Chapter 4: Learning To Overcome
Morning brought the freshness of a new day...
There was always something about the dawn of a new day. It chased away the nightmares of the night. It cleanses the soul of the troubles of the day before. It brought along a fresh set of events that could very well help, or undo the accomplishments of the previous one. And it also marked the possibility of a new beginning. One more powerful and greater than the last.
And it brought along a new time to ready oneself. To prepare their mind and their body. To condition their heart and soul for future trials and harshness. To make sure that the next dawn will come, and if it becomes one of trial and hardship, then one will be ready to overcome it with all the courage and honor that they have thus mustered. And that was exactly why the brotherhood trained almost every day, rain or shine.
Jason awoke earlier than the rest, as usual. He was never a heavy sleeper, and he rarely needed an alarm clock. He simply told himself what times to awaken, and his body almost always obeyed. His eyes adjusted to the morning glow, and the dew in the air felt good upon his body as he stretched and got his blood moving.
Breakfast was served. The young boy, Garret, was put in front of them all, and his bowl filled to the brim. Not one brother argued with that extra provision, not after seeing the condition he was in. and he was given a generous helping of bread and cheese afterward, which the famished boy devoured almost as if he were merely inhaling air.
Then training began. Orion had called for them to stay together for now, seeing as they may have caused some disturbance in the town with their chance encounters lately. And they did the one thing they did every day, without fail. They trained for the rigors of the next day, for who knew just what lay ahead of them beyond the next sunrise? Fate had a strange way of "throwing a curve ball", as the expression went.
Jason patrolled the training grounds, occasionally shouting at brothers to pick up the pace while exercising, or occasionally correcting them during sparring sessions with others. His three trainers, Micheal, Darren, and Mikhail were going through advanced sword techniques for those who wished to brush up a bit more. Jason was usually a bit harsher than them, but he only stepped in when a particular brother needed a more direct approach. Jason could be fun at other times, but for now, the hard ass was in town.
At the moment, everything seemed in order, and he stopped to sit upon a stool that had been set up. He was cleaning his sword when he sensed that he was being watched. He looked up to see the little boy Garret, his eyes wide and gnawing on his lip, as if nervous about something he were about to reveal. Jason watched him for a moment, unsure what he wanted. Garret stepped closer, but still seemed reluctant to speak.
"Well?" Jason asked, wondering what was keeping the boy.
Garret swallowed and looked nervously into Jason's eyes, his green eyes shaking in the power of Jason's look. He opened his mouth to speak, but it seemed that his vocal cords had betrayed him. Jason waited and waited for what it was Garret had to say, and was starting to get a little impatient. Patience was never a virtue bestowed on him.
"Well, what do you need?" he asked again.
"Do you...do you think you could..." Garret trailed off.
"Do I think I could what?"
"Do you think you could teach me to fight like that? With a sword and all?"
Jason's eyebrow raised. It was actually unusual for a new brother to be trained by him personally. He only intervened when it was necessary. Mikhail, Micheal, and Darren were the ones who trained the newer ones, when they first joined. Despite this, Jason had to laugh at Garret's nervousness.
"Garret, you do know that you won't be with us very long. You are too young to join us, and when we find a nice place for you, we will have to leave you there."
"But can you show me a few moves? Like you used when..." he stopped, obviously the horror of what he had just seen crept up to him. Garret had not been conditioned to bloodshed, no matter how brutal the place he had originally come from had been.
Jason did have to give him credit though, even after he saw what Jason had done to those men, seen the horrors of bloodshed first-hand, he still walked up and requested to be trained in it. After it's brutality was exposed, he wished to learn a little of it's art. Jason could not help but give that credit. He stood up to his full height, and his voice changed to a command tone.
"Get to the armory and tell them I want you outfitted. We might have armor that at least half-way fits you. Then get a training sword, and meet me out here in ten minutes. Go now."
Garret nodded profusely, and then ran off to the tent that Jason pointed out. Jason sheathed his sword and went to get one of the wooden training ones. It would be practically asking for disaster to allow a complete newbie to train with a real sword. He got one of the training swords and gave it a few practice swings, getting used to the new weight. He waited for the allotted time and soon enough, little Garret came running out, covered in armor maybe a size too big for him, and carrying one of the wooden swords used for new brothers.
