Alsilia War Records
Chapter 3: Tempering the Recruits
Fortress Gown, Second Defense Layer, Training Grounds
"Come on, Antelouse, don't stop running now. You still have one more round left."
"Hah… hah… hah… yes… commander…!"
"Prund, the same goes to you. If you stop even for a single second or fall to walking speed, I'll have you keep running for two more hours like yesterday."
"Yes… hah… hah… commander…!"
Alsilia looks at the two running recruits for a few more seconds, before turning her attention towards Enerimia and Alash, the two of them training with their weapons against simple golems, though like in the first day, the golems are no match for them. Enerimia can simply outspeed the training golem with her rapier, striking at least 7 times in a single second, not talking about being able to enchant her blade with magic on the fly, adding various effects, such as imbuing it with an element, or adding a thin layer of mana around it to make it easier to cut through materials.
Alash on the other hand uses his body as a makeshift projectile to spring itself towards the golem, either striking it at such speeds it simply breaks apart, or attaches itself on it and starts digesting it. Of course, since the golems are made of stone it does take some time to break down the material, but against organic enemies? It would dissolve them in mere seconds, leaving behind nothing but clothes and armor.
'I'd love to put them on some other type of training, but their strength can't be improved by simple methods, not speaking about their almost unlimited stamina thanks to their bodies… I suppose the only way to improve now would be with restraining seals or through combat, especially live one. Hmm, maybe I can arrange something for the last day of training,' Alsilia hums in her mind, then makes a mental note to talk to Wolfpaw later today about an assignment.
'I suppose some bandit hunting would be a great warm-up for them, and to actually see how cohesive the unit is under a battle.'
Nodding to herself, Alsilia turns her attention back to her communications crystal, currently tuned to the Sorcerous Kingdom news network, interested in seeing how the war on the last continent is going.
"...after a devastating attack in the Elentin Outpost, leading to the death of several dozen Sorcerous Kingdom soldiers and the wounding of at least seventy. Despite the losses, the enemy was unable to capture the outpost, denying them a strategic location that could be used to strike at the main force sieging the fortress at the Alovian mountain range. In other news, resistance within occupied territories near the front has been increasing as of lately, leading to suspicions that…"
Just as she expected, the war is progressing slowly. Not only the enemy's showing obstinate resistance, but for every mile of territory they capture, a heavy price in blood and men must be paid. And an even heavier if they wish to keep what they've claimed, as Elentin just showed.
Meanwhile, the enemy's morale seems to be as high as ever, with resistance cells popping everywhere in captured territory, however many times they are rooted out. They simply refuse to give up, which is making everything significantly more difficult. And now that resources from that front have been pulled here in the special region, things are bound to get even more difficult. Who knows, perhaps they'll be even some pushbacks in a few areas. Temporary of course, until these units are reinforced and counterattack to reclaim the lost ground.
'Who knows how things will evolve… hopefully there won't be another Typhoon situation…'
Alsilia shudders unconsciously at this, remembering all well how that titan wiped almost the entire frontline in one simple swing of its massive arm, the remains of the Sorcerous Kingdom's forces there surviving thanks to the appearance of one of the Supreme Beings.
'Haah… how I'm still alive is a mystery to me…'
Shaking her head, she focuses back to the communications crystal, though the news network is now reporting on internal affairs, so Alsilia cuts the transmission and pockets her crystal.
'Hmm… I'm a bit bored today to be honest. These past four days I've been having the recruits do nothing but train their bodies… so how about testing their fighting prowess? Mmh, yeah, let's go with that.'
Nodding to herself, Alsilia stands up from her chair and stretches her arms a little, before looking at Alash and Enerimia.
"Alash, Enerimia, finish your opponents and get over here," she says loudly at the two recruits, who in response shout "Yes ma'am!" and quickly finish the stone golems they are fighting, before running to where Alsilia is and lining up in front of her.
Retrieving her pocket watch, the brigadier general opens it to check the time, then glances in the distance, where Antelouse and Prund are doing their best not to fall under jogging speed as they make their way towards the kitsune.
"You have thirty seconds to come here, or you get no sleep tonight!" Alsilia shouts loudly at the two and pockets her pocket watch, with both recruits suddenly breaking into a sprint.
"Come on, move your asses! Twenty-five seconds!"
Bit by bit, Prund and Antelouse close the distance, pushing their bodies even more despite the fatigue they are feeling in an attempt to make it on time.
"Fifteen seconds! Better pick up the pace!" Alsilia shouts again, seeing as both recruits have started slowing a little. Prund grunts in response and pushes his body even more, the prospect of what the three-tailed kitsune might do to him far out-weighing the pain he's feeling right now from straining his body beyond its limits.
