Sergeant for the rest of the lecture.


    "That''s it for now. Report to Lieutenant Cat without delay. Dismissed." the Sergeant announces in a dry manner. At least he''s not yelling.


    As I leave the room with the rest, the owl-masked man attaches himself to me again. "Ah, sorry about that. If it was any other instructor, I''d speak up it was my bad." He chuckles nervously as he apologizes with a plaintive posture.


    "The Sergeant is explosive, isn''t he?" I ask, showing no grudge for getting me in trouble. I mostly brought it upon myself, anyhow.


    "Oh, I''m here only two weeks and I already know Boar is a bastard. The others are rough in their own ways, but nobody beats Boar."


    "This Lieutenant Cat, where is he?" I ask as I look around the dim corridor back and forth. "Ah, we''re both headed there, just come with me." He says, and adds, "Cat is not too bad I guess. Oh yeah, just call me Owl. You can be new guy for now, until you get your face."


    He leads me to the room with Lieutenant Cat, who apparently instructs in lockpicking techniques. Since we arrive together, he tells Owl in a near-whisper to teach me the basics.


    As I practice on the training locks placed around the room, it turns out lockpicking is actually really, really easy. I practice with Owl in almost completely silent room, only interrupted every now and then by a sound of feint clicking, or the clacking of a lock opening. The Lieutenant is watching us all like a hawk, though he''s not paying any special attention to me or anyone in particular, as he slowly circles around the room, sometimes stopping and whispering something to a recruit who can''t seem to open a lock.


    The simpler locks might as well not be locked at all - though Owl is rather impressed by what I think is trivial to open. "Damn, not bad. Were you a thief? Burglar?"


    "Nothing of the sort. It''s the first time I''m holding a lockpick in my hands." I give him a true answer. Other than a few fights here and there, I think I lived a pretty honest and straight life so far.


    "For a lock like this, it took me solid ten minutes to open it up. You''ve got a talent, new guy." Owl says, with the corner of my eye, I notice Lieutenant Cat is quietly observing us, but says nothing.


    The quiet practice continues, until suddenly the Lieutenant announces it''s over. He instructs us to head to Sergeant Boar for close quarters combat training. As soon as I hear ''Sergeant Boar'' a grimace forms on my face, and an involuntary sound, ''hrk!'' escapes my throat through my clenched teeth. Owl was right.


    As we head back and take as long as reasonably possible, I ask, "Were you ever in a place like this, Owl?"


    He shakes his head, "No, I was a garrison guard for a brief while, the drills and discipline were similar, but nothing like this place. How about you?"


    I try to look for a similar experience in my past, but draw a blank. Everywhere I went, gold and silver was the motivator and standards were low. Caravan guard for merchants; looking big and tough for unsavory people willing to pay for that, all of it very...


    Mundane? Nothing I did was remarkable, everywhere I went, everyone was motivated by something base. No one I worked with cared about anything more than just getting paid. It occurs to me I am quietly walking alongside Owl and staring off into space, who is still looking at me, waiting for an answer.


    To avoid keeping him waiting further, I tell him hastily, "No, never. I was considering joining a mercenary company, but I thought the concept of money for blood to be distasteful." Then, something dawns on me.


    "By the way, are we going to get paid for this?" I ask him.


    "Huh? You say that, and you''re in for the money?" His masked head tilts at my apparently conflicting statements, in a manner bizarrely similar to a real owl. I quickly correct myself, "No no no, what I mean is, this isn''t charity work, right? We are going to receive some money for the work we do?"


    "Mmmm..." he ponders the question loudly, "Actually, I think I overheard something like that. I didn''t ask because it''s none of my business, but I heard in the mess room someone was surprised how by much he got paid."


    "So, the pay is good then?" Owl answers, "Seems so."


    Brief silence, interrupted by another question from Owl, "But you''re not here for the money, right?" I look at him with ridicule visible on my face, "I didn''t even know if we''re getting paid, are you serious, Owl?"


    "Ah, yeah. Makes sense. Good to hear."


    Another moment of silence, broken by me this time, "I''m not here for the money, Owl. I just liked what Hawk told me and thought this is a place for me." I clarify.


    "Hawk?" He asks, and I answer, "One of the recruiters. He brought me here."


    "I see. Similar story with me. I''m glad we''re on the same page." he says as he looks at me, nodding slightly. I can almost hear his optimism evaporate as we realize we are unable to delay the inevitable any longer.


    We stare at a door, then look at each other. Owl then gestures me invitingly in. I pull the door to Sergeant Boar''s den open, and we enter.


    The Sergeant, without a second''s delay shouts out, "Recruit, you sure took your time getting here!" We try to hide in the ranks, but he continues shouting, "Perfect timing, actually! I just finished explaining to other recruits we''ll be going over throws and takedowns. Get over here recruit, on the double!"


    Owl looks at me with pity hidden behind his mask, and I leave the ranks to hastily jog up to the boar-masked, yelling Sergeant. As soon as I join him on the pile of animal hides he''s standing on, he shouts out to the rest of the recruits watching, "Now, watch closely!"


    He turns his head to me, "Now, I will keep throwing you until you get it right. Salute, recruit!"


    The sudden order catches me off-guard, but having practiced before when the Sergeant was screaming at me, I think this is my best attempt yet. I got it right before, so I''m convinced I can get it right again--


    Suddenly, my legs fly out from underneath me, the room spins.


    Thud. I''m left staring at the ceiling, Sergeant Boar is holding my arm, staring at me from above. I want to ask what happened, but the suppressed snickering from other recruits, my apparent lack of air in my lungs and the fact I''m on my back reveals all I need to know.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it."Get up!" The Sergeant yells at me as he lets go of my arm, I take a pained breath and start getting back up. Despite landing with my back on the hides, they barely did anything to soften the impact.


    "As you can see, usage of leverage is vital to quick and efficient throws. If you do not use leverage, the only thing you''ll accomplish is you''ll get yourself tired and killed." He tells the recruits watching me slowly pick myself up, as soon as I''m up and facing him again, he yells out again. "Salute!"


    I do not want to get thrown again. I try to recall what it took the Sergeant to stop screaming at me, and do my best at repeating it. I salute--


    Something impacts the rear of my knees as I feel a hand lift me up and away by my throat, I can''t recover my balance by my legs, and my attempts to grab onto something or brace for impact only make my loss of balance even worse.


    Thud. I''m thrown onto my back with massive force again. I struggle to catch a breath, laying with my back on the hides as the Sergeant tells the crowd of recruits, "And there is your perfect example of manipulating the center of balance. If sufficient force is used, the recruit is helpless and the only way left for him is down." he presents me with his hand. I see an owl staring at me from the back of the crowd.


    "Get up." He says as he turns back to me. I start getting up again with groans and grunts. This spectacle continues for a couple more attempts, before I finally conjure a salute that satisfies the Sergeant.


    "Recruit Owl! Do not think for one second that I did not see you!" He yells out into the crowd, putting Owl under fire now, "You will take this recruit off my hands. Show him the basics. The rest of you, pair up and practice throws you''ve seen."


    Owl shows me how exactly the Sergeant threw me, or, at the very least, shows me the theory behind it. As soon as I attempt to throw Owl, he doesn''t budge. Witnessing this, Sergeant Boar closes in rapidly - almost running, screaming, "THIS IS NOT HOW YOU GAIN LEVERAGE!"


    He grabs my arm as I''m still confused as to what''s exactly happening, ''GRASP!'', he lifts it, ''LEVERAGE!'', he shifts his stance, I can''t exactly see how, but then he shouts out, ''THROW!''


    My legs fly and the room spins again. I land on the animal hides again. Despite the throw being completely unnecessary, I think I''m slowly starting to grasp the basics. When I recover and get up, I try to throw Owl again. ''WRONG!'' makes my ears ring. I return to a neutral stance, then try to replicate the Sergeant''s moves-


    Surprisingly, Owl loses his footing and rolls over my back. I throw him to the ground with all my might, but he manages to break the fall and land mostly on his legs. A far cry from throws I''ve been subjected to, but it''s enough to make the Sergeant cluck his tongue and say, "Work on it." as he leaves disappointed to attend to other pair of recruits.


    "You know Owl, I''m fairly confident I''ll kick your ass by the end of the day." I tell Owl half-jokingly as he gets up from my semi-successful throw.


    He chuckles, and says, "I think you''ve got a long way ahead of you. How about I first start throwing you back and we''ll see if you''re still so sure about that?" as he takes a stance fit for grappling.


    I grin as I take a similar stance, glad that he''s welcoming the challenge, but unfortunately, I end up his ragdoll and don''t manage to throw him even once. Worst part of it all is hearing the Sergeant''s ''Leverage! LEVERAGE!'' being screamed into my ear.


    After what seems to be an eternity, and infinite hard impacts on hard stone ground, barely softened by the animal hides, Sergeant Boar informs us we are done for the day, and should head to the mess hall for food.


    Owl takes me with him, as I don''t know the way yet. All the corridors and doors look the same, definitely intentionally, but I''m starting to remember which one is which by simply passing by them.


    We arrive to the mess hall shortly after, and take a seat together. The room is large - possibly the largest one in the whole fortress; the fact it needs pillars here and there to hold up the ceiling only makes me certain of that even more. It makes sense; this fortress is home to a small army, and armies need to eat.


    Meals aren''t ready yet, though, the room is slowly filling up with more and more masked men and nondescript smell of cooking, it seems Owl and I arrived early. As they come, a murmur starts - something in between being louder than whispers, but nowhere near as loud as the rabble in a city.


    "Owl, they''re not going to make us pay for the food, are they?"


    "No, it''s same as the city guard, you eat for free." He leans in, and asks with palpable smugness in his voice "So what was that about kicking my ass? Didn''t go so well did it?"


    I slump and look aside with a mildly embarrassed grin. He continues, "Well, I used a little trick, so don''t feel too bad."


    "Trick? What trick?" I perk up, hoping I can recover my honor on a technicality.


    He places his fist in his hand, elbows on the table, "Well, you''re a good head taller than me, if you know how to use it to your advantage, it would help you a lot." He shrugs, "But you didn''t, so it became a disadvantage and you toppled like a log."


    I sigh. "That''s not much of a trick, isn''t it?"


    "True, but controlling your posture, grasp and leverage is important, controlling the enemy''s posture is vital--"


    Tonk tonk tonk tonk tonk. Dull, metallic clanking rings out throughout the mess hall, everyone starts getting up.


    "Well, more on that later. Food is ready, come." Owl says as he gets up. We get in line, a long table separates us from the cooks, but its start and middle is the busiest with most activity. Owl and I grab a wooden bowl and spoon and keep moving along, masked cooks down the table fill the bowls, and everyone returns to the tables. Eventually, our turn comes too.