"The first thing you want to do is assume your fighting stance. This is the position you naturally take when fighting, allowing you maximum balance and maneuverability."
Garret looked uncertain, and then assumed a position that was rather more of a parody of the positions that the others were using. Jason growled and walked over to him, correcting his position.
"I thought you said it's a natural position?"
"I said natural, not parody."
He finally got the boy fixed in a much more confident pose. He then stepped forward of him about ten feet, and held his sword to the side. He glared at Garret with his usual battle gaze.
"Now attack me."
Garret looked confused.
"Are you not gonna raise your sword or anything?"
"Garret, you have about the same chance of hitting me as winning a Verita award."
"What's that?" he asked.
"Attack!"
Garret charged forward and let out a shrill, high pitched child's battle cry. He ran at Jason, who calmly watched, not even bothering to raise his weapon. From the way the boy was attacking, and the look about him, he knew exactly where this was going. He waited until the last second and then stepped slightly to the left. The boy completely overran his previous position, and Jason held a leg out, tripping him over the shins. Garret fell, but the armor protected him from serious injury, if not serious embarrassment.
"That was pathetic..." Jason said.
"It's my first time," Garret groaned, slowly getting up.
"And as I said, utterly pathetic. You though you were just going to overrun me without a second thought. You were so determined in your charge, that you didn't consider that i would just step out of the way."
Garret stood up in front of him, and seemed to gather his confidence.
"I want another try."
"Are you sure?"
Garret nodded.
"Alright then. Try to actually make an attempt this time..."
Garret swallowed tears of shame and walked away from Jason a bit. Then he turned and assumed somewhat the same pose and took several deep breaths. Then he charged again, and this time with a little more coordination. He came rushing onward at Jason, and this time, Jason raised his blade to his waist level, expecting a fight.
Garret stopped and began to slash at Jason. Jason almost laughed at the easily blocked and clumsy strikes, and he didn't even need to breathe hard as he fought. He allowed Garret to have his moment before viciously slamming his blade down and shoving him with his shoulder, this time forcing Garret onto his back. Garret tried to get up, but the armor forced him to the ground again. He strained and then finally managed to get up.
"Why is this wooden sword so heavy?" he asked.
"It's made to be double the weight of an actual blade." Jason answered.
"Why's that?"
"So when it comes to a real sword, you'll be double as effective."
Garret nodded his understanding. He had felt some pain from being thrown to the ground, but so far, the armor had served it's purpose. He retrieved his sword and then assumed the same pose.
"Now!"
Garret came at him and Jason allowed him to once again attack him for at least a minute. He blocked and dodged the clumsy attacks, a smile almost forming on his face as the boy struggled with the heavy sword. But he quickly made sure that no one saw that smile of amusement, for it would not be good to see the lieutenant smiling during a training session, if this is what could be called such a thing. Finally, he knocked Garret's sword out of his hand with one smooth motion, and then dropped down to deliver a blow to the boy's armored shins, completely taking the slim boy down once again.
Garret was visibly becoming frustrated. He sniffled and picked up his sword once again, this time running a distance away from Jason. Jason could almost smile at the way he now had tears in his eyes. Frustration brought out different emotions in people, and it was time to see how this boy reacted. Garret sucked his snot and tears up for a moment, and then let out another battle cry, this one notably more fierce, and charged once again.
This one met the same end as the last. Garret thrown to the ground again and again. The ritual was repeated on and on, and Garret, despite his armor protection, could only sustain so much punishment. On this last attack, his attacks had lost a lot of his aggressiveness, and he was easily beaten down. Jason delivered an elbow to the back of his helmet as he lay on all fours, pounding him to the dirt. And this time, Garret did not get up.
He was not unconscious or anything of the such, but his will had finally shattered. He finally began to whimper in anger and sadness, almost as if this beating was bringing back memories of his past. he looked up at Jason, who returned the look without mercy at all. Or maybe more mercy than anyone, though he hid it well. Jason scoffed at him, and then walked toward him, stopping at his side. Garret had finally began to gently cry, his youth catching up to him.
