*One week later*
Dorian had finally reached the finish line, gasping for breath as the sun mercilessly shined from above. Grabbing a pouch of water, Dorian greedily drank almost all of the water inside. Right behind him, Farnell stumbled to the finish line and collapsed. “I…finally…made it…”
Dorian managed to form a grin and handed another pouch to Farnell. “Here you…go…”
Farnell weakly grabbed the pouch and drank. After several seconds, he finally stopped and put the pouch down. “Thanks…” Dorian offered Farnell his hand and helped him stand up. Farnell took it and managed to stand. “I knew…I needed…to be more…in shape. I had thought…they’d break us in…rather than go…all in.”
Dorian nodded, finally having caught his breath again. “Yeah, though we are ‘special operations.’ I don’t know of any spec ops squad that wasn’t pushed to their limits almost immediately.”
“Yeah…true…but I don’t know…why my aptitude test…said I was perfect for this.”
“Well…you may say you’re out of shape, but you managed to finish the five-mile marathon, as second to boot. You have potential in my opinion.”
Farnell nodded, also having caught his breath. “Thanks…I’m surprised how quickly you were able to finish the marathon. No offense, but you don’t look like someone who’s in shape.”
Dorian sighed. “Yeah, I certainly don’t look like it, but I’ve maintained my fitness for as long as I can remember.”
At that moment, Dorian’s and Farnell’s gazes were drawn to Ethan as he crossed the finish line. Much to their shock, Ethan was not breathing heavily. After taking a few gulps of water from a pouch, Ethan walked over to the two of them. “So, it seems you two finished before me.”
Dorian nodded. “Yeah, but both of us were out of breath when we finished. You seem just fine.”
Ethan folded his arms and scoffed. “I wasn’t running as fast as I possibly could. I was running as one normally would for a long-distance marathon, not a short sprint. Remember, it’s not wise to use all your energy in one task. One day you’ll be thanking me for this lesson.”
“I…see.” Farnell looked a bit uncomfortable as even a week later he still couldn’t talk to Ethan without being talked down to. After several minutes, the others had crossed the finished line, all exhausted and desperate for water. Meredith, who had stayed behind the last person to make sure no one was resting during the marathon, immediately called for everyone to gather around her. “Alright, not that we have finished the marathon, it’s about time to start my favorite part of your class work for the day: a mock battle!”
Everyone except Ethan groaned. Meredith shook her head. “Come on everyone! You can’t expect to have a long break during a mission in which you’re exhausted. You might have to fight a group of people right after staying up all night and doing many labor-intensive tasks. This all has to be second nature to you.”
Digby nodded. “Yeah…you’re right. It’s also the same just for a simple foot soldier, not just special operations.”
Meredith smiled. “Exactly! Now, instead of this being a one-on-one free for all, I’ll be splitting you all up into two teams of four each. Team one: Evanna, Digby, Aaron, and Ethan. Team two: Dorian, Farnell, Amira, and Olive. Please follow me to the training site.”
Dorian looked at Meredith as they walked. Wait…all four from team one are somewhat skilled already. Whereas my team…
A few minutes later, they arrived at an outdoor arena. “Alright, team one head to the left side. Team two, head to the right. There are wooden weapons for each team on both sides, weapons that fit your weapons of choice.”
As the two teams split up, Farnell glanced at Dorian. “Is it just me, or are all of our somewhat experienced classmates on one team…and we’re on the other?’
Dorian sighed. “It sure seems that way…”
“Maybe she’s trying to teach us how to deal with pain? Toughen us up for when we’re on our missions?”
“I…doubt that’s why she chose the teams the way they are, though that probably is a benefit to the teams being split up the way they are.”
As they all reached their side, they immediately spotted a table with weapons laid on top of it. Dorian’s eyes immediately spotted two wooden short swords placed directly next to each other. Picking them up, he took a few practice swings. Heavier and clunkier than an actual short sword…but at least the hilt is made of metal so I don’t get splinters.
Glancing to his left, Dorian watched as Farnell picked up his weapon of choice, a pole staff. Amira and Olive both picked up a single short sword and shield each. “So, you like fighting with pole staffs?”
Farnell nodded slightly. “I grew up in a small village, and I was given some lessons on how to fight with these when I was little…though it’s been over a decade since I’ve actually picked one up. I’m going to be pretty rusty.”