    Owl sniffs the filled bowl from under his mask, "Huh. You''re lucky." He mutters out under his breath as we sit back down.


    "Why?" I ask, puzzled as I stare at my somewhat oily-looking soup bowl.


    "Meat soup." He says, as he loosens the string straps on his mask and shifts it slightly, without taking it off. I sniff the bowl, but can''t really tell what''s in it, other than some indistinct herb and carrots. Though, I''m also fairly sure I can see a carrot, so that''s not too impressive of a guess.


    As I take a spoonful of it, indeed it does seem to have bits of meat in it, I take a taste...


    Unpleasant, to say the least. Owl notices my displeasure, "Not your favorite, is it?"


    "Are you sure the meat is fresh, Owl? It tastes off."


    "Hm? Yeah. Boar, or bear." he says as he spoons more into his concealed mouth. "Did you never eat game?"


    "I used to hunt deer a lot, nothing else wandered onto my land." The word land makes Owl pause hungrily spooning the stew into his mouth and ask, "Land? Don''t tell me you''re some magnate or better yet - nobility. Should I start calling you lord, my lord?" He asks with jesting tone.


    "No..." I answer, but the question makes my mind wander into the past. Despite the time that passed, the smug face of that bastard is still fresh- I stop myself. No sense dwelling on it. Owl is staring, and I notice I''m gripping my spoon rather tight. I think anger surfaced on my face, so I simply tell Owl, "It''s a long story. I''ll spare you." and continue eating my mystery game meat stew.


    "I see." He says as he returns to eating as well. Owl sounds young - barely a man, and despite his simple way of speaking, he has more tact than most merchants, magnates and so called nobles I''ve had displeasure talking to. He quickly picked up that it''s not something I want to talk about, and now we''re both wordlessly eating the hopefully fresh stew.


    Well, better than dwelling on the past, at least. Few minutes pass, we both finish. "What''s next?"


    "Now? Nothing." He says, "Now is the so called free time. You can go rest or go practice something. Most get more practice in, but nobody will blame you if you go nap. Just pay attention and make sure to not oversleep the end of day round-up bell."


    "Round-up bell?"


    "Ah, it''s like the morning bell, but you don''t need to worry about rushing, someone will walk around and ring it, you''ll have plenty of time to get to the assembly room. But don''t miss it, you''ll get yourself in a lot of shit."


    "What are you going to do then?" I ask, "Me? I think I''ll go practice archery topside until the bell then go on a nice night walk before bed." he answers, stretching slightly, his armor creaking quietly.


    Owl waves me off as he heads for the surface, and I, against my better judgement, go to Sergeant Boar''s den to see if there''s anybody training. To my surprise, there''s plenty of recruits wrestling, throwing eachother, discussing something away from the rest. Some are even training striking.


    I spot a recruit watching two others train with his arms crossed, and ask him he can help me practice throws and takedowns. The bat-masked recruit agrees, and we step onto the animal hides.


    As we take our stances, I remember what Owl told me and try to apply it. The recruit swoops in quickly - blazingly fast, and makes a good effort to try and trip me, but much like Owl before, I won''t budge. We adjust our grips and shift around, that''s when he makes a mistake - I effortlessly sweep him off the ground and slam him down. His posture worked against him as he tried to gain leverage. For a second I wonder if this isn''t the mirror of my mistake against Owl.


    The sound of the recruit slamming on the ground makes the few idle recruits turn their heads to look, but they quickly return to whatever they were doing. He picks himself up, and we try again.


    I wish the rest of the training session was as flawless as my first attempt, but the bat recruit managed to take me down multiple times. We weren''t counting score, but we figured we''re about even. Regardless, I feel like I learned a lot. Perhaps, maybe, because nobody was screaming into my ear.


    We take a moment to discuss what we thought we could do better and demonstrate our points, as well as share pointers and ideas. The brief spar with the bat-masked recruit was incredibly valuable, and we thank eachother for the help as the sound of a bell being rung moves across the hallway outside halts everybody''s training.


    I return to the assembly room with the rest, and Lieutenant Wolf gives all groups their schedules for tomorrow - groups, I didn''t even know there were any. Apparently, they''re assigned based on the time you arrived. Me and Owl are in the same group, it seems, having arrived recently.


    As the round-up ends and everyone disperses, I am stopped by Lieutenant Wolf on the way to my bedroom.


    "Recruit, come over here for a moment."


    "Yes, Lieutenant Wolf?" I ask, puzzled, as he picks up and shoves a block of wood into my grasp. I look at the wood, then him, then the wood, then him again.


    "It''s a present. For you." his noblesque posture returning as he moves his hands behind his back. I once again look at the block of wood then back to the Lieutenant a few times, bemused. I''m starting to think it''s some sort of practical joke, but the Lieutenant is the last person I''d take for a joker.


    "...Lieutenant?" I ask, confusion visible on my face. But the Lieutenant explains, "This block of wood will become your face. You are to carve away a visage of an animal out of it. One you identify strongly with. You have one week, it should be plenty of time." he says, as he turns to leave.


    That explains Owl''s wooden mask. He carved that himself? Not too bad. Lieutenant''s voice interrupts my thoughts as he looks at me from over his shoulder, "One more thing, please - no more wolves or foxes."


    "Yes Lieutenant." I reply, as the door he left through shuts. Now it''s just me and my block of wood.


    Ah, I meant to ask him what''s with the metal masks, but no matter. I return to my room and place my block of wood on the small table, and start to think what to carve out of it.


    Immediately, a wolf comes to mind. I now understand how this became a problem around here, as I rub my chin. Back in the day I hunted plenty of deer, and antlers would make a recognizable motif, but.


    But a deer isn''t really all that threatening, it''s prey after all. Do I really want my face to be that of a prey? Antlers, horns...


    I keep thinking. Suddenly, an old memory comes back. The time I was climbing the mountain next to my land as a kid, when that bastard of a goat almost killed me. The swept horns would definitely stand out visually. I just need to make sure they don''t become a handle to grasp at during grappling.


    Nodding to myself with inspiration, I grab the block of wood, place it on my lap and carve away the rough shape of the mask. Even with my relative inexperience in arts and crafts, it can''t take me longer than three or four days, if I just keep at it for a few hours every day. The dim light flooding in through the small barred window in the door doesn''t make the carving much easier, but at least it''s enough to see what I''m doing.


    An hour or two of sculpting later, I decide to stop. Today was taxing enough, and exhaustion is setting in. I set the block aside on the table and sheathe my dagger, and prepare to rest for the day as I lay in my bed.


    Sleep is the intent, at least. Despite everything, I find it difficult to fall asleep. The past few days have been difficult and demanding, but strangely enough, I already feel a sense of belonging. Life here is rapid, hectic, but everyone is doing their best. A far cry from scoundrels that only cared if they were going to be paid.


    Funny, Hawk wasn''t lying. Everyone here seems to have a higher purpose. I figured he was a desperate recruiter for some mercenary band, so I put on an a thick armor of disinterest, but then he asked me questions that just slipped through the gaps.


    "Are you not you tired of everyone chasing coin? Do you not want to serve your country and its good people, instead of someone''s profit? Do you not want to be a part of the sharpest, the skilled?"


    "Wouldn''t you rather do something that matters? With a band of loyal brothers?" He kept asking, as I was taking gulps of my drink, but that last one turned my disinterest into disdainful curiosity, it made me pause drinking and to start asking questions. First, to mock him - after all, who does he think he is? Who does he think I am? What is this thing that supposedly matters more than anything I did?


    The more I asked, the more questions I had. He answered everything in a way I didn''t expect. "Things you can''t ever tell anyone." I remember, word for word.


    "The Empire''s good people can sleep, because our enemies are afraid to."


    "Do you want to find out?" Huh? That''s a good hook. Got me good. He has a way with words--


    Wait, did he train for that too? Well, too late. He did warn me there''s no way out if I agree. Either way, so far everything he said checks out. And I still can''t fall asleep. I decide to sculpt away more of my mask until I''m too physically tired to keep going. Once that finally happens, I pass out in my bed and sleep.

 Insum

    <div>


    Not for long, though. I am already falling into a routine - getting up early for the bell and assembling with everyone. Then we receive the schedule for the day from the Lieutenant. Entire day of training, break for food, sculpting my face, then sleep.


    After a few days of this, Owl approaches me - I immediately notice something is different. His mask is now metal, though surprisingly, aside from being metal, it still looks the same.


    Walking up, he asks, "Well? How is it?" I answer, "Looks about the same to me." his head tilts again almost like a real owl, "But it''s metal, don''t you see?" he begs for acknowledgement as he taps it with his fingers.


    "I noticed. I just don''t know what''s the big deal." His plea denied, he continues to bargain for some praise, "That means I''m not as green as you anymore. You''re still faceless, after all." He puts his hands on his hips, striking a proud and triumphant pose, as if he won something.


    "Ah, my mask? It''s almost ready. Either way, why are you acting like you''re a veteran? Isn''t this still your first month here?"


    Owl''s victory pose disintegrates as he looks around for nothing in particular, momentarily stumbling for a good answer, he shrugs, "So what? We might be the same rank, but I''m still your superior by two weeks. That, and you still haven''t managed to beat me in hand to hand."


    I snicker and try to conceal my grin as I hear that, a mask would be helpful now, as Owl exclaims, in mildly upset tone "What''s so funny?" only making me snort harder.


    Owl really came off as a younger guy before, but now he left an impression of being just a kid, desperately trying to gain recognition of someone older than him, arguing about seniority; he''s clearly not doing this as an attempt to gain some form of authority, just simple approval.


    Much like twins, arguing who''s the ''big'' one, because one is a few minutes or hours older than the other. It does make his attempts comedic, as I''m far too old for arguments like this. Though, considering how my family turned out to be...


    I have to admit I find this much more preferable. It makes him relatable and frankly, endearing. It''s funny, I barely know this guy, yet I feel stronger familial bond to him, than to my actual family.


    *snap snap snap*


    "Hey, you in there?" Owl''s fingers snap in front of my face, apparently I started staring off into space thinking about the past, and him. "Yeah. Alright Owl, you''re the boss." I say, still slightly amused and ask, "So, what''s the schedule, again? You knocked it out of my head."


    "Right now - blade training with the bastard Sergeant, then target practice with Cat topside. Then, back down to Sergeant Snake for wilderness training."


    "Snake?" Picture of a man scribbling something in a ledger flashes in my head, "Wasn''t he the Quartermaster?" I ask. "Yeah, he is. Teaches wilderness survival, medicine, poisons, so on."


    My memory jogged, I nod, and we head for Sergeant Boar''s den. We were handed wooden daggers, otherwise not much changed, compared to hand to hand practice.


