***
The note was lying on his face when he woke up. James moaned instinctively, despite the lack of pain coming from his back. He grabbed the note in annoyance and read it quickly.
Heard you got beat by Dominic. I left a cake on the table by your bed to cheer you up…but it’s stale. Enjoy. Love, Kyran.
James chuckled for a moment and shook his head. Kyran sure had a weird sense of humor, but given the trauma he’d been through lately, he needed a good laugh or two. Taking a moment to stretch his back, he was amazed by how great it felt.
Maybe it was only a superficial one…but I know I was definitely cut.
James rubbed his back and, after making sure that he wasn’t crippled, he got dressed and strolled down the hallway, feeling like he was dreaming. Forgetting about the stale cake on the table, he went over to the cafeteria hoping to get some fresh ones.
Hearing a sudden girl laugh in the distance, Catherine came back to James’ mind and how she giggled pretty much whenever he spoke. Sighing, James burst through the cafeteria doors, noticing that no one looked up from the fluffy golden cakes that stole their attention. James strolled over to the line where the lady in green waited happily.
“You look chipper today,” she said cheerfully as she began removing the tray of cakes from the counter and replacing them with a pot of oatmeal. James raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed as she put the cakes back.
“Just messing with you. I wouldn’t dare deny you any them since you love them so much.”
“Funny, since I haven’t had any since I got here.”
“I wonder why that is,” she wondered, putting a finger to her chin and looking toward the ceiling. “Maybe it’s all one big conspiracy!”
“With Kyran at the head, no doubt.”
“Probably,” she laughed as she plopped the stalest cake of the bunch onto his plate. James mumbled under his breath and grabbed a cup full of syrup sitting on the side.
“You know, you could ask for a better one,” the woman replied as James was preparing to look for Catherine. He turned around to observe her sincere expression.
“Then why give me a stale one?”
“Mainly to see your character.”
“How is giving me a stale cake going to show you my character?”
She shrugged her shoulders as she handed him a new one.
“It shows me that you’re too timid to stand up for what you want.”
“It’s a cake, not a million shell.”
“Is it? Why does the principle change just because the reward does? What makes a cake any less than a million shell? Give a million shell to someone in the desert on the brink of starvation and they’ll look at you like you’re insane. Throw a cake in front of them and they’ll love you forever.”
“What’s your point?”
Geez. Now I’m getting words of wisdom from the lunch lady.
“Nothing,” she smiled warmly from ear to ear, closing her eyes in unison. “Only making conversation.”
“You’re weird.”
“Says you,” she smiled as she extended a hand. “My name’s Chloe. Nice to meet you—James, right?”
James reluctantly shook her hand. He hoped there wasn’t syrup on them.
“Yep. Nice to meet you too…sorta—catch you later!”
“Later, James!” she sang out as he rolled his eyes. The cafeteria was buzzing with conversation, so much so that he couldn’t even catch a bit of what was being said. Whatever was happening, people were getting excited.
“So what’s all the commotion about?” he asked a random student. She ignored him, deciding to continue talking to her friends at the table. James mouthed an “okay” and walked off with his tray. Seeing a table with only one recruit seated there, he decided to give him a shot. James sat down obnoxiously and eyed the recruit. He responded with barely a nod and continued munching down on his apple. His spiked, dyed red hair nearly matched the fruit itself. He ate quietly but voraciously, as if he were afraid the apple would run away at any given moment. James almost extended a hand of welcome when he realized that, if he did, he’d look a lot like Chloe. Disgusted, he retracted the idea and started bobbing his head for no reason, as if he were agreeing to a comment the recruit said.
“You should get that checked out,” the recruit stated as he loudly crunched into the apple. James stopped bobbing and their eyes met. Embarrassed, James glanced down at the cake that suddenly didn’t appear so appetizing.
“I was trying to think of a way to make conversation.”
“You could say hello. That usually works.”
“Are you going to be snide with me too?” James snapped.
“Not really,” the recruit muttered. “Just joking.”
“Ah.”
They ate in silence for a little while.
“So I’m James, 10th cl– uh, I started a little while back.” It was only then that James realized that it was Dominic who had given him his designation, and not an actual teacher...what was his class? Arimus had said he would know by now…hadn’t he?
“I’m Achan. Infantry, 5th class,” the recruit replied.
“That’s kind of up there. Are you in charge of your own squad?”
