The Beginnings of a Warrior

As Mike had got off the boat from a long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, things were quite different when he entered into boot camp. For the next three weeks, he was given a small portion of food to eat, as were all of his bunker-mates as they men in the military called their recruits, he had to be up at 08:00 hours in the morning (army hours for 8 a.m. obviously) and what's more was he had to do a lot of training in the morning just to keep up with the others. Mike wasn't always the big success as he was when he captured Reynard DuPont though. He started out in simple work out sessions, that he either collapsed in and ruined for his whole platoon that gave him five hours of cleanup duty to do each time, or he made a bigger mess of things by attempting to leave the scene of an accident unnoticed.

One day though, as Mike was finishing up his last turn to go up the climbing wall and swing down a rope, he dropped the red compass he was supposed to carry with him during the entire round, slipped down the rope and got rope burn and scraped his right leg along the concrete of the wall to boot.The General was timing Mike's little display of amateur training and stopped his watch at a minute and forty seconds, the second to last score there was on the obstacle course. He was a tall stern man, in a blue uniform that resembled a cross between the army uniform and the navy marines' uniform, he had a great big black beard, and what's more he also had a classic army whip every general took with them to point out a plan of attack on an enemy or to whip their soldiers into shape. The General spat on the ground as he picked Mike up, whipped him and then yelled, "Soldier, I have never been so disappointed in my life!! I spent a lot of money to make sure that you even got in this platoon!! I even told Sargent Brown that you were a lost cause in my books. You even look like it: skin and bones, scrawny and weak, not to mention naive and timid. Son, if you're going to survive in my army, you'd best pass that obstacle test this afternoon, or else you're history. Do I make myself clear soldier?" Mike then saluted his proper authority as he yelled, "Sir, yes sir!!" The General then headed on out to his private quarters and then Mike headed off to the lake as he heard a couple of the bunkers call him, shrimp, punk, little wuss and other dumb names.

The second he got to the lake he rested his tired body and tossed some stones across the lake to pass the time. "A little late to be relaxing, don't ya think boy?", a voice said gently. Mike then quickly stood up as he gave his salute to Hans C. Brown, the man put his hands on Mike's tiny shoulders and said, "Relax kid. It's only me.", the tall man replied. Mike then said, "You might want to warn me next time. I thought it was... him." Hans then said, "I wouldn't worry too much about what he thinks. He's not the best general there is in the world you know." "Yeah, but he's the one thing keeping me here in this boot camp and if I don't pass that test, I'm a gonner for sure.", Mike soon replied loudly. Hans then hugged Mike abruptly, as the boy slightly embarrassed then pushed back and asked, "What in the world was that?" Hans then said, "In my family, we always hugged each other to bring each other luck. That's my way of saying good luck." Mike then nodded and then said, "Thanks, but I really don't know how I'm gonna do all this. I mean, I'm the second worst guy there is and even the worst guy, Elmer has a better shot at the test than I do." Mike then huddled his legs together as Hans then said standing up, "I know it doesn't mean much now, but trust me when I say this. Every great man is judged not by the size of a belt, not by his medals or trophies, but by the strength of his heart. Remember that Mike." Hans then left the sandy beach Mike was on to leave the boy to his thoughts.

Mike then got up and strolled back to camp and noticed someone sneak into the mess hall, just outside the General's quarters. He took a quick look inside and found it was a man dressed in black clothing standing in the centre of a group of six tables that the platoons had their breakfast at every morning, lunch and dinner at as well. He couldn't get a good look at his face, but he wrote in fine print on the ground, "Beware of the Darkness. Should it take head of the Protector and control him, the Trio shall fall!!" Mike then wondered in confusion, "Trio? What Trio?" Then the cloaked man responded while breaking every wooden chair there was in the area and then flipped every table there was from him as he yelled, "Ye be warned boy!! Beware the Darkness!! If the Protector is consumed by it and if you were to become consumed by the Protector himself, then all is lost."

Mike then got blown to the very front door of the mess hall as he then stood up and said, "That doesn't make sense at all, who's the protector? Is it someone I know?" The hooded man then nodded as he said, "I met your parents a few years before you were born and I know for certain your younger brother had been proclaimed the Protector." Mike then asked, "Who, Victor?" The hooded man nodded as he said, "Yes." Mike then asked, "Who are you and how do you know my parents?" The dark man then teleported in front of Mike and kicked him into the kitchen. Mike then shook his head and then said, "A fight is it? Well, I guess we'll see if I've learned anything from all of those hours of training now won't we?" Mike then jumped on the dark man's back and punched him four times, but the man only cracked his neck and turned his head halfway to the back of his head and Mike freaked out saying, "No way!! You are a superfreak!!" The dark man then shot four flames around them and created a circle of fire and as he grabbed Mike by his neck slammed him to the ground violently. As he stood over his body, he snapped his fingers and Mike's clothing got ripped into four striped lines as if he were scratched by a tiger and the dark man clenched two of his fingers together (index and middle) and poked him hard in multiple spots on his body which somehow created scratches all over his tender body.