"Ten seconds! Nine, eight, seven…"
Alsilia starts counting down as she eyes the recruits, who reach her in the nick of time, quickly falling in line along with Enerimia and Alash, before they collapse to the ground and start panting heavily.
"Hmph. It seems you get to sleep tonight," Alsilia hums quietly, before she glances at Enerimia and Alash. "Well, then. Today, I've decided we'll do something different. Since you two don't really need endurance training, and since you two have been running around for the past four days, I believe it's time we see how good you are at fighting."
The recruits glance at each other, in their faces clearly visible a slight confusion.
"Commander, if you'll allow me to ask, wouldn't that mean we have already fulfilled this? We've been training against golems for the duration of your training regime, so you must have a good idea of our battle performance," Enerimia comments, with Alsilia snapping her gaze at the dhampir and glaring at her.
"Did I give you permission to talk, Private?" she asks with a low growl and Enerimia immediately stiffens.
"N-No, ma'-"
"Then why the fuck are you still talking?"
Enerimia immediately shuts up, a few beads of sweat forming on her forehead as the kitsune glares daggers at her.
"Ahem! As I was saying, before the private over here interrupted me, today we'll be seeing your battle prowess. And no, you won't be fighting against golems, but me."
This catches the recruits by surprise as they turn their heads towards Alsilia, who smirks slightly in response.
"You'll have 5 minutes to try and land a single blow on me. If you manage to do it, you won't have to do anything for the rest of the week. But if you fail, I'll double your training and have you exercise during night as well."
Albeit gulping audibly, the recruits show nothing but steeled expression at the chance of escaping this hell once and for all, however slim that chance might be.
Well, Enerimia at least does, since Alash can't really express emotions, while Prund and Antelouse are still trying to catch their breaths.
"I'll give you five minutes, then we'll start. Prund, you are first."
"Hah… hah… hah… yes, ma'am…"
Alsilia hums in response, before she starts heading towards one of the small fields designated for sparring the training area has.
Five minutes later, Alsilia and Prund stand inside the small field opposite of each other, while Enerimia, Antelouse and Alash stand by the side.
"Alright, let's go by the rules one more time. You have five minutes to land a single hit on me. Do it, and you are exempted from training for the rest of its duration. Fail, and you'll do double the training plus night exercises. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the recruits respond and Alsilia nods.
"Good. Now, to make things a bit fairer I'll be unarmed, but that doesn't mean I won't beat the shit out of you. If you go easy on me, I'll mop the floor with your faces."
A malicious aura manifests around her for a split second, sending a chilling sensation through the recruits' spines, save for Alash.
Prund takes a few deep breaths as he carefully eyes the kitsune, his grip on his warhammer tightening.
"Remember, five minutes," Alsilia repeats, then motions at him to come. "Let's see what you've got."
Prund readjusts his grip on his warhammer, before he slowly starts walking towards the kitsune, eyeing her carefully in case she decides to suddenly close the distance between them or attack him.
"Hey, you think Prund can win against the commander?" Antelouse asks Enerimia and Alash.
"Pfft, don't be ridiculous," Enerimia snorts quietly. "She can easily defeat you all in a split second."
"Huh? You sound like you would stand a chance," the arachne says, at which Enerimia puffs her chest slightly and looks at Antelouse with a smug expression.
"Of course! I'm a dhampir, after all. I have limitless mana and stamina, can cast magic of the fourth tier with ease, can fly without the need of the [Fly] spell, and I've been trained by the best swordsmen the Sorcerous Kingdom has to offer. Not to say it won't be a challenge, but I'm pretty confident it'll be my victory."
"While it is true kitsune are amongst the weakest of demihumans, especially the humanoid ones, your gloating will be your downfall," Alash hums in an emotionless tone, gently vibrating. "Even if you didn't know she's a war veteran, or a brigadier general, the fact she has three tails means she's a lot stronger than us. Even you, don't stand a chance against her."
"Haah? Are you Implying I'm weak, slime?" Enerimia questions Alash, who slightly vibrates in agreement.
"In front of her, we are no more of a threat than a child is. And if you believe this is incorrect, please observe what's about to happen," Alash says and "gestures" towards Prund, who has just entered into striking distance against Alsilia and swings his warhammer horizontally, packing enough power behind it to break down a thick wall easily.
"Too slow," Alsilia says, having stepped back just enough to avoid the, at least to her eyes, slow strike. Prund though doesn't stop with the swing as he uses the momentum to spin around, stepping left and swinging his warhammer upwards, before bringing it down towards Alsilia's head.
