[Chapter 15 - Probatio]

  We were not alone when we marched back that afternoon.

  The scenery was the same, an endless stream of trees and snow that all blurred into one as the Wall Atlea mountains remained unmoving in the background.

  Amidst our numbers however there now lay a long carriage procession, breaking up the length of the march.

  Cargo-bearing wagons separated us into blocks of thirty-two, and we were organised into rows of four with Roxas and Ante behind me.

  This was clearly not just a simple marching exercise.

  I had caught sight of what they had loaded into the wagons during my earlier wander through the camp.

  Chunks upon chunks of glimmering rock, lowered into the large wooden crates that we now escorted.

  That must have been the Silversong steel that had been so prominently mentioned, a metal that was prized in Arithea and had led to Atreia’s presence here beyond the wall.

  To that end the recruits no longer walked back by themselves.

  We were joined by trained soldiers, legionaries that were easily distinguishable by the armour they had donned as opposed to the basic gear we held.

  Their presence with us was both stifling and intimidating, and they kept to themselves during our march back to the city.

  Perhaps the quiet was why the journey had felt so much quicker.

  That night we slept in the barracks, resting inside the cramped rooms which housed eight bunk beds within.

  We had left our gear upon the tables in the connecting foyer out front, whilst the five recruits who joined the three of us did not appear to be happy with our presence.

  The occasional disgusted glance was thrown at the face of the twins, and although nothing happened that night I still snuck the Eickhorn beneath my pillow.

  We were lined up again the following morning, waking at the same early start I was slowly accustoming myself to.

  As we emerged from our dorms, the sight of legionaries greeted us; already armoured and organised into neat rows in the sand opposite.

  The officer stood at the front, the dawn light reflecting off the bands of metal which protected his torso.

  And in his hands was the same scroll once again, unveiled out before him.

  “On the basis of your rankings,” he exclaimed, ignoring the scurrying of the recruits as they hastily fell into position, “as well as your performance, you will be now sorted into your contubernia.”

  He lowered it for a second, his eyes raising to look at us.

  Hurried rows greeted him, a crude imitation of the legionaries who stood upright across from us, and he sighed before he returned his attention to the open parchment, before listing off the names that were inscribed upon it.

  ***

  The quiet of the rest break in the morning march was broken by a punch which brought Ante to the ground, the thud of the fist against his face sounding loud enough to turn the heads of all who stood near.

  His aggressor towered over him, a scorn inflamed in his eyes.

  I recognised him to be one of the men who had been assigned to the dorms with us last night, the same who had glowered at the twins with an evident hate.

  “Freaks like you don’t belong here.” he spat out, hunching forwards to grab Ante by the collar.

  Blood dripped down Ante’s face. The man had clearly not held back, and Ante’s eyes were wide with fear as he desperately tried to scramble out of the man’s grasp.

  Roxas ran over to interfere, a fury raging across her face, but I had stepped up before she could interrupt.

  “Do you have business with my slave?” My voice was cold, uncaring of the malice that seeped through with my words.

  The man looked up, a sneer emerging as he opened his hand.

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  Ante fell to the ground with a thud, pushing himself back to bring as much distance as he could between them.

  Slowly the man walked towards me, purposefully bringing himself to his full height before stopping only a few centimetres away.

  His build was enormous, standing a whole head taller as he leered down at me.

  “Freaks and foreigners,” he mused, “what an endearing combo. No wonder Atreia’s going to shit.”

  I matched his stare, composed and unwavering, and without warning he pulled back before launching his right arm towards my face.

  I swung back to avoid it, ignoring the hand that sailed past, using the momentum to bring my right heel into his chest.

  He caught it with the hand by his side, his leer growing larging as he spoke. “What a wea-”

  I did not give him a chance to finish his words, my other foot crashing into his throat as I used my imprisoned leg as leverage.

  He staggered back, his hands now brought to his windpipe as he struggled to breathe.

  But I threw myself forwards as soon as I landed, smashing my knee into his groin before dropping myself down to sweep him off his feet.

  His balance was already broken from the pain and bewilderment, worsened by the knee which pushed the air from his lungs with the impact, and he fell to the floor with an audible crash as the bulk of his weight collapsed onto the ground.

  The man struggled for breath on the floor, his breathing uncontrolled and frantic in obvious pain.

  But that would not be enough.