“Sometimes. We never went beyond the forest though. Plus, I’ve only been in the Academy a few weeks.”
“And you’re already that high? Wow, the Academy must really have low standards…” James shut his mouth too late. He winced and started apologizing. “That didn’t come out right.”
“It’s okay, 10th class. I know what you’re saying. The Academy has people going up in rank at ridiculous rates. Mainly because people are dying all the time.”
“Seriously? Are we at war?”
“Not exactly,” Achan said, brushing a hand through his spikes. “By their third week, most recruits go in for their infantry exam and they usually don’t come back.”
“Is it that hard?”
“One could say that. You are allowed to quit the Academy even during the exam, but there’s plenty of rumors going on saying that quitters are executed. You know, so sensitive information can’t get leaked. I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Why would there be such a ridiculous rule like that? Why would we kill our own people?” James still hadn’t decided if he was going to quit the Academy or not, but this did complicate things.
“I can understand the purpose of the rule, though I may not agree with it. If a man is unable to stick it out with his team and deserts them, he’s nothing but a coward, and there is no room for cowards in Allay. Fear only breeds more fear.”
“That still doesn’t mean a person should be killed for quitting.”
“A child is usually the spitting image of his or her parents. Imagine an individual, able to leave the Academy and start a family. More than likely, those values would be passed on to the children and so on and so on. Eventually, our Kingdom would be full of weak men and then where would we be? The siege of ‘88 all over again.”
Achan took another massive bite of his apple.
“The Kingdom is already full of weak men,” James said. “I was weak…still am on some accounts, but I’ve grown. You can’t give up on someone who can’t take the heat right away.”
“Yes, but you also haven’t quit.”
“Well, in any case, I didn’t know the infantry exam could scare people like that. I thought being an infantryman was like being a watchman in the town square. You know, the fat ones that have the uniform but can’t really chase down anyone when a robbery goes down.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Achan laughed. “When I was younger, me and some of the village children would stand on a roof above him and drop apples onto his head, yelling that he needed more fiber in his diet.”
“What do kids know about fiber?”
Achan stopped laughing and cleared his throat.
“Well, we did. Parents made sure we were healthy.”
; “I wish my father would’ve actually taken the time to teach me a few things. Then again, I don’t blame him. He was busy…and it’s not like I went out of my way to learn. Still, looking back over all the things I could’ve accomplished…”
“We all do that,” Achan lamented as he placed his apple core on James’ tray. “We all have regrets. But it’s what we do now that matters. The past is past…so what test are you on now, 10th class?”
“My third.”
“Oh good, then you’ll be taking the infantry test next. You might even end up in my group. I am leading one of the next batches into the forest.”
“That will be fun,” James muttered as Achan studied his face.
“Bummed about the Sage test, huh?”
“Definitely.”
“Don’t worry about it. So what if you can’t become some warrior of grandeur. I’m sure it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I mean, just think about the siege of ‘88. Not one Sage back then survived. Know who did? The infantry. Not many, mind you, but at least they were able to go home to their families. Without the infantry, the village wouldn’t have been rebuilt properly. But because the infantry was around, there was moral support. There was a sense of security and order, even if deep down the villagers all knew we wouldn’t stand a chance in a second attack. But so what? At least we were there to ease the pain. If the infantry were made up of only Sages, we’d all be dead right now. We might as well have just sat back and let the Langorans kill us all.”
“The Langorans?”
“A bunch of lazy fools taking up our air. That’s all they are.”
“Okay,” James trailed off, deciding not to dig any further. He didn’t want to get Achan too stirred up. People were beginning to watch from the other tables.
“We can still make a difference, even if we’re not Sages. You don’t have to be a Sage of Allay to matter in this world.”
“Hey,” James blurted, eager to change the subject. “You know Catherine, the princess, right?”
“Of course,” Achan said cautiously.
“Do you know where she is? I haven’t seen her around.”
“Why do you need to know?”
“That doesn’t matter. Do you know where she is or not?”
“I believe she’s with Arimus preparing for her final test. It’s not the infantry one though. Something else.”
“What is the final test exactly?”
“Not sure. It’s different for everyone and in case you’re wondering, I haven’t even taken my fourth yet. You have to ask to take the last two. I think they’re exams to become a general or teacher. Something like that. They give you all this mumbo jumbo about it being really hard and will cause a lot of stress and quite frankly, I’m not ready for all that yet. I like being where I am.”
