Warnings: Language and Violence
Perspective
Four Years Ago: Scarmont Citadel
Rainer sighed as he adjusted the jade brooch which kept his cape around his shoulders. I can't believe I made it this far. He fixed the leather straps on his gauntlets and took another look over his dark grey armor. I've finally earned my own armor set. It's far more comfortable than the standard issue the soldiers normally get. Taking a deep breath, Rainer turned around and exited his room in the barracks. As he walked down the halls, he made sure to greet those he knew. A familiar woman in a suit of red plate armor with black accents caught his eye.
"Good morning, Miss Adeline." With a small smile, the man waved over to the strawberry blonde.
"Up early again, Schermer?" A woman called out as she made her rounds. "Congrats on making it to Vanguard Division Twenty-Four!"
"Thank you, Miss Adeline!" Rainer responded with genuine cheer; pride seeped into his dour mood. "I heard you got into Warmaster Division Two the other day."
"Was there ever any doubt?" Adeline paused to look at him and put a hand on her hip.
Chuckling heartily, the tall man crossed his arms behind his back. "I never doubted you for a moment, Madam."
Adeline shook her head as she continued on her rounds. "One of these days, I'm going to punch you out of your damned formality stint. What happened to the Schermer I first met?"
He matured and parts of him died inside. Rainer's eyes darkened. His posture stiffened as he strode down the halls. At least keep your head high, fool! Rainer straightened his back to accommodate his raised head. He passed by others he worked with at least once. Agomar, Tenemov, Ralinda, Ga'Avar... Good to know they survived training. Rainer stroked the tuft of hair at his chin as he walked in thought. Agomar, Tenemov, Ralinda have yet to be sorted, last I heard. Thump.
Stopping in his tracks to pick up the fallen book, Rainer directed his gaze to the person who dropped it. "Sorry about that, Master Gideon."
"Enough of that nonsense, Rain." Gideon smiled as he grabbed the book from his friend's hands. "We've known each other for four years now."
"Best keep formalities up as we ascend in rank, Sir. We wouldn't want to upset our betters." Rainer clenched his teeth. I don't want to be associated with scum like you.
Laughing, the redhead wrapped the taller man in a quick one-armed hug. "Just wait until we become everyone's betters, Rain! You won't have to worry about all that formality nonsense."
Stay away from me. Readjusting his helmet, Rainer stiffly shrugged. "I'd better continue on my way. Good day, Master Gideon."
"Ugh, fine. Just know, that one day, you'll drop the formalities again."
Once Rainer reached the outdoors, he greedily gulped in some fresh air. That was unnecessarily stressful... Leaning forward on his knees, the tall man shut his eyes. I need to learn how deal with him and Haddie soon. We are in the same division after all. Taking a deep breath, Rainer stood upright once more. His amber eyes flicked from side-to-side as he scanned the courtyard. Clunk-clunk. Rainer looked to his right to see a barely armored man who stood at about his height. I wonder if he's ever cold. The other man wore large, metal shoulder pads which were connected to his belt by leather straps. Together, the straps formed an 'x' across his black striped chest. Half of the black stripes on his arms were covered by the metal gauntlets he wore.
"Greetings, Master Ga'Avar. How does it feel to finally be sorted into a division?"
"Captain Chavdarov is a good man, but being sorted feels as dull as everything else in this province," Ga'Avar snorted as he crossed his arms.
Rainer frowned and looked to the distant, snow-covered plains. "I'm sorry to hear that, Master Ga'Avar."
"Ever the formal one aren't you, Sir Rainer?" The Tigronian wondered as he tilted his head toward the cavalier.
"I'm no 'Sir' anything, Master Ga'Avar. My recent induction to the Vanguard means very little in terms of title." Rainer briefly met his comrade's gaze.
Shrugging his shoulders, the muscly Tigronian focused on the courtyard. "You are a knight like those of traditional stories, through and through. Hell, you even treat me as an equal, if not that then as someone better than you."
No one else will treat you like a person. "I hold my comrades in high regard; you should know that by now."
