AGNOMAKHOS
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 1
"Alex, you're next!"
Twenty-year-old Alex stood with his fellow cadets in the Reverent Army academy's central courtyard, and when his name was called, he stepped forward. Warm spring air calmed Alex's nerves a little as he breathed deep, and he made a silent vow to go to bed a proper Army mage. He had spent four years enduring grueling training, drills, and studying under the academy's ruthless instructors. He could not fail now!
Today was the day for exit exams, and a large cluster of cadets stood at one end of the courtyard, while the academy's most reputable instructor waited in the center. Already, several warriors had tested themselves against this woman's vicious dual swords, and only half had actually satisfied her criteria for a proper warrior.
The hot Theros sun beat down on Alex as he faced his opponent alone. He wore a training outfit designed to maximize movement: a simple leather vest and battle skirt, plus knee-high leather sandals. His opponent, however, wore the armored uniform of a platoon captain, complete with a white high-necked cape with blue trim. Her brown hair was cut boyishly short.
"May the gods watch over you, Alex," Jaina smiled. She twirled her swords playfully, expertly whirling them through the air to warm up.
Alex set his jaw. "May they watch over you, ma'am." Heliod sure has, at least!
A heavy silence fell while the two combatants studied each other. Then, Jaina shouted: "Begin!"
Alex barely had time to react before Jaina sprang into motion like a whirlwind. He couldn't even keep track of her swords as she filled the air with deadly steel, weaving them in a complex assault pattern. Heliod's favor coated her blades, and although only a fraction of the sun god's full favor, it was enough to give Alex serious trouble.
Four years of practice kicked in and Alex dropped into a defensive stance. His muscles were primed for action, a whole list of actions and reactions mercilessly drilled into them. So, with a flash of fiery red mana, Alex crossed his hands through the air in an X to meet Jaina's attack head-on and scatter its offensive energy.
"Not bad." Jaina broke off from the assault and evaded Alex's fire, then slipped around to the side. Again, she lashed out, this time jabbing her left blade right at Alex's ribs.
I've only got an instant to get this right! Quickly, Alex whirled around and brought his flaming right hand down in a chopping motion. He grinned as his fiery blow blasted away Jaina's attack, but he realized too late that it was a feint. Jaina's right sword was already in motion, halfway toward Alex's neck.
Alex's other hand met the blow an instant before Jaina's enchanted blade cut into his neck, and his arm trembled from the sheer effort of keeping the sword at bay. The pressure is too much! Jaina's strength is incredible. He felt his mana draining rapidly.
Desperate, Alex ducked and allowed Jaina's second sword to slash through empty air. He brought up his hands to land a hard counterattack on Jaina's midriff, but Jaina was too fast for him. Her sandaled foot snapped up and caught him in the ribs, enchanted with the stars of Nyx.
Hidious pain blasted in Alex's ribs and he grit his teeth, catching a scream in his throat. No way would he show weakness to his instructor or his fellow cadets! Instead, he stumbled back, arms loose by his side.
Jaina raised her eyebrows. "Better get your guard up before I cut you in half," she warned him. True to her word, she pushed off the ground and released a flurry of jabs and thrusts.
Alex knew that Jaina used only a fraction of her strength when sparring with cadets like him, but even so, Heliod's favor was a vicious thing. The fire cadet bobbed and weaved as best he could, but he still felt Jaina's swords graze him all over and he amassed a collection of shallow cuts. He saw droplets of his own blood flick in the air with every movement.
Dodging a particularly savage thrust, Alex flared up the rest of his mana and seized Jaina's left arm. His flames sizzled and sputtered against Jaina's armor-like favor, but that didn't stop him. With a cry, he braced himself and hurled Jaina bodily to the grassy ground. Then, before Jaina could react, he focused his flames in his other hand and brought it down.
The resulting explosion threw Alex back and obscured his vision of Jaina. He took a few cautious steps back, squinting against the light of the fire. How much had his blow actually hurt her? He heard his fellows muttering comments behind him, but he ignored them.