“But you’re ready to go into a dark forest full of creatures?”
“It’s practically a party in there.”
“So Catherine won’t be around for a while?”
“What does it matter? You shouldn’t be talking with her anyway. She’s the princess. She doesn’t have time to waste on people like us. As it is, she’s in the Academy to learn how to fight for herself in case of an attack. She doesn’t want to be vulnerable like her mother and father were. It’s best if we leave her to her training.”
James thought of the story she had told in such vivid detail. She had only been four at the time of the siege, but that was still old enough to comprehend that her father and mother weren’t coming back. Across from him, Achan’s eyes suddenly widened in recognition.
“Wait, you’re that James. The one the princess was hanging around?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I personally don’t care. I mean, the princess has the right to do whatever she wants, but a lot of people have been saying how you should have known better and that you were a bad influence, especially by taking her outside the walls.”
“Geez, it’s not like I made her betray Allay.”
“Still, you have no clue how fragile our Kingdom is at the moment. Although she has all authority here, she’s still young. She wants to go out and play and have friends and everything, but she just can’t do that. She has to prepare for the day she becomes Queen.”
“So why would I be a bad influence?”
“Because she has to realize that you’re only a subject. She can’t be friends with you. I know what you’re thinking. What’s the big deal? But it is. When we’re out in the battlefield, she has to stay objective. Imagine if she had to make a choice between the mission and you—she might have to let you go for the greater good but because the two of you are close, now you’ve just caused her pain over your loss. By staying away, you’re actually helping her.”
“Don’t you worry,” James scowled. “I won’t get in her way anymore. The only reason I hung around her was because I didn’t know who she was.”
“Good,” Achan said immediately, pushing his tray to the side. “At the same time, we can’t completely detach ourselves either. She needs people to rely on. Be her support but keep your distance.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you sound a little protective.”
“I’m not.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
“Whatever you say.”
“Maybe you should talk to Arimus about when your next exam is,” Achan snapped.
James could tell that Achan didn’t want him around anymore. What was his problem? James had only made a statement. It was like Achan was her big brother and James was asking her out on a date or something. He hoped it wouldn’t become a trend. People assuming he was going to keep Catherine occupied and away from her duties. That had never been his intention. Now that he knew the truth of who she was, he was glad to leave her alone. All he wanted now was to apologize for how he had treated her earlier, and then he’d be out of her life for good, except for keeping Dominic from marrying her, of course.
And it wasn’t like he was going to be a Sage now anyway.
The thought pierced through his mind like a drill. It was tough, and messy, too messy to really sort through the embodiment of what it meant. All he knew was that he needed to keep busy. Once he sat down and thought about it, it was going to hurt, and the pain might just keep growing.
James reluctantly got up from the table and began walking towards the courtyard. Achan had made some good points. Maybe James could be an excellent infantryman. Not a Sage, but someone that could still make a difference. It would be hard at first though.
Every time he thought of an infantryman, a drone came to mind. Someone that just mindlessly followed orders no matter what they believed. Expendable soldiers that were easily replaced. No one cared about who you were or the fact that you were a living breathing human being. To them you were just another statistic, another number.
Sages, on the other hand, were invaluable, and needed to maintain the very security of the entire Kingdom. How prestigious could an infantryman get? It seemed to James that no one would really care if he died as one. They would look at the village paper, or hear about it in passing, and maybe say how sad it all was, how young he had been, how pointless such and such a war was, yet they’d go about their daily lives as if nothing had happened.
If a Sage died, tears would be shed by more than just his relatives and friends. He would be missed. He would be avenged. His life would mean something to people, and wasn’t that what people really wanted in life? To matter to others? What was the point of joining the Academy if you couldn’t make a difference in the lives of others? As an infantryman, maybe he still could, maybe, but knowing his own lazy demeanor and habit of putting little effort into anything he found no interest in, James knew he’d only be a hindrance. He didn’t want to be seen as a quitter either though, and there was that whole quitting-death rumor…so, maybe he’d give it a shot, and see how he would fare in the third test. That would at least dete
rmine just how dedicated he was to the cause…whatever that was.
James was surprised to find Arimus hanging out in the courtyard, talking to a small number of recruits. Instantly, they stopped talking and stared back at him like he had a rash in the middle of his forehead. Arimus nodded at James’ arrival and gestured to him, signaling for him to line up with the crowd.