Jason knelled down and softly spoke.
"Go ahead. Just lay there and cry...like the little baby you are proving yourself to be."
Garret looked at him in disbelief, almost as if he could not comprehend what Jason was saying.
"You wanted to learn to fight, and now you simply lay there, crying like a little coward...because that is what you are Garret, a coward. You wanted it, and yet now you just want to lay there and give up. Your a quitter. You can never be a warrior with that attitude. Why I wasted my time is beyond me."
He slowly stood up, allowing Garret to watch him through tear-streaked eyes. Jason slowly walked a short distance away, allowing himself to keep Garret in his peripheral vision. And then he let out one final stroke.
"Your mother would be so ashamed.
Garret had been slowly crying on that ground for several minutes as Jason watched without any mercy...that Garret could see. Then he saw Garret make a move to get up. He smiled.
"Oh, so you do want to continue?"
Garret slowly reached forward and placed one battered arm on the ground just in front of him, and pushed. He had done so much in so little time that his strength had taken a heavy toll. Garret pushed however, and...just a little...he began to push himself up.
"You are far better being on the ground, you coward. You can't take care of yourself. You don't have the strenght to even get up. Why are you even trying?"
Garret's eyes still filled with tears. But he pushed with all his strength, and managed to get into the "all-fours" position. He took several deep breaths.
"I thought you were just gonna lay there and cry. Why the hell are you even trying? You know you can't beat me Garret, and yet your still getting up? Still going to fight me, with no hope of victory what-so-ever?"
Garret looked up from his position and looked at Jason. Jason saw something he never saw before in the boy's eyes. Something was nestled within him, something powerful. Garret then slowly put on foot flat on the ground, and then with a grunt of effort, pushed.
Jason raised his head up a little higher, his expression still uncaring, though his heart was warming. Could he be...?
Garret was finding it hard to get up with his battered legs. But then he seemed to draw something from himself, some strength that he thought himself he never before had. A power had awoken within this young boy, and with one final push of effort, he stood up before Jason, finally standing upon his two feet. He slowly raised his sword with sore arms, and then took several deep breaths to steel himself. And then he rushed at Jason, his eyes filled with determination...
But the lesson had been learned...
"Hold!" Jason called.
Garret stalled and then stopped several feet before Jason, slow to stop. His sword dropped from the upright position from which he had held it, and he stared at Jason with anger in his eyes.
"I'm not a coward!"
"No, you most certainly are not...and that is what you just proved right now."
Garret looked at him in confusion.
"Huh?"
"Garret you just learned your first and most important lesson. And that lesson is something that will help you even outside of combat."
"Wha-? What was it?"
"Will Garret. You now know that you can get up, even when you have been smacked down. You have learned that you can get up even when you are going to get smacked down again. And you also learned that when you have the will, then you will never be defeated, at least not for long. Willpower is a warriors greatest strength, it does not matter what else they have."
Garret only began to nod. Jason slowly approached and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"The winner of a fight is not the strongest, Garret. And it is not the fastest. The one who will win, inevitably, is the one who does not give up. The winner is the one who keeps fighting, against all odds and hope. True strength is only in the heart, not the arms or the legs or the abs. The strongest muscle in you is your heart...your fighting spirit. And when it is better than of all your opponents, then you can not lose."
Garret slowly nodded. And then, at that revelation, a smile slowly traced his young face.
Jason did not smile, but only stared into his eyes, his hand firmly upon his shoulder. His eyes told Garret all he needed to know.
And watching from his tent's open entrance, missing nothing, was Lord Orion. He smiled at the scene before him, and nodded in approval.
Full circle, he thought.
-Hours Later-
Darren led the hunting party at a brisk pace through the woods, stopping only to observe the tracks of the deer they were hunting. They moved as silently as ghosts, disturbing not stone nor tree. Darren listened for the sound of the wild as they ran, and he could swear he heard a faint sound of a deer mating call. He grinned as he pointed the way, and the group redoubled it's pace.