    The daggers, while paradoxically wooden and blunt, are sharp enough enough to cause significant pain on a good thrust. Perhaps by malicious design. Not a minute goes by where the Sergeant isn''t screaming at somebody, but it seems his attention has mostly shifted away to greener recruits.


    For sake of training, we''ve been told to avoid stabbing the throat, but that doesn''t stop Owl from sneaking a stab in under my arm, stomach, ribs, thigh; everywhere a stab would be lethal or at very least dangerous, he seems to have no issue getting there.


    On the other hand, while I have a lot less trouble poking him here and there than I had trying to throw him, it''s very clear that Owl is running circles around me. The training concludes, and Owl gives me some advice on how to do better next time, but I can''t help but feel like the gap between us is only widening, not narrowing.


    That is, until I get to try my hand at archery with Lieutenant Cat. The Lieutenant is very remarkable - he''s almost the antithesis of Sergeant Boar. Instead of screaming, he almost whispers. Instead of embarrassing you in front of everyone else, he beckons you to the side and asks you, "What do you think you are doing wrong?" forcing you to think about your mistakes and possible solutions.


    My experience with a bow almost feels like cheating during this training, the targets up close are child''s play. Another recruit claimed to have been an archer in the military, and claims to have some experience with a bow as well, but when the Lieutenant takes us to a far end of the redoubt''s courtyard and tells us to hit a target all the way across, he scoffs at the idea. "That''s not possible." He declares.


    But the Lieutenant insists that we try, disagreeing with the recruit. The recruit draws his bow and lets an arrow loose at the tiny target; at this range, no bigger than a man''s head - if the man was half a thumb''s size. Very difficult, but not impossible shot.


    His arrow misses by a couple paces. He curses out at nobody and nothing in particular. By no means it was a bad shot. Indeed, if this was a battlefield and he was shooting at a formation of men, it''s likely he would have just now nailed one of them. For a military man, this was an obvious success, not a failure.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    The Lieutenant says nothing, but looks at me. His another peculiar trait; he doesn''t need to say anything to get the idea across. I take my stance, focus on the tiny target for a moment, draw, taking note of the wind, or rather lack thereof.


    I let the bowstring go as clean as possible, the arrow flutters away as it takes flight, arcing heavily. It impacts the target with an audible thwack.


    Both the recruit and the Lieutenant look at me; the recruit is clearly in shock, while the Lieutenant, after a moment of silence, nods and tells me to help other recruits struggling to hit the close targets we both skipped over, as Lieutenant tells him to try hitting the difficult one again.


    I can''t help but grin slightly as I walk back to the rest of the recruits. Some are doing better than others, but Owl is completely hopeless.


    "What''s the matter Owl, not doing too well?" I ask, finally at very least able to overall catch up to him a little. Being able to hide behind a mask wouldn''t help me much; the smugness in my voice is clear.


    "Ahh, finally found the one thing you''re good at, huh? How do I stop these from swerving off to the damn side?" He asks, not hiding his displeasure. Despite my helpful attitude, I simply want to rub his failings into his face for a little bit.


    After a moment, it''s very quick and easy to identify what Owl is doing wrong - it''s like he never shot a bow before. His grip is all wrong and the release is too sluggish; once I show him how to shoot a bow properly, he seems to be able to semi-consistently hit the easier targets. Still needs a lot of practice, though.


    While Owl is clumsily trying to hit what he''s aiming at, I look over the rest of the recruits. Some of them are simply tensing up too much, some are overdrawing, some have a bad grip. I look around a bit to see who else I can help, and I notice Lieutenant Cat staring at me. I don''t know when, but it looks like he walked up just to watch me teach the others.


    He says nothing, and simply continues observing. The recruit from before seems to have finally hit the long shot, too. I shoot a couple arrows myself, out of boredom, next to the recruits, and it isn''t long before the Lieutenant informs everyone that the training is over, and we should head back down.


    Owl can''t believe hunting deer is all it took for me to be able to teach others how to shoot a bow, but what am I supposed to say? It''s his choice. We make it to Sergeant Snake''s ''training'' room, if it can even be called that. It''s full of chairs and tables facing a lectern on the opposite side of the room, the Sergeant is already waiting for the room to fill up. We sit down and wait.


    The Sergeant starts, and it immediately dawns on me that this ''training'' is quite literally, just a lecture. It drags on and on as he explains the difference between edible mushrooms and poisonous ones, as well as how to utilize them for poisons. He cautions us to boil water if possible before drinking, and to not drink water that is crystal clear, with seemingly no fish or any sign of life in it.


    The training sessions are all more or less equal length, but Sergeant Snake''s mumbling devoid of any energy drags on and on for seemingly hours and hours. His voice only gains some life when the topic of venomous snakes crops up, but it does nothing to stave off our boredom. And just as something vaguely interesting begins - field medicine, he stops himself.


    He declares the training for the day is over, and we should go get food. It seems the Sergeant is about as disappointed as I am that he didn''t get to finish that part, but there''s no helping it. Owl and I head out with the rest to the mess room.


    Today''s meal is some form of mashed turnips, unpleasant flavor, but palatable. I understand now, what Owl meant, when he said ''lucky''. I ask him about today, and completely unsurprisingly, he was bored out of his mind by Sergeant Snake as well. Some inconsequential chatter later, the bell rings, we assemble, and I return to my room.


    I still have plenty of time left, but I decided today is the day I stop being faceless. With only dim torchlight from the outside of the room to aid me, I continue sculpting away the last touches on my mask. It''s looking good so far, the horns give it a distinct identity and the rest of the mask is shaped into an ominous beast face. I went as far as considering my field of vision when wearing it, so it looks a little more stylized than true to life.


    I blow on the mask in vain effort to take some woodchips off, perhaps maybe to breathe some life into it, and satisfied, I finally lay down to rest. Today wasn''t particularly physically demanding, so I take some time to actually fall asleep. My mind wanders once again.


    Every day, I feel like I belong more and more. Tomorrow, I''ll show Lieutenant Wolf the mask I made. Will I be like Owl, with his wooden mask? The thought of being indistinguishable yet clearly recognizable fills me with wonder, every day I pass multiple animals - wolves, foxes, cats, dogs, there''s even a bat, owl, boar, bear.


    A wolf is a wolf, a fox is a fox; they''re the same. And yet, somehow, I can recognize that wolf is not the other wolf. I see a fox passing me in the hallway, and I know which fox it is exactly. There''s quite a lot of us here, yet not all that many. It''s all managable.


    As I stare at the dark ceiling, I drown deeper and deeper in the bog of philosophy. What makes us human anyway? How do we recognize eachother? The hair? The voice? The posture? The way you carry yourself?


    The face? That can''t be it. The only faces I can see, are the ones of the completely green recruits - and I only recognize them because they stick out from the rest. And yet, I recognize the others. And then it strikes me - the face.


    What made me recognizable from the rest, on the outside? My face. A single glance at me could tell someone I''m not the toothless drunk outside the tavern, nor that I''m the bearded merchant peddling foreign goods. Even if there is someone similar, a good hard look would help discard any thoughts that we''re the same person.


    Outside, inside - nothing changed. I now realize it, the reason I recognize one wolf from the other is because of their face, each is unique. Of course, there''s only so many wolves I can remember, but what''s a two or three? Especially if they look so vastly different.

 Faces

    <div>


    Bell rings, I shake my head in surprise. It seems I fell asleep at some point, and haven''t even noticed when. I jump up from my bed and check the corridor outside; it''s relatively quiet. Luckily, it seems I haven''t overslept. I sigh in relief and sit back down, grabbing ahold of my mask, to make sure I do not forget.


    Moment later, bell rings again, I shoot out of my room and head for the assembly room, taking wide steps, almost running, but not quite. This time instead of blending in with the crowd, I take the front row. I don''t have to wait long before the rest floods in and the Lieutenant briefs us on today''s schedule.


    After today''s routine is done and dealt with, the Lieutenant stands still with his signature noblesque posture, clearly waiting for me to do something. I walk up the steps and hand him my mask. He looks it over carefully, inspects the horns, the eyes, rotates it in his hands a few times, seemingly aimlessly.


    "Surprising. You still have some time..." He says, "...And this is?"


    "A mountain goat, sir." I try to replicate his pose as I answer, I don''t know what to expect. Have I been too bold with the design? He glances briefly at me up from the mask, then continues looking it over.


    "It''s... unique. If nothing else." He says as he hands it back to me. If I didn''t know his manner of speech, I''d be convinced he''s disappointed, but if he is, I have no way of telling. "But ''mountain goat'' is a mouthful. From now on you''ll be recruit Goat." He declares.


    "Yes sir." I nod and salute, "Go get it strapped at Quartermaster Snake, then head to training as soon as able, Recruit."


    I repeat myself, salute, and beeline for the Quartermaster. I would be lying if I said I''m not feeling a little excited. After all, this has to be one of the most unique masks in the whole redoubt. After a short walk, I arrive at the Quartermaster''s office, where I find a snake sleeping on his desk.


    Unsure what to do, I decide I don''t really have time to waste. I try calling him out to no avail, so I decide to be more aggressive. I pat him on the shoulder and shake him slightly. He stirs a little, and a cacophony of displeased groans and grunts begins.


    The Quartermaster looks at me for a moment, still slouched over the desk and hisses, "What?"


    "Lieutenant Wolf ordered me to get my mask strapped." I say as I place it on his desk with a dull thunk. "Ah..." he groans out, sighs, then takes my mask as he gets up, disappearing behind crates, shelves and racks. A few moments later, I hear loud banging, as if someone was hammering something on a workbench cluttered with tools, each making their own distinct sound.


    He returns from his forest of clutter, and places the rudimentarily-strapped mask back on the desk. "There you go, now let me sleep." He says, as he once again slumps over the desk, his arms acting as a pillow.


    The ''strap'' so to say, is simply a cord running through holes punched in edges of the mask and a piece of cloth wrapped around it, so it doesn''t dig into the head as much when tightened, knots at the holes keep the cord from slipping out, too. Despite its makeshift appearance, it seems fairly well thought out, the cord is tangled in such a way, one can quickly tighten or loosen the mask as he sees fit.


    I put the mask on, tighten it so it can''t slip off easily, and head for training. This week was truly interesting, I got to prank Owl, acting like we don''t know each other, and we received special equipment training from Lieutenant Cat. Most of this stuff, we won''t even see until we advance through the ranks - certainly they won''t hand fresh recruits precision tools like hand crossbows; hand crossbows are reserved for Novices and up. Despite the demonstration of the dazzler being outright painful and uncomfortable, it instantly explained to the whole room of recruits without a single word, why they are so useful - and why generally only Sergeants and up can requisition them.