  A quick glance told me that the officer was not nearby, so I grabbed him by the collar of his tunic in a similar manner as he had done to Ante, before raising my clenched fist behind me.

  I had to send a message, to ensure that he would not try the same thing again.

  Three punches left his blood over my hand, but his face was much worse off.

  He crumpled to the dirt when I let go.

  A matter for the healers to take care of.

  Maybe the demons will take you even without the curse. The wolf’s snicker was loud in my mind, but the whistle that followed caught my attention.

  It broke the awestruck silence of the spectating recruits, and I turned to see one of the legionaries staring at me from the entourage of soldiers that had gathered opposite.

  He stood up with a smirk, a familiar face along with the immediate others who crowded around him.

  The other seven of the contubernium the twins and I had been assigned.

  “You used some interesting techniques.” He walked closer, his arms crossed into a stretch as he approached. “Fight me next.”

  He was smaller than the man who now lay between us, but his muscular stature made his strength in fighting obvious.

  I turned to ignore him, I had no reason to fight or to cause a conflict in the squad I had only just been assigned, but I felt a rush from behind, a pressure bearing down upon me.

  I swerved round, his arm narrowly whistling past my face.

  He had crossed the distance quickly, his stance now thrust into a jab that I had only just avoided.

  And the same smile remained on his mouth as he watched me.

  I felt my eyes flare in anger.

  Be careful with this one. A caution in the wolf’s voice, something I had not expected to occur. You should not underestimate him.

  “This is your probatio, greenhorn.” the man puffed out his chest, raising himself up as he held his hands open before him in invitation. “My own little test just for you.”

  Even without the wolf’s remarks I knew what I had to do.

  Despite his carefree attitude, the man knew what he was doing.

  And unlike the recruit before, his fighting experience was clear.

  I raised my hands, placing my closed fists before my face.

  I would have to give it my all.

  I went first, recalling the moveset in my mind as I darted forwards, picturing each move which my body followed effortlessly after.

  [Right Jab], [Left Cross]

  He dodged the first but the second smashed into his face.

  I could feel the contact across my knuckles, correlated by a thud as his face ricocheted back.

  An -8 popped up with it, a number drastically underwhelming compared to the impact I felt in my hand.

  He spat out blood onto the floor, but when he turned to face me again the same smile still remained on his face.

  Before I could blink he had crossed the distance, and I felt my stomach explode as his hand drove its way into my chest.

  I reeled back, catching the fading -12 that popped into view by my side, but he gave me no chance to recover.

  His heel was at my head, flung in a roundhouse arc that I only just managed to catch with my left arm, tensing my muscles to block the kick before coiling around to grab his raised leg.

  [Right Jab]

  My hand made contact with his face but I continued without pause.

  [Right Jab], [Right Uppercut]

  The numbers rung, a -11 and -15 that appeared with each connecting hit, and then I spun round once more as I pulled his leg towards me.

  This time it was my elbow that struck his face, a crunch sounding as -23 emanated from the strike, and he fell to the floor with a small +53 exp which emerged in an almost mocking manner.

  I clutched my stomach, still feeling the pain from where he had struck me earlier, my breathing heavy as I tried to catch my breath whilst also pushing down the wave of nausea that his punch had brought.

  “Ha!”

  Suddenly, laughter erupted, and I looked up to see the legionaries all guffawing at the sight.

  The man on the floor was no exception, sitting up with an even broader smile as he paid no attention to the blood dripping down.

  Despite how hard I had hit him he acted completely fine, save for the wince he made as he pushed himself to his feet.

  How that was the case I had no idea.

  Perhaps that was the influence of the system governing this world, his stats or health too high for him to be too heavily affected.

  “Felix,” he spoke out his name as he held out an open hand, “Felix Servius.”

  “Enkrid,” I took it firmly but with caution, half-expecting him to pull me forwards into his fist, “Enkrid Ishmaea.”

  His smile only broadened at my response instead, and I felt the twins walk up as they stepped beside me.

  “And these are my companions” I introduced them to him, gesturing respectively, “Ante and Roxas.”

  He looked down as I spoke, no doubt catching sight of the marks which peeked out above their collars.

  "Our auxiliarists." he nodded. "Welcome to the first contubernium of the fifth cohort!”

  And with that he threw his arm around me, bringing the three of us in towards the legionaries he had sat with.