Chapter 1
The new recruits stood at attention in 4 lines of 5. These men had signed up for the Demacian military, which half of them were regretting. After going for a 5 mile jog that had left them exhausted and starving when they returned. After standing in the 100 degree heat sweating in their uniforms waiting on the dreaded sergeant Dublin.
Johnathan Dublin, the heart of Demacia, they'd all heard the tales and legends when they were in college. A man seven feet tall, 300 pounds of pure muscle and bone, he was rumored to have killed almost as many men as the might of Demacia himself. They had all heard of the time he raided an entire town himself and had captured over a hundred Noxian soldiers. But what gave him the nickname of heart were the stories that people told after the battles.
Tales of the sergeant staying behind after cutting down several noxian troops would sit next to them, and have a drink. Stories say we would walk the entire battle field until he found a defeated noxian soldier and he would sit with him and hand him a flask, rumor says the flask is full of whiskey. He'll sit down and hand the fallen soldier the flask and sit himself in front of him and drink water from his canteen. One time it was said he sat with a soldier for 4 hours as he slowly died from poison in his right side. How this man had not gone above the rank of sergeant was beyond all of them.
The reminiscing of their childhoods finally stopped as they, one by one, noticed a kid about seventeen, striding towards the group. Some were confused, but most of the men laughed at the kid walking towards the small group. He wore a simple white t-shirt, blue jeans and the piece de resistance was the Demacian High School id swinging on his neck. He had brunette hair cropped short with blue eyes, baby face cheeks, and freckles dotted his entire face. As he walked up to the group he stood in front of them at parade rest, the child stood with purpose and expectant of something, when nothing happened he spoke.
"I hope you ladies had a fun run this morning." Snickering came from the group as the privates started to relax and stand how they please.
"Did I say to stand at ease?" he questioned which caused each of them to laugh even harder.
"Listen kid," spoke one of the privates, "why don't you run along before you get going before you get hurt." The statement caused more laughter to course through the group.
"Jenkins, right?" The simple statement caused the group to quite. Not one of them had a name badge yet and yet, this kid had called him by name. "If you have any doubt to my authority, why don't you challenge it with a friendly duel?" As if on cue a caporal came from around the nearby building holding two wooden swords and shields. He handed one to the kid and then walked up and held up the weapons to Jenkins. Jenkins gave a quite laugh and took the fake weapons from the corporal.
"Alright kid ill humor you." Jenkins didn't seem to register what most of the others had. The stance of the young man held years of sword mastery behind it and the quite poise of the kid should have told him he was messing with a master.
"You can have the first swing." The kid said not as a challenge, but almost with a hint of courtesy. Jenkins gave a light chuckle then swung an overhead cut down at the kid. Jenkins was a big guy dwarfing the small child by half a foot and at least 100 pounds. He'd also grown up on a farm on the outskirts of Demacia where he would do manual labor, day in and out.
As Jenkins heavy swing came down toward the head for the kid it suddenly stopped, not from hitting the kid but catching on his sword. The second after that Jenkins was fighting for his metaphorical life as daft swings from the kid came from all directions. Backhands, front hands, front hand backs, upper cuts, overhead swings, all simple swings but battering the tired private down and Jenkins grunted under every single blow that lands on his sword, shield, and himself.
After barely 30 seconds Jenkins had had his legs swept out from under him, disarmed and was laying on his back staring down the point of the wooden sword to the kid's face where it seemed he had not broken into a sweat.
"Know Jenkins, if there is no more challenging to my ability or my authority then I think this should cover it, will it?" Jenkins nodded fast not wanting to fell anymore strikes form the devil that was behind the sword.
"Good hop in line then." Jenkins stood fast and ran back over to the group which after seeing the skeptical laid out in front of them had stood to attention.
"Now, if there are no more objections I will get to the introductions and why you are here." The kid started to pace back in forth in front of the group. "My name, is Johnathan Dublin, or for some of you simpler folk the heart of Demacia. I'm going to be your drill sergeant for the rest of your time here and then those who survive will follow me into battle." All the privates breathed in air at the mention of the name and after the display of swordsmanship, none of them questioned it,
"If you survive the grueling training, some of you might get to join my squad, know are we CLEAR!?"
"Sir, yes sir!" they all replied in unison
"Good know get in GEAR!"