"Of course," Ga'Avar nodded and turned to meet Rainer's eyes. "Why do you bother?"
"Hm?"
The Tigronian gestured to himself. "You treat me better than anyone else here. Other Tigronians in the Osladan Army, you treat so kindly. No petty insults or glares... Why is a human willing to treat Tigronians with respect?"
"I..." He calls me human... "You are all people, people who have earned their place here just like everyone else. I refuse to treat anyone as less."
Ga'Avar frowned; his eyes searched Rainer's. "I see. I better get going; there's much I must do. Have a good day, Sir Rainer."
What did he see in my eyes? Does he know? "Good day, Master Ga'Avar."
Clunk-clunk. Watching the other man leave, the cavalier turned and walked toward the nearby recruits. I hope Sergeant Kruum is well. Rainer held his arms behind his back. She's mellowed out over the years. Clack-clack. He came to a stop near the trainees as they attempted to knock their statues to the ground. Bap-bap! BAM! BAM! Crrrack! Crunch! A familiar symphony of suffering and sorrow filled Rainer's ears. As one of the recruits cried in pain, he approached the overseeing sergeant.
"Hail, Sergeant Kruum!"
The woman with greying brown hair turned her head ever so slightly. "Ah, if it isn't Rainer Schermer. You're not up to any trouble are you?"
"Of course not, Ma'am. I've learned better than to remain the same." Rainer fell into place beside the officer. "Still the ever caring woman for her recruits, hm?"
Scoffing, Sergeant Kruum returned her focus to her trainees. She stood stiff and kept her hands clasped around her trusty, old, club-like whip. Yep, definitely mellowed out. Rainer watched as four other recruits fell to their knees in pain. His eyes caught sight of the few who managed to push their statues over. BAM! FWAM! FWAM! Sometimes it feels like they get worse every year... The light in Rainer's eyes darkened. They won't amount to much if they don't hone their skills. A contemplative look appeared on his features. Now, I know why our overseers yelled at us so much during our training. Recruits honestly won't last unless they're pushed to the limit. Of course, I doubt any of the yelling comes from the bottom of any of our officer's hearts.
"You're more serious than I remember you being, Schermer." A sharp elbow jabbed in his side broke him from his thoughts.
She's as strong as ever... Wincing, the tall man glanced at the sergeant. "I've learned the benefits of taking things seriously and calmly. The new blood won't handle the north well if they can't knock over or break their statues."
"Hm," The woman crossed her arms. "That's helped you become apart of the Vanguard, eh?"
"Most likely, yes."
Nodding, the sergeant quirked a corner of her mouth up, "Good, good. You've surpassed my expectations, kid."
"Thank you," Rainer smiled and bowed his head. Thank you for everything.
"I did what I was told, nothing more." Sergeant Kruum shoved his shoulder. "Besides, it's not like I lose hope in all my trainees."
You're like a military mother in that sense, then. The tall man hummed thoughtfully.
"Am I now?" Snorting, the woman shook her head and barked out a laugh. "That's the strangest thing I've heard in my entire career here."
Realizing his mistake, Rainer uncrossed his arms from behind his back and wiped his face with his hands. "Gods' Blood! I said that out loud, didn't I?"
After she cleared her throat and glared at the recruits who sent her strange looks, Sergeant Kruum patted him on the back. "Don't worry, Schermer. I'll take that as a compliment. Not many of these dregs hold respect for an officer like me."
"I...Right," Meeting her gaze, the tall man picked up on the words she left unsaid. Not many people respect female officers in the Osladan Army.
"You'd better get going now, Schermer. I've got a lot to do and little time to do it if you're bothering me." Shooing the man away, Sergeant Kruum began pacing behind her row of recruits.
Rainer raised his hands in a placating manner before he backed away from the recruits. He spun around on his heel and made his way back to the barracks. Captain Chavdarov should be back soon. Clunk-clunk! A tall blur roughly pushed passed him as he walked. A frown found its way on to Rainer's features as the blur disappeared around a corner. The least Ga'Avar could've done was say "Excuse me" or something of the sort.
