Gus woke up early the next day. His muscles were stiff and aching from the day before's ordeal. Every breath reminded him of the ten gruelling laps, of the sting in his heel, and the fire in his lungs. But he did not complain. He sat up, gritted his teeth, and swung his legs off the bunk.
The other trainees groaned from soreness. A few exchanged silent and worrisome tired glances. Gus got up from his bed and washed his face with the water from the basin. Then he tightened the makeshift bandage he made the previous day.
TRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!
The bell rung.
All the trainees groaned, but still got up. None of them could afford to miss their first meal of the day.
As everyone reached the cafeteria; The scent of oat porridge filled the air.
For breakfast they were served oat porridge with bread.
As trainees finished their breakfast, one by one the approached the room 1 for their everyday training. Gus arrived at the room 1 to begin training. Instructor Halrick was waiting for them. The newcomer's joined the ranks of the trainees. It took about fifteen minutes as everyone arrived to the training grounds.
"Attention recruits, today you will begin you training with three rounds of running." Halrick said loudly. "The person who does not finish or finishes last will have to give me fifty pushups." "Now begin."
As soon as Halrick's order completed the group of trainees started running. Each of them trying as hard as they could to one-up each other. Gus stayed in the middle of the round. With every step, his leg hurt more. The pain was gradually cumulated. Soon, Blood flow that had stopped in the morning started flowing through his heels again. Gus could not run properly he started to fall back. After the second round, Gus was at the end. Gus completed the final round at the last place. The crowd of trainees stopped in front of Halrick.
When Gus finally reached the group Halrick motioned him to come forward. Then Halrick said with blatant disregard for Gus's bleeding leg, "start the counts, boy."
Gus immediately got into pushup position and started to do pushups. As Gus was continued with the pushups Halrick made everyone else form a circle. Before Halrick could continue two soldiers brought in two opened barrels of weapons.
"Everyone of you maggots, from today on will be carrying these wooden weapons. Ach weapon has same amount of weight as any normal weapon has." Halrick said. "Today we are going to see what your levels are." Then Halrick pointed at two exhausted trainees. "Both of you must fight each other until one of you is knocked out. Now choose your weapons."
Halrick then asked Gus, "How many pushups left, maggot?"
"Seven more pushups, sir."
"Don't bother. Get up, you're going next." Halrick said.
The two trainees; both had chosen their weapons. One of them picked a staff that was bulging at the top, clearly a standing for a spear. The other selected two short sticks.
"Begin." Halrick said.
The one with the staff spun around himself and used momentum added with the length of his weapon struck his opponent. The opponent tried to block the staff by parallelly holding his sticks. But alas the staff broke through the bad defense as the staff hit the kid right in the chest. The kid gritted through the pain and held the staff with his forearms. The kid with the staff tried to pull his weapon back, but his staff was locked in by his opponent in the forearms. Then, the baton carrying trainee dropped on of the sticks and held the opponent's spear, he then pulled his arm holding the spear back to close the distance. The one carrying the spear closed the distance intending to kick his opponent. The opponent gritted as the kicked landed on his thigh. The kid then caught the leg which the spear carrying kid had kicked him with. Then he raised the opponent's leg, making the kid with the staff fall. The kid with the baton stopped his attack, as the one with spear raised both his hand in surrender letting go of the staff.
"Finish him. You must knock your opponent out." Halrick instructed with a straight face.
Hesitation showed over the kid with the batons face. The grip on the baton trembled. But he had no other choice.
Then he used swift motion with his stick hit the surrendering guy on the chin. The other kid head jolted, his brain rattling inside his skull the kid lost consciousness.
"Remember, my job is train you for battlefield. Your opponents don't deserve mercy only your cruelty. Any hesitation may lead you to your grave." Halrick said loudly. Then Halrick looked towards the winner and asked, "what's your name?"
"Hal, sir." The kid said with his head down.
Halrick took out a small notepad with and attached pen and wrote down the kid's name.
"Drag the loser and sit in the circle." Halrick said then pointed towards Gus and a bigger boy, and continued, "You two. Choose your weapon and come in the center."
As Gus approached the weapon bin; he could see hundreds of weapons. He decided to choose a wooden bastard sword. His opponent decided to go with a long hammer.
Both Gus and the kid lined up facing each other, as Halrick ordered, "Begin."
The kid raised his hammer and dropped it; its length was such that it easily reached Gus. Gus dodged the hammer by moving left. His heel jolted with pain as his entire body weight had moved abruptly. Gus used his Bastard sword as support and regained his balance. Then he swiftly rushed towards the kid with the hammer. The kid tugged at the hammer and pulled it. His grip reached near the hammer's head. Gus as he reached the Kid swung his Bastard sword. The Kid used the bar of the handle to block the strike.
Then the kid tried to kick Gus, who jumped backward with the sword. As the kick missed, the kid had to advance a step forward to not lose his balance. Gus used opportunity to lift the sword overhead and dropped it. The kid again raised his hammer to block the strike using the hammer bar. But alas the sword broke through the handle hitting the kid on the head. As the sword touched the skin on the head, it ripped through the skin only stopping as it reached the Cranium. A gush of blood spurted through the kid's head. Halrick immediately rushed to the kid to check for damages. Luckily, for now; the kid survived Halrick took out a bottle from his utility belt and poured the contains over the kid's injury. The injury started to heal. Halrick then sigh ed a sigh of relief. Then he looked at Gus.
As Gus felt the sword hitting and piercing the skin, he tried to his best to stop, but he was unable to stop the momentum he had built. Then blood spurred on Gus's face. He had been in similar situation before with Claus. Though difference between the two situations were like comparing sky with the ground. During the Claus, situation it was his survival instinct that drove his actions. He had to do it if he wished to survive, and he committed to it beautifully. But in the current situation; there was no survival instinct, just a cold bloodedness to succeed that drove his actions. He had almost killed someone just to prove himself better than his opponent.
The guilt haunted Gus as it crept trough. Then Halrick approached the motionless Gus and shook him. As Gus regained his composure the only thing he heard his trusted teacher say was, "good work, kid! What's your name." Shocked flushed against Gus's face a kid had almost died. Then he realized it; Halrick does not care. 'He doesn't care whether we die or live. He only cares that we can be good soldiers. If we don't he is gonna drop us like a lizard dropping its tail.' Gus thought.
Then he glared Halrick in the eyes. "Gus" Gus finally answered.
Halrick decided to ignore the glare and noted Gus's name down. Then said, "Okay 'Gus' carry your opponent and join the circle, your task here is complete."
The Halrick continued as if nothing happened.
Gus had taken a seat beside Hal, the kid who used the Batons in previous fight.
"That was cold, wasn't it? These people do not care about us one bit." Hal whispered to Gus.
Gus nodded.
"Try to go bit easier next time, okay Gus?" Hal said.
Gus raised his eyes. He had thought that any normal person watching what happened, would automatically blame him. Then he looked at Hal and said, "you…... you don't blame me."
"No, since this was a mistake. The only one to blame might be instructor Halrick. So don't worry, just be a bit ca…." Hal was cut off by Halrick's roar
"Quiet, you are not to say a single word. Anyone chatting hereby will have to run 5 more rounds around the ground."
Gus and Hal immediately stopped talking looked ahead as the third round began.