    The entire room, having Lieutenant Cat surrounded and watching him closely demonstrate each tool, didn''t have the slightest clue what was coming next. He pulled out the dazzler, allowing us to take a short glance at it, lit its self-contained fuse and waited a moment, then threw it in the air. Like idiots, me included, we all looked straight at it, as he turned away and covered his ears.


    For the next ten to thirty minutes, I only remember pain in my eyes, ears, as well as muffled grunts and groans of pain coming from everyone but the Lieutenant, as my ears were ringing terribly. I thought a training mishap happened and we were going to die. As I couldn''t open my eyes from the pain, something slammed into me, only later when I could open my eyes up a little bit did I realize; nothing slammed into me, I fell over and didn''t even realize it, I didn''t even feel like I lost balance.


    Lieutenant Cat was simply quietly staring at us writhe on the floor, when we managed to collect ourselves, he trained us how to use it, skipping the obvious: explaining its use cases. It''s extremely simple for how useful it is - a chemical reaction within, ignited by a sparking mechanism inside creates a brief but incredibly bright light, and gunpowder-like explosion sounds out, yet the dazzler''s best use is not killing, but taking prisoners - or escape.


    Other special tools were interesting, but they were just overshadowed by the dazzler. A mere grappling hook, throwing knives, precision musket and so on seem so simple in comparison.


    The rest of the week was more ''social'' training, as well as some tactical training; climbing, scouting, ciphers and decryption, operational procedures - so on. I once again managed to beat Owl at something: he can barely climb, though Lieutenant Cat did say only one member of a team needs to be good at climbing most of the time...


    But I still can''t beat Owl in hand to hand or dagger-fighting. Oh well. As the end of the week draws near, I return to Lieutenant Wolf with my mask, as he ordered me to the other day, he takes it, then returns it to me the next day. What was the point of this? I wonder, as training continues.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.I seem to have fallen into the daily routine completely, I don''t even notice days passing anymore. Training, training, meal, bell, free time - usually more training, sleep, bell, repeat.


    About a week of this later, as I''m about to leave for training after morning assembly, Lieutenant Wolf stops me. He tells me give him my mask. I''m confused, but comply. In return, he hands me a metal mask.


    I take a moment to look at it. I knew this is coming, but it is kind of astounding. A mean-looking goat, with sharp, back-swept horns is facing me. I''m certainly not afraid of animals, goats least of all; that one bastard of a goat in the mountains was just an individual incident of course, but the mask''s shape as well as the metal''s matte, almost black color, does imbue it with a menacing aura.


    Most notably, the mask looks exactly the same as I carved it - almost. It indeed didn''t change, however, the horns are a lot more detailed than I carved them. It''s as if whoever made this understood what I was trying to make, and simply refined it, without altering its spirit. I nod in the appreciation of the craftsman, and strap it to my head. It even comes with a real, proper leather strap too!


    "That is it for now, recruit. Wear your face well." He says as he walks off to attend to his administerial business somewhere in the redoubt''s guts. "Yes sir." I nod, and salute perfectly. I''ve come a pretty long way, being thrown around by Sergeant Boar to being indistinguishable from others. Some would loathe this, but it only reinforces my sense of belonging.


    But I forgot to ask him what the metal door out there, in one of the hallways leads to. It''s odd. All the doors are wooden, except this one - all metal. I''ve only recently noticed it, too, possibly because I''m moving around the redoubt a lot more than when I arrived here. I have half a mind to check it out, but, no snooping... too bad. Doesn''t matter either way, I''ve been only pleasantly surprised so far.


    As weeks pass, so do months. As I stopped noticing days passing, and weeks fade, too. We just keep doing the same, different things, over and over again. Honing and sharpening our skills; and I still can''t beat Owl. Every time I come close, he comes up with something new, as if he had an endless supply of aces up his sleeve, it''s frustrating.


    But, at least I can take it out on some new faces, all to teach them something new of course, what''s a little throw on a hard floor between comrades? The culture and rules of this place are largely unwritten, and instead passed down orally. Every now and then, some completely green, faceless recruit asks me something - I seem to be the most popular go-to for asking questions, in fact. Is it my face?


    I am by no means a veteran of this place, neither is Owl, but months of strenuous training accumulates, much like fatigue does. Luckily, you can sleep fatigue off - experience remains. Even months become blurry, as I only notice the turning of seasons.


    As time goes on, Owl and I notice - we and mere handful of others are the only ones remaining; everyone else who joined ahead of us already completed the final exam and advanced to a Novice, and was promptly transfered out of the redoubt to serve the Empire elsewhere.


    The exam... a trickle of knowledge passed down to us from our seniors, it''s apparently not unlike everything we already did. It happens on the topside, takes form of an obstacle course, is prepared a day ahead of time, from what I remember - lockpicking test, which involves having to open a door as fast as possible; archery test, which is simply hitting a few targets accurately; then a pretty conventional obstacle course, just some basic climbing and jumping.


    As expected, the difficult part is the last one. One of the Novices dresses up in plate armor and chainmail, head to toe, and carries a halberd, the blade replaced by wood - much like our dagger training. To pass, a recruit has to stab the Novice in a lethal spot. That being; armpit, neck, hip or thighs. For Novice''s sake, the groin and eye stabs are obviously forbidden...


    The Novice will do his best to stab or slash the recruit - if hit, he has to re-do the whole course from the start. However, the last part sounds the most difficult.


    Hand to hand combat against your fellow recruits, the winner passes the exam. Multiple recruits go through the course at same time, and the first one to the finish simply gets to rest as long as the second recruit isn''t there. From there on, one has to down the other. Luckily, the defeated one can re-do the course. This comes with a caveat.


    Those who fail the exam can only repeat as many times as other recruits are willing to give them a chance. In other words, if you can''t beat any of the other recruits, you will not pass. The thought of not being able to beat Owl in the exam chases sleep off my eyelids on some nights.


    After all, he still beats me every time. Wiping the floor with green recruits is simply not the same - I have to beat Owl at least once. My honor demands it.


    Just as a new batch of fresh recruits arrives, Lieutenant Wolf informs us, the old dogs, that our exam will be held soon. He didn''t specify an exact time, just that we should prepare. This comes as a slight shock; with Owl undefeated, am I really ready for this?


    The slow pace of counting each individual day - in almost nostalgic fit, I wish for those times to return, because multiple days pass and no matter how many times I challenge Owl, I still can''t do it. How is this bastard this good?


    Inevitably, time runs out. "For those of you who have been here for the better part of the year, you know who you are, your exam will be held tomorrow, topside, first thing in the morning." Lieutenant Wolf declares. I scream internally as I glance at Owl, who seems to not have a care in the world, only making me scream even harder. "As for the rest of you, dismissed. Your schedule is unchanged."


    Is that it? Will Owl just remain undefeated? Will I really let someone like Owl, who can barely lockpick, barely shoot a bow, barely climb completely wipe the floor with me tomorrow? In complete and utter desperation, I do the unthinkable.


    "I see. Well, it''s no surprise to me. He is one of the best recruits I''ve taught in recent times." Sergeant Boar says in a surprisingly calm voice, after I explained the situation to him. "I can try, but I don''t think there''s anything left for me to teach you. Unless you haven''t been paying attention to my lessons, recruit?" He says, with a slightly elevated voice.


    "I have been paying attention, Sergeant. Surely there''s something you can teach me that''ll help me beat him?" I try to plead with Sergeant Boar. The score between Owl and me can''t end at zero to I-lost-count.


    He hmms, nods to himself, thinks, inhales, and grunt-sighs nasally, almost like a real pig oinking. "Well, there is one thing that may work. But don''t count on it. And it absolutely is necessary you apply everything else you learned from me for this to work, understood?"


    I nod, mutiple times. Sergeant Boar teaches me the secret technique, and I throw myself around on the bed unable to sleep, thinking about tomorrow. Eventually however, I managed to calm down and get some rest.

 Tribulations

    <div>


    "Uuughhh..." I groan out from insufficient sleep as I see the exam''s course in front of me the very next day. Bizarre sight of door frames with no walls; archery targets lined up; a wooden wall; and to top if all off, armored men with polearms at the end of it all welcomes me.


    Surprisingly, both Lieutenant Wolf and Cat are here, it seems Cat will be simply acting as an additional pair of eyes, while Wolf ensures the exam proceeds smoothly. Guards on the fortress walls glance at us from time to time as well, possibly anxious to see how we''ll do.


    "As I explained before, lockpick the door as fast as possible, next, two arrows in each target; then climb past the wall; inflict a mortal injury on the guard; finally, throw the other recruit on the ground to pass." Lieutenant Wolf explains the rules once more, of course, maintaining his now almost iconic pose, with hands behind his back. The earthy smell of the ground, damp dirt and gray sky and the stares from above remind me of the day I got here.


    "If your lockpick snaps, get a new one and try again. If you run out of arrows, return to the start, if the guard Novice hits you with his halberd, return to the start. Of course, if you are thrown to the ground, return to the start." He keeps explaining. "Moreover, no stabbing the guard Novice in the groin or eyes, please. I hope that is clear. The first recruits to start are Bat, Owl, Fox, Cat, Goat."


    Hearing my name called out wakes me up from my morning groggy daze. The course is segregated, one door for each recruit; shared archery targets; shared wall; one guard for each recruit. And, of course, two recruits at the end.


    When I think about it, this exam is really the essence of our purpose, a condensation of our training, the most important parts where failure may cost you your life - or worse, is being put under scrutiny.


    All the recruits are in place at the start of the course, Owl and I exchange sideways glances. A second here or there shouldn''t make a difference, but both me and him take a stance that will allow us to sprint to the door. "Ready." Lieutenant Wolf says.


    "Begin!" he yells, other recruits run to their doors, but me and Owl simply shoot to ours like lightning. It seems Owl isn''t going to just allow me to beat him. Click. Too bad.


    I push the door open, the lock was completely worthless after all - something one would find on doors in cities. It used to take me maybe a minute at best, now it''s seconds.


    As I grab one of the bows and a quiver of arrows, I take a look back to see how Owl is doing. He''s still struggling with the lock- oh, he opened it. Well, it was a simple lock, not surprising. I shoot all the targets with a sharp thwack as arrows hit their mark and discard the bow and arrow. Owl was next to me, hitting some, missing some - but it seems like he''ll eventually make it, and soon.