"Hey, there." Smiling, Jaina was suddenly behind Alex, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"What..." Alex didn't have time to finish the sentence before Jaina's foot kicked the back of his knee and knocked him off-balance. A pommel strike blasted into his temple and he felt himself get thrown to the ground. Stars dancing in his vision.
There was no time to waste. Pushing through the pain, Alex staggered to his feet and snapped himself into an offensive stance, taking note of his enemy's condition. His fire punch had actually put a large, charred dent in Jaina's favor, and the leather armor underneath was cracked and burnt from the pressure. If Alex could hit there again...
Jaina charged again, and Alex ran in to meet her halfway there. The two warriors filled the air with alternating swords and fire fists, constantly working their way around the courtyard as each tried to find a weakness in the other's guard. Alex panted for breath and felt sweat run down his face as he fought to keep pace with Jaina's strikes, tracking each movement with a practiced eye.
"Ooooooh!" The cadets gasped together when Alex scored a glancing blow on Jaina's head, snapping it to the side with flaming kunckles. For a second, Alex froze in place, giddy with triumph. I got her!
Jaina proved otherwise. She turned her head back and blasted aside Alex's fists with a sudden counterattack, and Alex only barely marshalled his defenses again before Jaina could cut him apart. His red mana reserves were feeble and cold by now, exhausted from trying to keep up with the older warrior.
"Yaaaah!" Finally, Jaina broke through Alex's guard and shoved him onto his back, and she towered over him, pointing her left blade at his face. Heliod's blinding favor filled Alex's vision, the Nyxborn stars glittering all along the sword's length.
Alex gasped for breath and knew that he was done. He'd sparred against Jaina before, and seen her fight with others, but never had he seen such vicious moves! No wonder this woman had taken down the Shadow League five years ago when no one else could. The sun champion was just that... a champion of the people.
"Very good." Smiling again, Jaina powered down her favor and sheathed her swords. She offered a hand and helped Alex to his feet. "You pass. I think your guard needs some work, but otherwise... welcome to the Reverent Army, Alex."
Despite his fatigue, Alex returned the smile and shut down the last of his fire magic. "Th-thank you, ma'am," he huffed. Now that the battle was aware, the pain in his wounds seemed to double.
"Get yourself to the healers. You need it," Jaina commented. Then, she turned to the group of cadets. "Okay, who wants to go next?"
*o*o*o*o*
At the Reverent Army academy's front grounds, Alex stood with his fellow graduates as the bald, elderly headmaster finished his speech.
"...and with each passing year, may we remember the freedom that our ancestors bought us with their lives, and the blood debt we forever owe them," the headmaster finished, his voice amplifed with a simple spell. "The fall of Agnomakhos, the tyrant archon, brought us a new era, and only by the council's wisdom and the Reverent Army's benevolent strength may we continue to honor those who came before. May Meletis endure the test of time."
Alex, and hundreds of others, clapped his right fist over his heart to salute the city and called, "May Meletis and her people endure!"
Now that the headmaster's speech had concluded, the Army commanders grouped up the recruits to bring them into their platoons and battalions. Chatter buzzed in the air as hoplites and battle-wise mages gathered in their pre-determined formations.
The Reverent Army's organization was simple and intuitive. Five platoons of thirty warriors each made up a battalion, and with five battalions, that amounted to roughly 750 people. Twenty-five captains led the platoons, and the five mighty colonels led the battalions. The battalions acted independently, but all followed the wise guidance of the council of Twelve to police Meletis and defend it from crime and invaders of all types.
Alex squinted in the sun and shifted from one foot to another, excited by the whole ceremony. He now wore a high-quality battle skirt and leather sandals, and wore a tough leather vest and a thin battle-wise mage robe over that. Unlike the hoplites, he didn't have a crested helmet.
The five colonels and their captains impressed Alex with their dignified postures and white capes. The colonels' capes had gold trim on them to signify high rank, compared to the captains' blue trim.
Like the other graduates, Alex had been told ahead of time where he would be assigned. In his case, the fifth platoon in the first battalion, directly under Jaina's command. And when he was called, he bravely stepped forward to join his new unit.