“Nice of you to join us, James, and so soon,” Arimus greeted him warmly. “I hope you’re feeling better.”
James looked around the group as they waited for his response. No doubt Dominic had already bragged about how badly he had beaten him.
“I don’t feel a thing,” James announced boldly and Arimus nodded in response.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it. I was actually sending this group out to the forest for their third test. However, I think it would best if you stayed behind.”
James looked over at the recruits, wondering what was going through their minds as they began to depart. Arimus waited until they went out through the courtyard doors to speak.
“The reason you don’t feel any pain is because Dominic made his blade dull at the last second. Because he can control it at will, he can determine how blunt or sharp it is at any time—his mind being his only limit. Even so, I know it had to be painful. You were out for a day.”
“I guess that’s why I don’t feel a scar on my back.”
“Are you okay, James?”
“I’m not a child. I’m not going to get upset about it.”
“Then you are vastly superior to all of us in temperament.”
James mulled over the words for a moment.
“Does it go away? The disappointment?”
“It fades like all painful memories do, but every once in a while there’s still a twinge.”
“Do you think about that test often?”
“Not particularly. There’s simply no point in dwelling on something I can’t change. I can only improve and hope to pass in the next test life gives me.”
“Like the infantry?”
“It’s not as bad as you think—being part of the infantry. Regardless of how unglamorous it sounds, you do get to take part in the action, and even if you defeat only one soldier from the other side, that’s one step closer to victory for the rest of us. Besides, think of how tired Sages would be if there were no infantry. They’d have to take out every little soldier that crossed their path, and even Sages—despite their finesse—are still human.”
“The weak can fight the weak. I get it.”
Arimus laughed as he placed a hand on James’ shoulder.
“No one is forcing you to stay, James. If you don’t want to be here, then it’s best that you leave. The last thing anyone needs is to have to fight next to someone they can’t trust their life with.”
James hesitated.
“I understand, it’s just that I need some time to really get over the fact that I failed. It happened so fast…but I genuinely want to try the next test.”
“If that is the case, then you can go with the next group into the forest. They are leaving in an hour. When everyone arrives, I’ll elaborate on what needs to be accomplished. You stay here while I go retrieve your group leader.”
“Okay,” James said as Arimus walked off, his strength seeming to radiate from every step he took. James stood in the courtyard, looking around at the various blade markings in the stone walls. He put his head down in shame as he stared at the new gravel beneath his feet. Crunching it noisily to entertain himself, he barely heard someone come up behind him.
“What’s wrong, James?” a soft voice inquired behind him. James turned to see the lunch lady without her usual garb, wearing a frilly green sundress despite the chilly weather. Her hair was neatly braided and bound into a neon green scrunchie. By her side stood Kyran, emitting darkness and gloom as always.
“Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking about a couple of things.”
“Don’t hurt yourself,” Kyran replied and Chloe punched him in the arm. Kyran shot her a look of surprise, which due to Kyran’s stoic character, wasn’t much surprise at all.
“Don’t mind him,” she apologized. “He just has a cold heart and can’t relate to little things like emotion.”
“I would be more familiar with emotion if you’d allow me to see more than overbearing joy,” Kyran stated.
“I figure that’s the emotion you need most. Besides, if you can’t even get the hang of the first one I show you, why would I show you others?”
“I figured you might want to mix it up a bit.”
“Why?” Chloe asked slyly. “Does my ‘overbearing joy’ bother you?”
Kyran pretended to think about it and Chloe punched him in the arm again. James coughed lightly and they turned their attention back to him.
“Are we boring you?” Kyran asked flatly. Chloe looked toward the courtyard doors.
“You’re about to take your third test, aren’t you?” she asked. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“This test shouldn’t be underestimated,” Kyran interjected. “A good number of recruits die in that forest.”
“You always say stuff like that…” James muttered under his breath.
“I’m sure he’s heard about that already,” Chloe said, ignoring the comment. “I’m only saying that he shouldn’t get nervous about something he knows nothing about.”
“Is there any reason why he shouldn’t be nervous?”
“James,” she said, leaning towards him. “All you have to do is ask the Maker to help you and I’m sure he will.”
Kyran scoffed and Chloe frowned at the response.