    I waste no time running to the wall, it has plenty of gaps and cracks in the planks, so climbing it is very simple. As I climb over the top, Owl almost slams into the wall and starts clawing up, I look back at other recruits, and they either are still lockpicking or shooting at targets. Then it dawns on me:


    I''ve already exhausted my field of expertise. From here on out, it''s Owl territory. Uh oh. I''m desperate to make it to the end before him, so I jump down as soon as I can. My path''s guard seems to be ready for me, he swings the halberd''s wooden point at me, ready to poke me. I draw my dagger-


    And roll under his halberd, rendering his weapon completely worthless and deliver a powerful stab in his armpit, "Ow!" he exclaims, but the chainmail protects him, and he raises his arm, signalling that I passed. I take a breather and turn around. It seems Owl gave up on being the first, so he''s taking his time climbing down the wall. Other guards seem to have also taken note of my move as well; Owl''s guard already seems to be prepared to hack away at him instead.


    But all this speed and effort won''t really help me if I can''t beat him. This is it. I''m going to kick your ass this time, Owl.


    Owl draws his dagger and approaches the guard, he leaps into his range, the guard slashes at him wildly-


    He then jumps back, the slash misses him completely, the guard Novice tries to recover from the swing to try again, but Owl already leapt back in, and shoves his dagger in his armpit. Guard yelps out in pain in same manner, and raises his arm.


    This is it. Come then, Owl. He may have made a lot of progress, in fact, I''m kind of proud of him, but it''s time to put him in his place. I trained with Sergeant Boar for this, after all. He spreads his arms out as an invitation, then takes a combat stance. So do I.


    All the guards are watching as only one other recruit made it to the top of the wall, and he''s taking his time as well. The distance narrows, it''s about time to show Owl what I learned.


    I lower my stance, we both grasp at each other. Here''s Sergeant Boar''s secret technique. I start lifting Owl up-


    He rams into me, mud beneath my feet proves treacherous. He dives below me as I try to maintain balance, my vision fills with gray and the feeling of slippery mud disappears from beneath my feet.


    I can only hear Sergeant Boar''s stupid yelling in my head, ''LEVERAGE! LEVERAGE!'' As I realize it''s already over and we''re just going through the motions. Air is knocked out of my lungs with a wet thud ringing out across the redoubt grounds, as I''m slammed into the mud. While I am trying to regain my ability to breathe, I can see Owl clench his fist and shake it, feeling apparently very pleased with himself.


    "How do you like that?! I kicked your ass!" Owl says as he leans over me, I am finally able to breathe again; and not in a position to disagree. "Yeah, you did." I simply state the obvious, I''m a bit bitter, but it was a fair win for Owl.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there."Of course I did. I mean, I trained so long to kick your ass I''d feel bad if I wouldn''t. Man, I thought I was going to mess up at lockpicking or archery. The wall looked pretty bad at the start but it wasn''t too hard." He keeps going on and on, but one thing he said raised my eyebrow, hidden behind my second face.


    "You trained? You mean, you specifically trained to be able to outdo me?" I ask him. "Yeah. You were always kind of, shitty at close quarters and dagger-fighting. But, everything else came so easy to you, it''s incredible." He continues, "Even now, that door was what? Three seconds? Five? You hit all the targets instantly, too."


    It''s strange. This whole time I thought I was trying to catch up to Owl, but he thought he was trying to catch up to me. Somehow, despite not being able to beat Owl even once, I feel like I won. After all, he was looking up to me so much he got better at archery, lockpicking, he even managed to scale the wall. I chuckle to myself a little bit, Owl extends his hand, "Anyway, you really need to pay attention to what you''re standing on. Come on, get up. Pass the exam already." he says as he pats some mud off of me, lifting me up.


    Rest of the recruits seem to have made it almost to the last part, as the recruit from before managed to get past his guard as well, when Owl and I were talking.


    Defeated, I walk back to the start. The doors were already re-locked, quivers re-filled, and next batch of recruits is already half-way past the course. Lieutenant Cat motions me to prepare to run the course again, as some of the defeated return as well. Wolf picks out more recruits to replace those that passed, and my second attempt starts.


    Despite faint disappointment, it does not dishearten me at all. I was placed at a different door this time, but despite the lock being different, it''s not any more complicated at all. I easily complete the archery part and quickly hop over the wall, leaving other recruits in the dust. As I draw my dagger, I see Owl staring at me off to the side, I realize that the guards are probably well versed in whatever tricks we may pull on them by now, so instead of doing something unorthodox, I decide to exploit the guard''s bulky, restrictive armor and play it safe.


    As expected, few clumsy dodged stabs later, I catch the halberd, and run towards the guard while shoving his weapon away. He recoils already, before I even get close, and I give him a gentle courtesy stab in the armpit. "Ow." Poor Novice. Entire rank above me, but serving as a pincushion for recruits.


    After the guard, my opponent is someone unknown - not that I completely don''t know him; I see him from time to time, it''s just I never really talked to or interacted with him much. Since he made it to the end, I''m not going to underestimate him. I will treat him just as if I''d be fighting Owl. I''ll use Sergeant Boar''s secret technique again.


    The recruit flies and slams on the mud so hard even Lieutenant Wolf glances at us from across the grounds, as the muddy thud bounces off the defensive walls. I ask the recruit if he''s okay, considering I threw him a lot harder than I expected I would, but he soundlessly motions ''I''ll be fine'' with his hands. He can take it in stride, at least.


    I walk up to Owl and the rest, who are already chatting among each other. "Well, looks like you passed." He says. But an empty feeling inside remains. That recruit just wasn''t the same. "Yeah. It wasn''t you, so it was a bit easy."


    He laughs, "Hey, don''t go around insulting your buddies." Everyone who passed is in high spirits, while the rest keeps struggling. We watch other recruits for a bit, then play rock-paper-scissors to see who''s going to give the last one another chance. Owl loses, so I stop Owl from immediately crushing the poor recruit, and instead get everyone to do another round, excluding Owl. This time, it lands on the same recruit as the one I beat.


    He challenges the last recruit, and surprisingly, or perhaps not so - the fight is pretty even. Eventually, the last recruit manages to slip his opponent in a similar way as Owl slipped me, and topples him. This means everyone passed - two or three hours or so into the exam.


    The victorious recruit helps the other one get up, it''s nice to see the brotherly spirit is so prevalent, I glance at the Lieutenants and I can see them watching us, talking, nodding from time to time for some reason. We gather up and walk up to them.


    Lieutenant Wolf is already waiting for us, with his signature pose, while Cat is hiding himself behind Wolf slightly, crossing his arms.


    "Congratulations, recruits. The exam is concluded for today, I''m pleased to see none failed, and you finished relatively quickly." he continues, as Cat paces behind him. "And with that, you are no longer recruits; You are now of the lowest rank - Novice. You are freed from the responsibility of daily training, but mind that the morning and evening assembly is still mandatory, no exceptions."


    I grin, but my metal face conceals me. At last, after a long year, constant training, hard work, I truly became one of the redoubt''s natives. A mere Novice I may be, but now I truly belong here. My mind starts to wander slightly, thinking about how everything I learned will help me in my future missions, but Lieutenant''s voice helps me return to reality.


    "That being said, you are free for the rest of the day. Take your time resting, celebrating, or maybe joining one of the training sessions to further sharpen your skills. I think Sergeant Snake should still be there. No, Lieutenant Cat?" He asks, turning to the Lieutenant pacing behind him.


    "I believe so." Cat says, in almost whisper. If not for the fact the fortress grounds are nearly completely quiet, aside from birds chirping in the distance, no one would hear him.


    "Well, that''s it for now, Novices. Dismissed." We all instinctively salute - it has been drilled into us this whole time, after all. Owl and I head to the mess hall despite it being way too early for a meal, and simply sit down to talk. Owl finds it knee-slapping that I went as far as asking Sergeant Boar for help in beating him, but he admits he was spending almost every single waking moment training to beat me.


    In the end, he realized it''s not possible, so he settled for the second best option; simply not falling behind too far behind was enough. As long as Owl got a chance to prove himself against me in the exam, he''d be satisfied, or so he says.


    It''s incredible how Owl managed to both humble me and fill me with pride. The idea of me being second to anyone in the exam didn''t even occur to him. It really is like having a younger brother look up to you as someone invincible. The conversation turns mostly inconsequential shortly after. I leave to clean my gear of the mud, catch today''s meal, and immediately fall asleep. A welcome change from the usual.

 Road to hell

    <div>


    My sleep is suddenly interrupted. "Wake up Novice, get up." A familiar voice says. My eyes open, but I''m still not quite awake. An animal is staring down at me - I recognize this wolf. I groggily oblige, putting on all my equipment in a highly practiced fashion.


    "Come with me." He orders me, as he leaves. Naturally, I follow. I feel like I''m sleepwalking; I have slept maybe an hour, two - perhaps three, but certainly no longer than that. "What is this about, Lieutenant Wolf?" I ask, confused, yawning. I figure I''m either in some sort of trouble, or I have some explaining to do; one way or another, no good, but I''m so drowsy the precariousness of the situation doesn''t fully hit me.


    I must have fallen asleep and kept walking, as I realize we''re almost on the other side of the redoubt''s underground corridors in seemingly no time at all. I notice an unlit torch in Lieutenant''s hand, but why? Stairs to topside are the other way. We stop at a metal door.


    Ah. I rarely pass by here, that''s why I never seem to have noticed. But since I remembered and the Lieutenant is here, "Lieutenant Wolf, I''ve been meaning to ask for a while now, what''s behind this door?" I finally ask him.


    "You will see." He dodges the question as he unlocks it with a loud, clacking noise and lights the torch off a sconce nearby. "Get in." He says as he holds it open. I enter. I see almost nothing in nearly pitch-black darkness, only a narrow stairwell down - perhaps one and a half man wide. Lieutenant Wolf locks the door behind us, again with loud clacking, "Move, watch your step." he warns, slightly pushing me off to the side and slinking past onward.


    Slightly relieved that I don''t seem to be in trouble, I keep close to the Lieutenant, making good use of the precious light in this dark place. One foot in front of the other, carefully, making sure to not trip up. To make matters worse, the stairwell also turns. Wherever we''re going, it must be pretty deep in.


    We arrive at another metal door, however, Lieutenant Wolf pushes this one open easily. It seems there was no need to lock this one. He disappears behind a corner, and I follow him in. I see a familiar face.


    "...Captain Bear?" I ask, but this question is pointless - of course it''s him. Who else here is of this massive stature and silently roars at you? He nods in acknowledgement of my presence, "Welcome Novice!" he greets me in the jolly tone I remember from our first meeting. I''ve seen him maybe three, four times since our introduction? Yet, he left a lasting impression, and he''s exactly as I remember him. Lieutenant Wolf assumes his usual pose at his side.


    It''s only then when I realize where I am - a dungeon. I wake up. For some stupid reason, I was convinced I''m not in trouble, but now I''m almost certain I am. I notice one of the cells is left wide open, and a prisoner cuffed to the cobblestone wall is staring at us pensively in silence. "I bet you''re wondering why you''re here, aren''t you, Novice Goat?" the Captain asks suddenly.


