Soul of the Warrior

"We'll probably split up from this point going forward," Fira said as the Party sat around the tavern table. "Sera will go where I go, and I'll be going to the Mage Corps. Sten, Dowell, and Cinna, you'll most likely go to the regular infantry. We don't have our own horses, and that's a requirement to join a cavalry unit - they don't supply those to anyone but officers - and you're a bit young and inexperienced."   Sten shared a look with Dowell and Cinna.   "We understand. At this point, we don't really care where they stick us; we just want to help get our families back," Sten said.   "I'm sure they're fine," Fira consoled, reaching her hand out to pat Sten's.   "Reivyn, on the other hand, you have options," she continued. "You're a Caster Class, so you could come with me to the Mage Corps, or you could go to the infantry."   "Either one works for me," Reivyn detected a slight frown from Fira at that answer. "The needs of the army will dictate what I choose."   "If you say so," Fira said. Reivyn could tell she wasn't entirely enthusiastic about it. "We'll go to one of the recruitment centers tomorrow. They'll be able to point us in the right direction at any one of them."   "I'll need to swing by the Adventurer's Guild to place my commission for the information on how to get back home, first," Reivyn said.   "That's fine. We can make a detour on the way," Fira nodded.   The Party members had already made up their minds to assist in the war effort, so they quickly ate their meal. The banter at the table was subdued as everyone contemplated the immediate future.   Seems like I'm going back to my roots, Reivyn thought. I can only hope the command structure is half as good as Knight-Captain Reifold and Knight-Lieutenant Brand, though.   The dinner quickly wrapped up. Sten, Dowell, and Cinna left immediately for their shared room. They weren't exactly in the mood to have a jovial conversation. Reivyn looked at Fira and tilted his head and flicked his eyes up toward the upstairs. Fira nodded her head and they made their way to her room.   "Sera, stay out here for a moment," Fira said outside the door. Sera crossed her arms and glared at Fira, clearly disapproving of the decision.   "No, it's fine," Reivyn interjected. Both Fira and Sera looked at him in surprise. "It's not that kind of visit."   Fira stared at him for a second before turning to open the door without a word. Reivyn waited for the two girls to walk into the room before following them in. Fira walked over to the bed and took a seat on the edge, looking up at Reivyn. Sera stood to the side, arms still crossed as she examined him from head to toe as well.   "I hope you're not thinking of getting with the both of us," Fira said with a glare. That statement caused Sera's face to morph into shock. She apparently hadn't considered such a scenario. Her frown deepened as her glare turned sharp.   "What? No!" Reivyn quickly denied. "I just wanted to talk."   Fira continued to glare at him skeptically before she broke into a grin and started laughing.   "You should have seen both of your faces!" She laughed, pointing at the two of them. Sera huffed in annoyance, and Reivyn mentally wiped his brow, his heart beating a mile a minute. This girl...   "I asked Sera to be here just for her peace of mind," Reivyn explained after Fira had calmed down. "I know she's overprotective of you, and I'm not going to put her in a compromising situation."   "Well, thank you for your consideration of Sera, but what about your consideration for me?" Fira quirked an eyebrow.   "It is in consideration for you. What do you think your parents would say when Sera inevitably reports this to them?"   "Sounds like it's more consideration for yourself."   "It's for both of us, ok?" Reivyn rolled his eyes.   "Man, you're really easy to tease tonight," Fira stuck her tongue out at him. "So what did you want to talk about?"   "Nothing super important. Can't I just want to talk to you?" Reivyn made to sit next to Fira on the bed, but he glanced at Sera and thought better of it. He dragged a chair over from the small sitting area to the side to sit in front of her. He was a little lower and had to look up at her, but he didn't mind.   "I suppose," Fira said, idly twirling her hair in her finger. The motion was a slight distraction for Reivyn, but he quickly snapped out of it.   "So, is this Tier 3 kingdom a vassal state to your empire?"   "Uh huh," Fira nodded.   "So then why don't you commandeer the situation?" Reivyn asked with a frown. "Aren't you everyone's superior?"   "Technically, yes. But it doesn't work that way. Right now we don't know if it's another one of our vassal states invading or if it's a rogue city-state within the kingdom vying for control. In either of those scenarios, it would be viewed as an internal matter, and our job would be to only help when called for. We would help minimize the damage and then arbitrate between the two parties.   "If it's a non-vassal state invading, then it would be appropriate to take charge because then it's not an internal matter. It would be another empire encroaching upon us, and it might very well turn into a multi-Region conflict. Maybe even between the two Tier 4 empires directly.   "For the most part, vassal Regions are fairly autonomous. We facilitate trade between them, us, and each other while siphoning some of the resources and higher talented individuals from them. In return, some of the talented people who don't like the fiercer competition will migrate back down, and we offer protection from outsiders and monsters that are too difficult for them to handle."   "I see. So you're objective is to essentially scout out the situation and make sure you don't need to call in the big guns."   "Big guns? What's a gun?"   Reivyn was confused for a second as he stared at Fira, not knowing what she was talking about. He startled after he realized what he had said.   "I have no idea. It just popped out. Anyway, that's not important. I just meant you need to make sure you don't have to call reinforcements from your people."   "You say the strangest things sometimes, but yes, that's one of the reasons. Actually, the bigger reason is still Life Experience. Just to be safe, I already sent a message to my family letting them know the situation, and they'll be the ones to determine the next best course of action overall. I'm still pretty low on the totem pole, all things considered, and if our intervention is needed, my parents will send one, or a few, of my older siblings to take command. They'll still definitely send more protection for me, though.   "In an emergency, I have the power to take command, but I'm less likely to be taken seriously than one of my older brothers or sisters." Fira held her hand out in front of herself, indicating her youthful face.   "I dunno... I think you're pretty amazing," Reivyn wiggled his eyebrows.   "I'm talking about my fighting capabilities and command experience. Not... what you're talking about."   "Who said that's not what I'm talking about?"   "You haven't even seen me fight!"   "I can infer. I know your Class and associated Affinity for it, and you've told me how much Mana you have. That tells me you have really high Mental Stats to empower your Spells. Plus, a girl as pretty as you couldn't possibly be average." Reivyn winked. Fira rolled her eyes.   "Hush, you. What do my superior looks have to do with my abilities?" Fira flung her hair over her shoulder. Reivyn simply smiled as Fira obviously preened under the compliment. "What I want to know, is why did you say you weren't going to go with me to the Mage Corps?"   "Because we should put our personal feelings aside for the overall situation," Reivyn said seriously. "We'll be busy and not able to interact with each other nearly as much as we have been regardless of where I go, and we'll still have downtime where we can meet up when we're not. Once we march out to actually confront the bad guys, we won't have time to spend with each other anyway."   "All the more reason we should have had Sera wait outside," Fira muttered petulantly. Sera gave her a skeptical look through her brows.   "All the more reason for me to be here, you mean," Sera said. Fira stuck her tongue out at her.   "Speaking of the ensuing conflict, how long do you think it will take to send out the messages to figure out how to get back to my home?" Reivyn asked.   "That depends on how far away it is," Fira answered.   "I got an Achievement for traveling further than ten million miles away."   "Wow, that far, huh? In that case, it could take three to five years for a round trip. Then it'll be several months, most likely, jumping from teleport to teleport in the Tier 4 empires, as well as the time it takes to travel to there from here.   "So you're looking at anywhere from three and a half to six or seven years before you reunite with your family."   "That's half my age," Reivyn said as he took the information in. "I guess I have plenty of time to participate in the war, then. Why would it take so much longer for the messages to travel than to actually make the trip"   "Are you trying to get away from me sooner?" Fira cocked an eyebrow. She put her hands on her hips as she gave Reivyn a severe look, but it didn't quite work as well from her sitting position.   "You know that's not what I mean," Reivyn rolled his eyes, and Fira broke into a giggle. "You're really in a mood tonight."   "You know it. Anyway, it will take longer to send the messages than the trip because the people involved aren't going to prioritize it as you would. It might sit unanswered at a specific location before it's passed along for quite some time. You never know."   "Noted. Your family is rich, isn't it?"   "Ye~s? Why bring that up? I'm not going to pay for your running away from me if that's what you're thinking."   "Nothing of the sort," Reivyn shook his head. "I just figured you could go with me when the time comes if you wanted."   "Woah, I know we're getting closer and all, but isn't that a little sudden?" Fira looked down and to the side shyly.   "I meant to just accompany me on the trip."   "In that case, we'll see. It's still a little early to make any plans that far in the future, but... I'll consider it."   "Good."   Reivyn stayed for close to an hour talking with Fira. Sera remained silent, standing to the side, and Reivyn almost forgot about her presence, much like Erik used to fade into the background.   