Johnathan jumped in to the crater created by the massive cannonball. As he landed he heard his fellow soldiers jump into the hole as the rain of arrows landed all around them. The metallic smell of blood and the screams of dying men reached his senses as he looked around. He caught sight of a man being blown to pieces by a cannon ball and another was run through with at least five arrows. He swiveled his head to notice the medics trying to push an arrow through a man's shoulder blade, a career ending injury, lucky bastard. He caught site of another squad of men being blown to pieces while one guy with one leg tried to call for a medic for his dead friend.
Men prayed, others shit themselves, some even contemplated suicide wanting to die on their own accord other than infection or being run through on a spear. He saw another scene of blo-
"I SAID WHAT THE HELL DO WE DO NOW SIR!" The shout brought him back to the task at hand to blow up the west cannon emplacement it was now only 100 yards away.
"Jenkins, take Flaken, Jones, Peters and Woods up the right flank!" He had to shout to be heard over the explosions and cries of dying men. "I'll take Madden, Crawford, Allen, and Kelley up the left!"
"Sir I'm sorry to inform you but it's only me and you left." He turned his head to look back in the pit where he lay be side Jenkins the only surviving member of his original squad that went through basic. Behind him lay the bodies of the late, most recent set of new recruits of his squad in this campaign. He made a mental note to send a letter personally to all their parents assuming he didn't die. Johnathan was now eighteen and had risen to the rank of master sergeant. He looked forward to the two craters in front of them made by two other cannon shots in the ground ahead of him each holding ten to twelve soldiers.
"Jenkins, you see that hole on the left?! Run there and rally the troops to take the left flank! I'll take the other men up the left wait for my order to charge!"
"Yes sir!" Jenkins jumped up at a run as arrows came crashing down around them, but Jenkins was a damn rabbit able to run through without being hit, to be honest, is probably the only reason he was still alive. As Johnathan ran to the crater and rallied the men and waited for the ready sign from Jenkins. As soon as he saw he stood full height in front of the hole and yelled at the top of his lungs, "DEMACIA!" An orange glow then surrounded him as the battle cries of 25 men around him rose up as well to attack the well-defended nest that was the cannons.
After the battle and his ritual of sitting with dying men he stood and looked around the broken battle field. The wounded carried off and his decisive victory at the cannon nest sealing the victory for the day, he should have been happy if not contempt. But as troubled thoughts started to enter his mind he was surrounded by rings of blue light and before he could think was whisked away to be sitting in an office. The bloody scene around him vanished and his muscles relaxed a bit in the plush chair he was in. The door opened behind him and a voice came.
"Good to see you could make it." The voice said as it was given a face.
"What the hell do you want? Why was I summoned here? And who THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" Johnathan slammed his fist onto the desk and gave the man a glare that had instilled fear into so many army privates; it was a natural reaction to not getting what he wanted.
"You Johnathan were summoned here to the institute of war by popular request after so many summoners submitted a request to use you as a champion, and I am the grand summoner Zandred, it's a pleasure to meet you in person." Zandred extended a hand across the desk to shake the heart of Demacias' hand. Johnathan let him hold his hand there until he put it down.
"Well then Zandred, if it was a summon to the institute of war then when will I be summoned to the field, because if you summoned me to consider putting me into the league during a after battle cleanup in which I still had men to attend to I won't be the happiest camper." Honestly Johnathan didn't give a shit if it was king Jarvan himself who was summoning him he had men to attend to.
"I'm sorry to inform you but you will be at the institute for the rest for the season so if I were you I'd sit down we have much to discuss"
After sitting through two hours of grueling orientation where guards had to be called in so Johnathan wouldn't kill the grand summoner, they got to the last order of business, rooming.
"Well on the situation of rooming we are currently full in the men's dormitory, but there is one room in the women's dormitory that we will let you have." Johnathan's' face filled with color at what the summoner just said. He would have to stay around women. Not to mention the fact he was only 18 and still a virgin, the thought made him a little uncomfortable.
"Um... is there another room you could possibly spare besides that one?"
"I'm sorry Johnathan, but it's the only one we have I'm sure you understand. Well that about wraps it up grab your bags by the summoner's platform on the way to your room and get situated you shouldn't have a match for a week so think of it as a vacation." Johnathan didn't register the fact that he had gotten up grabbed his bags and headed to the specified room he had been assigned by following the map he was given. Girls, he was going to have to share the shower, the kitchen, the dorm, the BEDROOM with a girl. He thought he was going to be sick as he thought of what good happen to him as that one week that rolled around.
As he arrived at his room he took a deep breath before knocking on the door and waiting for a response. As the door opened he immediately stood at attention as he saw who it was, none other than Luxanna Crowngraud.