    Almost like a reflex, I nod. "Captain, what exactly is this? Am I in trouble?" I ask, desperately hoping to clear up the situation. He chuckles loudly while shaking his hand and head, "Ha ha ha, no no no no- that''s not the case at all Novice. In fact, Lieutenant Wolf was informing me on your progress." He says as he points out the Lieutenant with an open palm.


    "Hawk really does have an eye for real gems. I have been nothing short of impressed. I have heard good things from Lieutenant Cat as well." he continues as he nods in approval. "Even Sergeant Boar - you may not know this, but he took a liking to you. ''Not my best, but fiercest and hard-working yet'', he said."


    "Captain, then why am I here? I don''t understand." I ask again, only even more confused. Suddenly, the Lieutenant chimes in, "Captain, may I?" to which the huge bear-masked man, with an energetic nod answers only with, "Of course!"


    "Novice Goat, to make long story short - this is the final part of your exam." he states matter-of-factly. "Exam? But didn''t I pass with the rest?" Confusion keeps growing and growing instead of disappearing.


    "Correct, Novice. You passed the topside exam. The higher ranks informally call it the daylight exam." He continues, "But now it''s time for the essential part." the wolf and the bear exchange glances as he finishes his sentence. Captain Bear continues for him,


    "You''re going to demonstrate what you''ve learned so far on a live target." he bluntly declares. I shake my head in befuddlement, "Captain?"


    He spreads his arms out, almost as if to hark back to the first time I met him, "Come on now, I have to spell it out for you?" he points at the prisoner in the cell and says, "You''re going to kill him."


    Huh? I glance at the prisoner and the Captain back and forth. Apparently, as soon as the prisoner hears Captain Bear say this, he animates suddenly and starts shouting,


    "That wasn''t the fucking deal you bastard!" his screams jumps of the walls as he keeps screaming and rattling his chains, "You fucking said if I talk, you''re going to hand me to the guards you fucking- piece of shit- motherfucker!"


    The prisoner stops screaming for a moment to catch his breath, I use this opportunity to simply point out, "...But he''s a prisoner?" as I point to the chained man.


    "Yes." Captain Bear nods. I glance at the prisoner then back at Captain Bear again in disbelief. "I''m supposed to kill a man who can''t fight back, already a prisoner?" I ask the Captain. Immediately, he lowers his head.


    "Novice Goat..." he mutters under his breath, his joyful tone absent, his voice turned into something resembling a rumbling landslide, "What did you think this place was? A friendship camp?" alarmingly, he takes a step towards me.


    "Are you here to make friends, Novice Goat? To have fun and a good time?" he asks, leaning down a bit to my head level. I can see his barely-lit brown eyes piercing mine. I''m definitely sweating. And then there''s the worst part:


    I''m not quite sure how to answer. Anything I can think of, in my head, seems to lead the conversation into a path I don''t want it to take. ''No I''m not'', ''Then why are you not taking this seriously?''; ''Not exactly'', ''So we''re here for your entertainment?'' - I''m actually worried what the Captain will think if he finds about out my friendship with Owl. "Well?" he presses for an answer.


    I go with the flow, trying to form a best answer, but Captain Bear''s immense presence makes it impossible to say any of my words confidently, my heart beats rapidly, "I- I didn''t expect to have to kill someone during training, sir-" Captain Bear cuts me off before I can finish my thought, "Sir? I thought I told you something about that." he says, as he straightens out, looking down at me.


    What does he mean? Then I remember-


    "...Respect is best shown through actions?" I ask, glad that I word-for-word remember Captain Bear''s quote. "There was a second part. Wasn''t there, Novice Goat?" He says, his voice still as a rumble, as he continues staring me down.


    It''s true. There is a second part to his quote. In fact, I remembered it the second he ordered me to kill the imprisoned man. We have, indeed, been trained how to kill, this is what I was told at the very start, no mistake about it. The recruiter told me, Lieutenant Wolf told me...


    Captain Bear told me. Nobody lied to me about anything here. Not the recruiter, not the Lieutenant, not the Captain. How stupid of me. ''The exam is concluded for today'', ''you are free for the rest of the day'', even just yesterday, during the topside exam, Lieutenant Wolf didn''t lie even once, to me, or anyone.


    I simply wrongly assumed that advancing in rank meant anything conclusive. It''s so obvious, now that I give it some thought. My skills are obviously there, there''s no reason for me to be called a recruit anymore...


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    But that doesn''t mean the exam is over. I take a few steps towards the prisoner''s cell. "Good. Seems like you remember." Captain says, his voice once again full of sunshine and cheer. The prisoner gets increasingly agitated as he sees me walk up to his door.


    "Don''t you fucking dare. This wasn''t the fucking deal, you hear? I told you motherfuckers everything, everything! Don''t you fucking dare." he shouts out defiantly, but he is visibly nervous, almost verging on panic.


    "Novice Goat, something you need to know before you continue." Lieutenant Wolf announces from behind me. "Mmm. That''s right." Captain Bear chimes in, too.


    "Once you enter his cell, you can not leave until the prisoner is dead. Understood?" Lieutenant asks, and continues "No matter what he says, no matter what we say; once you enter, you will only leave once he is without a doubt, dead. Otherwise, you fail the exam."


    I nod in acknowledgement as I turn away from the Lieutenant back towards the cell. I understand what he is saying, but can I really do this? Should I do this? With every sentence either the Lieutenant or Captain says, the prisoner only gets angrier and more despondent.


    "No you are fucking dead, you are, motherfuckers! We have a shitton of guys- like a bunch of fuckin'' sodomites you came at night, why? ''cause you''re fuckin'' afraid you fuckin'' cartloads of fucking shit!" he screams his entire lungs out, inhales another lungful, only to scream out another one, "You think you''re fucking tough ''cause you slit bunch o'' my boys'' fucking throats while they were sleeping? You sons of a fuckin'' whore dog, if ye''d try fighting us you know you''d be fuckin'' bloated worm food!"


    Normally, someone shouting at me like that would already lose most of his teeth a while ago. But this man - he''s simply desperately trying to give himself some bravery and regain control of a situation, where he has none. Normally, I''d teach him a lesson.


    But I wouldn''t kill him. What lesson would he learn, if I did? ''Don''t mess with wrong people'' is the the moral of this story. But what good is this moral if he''s going to take it a short stroll away, into a grave? I''m considering backing out- but then I remember, there is no backing out. If I back out now, I won''t finish the exam. If I won''t finish the exam, I''ll never be allowed out. The prisoner''s continued yelling is greatly disturbing the weighing of my options.


    "We have a shitton of guys. You kill me, and then what? You''re going to just kill the rest of them all, just like that? You''ll wait until they all sleep? Good fucking luck! If you had the guts to unchain me and deal with me like men do, I''d fuck your eyesocket, ''captain'' fuckin'' assfucker!" The prisoner keeps shouting, spitting as he yells.


    I realize-- no, I already knew - I have no options. I step into the cell, drawing my dagger. "Good luck." I can hear Lieutenant Wolf say, as I pass the threshold between the outside and the inside. I stepped in, there is no way out now - other than the open wide cell door. The moment I step in, the prisoner''s show of bravery collapses.


    "Stay the fuck away from me you demon worshipper!" he instantly fully stands up, trying to use his chained hands to best to his ability to shield himself from me, poorly. I haven''t made a single step towards him yet since I entered his cell. Indeed, if he had a weapon and was free, I''d most likely not hesitate as much; a simple matter of me, or him.


    Thinking about a little, it already is a matter of me or him. With this rationalization being sufficient, I take a step forward--


    The prisoner retreats into the corner of the cell furthest away from me, and hugs it snugly with his back. Coincidentally, it''s also the only corner he can really move into. "No! I don''t want to die!" He screams out suddenly, I stop after a single step. There goes my will to kill the man. I look behind my back, hoping that either the Lieutenant or the Captain say something, but they both simply stare at me quietly, hands behind their backs, their masks not moving even a bit as they observe.


    I look back at the prisoner, trying to figure out what to do next. He''s a pitiful sight, hugging the corner as much as he can, trying to use his hands for protection - but the chains are too short to really allow him to. He stares at my dagger, not blinking for even a moment, as if to not let it out of sight at any cost, and rattling the chains quietly with how much he''s trembling from obvious fear.


    This is difficult. It''s no different from murder-- no, it is murder. An executioner can always say, ''this is the court''s verdict, it''s not my decision'' - and he''s free of responsibility. Who is he? What did he do? Does he really deserve this? I turn back again, "Is this really necessary? What did he even do? Is he a criminal?"


    But both the Lieutenant and the Captain are quiet. Their faces completely unmoving. However, the prisoner suddenly starts talking, "I did nothing! You don''t want to do this, I''m just a small-time thief. I did everything they asked! I told them everything! I told them where are our hideouts, where we stash the wares, how many of us there are, that was the deal! He told me if I say everything they''ll just hand me over to the city guards!" he pleads with me as he points at Captain Bear with his head, who doesn''t react.


    "Please sir, I beg you, please show mercy. You''re a human aren''t you? Please, I don''t want to die. I''m afraid. Have some mercy, sir." he desperately continues pleading. It''s difficult. It''s extremely difficult. I can tell he''s genuinely on verge of tears from fear.


    But can I really stop here? Did I really train this whole time, only to give up here? He mentioned others getting their throats slit at night - will I really be able to do something like that, if I''m not able to kill him right here? It''s difficult, and the man is desperate. But I am getting desperate as well. I haven''t come this far to simply give up and stop at the very end.


    I take another step, perhaps unsurprisingly, the man shouts out another string of pleas mixed with terror, "Nnnnnooo! Please! Please sir, I have children, please I beg you sir, think of my children sir!" he shouts out as he kicks his legs out at nothing in particular. I stop once again, I feel like I resolved myself to kill the man after all, but what about his children? Can I be the reason they never see him again? Am I--


    "Please sir, you don''t have to do this. I beg you. Just stop." The man says dejectedly as he slumps down, sobbing. It''s hard not to pity him. Who did he steal from to deserve this? Just how much? He clearly isn''t the only one, so why is the blame placed on him so heavily?


    Regardless, I have no choice. I have to do what I have to do. All I can do for him is to not cause him unnecessary pain; I already terrified him needlessly, something I''ll probably regret later tonight. I walk up within the range of my weapon and cock my arm back, trying to visualize mortal blow spots on his body, as it''s shrunken in the corner. When he witnesses me do this, he inhales sharply and shakily and looks me in the eyes.