Clack-clack. Stepping into the barracks once more, the tall cavalier's eyes swept across the main hall. "Gone like a whisper..."
Suddenly, a pair of arms tightly wrapped around his shoulders. "There's my favorite statue man!"
Eyes widened slightly, Rainer released a sigh. "G-greetings, Miss Hadriana. I see you're as chipper as ever."
"Aw, you're still on your formality spiel..." Releasing her hold on him, Haddie bounded to his front. "You know I don't like that, right Rainy?"
And you ought to know that I despise your discrimination toward Tigronians, yet you blissfully choose to ignore that fact. Clenching his hands into fists, Rainer stepped away from the woman. "You really shouldn't jump so high just to reach my shoulders, Madam."
Haddie sighed and playfully shoved the rigid man before taking off down the hall, "Not my fault you're unnaturally tall. C'mon, Vasko is waiting for us!"
Sighing, the tall man calmly strode after her. "We're supposed to call him Captain Chavdarov, regardless of our friendship with Gideon!"
"Quit being a stick in the mud and pick up the pace, Rainy!"
War Room
"Reports from Challenger Division Forty-Four revealed more bandit sightings in the south." A short man clad in spiked, bulky armor stood across from Captain Chavdarov as Rainer and Haddie entered the room. "Chavdarov, we need to locate the threat and eliminate it immediately!"
Rubbing his chin, Captain Chavdarov waved his free hand dismissively at the purple-haired man. "Don't be ridiculous, Dragomir. Text book procedures won't help us here, especially with all these 'bandit' attacks."
"We can eliminate these ruffians easily, especially with reinforcements from Skjarn. Why do you hesitate?" The other captain questioned, banging the bottom of his spear against the floor.
"I'm not hesitating, I'm voicing my observation." Captain Chavdarov ran a hand through his greying red locks. "These bandit attacks along the southern border have become more frequent in the last year. No matter how many of them we slay, more will replace them."
"What does that matter?! We can keep on killing them with no real loss to ourselves!"
Rainer's eyes turned to the ground as the two captains argued. Hm...I couldn't help but notice that as well during our latest patrol near Fort Bruudenheim. Crossing his arms over his chest, the tall man tilted his head. They also became increasingly more organized each time we encountered them further south at Fort Nagvald. Not to mention their equipment... Rainer narrowed his eyes and glanced at his companion. The mint-haired woman simply fiddled with the edges of her tunic that hung below her waist. Dark amber eyes went on to examine the war room. Strange. Gideon isn't here. He must be in the library again.
BANG! "Quit being a nonsensical sissy, Chavdarov! The only option we have is to kill these bandits and let it be done with!"
The great knight rested his palms on the table between him and the purple-haired man. "Dragomir, don't be an ass! I am telling you that it won't work!"
"Yet you won't give me a good reason why!" Captain Dragomir slammed his fist against the table again. "Bandit groups will continue to increase their numbers no matter what we do! Why should we care if hundreds of people die for their cause?! We are warriors of Oslad! We've got the strongest military in the land! Why does a few lives matter so much to you?"
This will earn me a two week's worth of lashing... Rainer stepped forward and cleared his throat. "May I add a few words concerning the matter, Captain Dragomir?"
The purple-haired man sneered, "Shove it, whelp! This is none of your damned business!"
"Leave him, Dragomir." Captain Chavdarov spat back, gesturing for the young man to step closer to the table. "You are free to speak, Schermer, but know you will be severely punished for interrupting our discussion."
"Understood, Captain," After he nodded his thanks, the tall man gestured to the map. "With all due respect, Captain Dragomir, your plan won't work because there is more to these bandits than you realize."
"The nerve of this insignificant—"
"Forgive me, Captain Dragomir, but I am not finished speaking." Rainer crossed his arms behind his back to hide his clenched fists. "During our patrols around Fort Bruudenheim and Fort Nagvald, I noticed that aside from larger numbers, our enemies began using more complex tactics to face us."