Once again, Alsilia sidesteps to her left, just enough to avoid the strike, the head of the warhammer impacting the ground with a loud thud.
"Good thinking, but once again too slow. You are basically telegraphing your moves," the kitsune says as Prund lifts his weapon and dashes towards her, the warhammer's head getting thrust towards her chest. "Hah… seriously, are you that dumb?"
Sidestepping the thrust, Alsilia grabs the pole of the warhammer and pulls it along with Prund towards her, before she headbutts him.
Antelouse and Enerimia widen their eyes in disbelief, while Prund grunts in pain, the headbutt causing him to let go of his weapon and clasp his forehead, as well stagger backwards a bit.
"That's all you got?" Alsilia asks unamused, throwing the warhammer away and walking slowly in front of the stunned half-orc, before she punches him in the gut with enough force to knock the air out of him.
"Kh-! Haaa-!" Prund wheezes as he falls to his knees, immediately trying to fill his now empty lungs with oxygen and clutching a hand on his abdomen. Alsilia simply shakes her head before she steps slightly back and kicks Prund's face, breaking his nose as well causing him to fly several meters through the air. Indeed, all of this played out under just a few seconds, with even the slime member of the group rippling sympathetically as the half-orc crashes to the ground not far from them, groaning painfully before losing consciousness
"For crying out loud, at least stay conscious…" Alsilia sighs disappointed, before she turns to look at the rest of the recruits, who immediately stiffen and stand at attention. "Enerimia, go drag his sorry ass to the side. Antelouse, you are next."
Enerimia immediately goes to drag Prund out of the small field, while Antelouse takes position a few meters opposite from the kitsune, taking off her spear from her back with trembling hands and grasping its pole tightly.
"I hope you won't be as much of a disappointment as Prund," Alsilia says, slightly straightening her service uniform. "Now stop trembling like a spineless coward and attack."
"Y-Yes, commander…" Antelouse stutters before gulping audibly, looking at the brigadier general warily as she takes an offensive stance, readjusting her grip on her spear and pointing forward.
'Let's see what you have to offer,' Alsilia thinks, before she notices the arachne suddenly standing on her hind legs and pointing the end of her spider belly towards her.
"Heh," Alsilia smirks, before jumping to the side to avoid a few strands of sticky web shot towards her. "Clever thinking, Private, but like with Prund, too slow."
Antelouse sighs slightly, a bit dissatisfied her attack missed, but also happy Alsilia complimented her. Somewhat. To her at least it sounded like a compliment.
Taking a deep breath, she then slowly starts walking towards the kitsune, picking up more and more speed with each passing moment, until she's essentially charging towards her, spear pointed forward and ready to impale her.
Alsilia hums thoughtfully for a second, before she starts running towards Alsilia, intent on meeting her head on.
Bit by bit, moment by moment, the distance between the two grows smaller and smaller, until they are practically a breath away from each other.
"Haaaaaaa!" Antelouse roars as she thrusts her spear, with Alsilia leaning to her right to avoid the thrust, then punches the arachne...
"Ghuah-!?"
…straight in her crotch.
Antelouse loses her balance from the sudden pain and stumbles, grinding into a halt against the dirt and letting go of her spear, before clasping her private parts with both hands as tears of agony already start flowing down her cheeks.
"O-Ooooow…! C-Commander…" she cries out, squeezing her eyes shut as her crotch slowly starts burning.
"Hmph. I told you to make a request to modify your uniform and armor to cover your crotch, but it seems you completely ignored me," Alsilia scoffs as she shakes her hand slightly, with the arachne only groaning in response.
"Grrr! Hey! That was uncalled for!" Enerimia suddenly shouts from the side, completely disgusted by the dirty move Alsilia just pulled.
"Hmm? I don't remember giving you permission to talk, Private. Much more to criticize my actions," the brigadier general says in a steady voice, turning her head to glare at Enerimia.
"Ghk-!" Enerimia immediately stiffens, but doesn't back down. "With all due respect, commander, to do such an underhanded thing, you should be ashamed! Where's your honor as a warrior and a soldier of the Sorcerous Kingdom? But it's to be expected from a demihuman with no family name…" she mutters quietly at the end as she looks to the side, but Alsilia hears it just fine, both of her ears twitching in annoyance.
"Honor, Private? I don't know how you imagine war is, but there's no honor in a battlefield. There's only death, destruction, and who remains alive at the end. Honor and heroics never kept a man alive out there, never stopped a bullet or an arrow from striking them down. Never blocked a blade from slashing their throats. Never brought back friends or family someone lost out there."
A dark expression slowly forms on the kitsune's face, nothing but cold apathy emanating from her eyes, Enerimia's last comment having flipped a switch out of nowhere.