    I have pity, but I can''t have mercy. I decide to strike his heart, the bloodloss should make him lose consciousness before he can suffer much. No different from hunting deer, just without a bow. I get ready to stab--


    "He''s right. You don''t have to do this. Come out." Lieutenant Wolf calls out suddenly. My mouth opens by itself from surprise, I''m left completely speechless. I take a glance over my shoulder, in utter disbelief that it was really the Lieutenant that said this. I look back to the prisoner, he''s in similar state of disbelief, as well gleeful.


    I feel like laughing. I''ve been made into an absolute fool. I''m glad my face is hiding my real expression, I must be grinning like an idiot. I rest my hands on my knees as I bend down to catch a few breaths. I really can''t believe the Captain and the Lieutenant kept the act up this long. I almost feel furious, but gratitude that they finally gave up replaces the anger.


    I look at the prisoner again, who''s clearly still afraid of me, but now he has a nervous smile on his face. I start laughing, despite my best effort, and the man laughs with me.


    At some point, I give up on trying to suppress the laughter and we just keep going until I feel better. A huge weight has been dropped off my shoulders, I put my dagger away, and turn to exit while still chuckling slightly. The Captain and Lieutenant haven''t moved a muscle, they observe me intently from behind their masks--


    My laughter stops, I seem to have swallowed it. My amused grin turns into a tight-lipped grimace. Captain Bear and Lieutenant Wolf are still staring at me as I''m a single step away from crossing the cell''s open door. The prisoner is still laughing uncontrollably, but I don''t feel like laughing anymore. I''ve come to a terrible realization just in time, or perhaps too late.

 Blood, mud and tears

    <div>


    I turn around, draw my dagger and walk within arm''s reach of the prisoner. "Hahah, hah- what are you doing? Stop!" he shouts out, as he immediately stops chuckling. His eyes widen again, and he once again instantly shoots up. I''ve already terrified him enough, no need to keep this up any longer. I picture the spot on his body that will lead to nigh-instant death if stabbed-- he suddenly kicks me, I''m staggered into the cell''s bars.


    "Noo! No! I don''t want to die, please!" he keeps shouting, alternating his pleas from before, in many variations, rapidly. At this point, I just want the man''s terror to end, more than anything else. I quickly lunge forward, focused on his heart, cocking my arm back while doing so, and finally stab to kill him instantly and without suffering; exactly as we were trained to - quickly and quietly.


    Training is one thing, reality another, as I find out when in last effort of desperation, he turns his torso around suddenly. The stab, of course, is delivered straight to his chest, just not where I was aiming. I pull the blade out instantly and jump back, hoping that will be enough.


    But instead of collapsing, the man lets out a high pitched, ear piercing, pained shriek that reverbs throughout the dungeon. Eventually as air in his lungs runs out, his voice trails off, he attempts to take a breath, but nearly the next instant he tries to, an almost breathless moan escapes his mouth. His breathing becomes rapid, shallow and expression on his face betrays that he''s suffering immensely as he slumps over forward while still standing, hanging by his chains.


    "Whyy? I''m going to die." He weakly wheezes out.


    He''s a sorry sight, he made a mistake moving when he should accept the inevitable. I close in to close in a proper stab, but the man suddenly kicks out and won''t stop kicking, "Noooooooooo-", he manages to yelp out, but a gurgling wet noise stops him, and he coughs up a splatter of blood with sickly hacking. I try again, this time I get past his legs and stab--


    But he desperately blocks my arm by shoving his in the way, our arms collide, and I only stab him with the very tip. He lets out a clenched-teeth moan, trying to vocalize something. I know what it is - more of the same. I try to change tactics. If I can''t deliver one highly precise hit, I''ll instead stab wherever he''s not covering himself; I''m bound to hit his heart eventually.


    His shirt had an off-white, earthy shade. Now, it''s almost completely red. I keep delivering stabs, but it''s like he''s a ghost - none of them seem to affect him much, other than grunts, moans and screams of pain. If not for those, I''d be convinced I''m stabbing a scarecrow. I try to pull his arm away, he resists.


    Suddenly, we both slip. I''m surprised; the dungeon didn''t seem damp, so why--


    I realize I have been stabbing the man so long, a pool of blood formed beneath us. It''s as if a pig was slaughtered here, but the prisoner still has plenty of strength to fight back- no, at this very point, he''s the strongest man I''ve ever fought. My tactic is clearly not working, "plrs, stwp, idhts..." the man mutters out, bloody drool flowing out of his mouth, but as he''s clenching his teeth and being very quiet, I can''t hear him. I only assume he''s only further trying to plead on something.


    He''s clutching onto my free arm, then I realize something important; he''s been protecting his torso only. I don''t know why it occurred to me only now, perhaps because the eyes are off-limit during training, and it would be mean to stab Owl in the neck with the training dagger? Whatever the reason is,


    I slash the prisoner''s throat while he''s busy holding onto my arm with all his might. The sudden sensation of a blade running through there seems to wake him up from his daze, as his half-open eyes suddenly widen, he lets go of my arm, and starts clutching at his massively bleeding wound instead. This time, it will be lethal, I know it; I caught both arteries.


    I back off from our chaotic struggle on the ground a bit. Sound of flowing liquid and the man''s gurgling fill an otherwise silent space. He looks me in the eyes with an odd expression as his arms slump and hang on the chains limply. His eyes suddenly lose focus and trail off to somewhere, he shudders for a moment, then is still, after letting out a last, gurgling breath. Only the sound of blood remains, as well as my strained breathing.


    I feel sick. I''ve had good intentions - as good as someone planning to kill someone else can have, at least. I wanted to spare him suffering and fear, and instead I made his death a macabre spectacle. Blood is everywhere. On him, on me, on the floor, walls. After what must have been an hour or two of torturing him, it''s finally over.


    "He''s dead, Novice Goat. You''ve passed the exam." Lieutenant Wolf states. A voice deeper in from the dungeon shouts out, "Was all that really fucking necessary, you fucking animals?!" I get up and start shambling out. Whoever it may be, he''s right. A man doesn''t do something this bestial to another man.


    Slack-jawed, I stare in the eyes of whoever is speaking at the moment, Captain Bear says, "Well, there was a lot to improve on, but in spite of everything..." he pauses, lifts his head, then looks back at me, continuing "You did well not falling for his deceit." the Captain glances at the Lieutenant, "As well as Lieutenant Wolf''s. Honestly, Novice, I did not expect the Lieutenant here to sabotage his favorite pupil..."


    "I thought that if I lure you into a little trap, the Captain will personally understand why the instructors speak of you highly." the Lieutenant says as he looks at the Captain for a second and continues, "I''m sure you have some questions. If you can keep it short and ask what we are allowed to answer; maybe you''ll get your answers."


    Indeed, I have a lot of thoughts, they''re swirling in my head like a maelstrom, so I instead pick an easiest one, I point to the cell and ask, "How long did this take?"


    The Captain and Lieutenant look at each other, Captain Bear hummmmms aloud, he then says "After you entered, including the time you wasted listening to his tripe? Five, give or take, seven minutes. That sound about right to you, Lieutenant?"


    "Yes. It does." Lieutenant Cat says in his usual tone, nodding slightly. Neither of them seem to be fazed in the slightest by what just occurred. Not to mention, seven minutes? That can''t be right. I''ve spent about five minutes listening to him, that''s right, but--


    No one lied to me about anything here, not even Lieutenant Wolf earlier; I really didn''t have to do this. Why would they be lying to me now? I''ll just assume it''s true. I ask another question.


    "What was the point of this? Why did a living, breathing human had to die, just for me to finish this exam?" I ask Lieutenant Wolf, but the Captain seems to be more interested in answering this instead.


    "Well, it wouldn''t make much sense to train you as a killer, only to have you not kill anyone, would it?" Captain Bear''s usual joyful tone is grating to me now, but I keep quiet and keep listening, "What would you do on a mission if you were told to assassinate someone, only for him to start begging for his life on his knees, all teary-eyed and calling on mercy for sake of his non-existent children? What would you do if you had to find out in the field, that most humans won''t take being killed lying down?"


    The Captain''s explanation makes sense. I hate it, but it makes sense. Non-existent, deceit, huh? I suppose that''s good. At least that''s one thing I don''t have to worry about. Suddenly, the Lieutenant chimes in as well.


    "If it makes you feel any better, Novice; he was a rapist and a murderer. Most likely, his victims were begging him for mercy, while he was mocking them for it."


    "A rapist? Murderer?"


    "That''s right." Captain Bear takes over, "''Just a thief''? What a load of shit. His band intentionally targeted defenseless lady merchants and magnates, a man with a weapon was too much for them. Though, what would you do if he truly was innocent, Novice? You''d back out? It doesn''t matter - guilty or not, we execute orders. And you''ve done well; you were convinced he''s not that bad, weren''t you?" he nods in sickening approval.


    Stolen story; please report."It''s still murder. A murder of a murderer is a murder. Am I really allowed to do something like this to another man? On whose authority? Inhuman slaughter--"


    "Have you murdered anyone in the broad daylight, Novice Goat?" Lieutenant Wolf asks me. The question is so bizarre, it knocks the guilt of murdering the prisoner out of me, "What? No, of course I haven''t--"


    The Lieutenant doesn''t even allow me to finish. "Of course you haven''t, Novice. We would have known if you did. Like wolves, humans are social creatures - they form packs and band for safety. Of course, wolves do not grasp the concept of robbery, murder, and they do not form kingdoms."


    He continues, "Humans do. Humans aren''t allowed to murder anyone; only a beast with not a shred of humanity would be so violent for so little reason to somebody. Right, Novice?" the guilt returns as he accuses me, but he suddenly asks "Why are you allowed to kill someone then, Novice?"


    That''s right, why am I? Why are you asking me a question I asked you?


    "Do you remember what I told you, when I handed you that block of wood? You remembered Captain''s words, I won''t hide, if you won''t remember mine, I''ll feel a little insulted." he asks, forcing a small chuckle out of the Captain.


    I try to remember what does he mean exactly, but he taps his mask with two fingers. "Starting to remember yet? Have you considered that maybe, you were wearing a mask of a human, and only got to wear your face around here?"


    I instinctively grip at my blood-coated face. Maybe the Lieutenant is right-- no, he''s definitely right. Why would he lie to me? He continues, "Well, that aside. Everything we do, every single act, is in service to the Empire and the Crown. Nothing is forbidden if you forward the Emperor''s will."


    As soon as the Lieutenant finishes, the Captain starts, "Beasts prey on humans at night, while they sleep. During the day, they blend in. Just like you did. Why do you think this part of the exam is at night, Novice? It''s hunting hour for us."


    This isn''t the response I was expecting. When I thought, ''this is inhuman, no man should be allowed to do this!'' I expected some form of justification. A reasoning, some explanation. I didn''t expect ''that''s right!'' thrown back at me.