He signaled a halt and they stopped, not the least out of breathe. He looked down and examined the ground beneath them, his sharp gray eyes missing nothing. There he saw it, as plain as if it had been laid there not seconds ago. A deer footprint within the slightly muddy ground. It was a medium sized one by the look of it, which suited them just fine. He heard a rustling of movement in the distance, and then ordered them to spread out and approach.
As they followed his orders, he kept moving forward, jutting from tree to tree, in order to stay out of sight as much as possible. His eyes were focused ahead of him, and he spotted a flash of movement in the distance, about a hundred feet ahead of him. He waited until it started to move again, and then moved in his pattern once again.
There she is...
The doe was grazing happily, unaware of the hunters now taking up an arc around it. Darren spotted them, all three of them, taking aim and he slowly held up and arm to signal them, making it slow as not to alert their prey. They each drew their arrow back and then looked to him for the signal to shoot. The goal was to immediately put all three arrows into the deer, guaranteeing an almost, if not instant, kill.
Almost, almost...
He waited until it started to graze again. He was about to lower his arm.
BAM!
The doe jerked it's head up at the noise and then took off, alerted to the presence of something nearby. The brothers were alerted to, but they merely jerked their heads toward the noise. Darren listened for it again, and it repeated itself once more.
BAM!
Gunfire...
Darren looked toward all of his hunters and jerked his head in the direction of the noise. They assumed their standard movement patter, leapfrogging through the trees, making sure only one was visible at once. Slowly, but surely, they approached the sound of the noise. The sight before them was something that made them all duck for cover.
There was a large, obviously man-made clearing. A equally man-made road led through it, with no pavement. Two trucks were parked at the opposite edge of the clearing. And then there were the people.
A row of filthy people sat on their knees, tied up by their hands, and forced to sit upon their knees. They were mostly old men and women, though he saw several with limbs castes and other such things. In front of them stood armed men, wearing military style clothing, and armed with an assortment of pistols and rifles. One of them was receiving a large chew-out by what seemed to be their leader.
"What are you thinking! I told you to use a silencer! Are you just so damn stupid!"
"Sorry man, I just got carried away..."
"If you get carried away again, I'll get so carried away that I will shove my boot so far up your ass that they will have to take us both to the hospital. To get my foot out of it."
"Alright already, I'll put a silencer on. Geez, it's not like anyone is going to hear!"
"Sound carries, you dumb shit. Or do you just not know any better?"
The man grumbled and placed a silencer upon his pistol. Several other guards did the same. At the signal of the leader, the men with silenced weapons stepped forward, and then the horror began.
They each seemed to pick a section of the tied up people, and then place a bullet square in their foreheads. Darren found himself biting into his fist as he watched. One of the brothers reached behind him to draw an arrow, and he even raised it to take a shot.
"No!" Darren said in a loud whisper.
"But are you not seeing what I'm seeing?" the brother protested.
"I counted thirteen guards. That is over four times our number. And with the firepower they have, we would be gone within thirty seconds if we try to intervene. I know this sounds heartless, but we can't do anything right now."
The brother gave him a look of pleading. But Darren hardened his heart and shook his head. Then he turned to see that during his talk, most of the poor people had already been shot. Most had mercifully died at the first shot, though some lay moaning, and the executioners had to place another round in their chest to silence them. Darren felt himself trembling with pure hatred. This needed to be reported to Lord Orion. He slowly led the hunting party away, as the leader of the murders entered one of the large trucks and began to transmit a message.
-Several Minutes Later-
The boss had had a good day so far. The orders to begin the cleansing had gone through several hours ago, and he had happily been dozing in his office, his feet on his desk. With the destruction of the more weaker workers, he would finally have more room to give to the newer ones, and not waste time and money giving care to the elderly. What care he allowed them anyway.
His voice box on his desk turned on, and a sharp voice called out.
"Sir, we have news."
He reached over and hit the reply button.
"What would it be?"
"The cleansing is complete. They are heading back now. The bodies have been burned and no trace was left that they could find."
"That is very good, very good indeed."
He released the button and returned to his lax position. A smile crossed his face as he dreamed of just how much money this business was making, and how much more lay in store.