“Just because you’d rather rely on your own strength doesn’t mean you should laugh at mine.”
“I’ll admit that you can fight well, but I would hardly chalk it up to the Maker.”
“Why don’t you try talking to the Maker for once and see where that gets you.”
“You do your way. I’ll do mine,” Kyran brooded. The conversation was getting a little too awkward for James.
“I didn’t know you could fight,” James told Chloe. Kyran seemed to drift off into his own thoughts.
“Better than Kyran actually,” she practically sang. Kyran scoffed again.
“I don’t know how you can say such things when our fighting style varies so greatly. Chloe is a close and personal fighter. The kind that relies on brute strength while I rely on stealth and speed.”
“But if we were matched up one-on-one, who would win?”
“I hardly think that’s an appropriate question.”
“Because you already know the answer.”
“I didn’t say that. Only that the question makes no sense since we fight so differently.”
“Basically, you’re saying I’d win.”
“What do you think, James?” Kyran asked innocently. James gulped. Kyran was the last one he wanted to disagree with.
“Well…I mean, if she relies on strength, it wouldn’t take much to knock you out, but then again, if you’re faster, she might not even hit you.”
“HA!” Chloe triumphed. “I told you I’d win.”
Kyran fought back a smile as he watched Chloe laugh in victory.
“He didn’t even answer the question correctly. And you interrupted him.”
“Is there a wrong way to answer a question?” she challenged just as James heard a cough behind him. James turned to the left to see his mentor standing in the background with an amused look on his face. Apparently, he had been there for a while, and was obviously used to the endless ranting of his fellow cohorts. James laughed at the sight, wondering just how many times Arimus had witnessed such a spectacle. Chloe and Kyran straightened up but stayed at ease, waiting for Arimus to speak. Behind him stood nine recruits, also confused about the playful exchange between their superior and the “supposed” lunch-lady. Chloe nodded her head toward the Academy doors, signaling it was time to leav
e, and Kyran nodded in agreement. Everyone watched silently as they skulked away like children that had just been scolded.
“I didn’t know Chloe could fi—” James began, but didn’t get to finish as Arimus quickly covered his mouth.
“We’ll talk about that later.”
“Okay.”
James suddenly noticed Achan in the crowd, who in turn gave him a smirk of recognition.
“I was right,” he silently mouthed toward James who tried to maintain his composure. Arimus gently pushed James towards the group and he stood in the front row, blank-faced and confused as they awaited instructions.
“Listen intently,” Arimus stressed as he revealed a cache that he had been carrying over his shoulder. “This is your next test. The infantry examination. Now, first things first, if you decide to take this exam, you cannot quit. Once this starts, it goes to the bitter end. Should you decide to quit, and leave the group to return from the dark forest, I assure you, you will not survive long. This test is actually far more dangerous than the Sage exam due to its unpredictable outcomes. I must also add that this exam tests many things: teamwork, perseverance, loyalty, determination, and self-sacrifice, amongst others. The infantry only prevails when everyone is single-minded. While a Sage uses his own power to engage with enemies, the infantry are made of separate but equal parts of one body. The muscles, the brain, the nerves, the heart, all the way down to something like your left foot’s big toe. Every piece of the infantry serves a purpose and cannot survive on its own. No infantryman can make it without a friend by his side. This is unquestionably a team mission.
“The ten of you have been selected according to your strengths and weaknesses, to balance out the others in the group and help each other go forward. It is up to you to find out what those strengths and weaknesses are. The closer you get to one another, the longer you’ll make it. During the exam, there will be a few of the proctors from here at the Academy closely watching. Although you’ll never be aware of where they are, I cannot stress this enough: they will not save you. If they did, it would defeat the whole purpose of this exercise. And at the end, if you make it, you will be evaluated on whether you are able to join the infantry or not. Now, who wants to go home?”
The recruits stood there silently, no one daring to look like a coward before their superior.
“I am not joking. You can die out there. Do you understand?”
The recruits bellowed an enthusiastic “YES SIR!” and Arimus shook his head in disbelief. James knew what it meant immediately. No one would sacrifice their pride to leave the Academy in front of so many people. No one wanted to admit that they were afraid, although each of them were. There was no telling what was in the forest, and according to Arimus’s words and Kyran’s ominous foretelling, it couldn’t be pleasant.