"I've seen and done shit your mind can't begin to comprehend, just in order to survive. Shit most normal people would find revolting and outright disgusting. I've ripped throats with my teeth, clawed people to death with my nails, burned them, drowned them, anything you can imagine, all of these just to survive! So yeah, I ain't honorable, might as well say I have no morals and ethics. And every night, I pay the price of my actions, because as much as I try, I can't escape my past, of what I've done, of what has been done to me. Do I regret it though? No, because at the end of the day, I'm still here standing, while they are buried in some unnamed mass grave, several meters down in the earth. And I'll take no shit from a greenhorn who doesn't have the slightest idea of what a real battlefield looks like, of how it feels to stare death straight in the eyes and desperately trying to find a way to survive, of how it feels looking at someone's scared expression as their life slowly flashes in front of them, all the pain, misery, regret that emanates from their eyes. To hold someone in your hands and try to comfort them as they die and you simply can't do anything but simply watch."
Killing intent starts getting released from Alsilia, who slowly makes her way towards Enerimia, the dhampir's instincts screaming to run away as she unconsciously grabs the handle of the rapier that hangs from her side.
"Is it because I'm a simple, nameless commoner? Is it because I'm nothing but a bloodthirsty animal, a demihuman? Believe and say whatever makes you sleep at night, I couldn't care less. But until you get to where I am, until you've experienced what I have, I expect you to not question neither my actions, nor my orders, Private First Class Enerimia Cylon Bellastina. Understood?"
Stopping in front of the dhampir, Alsilia glares directly in her red eyes, with Enerimia's muscles stiffening even more, sweat quickly forming on her forehead as she looks back at the kitsune.
"Understood, commander…" she responds back with a frown, every word coated in venom.
Alsilia keeps glaring at Enerimia for a few long moments, before her gaze quickly softens, an expression of guilt forming on her face, albeit if only for a moment.
"Haah… training's done for now. Report back here at five PM, I'll run you by your new training schedule. You are dismissed."
With this, the kitsune turns around and starts walking away, while the damphir simply scoffs.
"Hmph! First she treats us like punching bags, and then she runs away. How disgraceful…" Enerimia spats, although her legs are still trembling slightly in fear as she looks at her commander.
"Enerimia," Alash calls out from next to her, currently sitting on the unconscious Prund's face and slowly healing his broken nose thanks to his constitution as a healing slime. "Can you go check on Antelouse?"
"Hah… yeah, I can."
Letting out a quiet sigh, Enerimia goes to check on the arachne, who is still sitting on the ground quietly crying, Alsilia having punched her a tad bit too hard.
A couple hours later
Knocking on the double door a few times, Alsilia opens it and enters to Wolfpaw's office, behind her the door closing automatically.
"General, sir," Alsilia salutes, with the general only giving her a glimpse, before signing a document.
"Brigadier General..." finishing his current task, Wolfpaw raises his head and gives a small nod. "Do you have business with me?"
"Yes, General." the kitsune says with a firm expression, befit to her position.
"I'd like to request four, low grade restraining seals for the recruits, sir," without hesitation, she states her request.
"May I ask the reason?"
"The performance of the recruits has been disappointing, to say the least, and their growth has been even more so. At this rate, their potential will simply go to waste. With a few restraining seals, I am sure their growth potential can be fully realized."
"I'll note it down so that you are provided with them as soon as possible, but it may take a few days to arrive. That being said… the cost will be deducted from your training budget. We can't just throw around precious resources like they are nothing for the growth of a few recruits. You still wish to uphold your application?" Wolfpaw responds, seeing as such seals are usually provided to training officers in boot camps, meaning it's highly unlikely the fortress will have some in stock. That means extra cost for the expedition force.
While the Sorcerous Kingdom spends a great deal of money for its army and technology, every coin is counted towards the end result. They have already overstretched the budget the kingdom has given them to manage this fortress and its needs, not to mention they've already requested complementary additions. Providing units with free things is not an option.
"I understand… but yes, I'd still like to proceed with it. Thank you very much, General. I'd also like to ask if there are any bandit hunting missions available."
"Bandit hunting missions?" Wolfpaw raises his brow, finding such request strange. Why would someone like a brigadier general want to go hunt simple bandits?
"Yes, sir. I'd like to test how cohesive the unit is under live combat, as well how the recruits act during it," Alsilia responds and Wolfpaw nods slowly.
"I see. Well, seeing as how our numbers are nowhere near enough to keep in check every newly explored area and deal with all the bandits that have been popping around as of lately, there are plenty of such missions to go around."