As the ring of fire disappeared and the dark man hopped over Mike's bruised up body he said, "My identity isnt as important as your training is. If you expect to handle your future problems and challenges like that, you'll lose and die before you get a chance to repell your enemies." Mike then asked, "What on earth are you talking about?" But before he could get an answer, the doors opened and Mike got thrown into the centre of the mess hall were all there was was a huge massive clutter of broken dishes, and other furniture just as the dark man disappeared. As Mike stood up and came to from all the commotion he endured, he noticed the jaws of the General drop along with the entire army as they noticed the destruction that occurred. There was nothing, but broken tables, chairs, plates and other valuables that were around the vicinity. Mike smiled and then said, "I can fix it sir." Then an explosion occurred in the back as a huge batch of smoke came from the storage closet in the kitchen. The General then looked Mike in the eye and then stated, "I'll see you in my office runt. Now!!"

Mike was then called into the General's office a few moments later and the General smacked and giant folder labelled :O11123 Mike on his desk. He then said, "Son, I have seen some pretty dispicable things, but your shinaninagan takes the cake. I'm officially sending you home. You're out of the army and this platoon effectively as of right now!!" Mike then stared at the ground as he trudged off outside and back to his bunker. He cried a little, but knew there was little he could to ease his pain and just stopped holding back his tears crying into his pillow. Hans Brown had then entered inside Mike's bunker and as he tried to cheer up the poor boy, Mike just turned away. Hans then said, "Oh cheer up me boy. It's not the end of the world. So you made a mess..." Mike then added, "...and destroyed the entire mess hall and everything in it. Not to mention there was also a whole storage of explosives I set off in the back from the kitchen to boot." Hans then hugged Mike again and said, "This one is for my faith in you. I haven't known you long, but I know there's greatness in you. You just have to look for that special quality that makes you who you are. And in my family we..." Mike then sniffed somthing very odd in the air and asked Hans, "Do you smell that? It smells like smoke." Hans nodded in agreement and then gasped as he said, "Oh no!! The General always has his smoke from his pipe before he goes to bed." Mike then saw smoke coming from the back of the General's quarters and then along with Hans ran to the building and Mike then grabbed as many buckets as he could to collect water. As he did, Hans then said, "I don't see the General anywhere." Mike then stared at the fire coming from the building and then barged the door down as he threw his bucket of water to Hans. Seconds later, Mike came out covered in soot along with the General.

As the General came to, he then said slowly, "Soldier...that was some fine bravery you put on the line in there." Mike then turned his face away in embarrassment and said, "Sir, it was nothing sir... I was doing my job as an official soldier of the platoon should, whether I'm part of it or not as of now." The General then stated as he stood up and gave Mike a red ribbon on his chest, "I'm sorry I ever let you go son. You are above all else, back in the platoon and what's more you're getting this ribbon for an act of true honour, despite the danger that was faced in your position." What's more better, the whole platoon was right outside and what's more Hans told Mike he rang the official bell at the tower behind the mess hall in case of an emergency. Mike then ran to Hans and gave the man a hug as he said, "Sir, I would like to apologize for acting like a jerk to you. You were trying to help me out and all I did was shoot it back in your face. No wonder I'm second to worst." Hans then told Mike while patting his back, "You are brave and good my boy. Very few men in this platoon particularly have tried to save their commanding officers or the leader of the a particular platoon let alone from danger. You were one of those brave soldiers and with a little practice, I think you may yet be able to prove yourself to the rest of us." Mike then said with a smile, "Thanks Hans." Hans then said, "Also no more of this formal stuff either, you can just call me Hans instead of sir when addressing me. I'm your friend as well as your advisor." Mike then let go of Hans as the entire platoon and the General knelt down towards Mike, as custom was in that platoon to do when any heroic deed was done. As the whole platoon cheered Mike, Hans then grabbed Mike and carried him on his shoulders as the entire platoon crowded around Mike and they tossed him up and down. The General looked upon this and thought to himself, 'What a kid. If anything, should he keep up that good effort he may even top the best of the best of my private guards." Even in the distance, far into the forest that lay behind the boot camp, was that same dark clothed man who then thought to himself, 'Now the real test begins. I'll see you in a few months. As for Victor and Christopher, I have a little surprise for them as well." Then he disappeared into a dark fog of smoke he released from a smoke bomb of his own in the thicket of the woods.

(It's been a long while and I know I dropped a big bomb shell with this one, but the dark man as I'm calling him is extremely important to this story and has some significance in the Legend Begins as well. Also that whole scenario of Victor being the Protector will be explained a little more as well since he's one of the most important characters in this story obviously. I'll be doing some stuff on the Legend Begins this weekend too so stay tuned for that as well as another chapter in this story, but this time from Victor's point of view.)

(Next Time: The Days with Torahne.)

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