After an hour, Fira started to yawn, and Reivyn stood up to make his exit. Fira followed him to see him out. Reivyn opened the door and turned one last time toward Fira. She stood close, looking up at him expectantly. Reivyn reached out and ran his hands through her hair as she leaned into his touch.   He pulled his hand back, but he swooped it down again, snaking it around her waist to pull her closer to him. He bent down and placed a deep kiss on her lips. It was no quick peck like the first one he stole from her. She melted into his arms, and they were both lost in the sensation.   "About time," Sera said, startling the two out of their moment. Fira turned her head sharply and glared at her companion fiercely. Sera just chuckled. Fira turned back to Reivyn, but the moment was over.   "It's getting late," she sighed. "I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."   "Goodnight," Reivyn said. Fira closed the door reluctantly, and Reivyn headed to his room.         Breakfast was still a subdued affair. Reivyn and Fira shared some looks with each other, but they still didn't flaunt anything in front of the others. It was obvious that Sten, Dowell, and Cinna knew about their relationship, but that wasn't an excuse to ignore their feelings and get all happy in front of them.   "I suppose this is as good a time as any to officially disband our Party," Fira said. The others stopped eating as they looked at her. Sten nodded his head.   "I speak for all three of us when I say it was a pleasure to Party with you," he said. "I know I liked to complain a lot when we went to the Lizaldon settlement, but we're grateful you chose us to Party with. If we hadn't joined you, we would either be dead or captured ourselves."   "I hadn't really even considered that possibility. Regardless, I'm glad it worked out."   Fira dismissed the Party, and Reivyn couldn't help but feel a slight loss at the broken connection. He understood it was just superficial, and they were still right next to each other, but he couldn't help how he felt.   Everyone finished eating and shared a look with each other before getting up to head to the Adventurer's Guild. Reivyn paid more attention to the surrounding people as they made their way along the streets than he had the day before, as they had been practically rushed to the admin building to report to the City Lord.   He noticed that the clothing of the average person was of superior quality and cut, and the gear that he could see on the Adventurers and soldiers was clearly superior, as well. The Tier of metal and leather used in constructing the gear was higher, and it was clearly made with higher Skill from the Lifestyle Classes who made it.   "Do you see what I meant about you being from a land of giants?" Fira said, looking at him sideways.   Reivyn looked closer at the people in the crowds, and he noticed that the average person only came up to his chin. He hadn't really ever compared himself to other people before, and he had thought he was pretty typical for a fit young man. Looking now, though, he saw that not only did he stand almost a head taller than most of the people around, not just the women and younger teenagers, but his overall build was much broader and more muscular.   It has to have been my Bloodline fully unlocking, along with the time loss, Reivyn realized. People's Stat gains from Leveling don't affect their body shape, but someone's own efforts do. That also includes people's natural height and build. My Bloodline was dormant for most of my life. There hadn't been too much time from the Stat gains unlocking for it to have affected me noticeably, but now that's changed.   "I guess I just hadn't finished growing before I got here," Reivyn said sheepishly.   "You grew a head taller in the time it took you to go from there to here?" Fira asked skeptically.   "Yes?" He didn't know how to succinctly explain the situation, especially not with all the extra ears around. It was one thing for him to tell Fira more about himself, but he wasn't that close with the others.   "If you say so."   It was a quick jaunt to the Adventurer's Guild where Reivyn submitted his request, and it wasn't long before they reached the recruitment center. There were men and women standing out front, some in uniform and others in civilian attire, directing the volunteers in two different directions.   "Martial Classes and Hybrid Classes line up to the right! Caster Classes line up to the Left!" They called out to the people continuously as more people streamed in.   At least it appears that a lot of people are going to be volunteering, Reivyn thought as he noticed the numbers. There were already about twice as many people waiting in the various lines to volunteer as had been conscripted for the Dungeon claim.   "This is where we part ways, temporarily," Fira stopped and faced Reivyn. He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it, as Sten, Dowell, and Cinna continued on to get in line. Reivyn could feel and Sense several jealous gazes directed his way from the bystanders watching. They weren't hostile like they wanted to jump in and declare, "who do you think you are!" or anything, but he could tell the others were envious of the display of affection with such a pretty girl.   "Yes, temporarily," Reivyn nodded. "We still have our rooms at the inn, so we'll still see each other every night until further notice."   "I already can't wait until evening," Fira said before blushing. Reivyn chuckled.   "Go. Wow them with your amazing talent."   "There's no doubt about that," Fira flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Don't mess up and make me look bad. I have an image to uphold."   Reivyn laughed and shook his head as they separated to join their respective lines.   The line moved quickly, as it broke up into several inspection sections to gauge the capabilities of everyone volunteering in order to put them in the right place.   "Have any identity tokens that have a record of your accomplishments ready, and place your hand on the orb," staff members were calling out instructions as they moved forward. Other people were behind the tables with the orbs, writing things down and waving the volunteers in the right direction. Reivyn stood taller than most of the people in line, so he had a clear view of everything that was taking place.   After about a ten-minute wait, it was already Reivyn's turn to step up to a table. Sten, Dowell, and Cinna had already gone through, having gotten several spaces ahead in line as Reivyn and Fira had said their farewells to each other. He glanced at his Status one last time to ensure that he left out his Mythic Skill, but he kept his Legendary Heroic Bearing on display on his false "public" Status page. He didn't know if the orb in use was high enough Tier to pierce through the deception, but he doubted it. Even if it was, it probably wasn't that big of a deal.   Hopefully, he thought to himself as he handed over his Magic Academy and Adventurer Guild tokens. He placed his hand on the orb and felt the tingle of Mana. The orb lit up with a noticeably brighter glow than the previous applicants, and the staff member did a double take from all of the information on display from the three sources.   "If you would step to the side and wait a moment," the man said after regaining his composure.   Reivyn hadn't seen anyone else be asked to stand aside. He moved to the indicated location with a frown on his face.   "Is there some sort of problem?" Reivyn asked.   "No problem," the man denied. "I just need to call a superior over. It will just be a moment."   "Ok."         Kaerl sat at his desk, bored out of his mind as he "supervised" the inspection of the volunteers. After it got up and running, he had literally nothing to do. The other soldiers and staff members knew their jobs well, and they didn't need to be micromanaged. None of the volunteers caused any problems either. The types of people lining up to join the military during this time weren't the type to cause trouble. At least not right away.   That'll change if things go south and we have to conscript people, he thought. Adventurers don't appreciate their time being "stolen" like that, as they see it. Even the ones that were on the fence about volunteering will be resentful at that point. Let's just hope it's not as serious as that.   The only good thing about that kind of situation is the Level and competency of the conscripts. Most of the people lining up so far to volunteer are just low Tier 3. There has even been a couple of high Tier 2 babies rushing to throw their lives away.   Kaerl leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, feet on the desk in front of him. He was beyond the point of caring that he was giving a nonchalant appearance in front of the civilians. What do they know or care about proper military discipline and bearing?   He felt a tingle run down his spine, and he brought his gaze down from the ceiling to spot a young man standing off to the side of one of the inspection tables, looking in his direction. The young man didn't have an expression on his face, but he could detect disapproval from it. The feeling was so palpable and reminded him so much of his Company Commander, that he subconsciously threw his feet off the table and straightened up.   It was then that he noticed the inspector in charge of the young man's table was walking toward him.   Finally, something to do!   "What is it, Corporal Wailen?" Kaerl asked excitedly. His enthusiasm for engaging with the corporal startled the man momentarily, but he recovered and passed him a couple of sheaves of paper. They were forms printed out from the interface of the token inspection.   "This young man over there, Reivyn," he jerked his head in the direction of the youth Kaerl had just spotted, "is a bit of an anomaly. You instructed us to bring you anything that stood out like this."   "So I did," Kaerl said as he examined the papers handed to him. "Number 1 in his Class at the Magic Academy - what's he doing over here in this line? Hybrid Class? - Leader of his own official Adventurer Party with several credits... Previous member of a Lord's Retinue... Let's see, here... Fought against a Tier 3 undead incursion while still Tier 1 - wait, what? - Fought in a Tier 4 Siege battle... Assigned the position of Aide with the rank of Warrant Officer... Experience with actual Command... And he's fourteen years old?!" Kaerl's eyebrows rose higher and higher as he read off each accomplishment.   "Quick, hand me the paper from the orb inspection," he held his hand out to Corporal Wailen. The man handed the paper over promptly. "This here says... all of his Stats are above 200?! We'll have to get him to check with a higher Tier orb to get a more accurate description. What kind of Skills does he have?" Kaerl scanned his eyes down the significant list. The list only gave an approximation of his mastery level, but the Skill Level wasn't as important as simply having some crucial Skills.   "Swords, Spears, Bows, Pugilist... all close to or at Master level. What?!" Kaerl shook his head to clear his mind. "He has Command and Battlefield Awareness at nearly the Apprentice level, Commanding Shout - I don't even have Commanding Shout, yet - and Inspiration at Apprentice level. He also has a Legendary Skill: Heroic Bearing?!" That probably explains the feeling I got from his gaze.   "Take me to him."   "Yes, sir," Corporal Wailen said, turning on his heel to take him toward the young man in question. He saw the frown on his face deepen as he approached him. He smiled to try and dispel any worry. It seemed to work, as he noticed the young man relax a little.   "Reivyn, is it?" Kaerl asked. The youth nodded his head. Now that I get a closer look, I can tell he's younger than most of the other people here. The baby face he likely had is gone, but remnants of it still haven't been fully outgrown yet. "I'm First Lieutenant Kaerl. I'm sure you're wondering why we've had you step aside. It's nothing serious. Your Stats, Skills, and Accomplishments flagged you for an officer's review. If you'll follow me?"   Reivyn nodded to Kaerl and got in line behind him as Kaerl led him into the building where the inspections were being held in front of. He walked down a hall and entered a large conference room. It was filled with people sitting in seats paying attention to a presentation at the front of the room.   Kaerl paused as he spotted another trio of people who had entered the room right ahead of him with some other newbies, but they were obviously arriving from the Caster Side of the recruitment. The young lady - and she was obviously a lady - turned, and her smile froze him in place. She was one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen in his life with long auburn hair and distinctive ruby eyes.   She's smiling at me?! Kaerl was dumbfounded for a moment before he realized the girl was smiling at the young man behind him. He glanced at Reivyn and felt a brief twang of jealousy, but he squashed it ruthlessly. Now was not the time to be distracted by a pretty girl, and they obviously knew each other already, anyway.   The young lady and her bodyguard were led to the left side of the room where they took a seat. Kaerl snapped out of his stunned state and led Reivyn to a seat on the right side of the room.   "The Battalion Executive Officer will explain the situation to you and the other Platoon Leaders," Kaerl said. That got a reaction from the young man.   "Platoon Leader? Are you sure?" Reivyn asked, surprised.   "Sure. You have all of the requirements, and it would be a waste to send you into the ranks."   "But I'm a complete stranger. Nobody knows anything about me other than what was shown on the screens."   "Where do you think we get the officers for the irregulars?" Kaerl questioned back. "We don't have enough regular officers to take them all on. Don't worry. You'll spend two weeks going through the ropes of command and leadership to weed out the ones who don't quite match up to expectations, though I'm sure you'll be fine. Your specs are higher than pretty much all of the other prospective Platoon Leaders in this room.   "After that, it'll be a couple of weeks to familiarize yourself with the command structure and how we run things. So about a month of training before you step in front of any troops.   "Your commission will be probationary and provisional, though. It's possible to receive a regular commission, but only if you have outstanding results in actual battle. Who knows? If you do well enough, I might have to salute you one day."   "I don't know about that," Reivyn said skeptically. "Wouldn't you also advance in ranks by that time, too?"   "I'm an admin officer," Kaerl shook his head. "We have fewer opportunities for meritorious advancement in war time, and everyone here is going to be on the front lines. No offense, but you guys are going to be bearing the brunt of any conflict that actually arises from this. That risk also comes with the appropriate reward."   "Ok. Sounds good to me. I did say I was going to volunteer in whatever capacity the army decided to put me in."   "Good man. Now pay attention to the Major. He's the one who'll be in command of the irregulars. I gotta get back to my post - boring though it is - but let me be the first to welcome you to the army."   Kaerl shook the young man's hand. He was still a little confused about the turn of events - he had shown up to enlist, and he's suddenly getting a commission as an officer, after all - but he could tell that he was quickly coming around.   I have a good feeling about this young man, Kaerl thought as he made his way back outside.