Until the vassalization treaty has been officially signed by the Empire, they can't really go deeper and create proper defensive structures, not speaking about organising proper guard patrols to get rid of the pests called bandits. To properly control the area, they need more personnel; an undeniable fact Wolfpaw had encountered many times under his service in the Sorcerous Kingdom.
'An invading force, no matter how mighty it is, can hardly control a conquered area only by force - at least in the long run…'
In this case, the help of the local authorities would be a great boon to keep the country in check and safe - the exact thing the Empire failed to do alone - but as said, until the Empire signs the treaty, that's hardly possible.
"But first, let me remind you that you are training recruits for an exploration unit, NOT special operations you are so accustomed of."
Alsilia stiffens a little as her ears twitch a bit.
"I've been getting reports from your fellow officers that you've been going rather hard on them in these past few days. And quite frankly, their boot camp training should be enough for their role in the unit. It is a fool's errand wasting more energy on them than necessary."
"With all due respect, sir, they are not ready to go out there. As I said before, their performance is quite disappointing despite their-"
"Yes, Brigadier General, I heard you the first time. They have potential. But they are members of an exploration unit. They do not need more than the training they've already received. Don't you think beating the snot out of two of them is enough?"
Wolfpaw's strict but subtle glare drills holes on the kitsune's skull, who audibly gulps as her body tenses even more.
"While I'm sure you have the best of intentions, I'd like you to keep in mind both your position and theirs, as well what your purpose will be."
"O-Of course, General…"
"Mmh. Then I expect you to go a bit easier on them, Brigadier General. It'd be bad if something were to happen to them because you pushed them too hard, especially the noble dhampir. It would bring more trouble than it's worth."
Alsilia quietly nods, not having expected to be berated for how she's training her own recruits.
"You may go now. I'll send someone to leave a few of the bandit hunting missions to your room and you can pick whichever one you want. But if something happens to the recruits, the blame will fall on your shoulders as their superior, understood?"
"Yes, General!" Alsilia says and salutes Wolfpaw, with the werewolf then turning his attention back to his paperwork. The kitsune then turns around and makes her way out of the office, letting out an audible sigh upon exiting it.
'Hah… just great… just fucking great…' she groans mentally, briefly rubbing her face with a hand. 'Tch… I guess I'll have to scale back their training… hopefully it won't get them killed in the end…'
With a shake of her head and a rather annoyed expression on her face, Alsilia makes her way towards her room, retrieving from one of her uniform's pockets her communication crystal.
'She should have finished with work for the day by now. Hopefully she won't mind if I call a bit earlier today…' Alsilia muses in her mind, applying a bit of mana on the crystal to contact her sister, Ralia.
vnnn… vnnn… vnnn… dling
"Hello?" a familiar voice comes from the crystal, so Alsilia raises it closer to her face.
"Hey, Ralia."
"Ah, Alsilia! It's rare of you to call this early, did something happen?"
"No, nothing like that. I just had free time and decided to call you. Are you still at work?" Alsilia asks, hoping she hasn't interrupted her from performing her duties.
"Ah no, I just left HQ."
"I see. How was work?"
Ralia audibly sighs at this, before a slumping sound is heard coming from the crystal.
"Boooooring… Like, there was nothing but paperwork to sign… my hand got cramped from all the signing I had to do…" she complains, with the brigadier general already imagining her sister's cute pout.
"Ahahah… slow days are like this, Ralia. Especially in the HQ, you barely get to do anything other than sign documents and read reports," Alsilia chuckles, having herself experienced the slow days of bureaucracy the HQ has to offer. "You'll get used to them at some point."
"Hah… sometimes I feel like being on the field is way better than this. At least out there always something… 'interesting' happens."
"Come on, don't say that. I had to pull many strings to get you a position in Headquarters, you know. And at least there your life isn't in danger."
"I know, I know, I'm just saying it's boring. And they still send me from time to time in the last continent to oversee the occupied territories, anyway."
"But it's better than being there all the time."
"True. Ah, that reminds me, couldn't you just pull some strings to get a position somewhere in the country as well? We really haven't spent all that much time together… "
"I know… I'll see what I can do after I return from the special region, alright?"
"You promise?"
"I promise," Alsilia says with a giggle, Ralia's excited tone bringing a smile on her face.
"Hehe. You better keep it, alright? It'll look really bad if your younger sister gets a child first~" Ralia says in a teasing tone, with Alsilia's cheeks blushing slightly.
"O-Oi… there's no reason to bring that up…" Alsilia mumbles a bit embarrassed, causing her sister to giggle.