    "Why me?" I ask, quite possibly my shortest question yet. The Lieutenant answers, "It''s simple. Do you think we recruited you at random? We investigate each potential recruit thoroughly; Hawk and I found your past interesting, I can see why he was so adamant about you."


    He looks at the dead prisoner, sighs, "You see, it''s hard to predict the actions of a madman." he looks at me and keeps going, "That''s why we have no madmen. That''s why as Hawk wrote, you are the perfect recruit. You may have shortcomings, but you are dedicated. You may have severe reservations about killing someone, but you will still carry it out. Make no mistake, we could have found someone who fights better than you. We could have found someone who loves killing. Despite what Lieutenant Cat is saying, we could have found a better lockpicking scoundrel with a penchant for bows and climbing..."


    For some reason, he looks at Captain Bear instead of me, "But finding someone with right balance of it all is extremely difficult." He sighs again.


    I''m extremely tired, the fatigue of fighting the prisoner and lack of sleep is hitting hard, so I take advantage of the pause to ask another question.


    "Can I leave?" to which Captain Bear immediately answers, "The fortress? No. Not until you''re reassigned, that''ll be shortly; don''t you worry. You''ll miss us yet, ha ha!" he chuckles, exchanges glances with the Lieutenant and says, "But the exam is over, you pass, so I guess that''s everything for tonight as far as we''re concerned. But, one important thing. Crucial, even, Novice."


    His tone shifts, "Do not tell anyone who didn''t attend the exam what transpired here. That''s all. There will be consequences otherwise." he finishes the rest of the sentence with his regular, jolly voice.


    The Lieutenant hands me a dirty-looking rag, points at a well by the entrance that I overlooked and says, "Clean yourself up first, and be quick about it."


    A short moment later, I wipe away most of the blood. I don''t think I''ll ever clean it all out, but I''m far too sleepy to care, and this method is too crude for it to work well. Lieutenant Wolf escorts me to my room and "orders" me to get good sleep. Not even taking my gear off, I fall asleep clutching at my face for comfort.


    I wake up to the sound of footsteps, a lot of them. Shit. I overslept both bells, but luckily my decision to sleep geared and the marching feet are my saviors. I squeeze myself out of my room after everyone passes by, and join the rear. Last night was absolutely terrible, I can''t talk to most recruits about any of it, especially not the green or faceless ones, but I know exactly who I can talk to.


    I spot Novice Owl during the morning assembly. Despite last night''s experience, knowing that usually family is there for you in tough times, and Owl basically being my younger brother around here, mere thought of supporting each other through hardship, be it with humor, or simply being there, brings a pained, but eager smile to daytime mask.


    After the Lieutenant is done, I do my best to slink through the crowd and follow Owl. I call out to him a few times, but he doesn''t hear me. I speed up my pace to catch up as we climb the stairs to the topside. "Owl! Owl! You got woken up at night too, huh?" I ask, to which he only says "Yeah."


    We walk outside and a fair bit across the fortress grounds; enough to be out of accidental earshot of some recruit meandering about. He takes a seat on the stairs leading to the battlements. "I should have known this was coming, how''d you do? I was pretty terrible-" Owl cuts me off, "I fucked up." he says. I immediately know what he means.


    "Yeah. Don''t worry about it, you probably saw the mess I made. Honestly, I don''t think you could possibly do worse, I feel bad for that guy--" Owl once again interrupts me, "I fucked up, I''m sorry." he says, as he hangs his head. I am taken aback a bit.


    "...Just how bad did you butcher yours? Seriously, in my case it was like a sla--" Owl for the third time cuts me off, shaking his head. "Goat, you don''t get it. I fucked up." he inhales deeply, sighs and takes his face off.


    Come to think of it, I never saw Owl with his face off, not once. I never cared; Owl is Owl. Only with his face off, I am starting to slowly understand what he meant. ''Just a kid'' is right. I know he''s most likely in his majority, but with his face off, he doesn''t look a day over fourteen. He stares at me with a tight-lipped grimace and wet eyes, sniffles, then says "I fucked up. I couldn''t do it, I''m sorry, Goat." and immediately starts looking at his feet after blinking rapidly. Wind blows, I look up; the seasonal ugly, gray sky seems to be transforming into a nice, clear blue one slowly. But.


    But Owl is doomed to stay here for at least another year, he''ll see the wet, muddy fortress grounds for another year. Leaves from the forest around it will eventually flood the courtyard once more, a sight he''ll get to see again. The battlements will be coated with snow one day, too. Isn''t this a waste? Not to mention.


    That''s if he stays here for only another year. I sigh, disappointed by myself. We are no brothers. It was a comfortable delusion borne out of my past. Family members can understand each other, but I once again displayed a complete lack of understanding towards Owl. I thought I was chasing him, but it turned out he was after me. I thought Owl was my rival, it turned out I was looked up to.


    I look at him, wondering if me failing him could have been prevented. He stares back at me, visibly sad. He seems to shrink and lean away a little, out of nowhere he asks, "Are you mad at me, Goat?" I immediately shake my head. Why would I be mad? It''s my failure for not recognizing I don''t understand you, Owl. I thought the gap between us that started when you first beat me narrowed to nothing when we passed the topside exam.


    Wind blows again, trees shake, and leafs rattle; gifting some noise to this otherwise almost eternally lifelessly quiet fortress. I realize now that while the gap may have been narrowed by then, it now has been irreversibly stretched, and any possibility of ever closing it destroyed.


    To date, I have never been more wrong. Despite everything, Owl managed to hold onto his humanity. I sigh again. I regret he ever looked up to me. Somehow, perhaps by mistake, this boy wandered into a den of animals. The only way to out is to pretend he''s one of us. I try to offer a word of advice, but it may be unwise to follow words of a manhunter as a man.


    "Owl, don''t let your skills dull. Do your best next year." What a tripe. Throw out your humanity, so you can return to it? I feel ashamed of myself saying something of so little substance, so I take my leave. I''m in no place to hand out advice to Owl. I''ll never be able to catch up back to him again, but it''s fine. I fit here with the rest just fine. I leave Owl to sit by himself on the stairs.

 Epilogue - Nyctophobia

    A few days later, the matter does not allow me to rest. I visit Lieutenant Wolf''s office. It''s very cluttered - almost the opposite of what I''d expect of the Lieutenant. Rolled up maps, documents, books piled up on the floor, a sword propped up against his desk; his desk, so cluttered you can only see the wood from the sides, is filled with same kind of things; books, documents, maps. Nothing in the room seems to have any decorative purpose, just storage. Naturally, I salute.


    "Novice Goat." he says, scribing something on a parchment, "To what do I owe the disturbance?" he asks, plucking his quill back into the inkwell and his hands finally become idle. Did he just make a sarcastic quip? "It''s about Novice Owl."


    "What of him?" He asks, very uninterested.


    "I wanted to ask what do you think about him passing the exam next year, Lieutenant. As well as what would happen if he doesn''t, at any point."


    "Well..." He says, pausing for a second, "Let''s say I have a decent amount of confidence he''ll do fine. And if he doesn''t... as long as he behaves, he''ll be fine." he momentarily spreads his hands apart, then reconnects them, "Anything else?"


    I utter out, "No, thank you, Lieutenant Wolf." then salute after, turning to leave the Lieutenant alone, he quickly blurts out, "Good thing I just remembered! Report to Lieutenant Cat for your assignment briefing in two weeks. Topside guards have already been informed you and a couple other Novices will be reassigned shortly."


    I simply say, "Sir." and turn to exit, but the Lieutenant leaves a parting remark.


    "I pity Novice Owl on a personal level." As he continues writing, fully immersed in his cluttered desk.


    Owl and I do not interact much in those, quite possibly, the longest two weeks of my life here. But eventually, time comes to report to Lieutenant Cat. To not disturb the recruits, I manage to catch him after his lockpicking lessons.


    I salute and report, "Lieutenant Cat, I''ve been ordered to report for assignment briefing." perhaps Lieutenant Wolf is rubbing off on me, but I just assumed his pose without thinking after saluting, and now I''m forced to go with it. "Mmm." The Lieutenant looks at me in silence for a moment. "You will be assigned to an outpost in the far south-west, near the border. Supposedly, the Emperor has his eyes set on the Paarnatau Kingdom. His Majesty''s magnanimous heart aches for the impoverished Paarnatau people, and he plans for them to become Imperial subjects. More hands are requested for upcoming operations." Lieutenant Cat whispers.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site."I understand, Lieutenant."


    He continues, "The wagon for you, and others, will be here in a day or two. I will let you know a few hours ahead of time, so try to not hide from me. Once wagon delivers you to the contact point - The Ale Bucket; once per day, exactly at noon, your contact will attempt to find you. He will use phrase-cipher ''Wine is sweeter than gold.'' to which you will identify-counter with, ''Price of gold is hard to swallow.'' do you understand?"


    "Understood, Lieutenant."


    "That''s all for now, Novice. You''re free to leave."


    "Lieutenant." I salute, and head for the door, but he whispers out something that makes me pause, "It''s a shame about Novice Owl." I look back at him, he adds "I was concerned he might fail, on the day of the exam." still whispering. I only answer, "Yes. It is."


    Nothing more, nothing less. Indeed, it is a shame. But it''s out of my hands. I have a new task now, I can only hope Owl manages to get by. Even though it''s not likely I''ll ever see him again, I''ll hope he somehow got by.


    Mere day later, Lieutenant Cat informs me the wagon will arrive today, while I''m biding my time. Few hours later, it''s already here. For security reasons, we are riding out with our gear off, faces included. Beasts cannot be seen stalking the day, after all. My ride here was on a quite comfortable carriage; my ride out is a bare cargo wagon packed full of other Novices, but I wouldn''t have it any other way, we''re very comfortable working in packs, after all.


    I arrive after multiple days of travel, a contact eventually identifies himself, and I''m taken to the outpost near Paarnatau. After taking a moment to learn this outpost''s traits, as well as my commanders and new faces, I''m assigned into a pack of mostly fresh Novices, lead by an experienced Sergeant.


    Not too long after, we are tasked with beheading the Paarnatau Kingdom''s strategic decision-making. Our action begins before any rumors of war even enter the public consciousness. We link up with the pack stationed in Paarnatau, receive their intelligence report, identify high value targets, their soft spots, decide on our methods; Paarnatau military is in complete disarray after their chain of command collapses overnight, rendered incapable of organizing any resistance, long before any of the Empire''s footmen march in. Due to my actions, the Kingdom''s forces never realized they were under attack. We leave Paarnatau before the war officially ends, but its people start to fear the night; tales to scare the children with form.


    When the moon hides behind the Natauyama; do not go outside, for the mountain beasts will devour you whole, leaving not a bone.