“The test is, at first glance, simple. Here…” Arimus handed a granulated, rocky stone to one of the recruits. The stone emitted a strange, faint orange-yellow glow, and the group looked at it in awe. James thought about poking it, but decided against it.
“That is a very important stone, so your success of this mission is vital. What you have to do is transport this stone to the shrine at the end of the forest. Retrieve the stone that is in its place and bring it back here. Only if you accomplish this will your exam be a success. Also note that this is a team pass or a team fail. That is all. You have three days.”
The recruits examined each other closely as Arimus opened the courtyard doors, signaling that it was time to leave. As they strolled out through the doors one-by-one, Arimus handed each of them a medium-sized standard-issued sword to take with them. James suddenly noticed that he was the only one without a backpack full of goodies. Arimus placed his hand on James as he was the last to leave.
“I’ve got your back, James,” he said as he handed James a small knapsack. James took it shamefully as Arimus laughed.
“That is how the phrase goes, isn’t it?”
“Thanks, Arimus.”
Arimus nodded and waved good-bye as James began walking, shaking his head in irritation. Why am I even here? he asked himself as the group silently walked on, toward the bridge that led straight into the dark forest. He looked back to see if Arimus was watching, but the proctor was long gone. Sighing, James thought about whether to disappear or not when Achan put up his hand, signaling a stop in the procession. Everyone halted immediately, glancing at one another nervously. What was wrong?
“Pep talk, people,” he called out as everyone placed their teary eyes on their leader. “Now I know this is a test, and I know there was a lot of talk about life and death and impending doom and all that, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, right?”
The recruits muttered amongst themselves. The only thing that was audible was a loud whisper from the back asking if Achan was crazy.
“I know you think I’m crazy, but I’m dead serious. This mission will be as enjoyable as you make it. Don’t get me wrong. I’m scared too, but if we just huddle around like a bunch of terrified kittens, all we’re going to do is make mistakes and get ourselves killed. We have to trust each other and rely on one another if we’re going to make it. One of us failing could result in us all failing. I’ve never been as far into the forest as we’re supposed to go. Neither have you. But you know what, we all share a common experience that the creatures in that forest would cower in fear about if they knew the truth—we’ve all faced the Sage test. Whether it was against someone in-training or not, we’ve come up against a force that is greater than anything that forest can throw at us. We’ve come up against an adversary that could sense our every movement, read our body language like an open book, and had the ability to kill us with no more than a sigh, yet we are still here. We faced our fears to persist through three whole days of agony, perseverance, and humility to come to this point. All the recruits who didn’t make it past those three days are long gone. They are quitters, and we are better off without them. So what if we’re not Sages? So what if we don’t have prestige and glory? So what?
“A vessel needs a captain, but it cannot run without its oarsmen. A business cannot strive without its employees. A king is nothing without subjects to rule over. The Sages would be nothing but fairy tales from the past if the infantry hadn’t continued to sing their praises and train new recruits. We were not born for greatness. We were not born from nobility, but as the Maker is my witness, we are the nobility. Once a person becomes a Sage, their path is declared and set for the rest of their lives, while we may go on to not only fight for and defend our Kingdom, but to also enjoy it, gaining the privilege to start families and rise as one when we are displeased. Arimus said it best, ‘we are not many, but they are few.’ The same applies here. I went through the Sage test only because I had to. This is where I belong. I wanted to be in the infantry because I needed to encourage my fellow men to know who they are, to let him know that we are just as important! So let us go into that forest and complete our mission with our heads held high and the pride of our people bellowing from our lips! We are the heart and soul of the Kingdom of Allay! We are the infantry!”
The roar of the group was deafening. James pumped his fist into the air with a renewed purpose swelling his courage and confidence. They were only ten, and ten recruits at that, but they were a vein in the heart of Allay, and they had a job to fulfill.
Achan smirked at his team in pride and waved a “let’s go‟ toward the forest. He was ready now. It wasn’t the forest he was afraid of, but the team he would lead. Should any one of them be so scared as to not carry out an order, the entire group could be lost, and that was what he loved about the infantry. A Sage was a loner, a vagabond that went from battle to battle under order of the King. The infantry had each other to lift their spirits and carry them through hard battles. Brothers to keep each other company. On top of that, an infantryman could fight with honor and immediately go home to his family. What more could one ask for?
The Last of the Sages (Sage Saga, Book 1) Page 12