"But you are already 32! You should have already been married and made half a dozen cubs by now~"
"I couldn't find a suitable mate, alright? And it's not that easy to get to know someone when you are most of the time fighting in a war," Alsilia scoffs, while her sister simply giggles.
"That's why you should settle back here as soon as possible! And with your reputation, I'm sure you'll find a mate in no time at all~"
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say," Alsilia says annoyed, not really liking where the conversation is going. "Anyway, I have to go. It was nice talking to you. I'll call tomorrow evening, alright?"
"Mhmm. Have a good day, Alsilia."
"Have a good day, Ralia."
Alsilia stops feeding the crystal with mana and the connection gets cut, then pockets it as she stops in front of her room's door.
'It's always so nice talking to her. Hah… I suppose I'll need to settle down sooner or later; I've basically spent almost half my life away from home…'
Unlocking her door and entering inside, Alsilia takes off her boots and makes a beeline straight for her bed, falling on it face first and sighing audibly.
"Haaah… what a shitty day this has been till now…" she mumbles on her pillow, before she slowly turns around and gazes up in the ceiling.
'Just suddenly snapping at one of the recruits from a simple provocation, getting berated by Wolfpaw for their training being too hard, what else could possibly go wrong I wonder…'
Taking a deep breath, Alsilia closes her eyes and exhales slowly.
'But it doesn't matter right now, does it? Can't really change what happened in the past… Anyway, I'll revert their training back to the one they had in boot camp; the restraining seals should do the trick. As for the bandit hunting mission, a small nest should be adequate for their first time. They usually only have around ten to fifteen bandits.'
Alsilia turns to lie on her side and drapes her tails over her hips, before looking to her room's door as if waiting for someone to appear there at any moment.
'If I'm lucky, there'll be a few close to the fortress; I'd hate to spend more than a day in it, especially since the next day we'll be up and running as an exploration unit…'
Releasing a final sigh, the kitsune closes her eyes and tries to fall asleep till it's time to grab lunch from the mess hall.
A few hours later, in one of the base's mess halls
"Ugh, the line is so long…" Enerimia groans annoyed, currently standing in a rather long line waiting for her turn to get her meal from the kitchen counter.
"It can't be helped. We came a bit later than usual," Prund says as he looks around, noticing just how many people are inside the mess hall, most of the tables already being occupied by soldiers and officers alike, albeit depending on their rank, they sit at a different part of the mess hall.
"But it's totally worth it! The food they have is just so delicious!" Antelouse says happily, looking towards the kitchen counter to see what's on the menu today. "Oh, I think I see a steak!"
"Indeed, in comparison with other armies the Sorcerer Kingdom does offer the most luxury to its troops, from food to entertainment. Not to mention the equipment even basic infantry receives," Alash comments, currently sitting on top of Antelouse's spider abdomen.
"To be expected from the nation that was created by the Supreme Beings themselves," Enerimia says with pride, puffing her chest slightly outwards. "We are the most advanced nation in the whole planet! Not even the empire in the last continent can match our strength!"
"You say that, but it's been fifteen years since the war for the last continent started, and only 3/4ths of it has been conquered, not to mention the advance of the troops has almost come to a standstill," Prund comments, which seems to earn Enerimia's irk.
"It is until the deployed forces there are reinforced or replaced, then the frontlines will start moving yet again!"
"The forces currently sieging fortress Avalon are some of the best the Sorcerous Kingdom has to offer, with priority to most supplies and equipment. Yet they've been sieging it for over three years and they haven't even scratched its walls," Alash interjects, slowly moving towards Antelouse's shoulder so that it can see all its squadmates. "While the Sorcerous Kingdom's military might cannot be questioned, we are not invisible. The Typhoon offensive is evidence of that. Also, logistics play an important role. And with two different fronts of such magnitude, supply lines are already stretched to their limit. Not to mention the vassal nations can help so much thanks to how less developed they are in comparison with the Sorcerous Kingdom. They simply cannot provide enough to cover the demand."
"You know a lot of stuff, Alash," Antelouse says, looking at the pink blob in wonder.
"I'm naturally curious, so I tend to learn random things quite easily."
"Oh, I see! In that case, what about the country from which the commander is? Do you know anything?" the arachne asks curiously, and Alash vibrates in response.