Dragomir shook his head. "So the fools learn from their mistakes? That doesn't mean anything."
"It does if they also begin to gather better equipment each time we face them. They're far more organized than any regular bandit group we've faced before. Don't you find it strange that rather than get weaker and weaker with the new recruits they bring in, these bandits become stronger and stronger instead? We're not facing 'bandits' anymore. These men and women are far more than we're bargaining for."
"Bah!" Captain Dragomir placed his hands on his hips and shook his head.
Captain Chavdarov gazed at Rainer curiously. "You noticed all that during our patrols?"
Rainer bowed his head respectfully. "Testing exercise or not, we need to remain vigilant."
"Hm..." Waving a hand to silence his colleague, Captain Chavdarov began stroking his chin again. "I thought all their actions were in my head. If we approach these supposed bandits the right way, perhaps we can eliminate the leader without wiping all of them out. Those men and women will prove to be a welcome addition to our military."
Taking a step back, Rainer returned to his place beside Haddie. She sent him an unreadable look before straightening her posture. We ought to head into battle knowing as much as we can, not as little. The tall man rolled his shoulders back with a heavy sigh. The captains needed to know. I accept the punishments that will come after. BANG! Rainer looked up to see the other captain leaning heavily against the table. Captain Dragomir sent the cavalier a dirty glare and grit his teeth. Before the purple-haired officer could speak, a pained cry echoed through the hall. Rainer's ears twitched beneath his helmet at the shout. I know that voice.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
Shoving Haddie and Rainer aside, Captain Chavdarov hurried out of the war room. "GIDEON?!"
Captain Dragomir turned to the guard in the room, "Gather more of the men right now and—"
RRROOOAAAR!
Without hesitation, Rainer hurried on ahead of Haddie towards the sound. That sounded like a Tigronian's roar... The tall man rushed passed Captain Chavdarov, coming to a stop at a hallway intersection. Where did the sound c— RRROOOAAAR! That answers that. Taking off down the hall to his right, Rainer stormed into the Citadel's library. CRASH! THUNK-THUNK! RRROOOAAAR! His eyes immediately focused on a massive tiger with razor sharp canines. It twisted around the large room in a rage. A Tigronian...
Damn it, what the hell is this person thinking?! Frowning, Rainer prepared his lance and charged forward. His dark amber eyes briefly flicked over to the bloodied heap on the ground. Gideon... Clenching his teeth, the cavalier twirled his weapon around and struck at the giant tiger's exposed abdomen. Ssshhik! In retaliation, the giant tiger used one of its paws to catch Rainer in the side. RRROOOAAAR! Rainer soared through the air; his flight went uninterrupted until his back slammed into a stone column. He fell back on the ground to his hands and knees.
"Dastard..." The cavalier wiped off the blood trickling down the corner of his mouth. "You won't defeat me that easily."
"GIDEON!" Clunk-clunk! Bursting through the library doors, and effectively breaking them apart, Captain Chavdarov held his axe at the ready with Haddie at his side. "WHERE IS MY SON?!"
Rainer staggered to his feet and retrieved his lance from the ground. "He's over there, by the Tigronian's left side!"
"NO! GIDDY, GET UP!" Haddie readied her bow and nocked an arrow before advancing towards the giant tiger.
"M-my...my son..." The captain's voice cracked before a hard edge appeared in his eyes. "I'll make you pay for this! YOU DAMNED MONSTER!"
Monster... The lance-wielding cavalier repeated sorrowfully in his head. A monster indeed. He charged forward again; his head bowed down low. Out of the corner of his eye, Rainer saw Captain Chavdarov rushing in for an attack as well. Haddie remained at the edges of the battle; her arrows soared through the air and landed right on target. Twang! Twang! Time blurred past the group as Rainer and the captain struck at the Tigronian in a swirl of metal. Thwack-thwack-thwack! FWAM! SLAM! FWAM!