Dorian looked at Amira and Olive. “What about you two?”
Amira looked nervous. “W-well…I’ve never…actually fought with a weapon before…so when asked what I prefer…I just went with a sword and shield. It’s what I picture when someone talks to me about a foot soldier.”
Olive nodded. “Same with me. It’s the standard weapons given to you in the military unless you request differently. Might as well learn how to fight this way as there’s more people to help you when you need it.”
A loud voice overhead interrupted their conversation. “Alright everyone! It’s time to begin the mock battle! The goal is simple: knock out everyone on the other team. Once you’re hit on your body with the wooden weapon, you’re out. The battle will begin when the bell sounds. Get into positions, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you’re all capable of!”
So…we don’t even have time to form a strategy…this is going to be…interesting.
Both teams lined up, waiting or the bell, which soon sounded.
Digby and Evanna ran forward in unison, followed by Ethan and Aaron. Everyone from team two just ran forward without any plan.
Digby and Evanna are going to be the biggest threat. Dorian thought to himself. If I can take those two out then maybe…
Dorian slightly separated himself from the group, hoping to catch Digby and Evanna’s attention. He was successful as they diverted their course to attack him. Digby’s using a longsword while Evanna is using only one short sword…interesting.
Farnell, Olive, and Amira stuck together and had begun to engage Ethan and Aaron, but to little success. Ethan and Aaron’s prior experience with weapons was already giving them a major advantage, despite being outnumbered.
I guess I’ll have to take out these two before they’re overwhelmed. Dorian dashed forward and met Digby first, his two swords swung in unison knocking Digby back. Evanna stopped running forward and stood in front of Digby, prepared to block any blow Dorian might give.
Digby quickly got back up as the two of them split up, one going to the right and the other the left of Dorian. In sync, they both charged forward, swords swinging. Dorian was surprised by how much strength Evanna was giving her swings, which made her choice of only a short sword surprising to him.
Digby also was quicker than expected, able to handle the longsword as if it was a short dagger. With expert handling, Digby on his own forced Dorian on the defensive as Evanna used her strength to force an opening.
However, after several seconds, Dorian began to grow accustomed to their fighting style and soon launched a counterattack. Using strength that overpowered Evanna and dexterity gained through years of training, Dorian soon turned the tables and had them on the defensive. However, in the corner of his eye, Dorian spotted Aaron and Ethan running towards him, having defeated the other three.
Crap…this isn’t good…I could defeat them if I went full-power but…
As Ethan and Aaron reached Dorian, rather than risk getting serious, Dorian slowed down his actions, allowing Digby to hit him on the side.
The bell rang again as Meredith again spoke on the intercom. “And that’s the battle. Congratulations team one! It’s quite obvious you all have had some experience with fighting. Team two…you have plenty to work on. Tomorrow, we’ll begin training in combat, especially the members of team two. That is all. Dorian, stay there. Everyone else, you’re dismissed for the day.”
Farnell glanced at Dorian as everyone else walked away. “What did you do to be told to stay here?”
Dorian shrugged. “Beats me…hope I’m not in trouble.”
Farnell chuckled and turned to walk away. “Well good luck…”
“Thanks.”
After Farnell had walked away, Meredith appeared on a ledge above Dorian. “So…why’d you hold back?”
“What?”
“During the fight, you could have demolished both Digby and Evanna easily. You held back so much that even from a distance, I could tell. Of course, considering it was probably their first real fight with someone, they didn’t figure it out, but it’s disrespectful to hold back versus an opponent, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I can’t disagree…”
Meredith sighed. “The whole reason I split the teams like that was to gauge what you’re capable of. The intelligence agency personally recommended you after all. Only the best of the best are allowed to work for them.”
“Yeah…that’s true…”
Meredith shook her head. “Next time, fight as if your life depended on it. Unless I can gauge what you’re truly capable of, there’s no way I’ll be able to set a training regimen for you.”
Dorian shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
“Hm?”
“If I fought to my limit, even with a wooden weapon, they would have been severely injured. However, if you’re so desperate to see how strong I am…I’m willing to fight you right here right now. I’ll go full force. You should be strong enough since you were in spec ops. So, how about it, Instructor? Care for a duel?”
ns 15.158.61.20da2