"Commander Alsilia comes from the Kitsune Kingdom, a vast kingdom which is located in the once called Beastman Country, bordered by the Minotaur Nation, the Draconic Kingdom, the Elf Kingdom and Antlantica, the underwater country. The kingdom is vast and contains a plethora of biomes, from snowy mountains to plains, to deserts, and many more. Its ruler is queen Elysia, who has been on the throne since the founding of the kingdom, some one hundred years ago. She's been guiding the nation's development ever since and has been openly criticized for "trying to create a new Sorcerous Kingdom" thanks to a push towards population increase and industrialization. Also, because of her very good relations with the Supreme Beings, she's been able to have very favorable deals for her kingdom, especially when compared to the rest of the vassals. Moreover, the kingdom consists of two types of kitsune, the humanoid ones like the commander, and the demihuman ones, who have more animal characteristics. The ratio between them is around 1:9, and…"
"Talk about being a moving encyclopedia…" Enerimia mumbles as Alash keeps talking and talking about the Kitsune Kingdom, currently covering demographics, while Antelouse is already feeling sleepy thanks to all the information being dumped on her head.
"It certainly knows a lot of things," Prund hums and nods, glancing at the slime for a moment before turning around. A few minutes later, the four of them reach the kitchen counter and take their food, then make their way towards one of the mess hall tables to sit.
"There're so many people…" Antelouse muses as she looks around, most of the tables already being occupied by soldiers or staff from the base. "Will we even find a table to sit at?"
"There's an empty one over there," Prund says and motions with his head a few rows away from them. Making their way towards it, everyone takes a sit, save for Antelouse that puts her two front legs between the table and its bench, then sits down on the floor.
"Ouch…" she whines quietly, her crotch still hurting from Alsilia's punch despite visiting the infirmary. "Hah… why did she have to punch me there…?"
"Hmph. Pulling such an underhanded move, she should be ashamed of herself," Enerimia scoffs, before she starts eating her food, a juicy steak with some boiled peas. While normally vampires can't eat or taste normal food and can only drink blood to survive, Enerimia isn't dependent to it thanks to being human-vampire hybrid. It's also one of the reasons why the sun doesn't hurt her.
"In her defense, if we ever encounter enemies out there, they won't exactly play fair either," Prund comments. "It won't matter if they pulled any underhanded tricks if they are the last ones standing."
"If we are to fight without honor, we might as well call ourselves animals. It'd be a disgrace against the Supreme Beings to do so," Enerimia argues.
"Sometimes you need to disregard your honor in the battlefield if you want to survive. As a saying goes, "All is fair in love and war". As long as you are the victor, everything's allowed."
"Hmph. Of course you'd say that."
"Hey, what do you think the commander will give us for extra training?" Antelouse asks curiously.
"Well, she did say something about night training, as well doubling the existing one… most likely it'll be the same, just increased in volume," Prund suggests.
"Hah… great, more meaningless stuff…" Enerimia sighs, while Antelouse lowers her head as if giving up.
"Right… I should have expected that…" she whines quietly before continuing eating her food, albeit slower.
"And it's debatable whether it'll do anything with only three days remaining. Still, orders are orders, so we don't have any saying in that matter," Alash comments on a monotonous tone, before he devours his food along with the plate and tray, everything slowly dissolving inside him.
"...Aren't we supposed to be an exploration unit tasked with exploring Falmart? Like, why is she even putting us through this hell, for her personal pleasure…?" Enerimia suddenly mumbles, using her fork to play with one of the peas on her plate. "It's not like we'll come across any serious dangers while exploring already captured territory. And I doubt the natives of this world can even scratch us in combat…"
"Perhaps she wants to be sure we can push through any adversity that might appear throughout our journey. While I do have my reservations for what she might have in store for us, I do believe it'll benefit us in the long run. Our power will certainly increase even if by little, which could mean the difference between life and death in certain situations," Prund voices his opinion, leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "And while true it won't do much for you two, since you don't exactly have limited stamina or mana, it will help me and Antelouse greatly improve."
"Aaahh… we are going to die before the end of this week…" the arachne mumbles in a depressed tone, before one of her eyes catches a certain kitsune in the distance. "Huh? Isn't that the commander?"
Almost immediately everyone turns towards the direction Antelouse is looking, and indeed Alsilia stands a few feet away from the kitchen counter, a tray with a plate of food on her hands as she glances around for any free tables to go to sit at.
"Ugh, this is the worst… of all the mess halls she could have chosen…" Enerimia groans, not happy in the slightest to see the brigadier general so soon.
"She doesn't seem to have spotted us," Prund hums as Alsilia glances towards their direction for a moment, then turns her head to look somewhere else. "Should we call out to her?"
"Are you an idiot? She'll chew us out if we do that!" Enerimia immediately responds, which stops Antelouse from actually waving at her. "I'm also pretty sure she saw us, most likely she's ignoring us."
"Aww, that's not nice…" Antelouse says a bit saddened.
"She's our superior, not our buddy. And a pretty disliked one at that, too…"
"You are the only one that dislikes her, Enerimia," Alash points out and the dhampir snaps her gaze at it.