The giant tiger spun around, sweeping the captain and Haddie away with its tail. The mint-haired woman disappeared into the hallway as the officer's back slammed into a bookcase. No, Haddie! Refusing to back down, Captain Chavdarov came back with an angry shout. The second time around, the Tigronian slammed both of its forepaws into the captain and sent him flying into the hallway. Damn it, not the captain! Raising his lance, Rainer lunged forward and embedded the weapon's tip deep into the tiger's stomach. Sssccchllick! RRROOOAAAR! Once again, the tiger struck Rainer in the side and into a nearby bookcase.
As he pushed himself out of the fallen books, Rainer looked over at the tiger to see it revert into a familiar person. Gods' Blood... Rainer resisted the agony that pulsed throughout his body; his steps determined to reach the prone Tigronian. Cl-clack-clack. Cl-clack-clack. Walk without the limp, damn it! Despite his attempts, the cavalier continued to stumble forward. Once he reached the Tigronian, he ripped his lance out from the fallen man's gut.
"Ga'Avar... W-why? Why did you do this?" Rainer whispered harshly, throwing his lance to the side. "Relations between Tigronians and the humans here in Oslad won't improve with actions like yours!"
Clutching his bleeding gut, the Tigronian sneered. "Y-you of all people ought to know why."
Me?! Does he know then?! Narrowing his eyes, Rainer stomped his foot beside the Tigronian's head. "Damn you! Tell me the truth."
"Bah, s-such...f-fierce words," Ga'Avar spat blood up at the cavalier as he struggled to his feet. "F-from...s-such...a...w-weak person."
"Enough with your word games!" Stepping back, the lance-wielder glared at the other man. "Tell me the truth! RIGHT! NOW!"
"YOU ALREADY KNOW THE TRUTH!" Sucking a deep breath, Ga'Avar removed his metal gauntlets and staggered back-and-forth in place. "Do not pretend any longer."
In the blink of an eye, the wounded Tigronian rushed forward and struck at Rainer's face with his sharp nails. Shhik! Clank-clunk! Stumbling back, Rainer felt his helmet leave his head. Blood flowed freely from three fresh claw marks on his face. He staunched the flow with one hand and glared at the wounded Tigronian. A smug smile broke through Ga'Avar's pained expression. He knocked off my damned helmet... Rainer wiped his bloodied hand off on the edges of his shirt that hung from beneath his chestplate.
"N-now...now, I know." Ga'Avar hissed as he collapsed to his knees, "I know."
Brushing his dark teal hair back into place with his left hand, Rainer retrieved his helmet and put it back on. "Hmph."
Ga'Avar opened his mouth once more to speak but another voice interrupted him. "You'll pay for this, you scumbag!"
Haddie appeared in the middle of the doorway, blood trickling down the side of her face. TWANG! Her arrow soared through the air and struck true. Ga'Avar shuddered his last breath and fell forward. Thud. You know now, but the secret dies with you as well. Rainer turned to the fallen redhead nearby. Gods, please let him still be alive. A green-haired blur rushed passed him. He strode over to the fallen dark knight and spun him over with Haddie's help. The redhead opened his eyes in a pained squint. Thank the gods... Gideon's features relaxed as he fully opened his eyes. He patted Rainer's upper arm before sending him a smile with bloodied teeth. Then, the wounded man looked to Haddie and wiped away the tears that fell down her cheeks.
I'd better let them have their moment... Rainer pulled away from the duo and walked toward Ga'Avar's corpse. He brushed the tips of his fingers against his closed right eye. He knew... He understood that I wanted relations between Tigronians and humans to improve and yet... The cavalier screwed his left eye shut; he felt hot angry tears beginning to stream down his face. He chose to walk a dangerous path. He chose to be the monster that Osladans believe Tigronians to be! Rainer furiously wiped away his tears. I won't shed tears for a monster.
Rainer felt his knees begin to buckle beneath him, but he remained standing. I won't shed tears for myself.
Talk about drama, eh? Thanks for reading once again!
Note: Rainer tends to use general honorifics and switches between them in conversations. It is a deliberate thing. "Sir/ Master [Name]" or "Madam/Ma'am/ Miss [Name]."