This day was going so good, that in fact he might even see about bringing in another girl from the collection of his. Maybe see if he could find an attractive Asian girl, with an exotic look. Oh how he loved to take his pleasure upon the more exotic young ones, especially virgins...
-Fifteen Minutes Later-
Garret had been recovering from his bout with Jason. He lay there eating a bowl of rice that had been made for lunch. He ate it heartily, loving this new taste that he was getting accustomed to. He had spent years on gruel and bad bread. The food these boys made tasted like mana from that place people called "Heaven", whatever that was.
As he ate, memories came back to him. He remembered his mother, crying as she laid in bed with him and his twin sister, both of them sandwiching her between them, and she holding onto them for dear life. He remembered playing with his sister with improvised toys of animals and sticks, having the joy that they could only find in a sibling bond.
And he also remembered his mother becoming sick. She had laid in bed for weeks, only given several meds by the strange men that came to check on her. They always scoffed and said that she would be "thrown away" and disposed of, but he and his sister stubbornly held hope.
He tightened his grip on his spoon...
They came for her in the middle of the night. Several men with guns and black uniforms. They dragged her out of bed and one of them hoisted her over his shoulder, carrying her away. He and his sister fought, screaming and crying for their mother, before being summarily slammed with the butt of their rifles and then taken somewhere else, into one of the buildings that their mother had talked about. She only talked about them a few times, but she told of bad things happening in there. They did not know what they looked like, but they could not mistake where they were now.
And then, as they held each other in the strange cell they had been thrown in, they heard several gunshots in the distance...and they never saw their mother again...
He and his sister were forced to do many things. Help carry things to places, and help make trinkets and such. Guards stood nearby, with pistols and whips, and they could receive a lash for any reason that the guard desired. Some even seemed to simply enjoy lashing them, and he had endured countless blows. And then he managed to find a breach in the fence. It was small yes, but he was just barely able to get through. And then they came after him...
He thought back to his sister, and then looked at his food. He remembered what they were fed and suddenly found himself in a surge of guilt and disgust. How could he eat such good food, when his sister was being so horribly treated? How dare he!
Then a thought came to him, a wild one, but something that might work. Could he possibly convince some of these "brotherhood" guys to go with him to free his sister? Could he possibly talk to Orion and even manage to help free all the people trapped within that hell? The though built up more and more, until he simply could not take it anymore, and then set his almost finished bowl down, walking toward Orion's tent.
He peeked in, and saw a boy with blond hair and very gray eyes talking with Orion. He wore the black and red armor that he saw the others in, and he watched as Orion listened to what he had to say. They boy said something, and the others reacted in horrified manners. Orion closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. Jason had a look of rage in his eyes, and his jaw was tight. Another boy, black haired and white skinned, with blue eyes, snarled a swear.
Orion then dismissed the three, and Garret quickly moved out of the way as they exited. After they left, he slipped into Orion's tent. Orion had his back turned to him.
"Sir..."
Orion turned and seemed surprised that he was there.
"I have a...request."
"What is it, Garret?"
"I would like to ask...if you can...if some of you guys can go with me and...get my sister..."
"What do you mean, exactly?"
"Sir, my sister is still in there. I know they are treating her horribly...can't we...can't you..."
"It would be very dangerous for you to go back there, Garret."
"I know, but I wanna go get my sister out of there. After momma was...killed...she became the only family I have left. Please sir, can you guys help me?
Orion listened to him with clear, sorrowful sympathy in his eyes.
"Do you know where your sister is being held?"
"I think so."
"You think so?"
"Please sir, can you people help me?"
Orion stared into the young boy's eyes and saw the bravery within them. He had truly realized something in that fight with Jason. Jason's lesson had apparently hit home within him. He had awakened courage that had been lain dormant, but very much there. Orion contemplated this, and then nodded to Garret.
"I will ask my brothers and see what can be done."
"Thank you!"
Garret ran out of the tent, his spirit soaring.
"I'm coming for you Elizabeth...I'm gonna get you out of there..." he said to himself, almost like a vow.
Well, I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter. Seems like little Garret has discovered something about himself...anyway, remember to review! All I ask is a few words, or longer if you wish. But in any case, thanks for reading, and...Happy Hunting!