"Shut it, slime!"
"Ah, the commander is going away," Antelouse hums as she sees the kitsune making her way towards a relatively empty table in the area where the high-ranked officers sit.
"Doesn't seem to be welcomed there," Prund says, seeing some rather angry but subtle glares as she passes behind some if the officers.
"Understandable, seeing as how most of the officers look to be from the vassal nations," Alash comments, finally jumping from Antelouse's shoulder on the table, then on the bench. "It ties down with her kingdom having very good relations with the Sorcerous Kingdom and a lot of favorable deals."
"Hmph, how stupid. That must be the most idiotic reason to be angry at someone," Enerimia scoffs, before Alash starts vibrating at a pattern, almost as if trying to mimic laughing.
"You are one to talk."
"You are really getting on my nerves…"
The dhampir angrily glares at Alash, who keeps vibrating as if mocking her.
"Ahem," Prund coughs on his fist to get everyone's attention, before he looks at Alash. "So you are saying that they discriminate against her because of her kingdom and its dealings with the Sorcerous Kingdom?"
"Basically," Alash responds, going back to vibrating only when talking. "Discrimination will always exist, even in our society that's been built for equality between everyone. Those that are in a lower position than you will always loathe you, be jealous of you. Why should you have an easier life, and they a harder? Why should you have more benefits than them? Why should you be happier than them? And while it can be negated with different measures, it can never be exterminated. Why should your nation have it better than mine? Why should your people be better off than mine? All because your queen is buddies with the Supreme Beings themselves? Of course it's not as simple as that, but you get the point."
"Life is never fair, is never easy. They should just get over it and move on…" Enerimia mutters and stands up, then picks up her tray. "I'm going back to the barracks, might as well catch some sleep before evening's training."
With that, the dhampir goes away, leaving the other recruits alone.
"She sounded a bit bitter…" Antelouse hums as she follows Enerimia with her gaze.
"Maybe she's just not into a good mood after what happened today," Prund says and rubs his nise, then stands up and takes his tray. "I think we should get going since we've finished with our food."
Antelouse picks her tray as well, while Alash jumps on top of her spider abdomen, then everyone goes to leave their used plates and trays at the kitchen counter, then exit the mess hall and go back to their barracks as well.
A few minutes after five PM, in the training grounds
Alsilia has spent the best of the past five minutes simply staring at the recruits, who have lined in front of her and are standing at attention, awaiting to see what horrific training their commander will assign them.
"Hah… due to complains from your fellow officers to the general of the fortress, as well on his insistence, I won't be going forward with doubling your training, there will be no night exercises, and I'll be lightening the load you currently have back to boot camp training. To compensate for that, you'll be training with restraining seals in the coming days, maybe keep them after we become operational too. Also, at the last day of our training we will be going on a bandit hunting mission to see how you fare in live combat. That's all for now, dismissed."
As Alsilia turns around and goes away, the recruits glance at each other, having no idea what has just happened.
"So… what the hell just happened…?" Enerimia asks confused, at which no one seems to have an answer at first.
"It seems some people weren't happy with how hard she was training us, including the general," Alash hums. "Today's sparring matches probably were the last nail in the coffin."
"Hey, we got less training!" the arachne says cheerfully, before she slightly winches in pain. "Ow… Ah, but does that mean the commander is now on bad terms with the officers and the base's general?"
"Is that what concerns you? We'll be training with restraining seals, which means our strength will be severely restricted."
"It shouldn't pose a problem, given the seals boost your training, so we'll reach our previous difficulty ranks fast. We should also be able to fight the people of this world with ease by the time we go on that mission," Prund suggests.
"It will depend on how many bandits we'll have to fight and their general level. If the difference isn't that great in strength, sufficient numbers can decide how a fight will turn out," Alash speaks out, not all that sure about such a mission so soon, but confident their commander knows what she's doing. "All things considered, we should be fine."
"Well, the commander will be there with us, right? So if anything goes wrong, she can fix it!" Antelouse says in an optimistic tone. "She's really strong after all!"
"I hope you are right, Antelouse. Or we'll be in deep trouble…" Enerimia sighs, a bad feeling rising in her stomach despite things having somewhat improved out of nowhere.
A/N: And the chapter is finally done! I know I'm late a few months, but some stuff happened, plus the site refused to cooperate for the past two days. Once again, special thanks to Oblivon2991 for helping with the chapter and suggesting a few ideas used in it. Please do note that English isn't my first language, so expect awkward grammar and misspelled words here and there. At any rate, I hope you all have a good day/night, and I'll see you in the next chapter.