The other battle-wise mages gave Alex token greetings while the hoplites ignored him, and Jaina was busy calling over more recruits. So, who else was here? Alex prodded an experienced mage in his platoon. "Where's the colonel?"
"Over there. See?" The battle-wise mage grunted and jabbed his thumb at another man.
"Oh. Wow." Alex didn't know what to make of his boss' boss. The man had fair skin like him, and his blond hair was stylishly slicked back, giving him a haughty look. Even more unusual, he had pronounced dark bags under his eyes, like he hadn't slept in days. His face was currently an impassive, aloof mask as he watched the proceedings. He wore leather armor covered in steel plates, and his gold-trimmed cape billowed and snapped in the wind.
Alex wasn't sure what to think. This was his big boss? Jaina answered to that indifferent man who looked to be in desperate need for a nap?
"He's my big brother," a cheery voice piped up.
"Huh?" Alex started and whirled around. Before him stood a petite girl with olive-colored skin and black hair that fell to her jawline. She was about his age, but wore the blue-trimmed cape of a captain and had a massive broadsword sheathed on her back. In fact, the weapon seemed as long as she was tall, a comical effect. The young woman wore standard leather armor, but instead of sandals and a battle skirt, she wore skin-tight shorts that came to her knees. She was barefoot.
The captain girl smiled. "Don't look so afraid. Kulla doesn't mind being stared at."
"Kulla?"
"That's his name," the girl explained. "And I'm Olivia, captain of platoon four. How about you?"
"I, uh..." Alex composed himself and extended a hand. "I'm Alex, ma'am. Just got assigned to Jaina's platoon."
Olivia enthusiastically shook Alex's hand, her grip surprisingly strong. "Nice. Jaina's a wonderful leader, you'll see! I think you'll like it here in first battalion."
"Thanks." Alex glanced over at Kulla again, who still watched the procedings with apparent boredom. "Your brother doesn't seem to like it much, though."
Olivia giggled. "He's always like that. Don't worry about it."
"Oh, okay." Alex swallowed. "To be honest, I feel a little overwhelmed. I can sense an aura of calm strength around your brother. And gods know that Jaina is among Meletis' finest."
Olivia gave Alex a playful punch that sent him reeling. "Scared?"
"I, uh..." Alex said again, stunned. Olivia was barely five feet tall, but she hit like a boxer! Just what kind of mana did that girl have? He prayed that he'd never get on her bad side.
"If you are frightened, Alex, don't bother getting out of your bunk tomorrow morning," a cold voice said. Kulla had wandered over and he now towered over Alex, blocking the sun. His impassive eyes stared down at the younger man.
Alex snapped a salute. "I meant no such thing, sir. I am here to serve."
Kulla leaned over and brought his face close to Alex's, carefully studying him. Alex held his breath, fighting the urge to draw back. Close up, Kulla looked exhausted and worn, but the man's mana aura was impossible to miss: a shell of iron-hard, pure white mana that rivaled Jaina's favor in strength. Kulla's eyes went back and forth in their sockets, taking in every inch of Alex.
"I can sense your hesitation," Kulla said at last. He drew back and pointed at the younger man. "I don't tolerate any disobedience or rebellious thoughts, Alex. Do I make myself clear? Order and justice are what make civilization possible. I won't have you or anyone else threatening that."
Alex thought back to his sister and parents, whom he hadn't seen in four years. They, and many citizens of Meletis, were the ones who openly defied the council's harsh rule and the Reverent Army's constant vigilance. "Sir, I stand for order every bit as you do."
"I doubt that," Kulla remarked, but he seemed satisfied all the same. "But perhaps you will in time. For now, meet with your fellows and learn to be a family with them. That is what I expect here in first battalion."
"Yes, sir."
"Good." With a flourish, Kulla whirled around and walked off, his cape fluttering in the air as he stalked across the front grounds.
There was a second of awkward silence. Then, Olivia turned to Alex and gave him another playful punch. "Don't take it too hard. He's like that to everybody. Well, except me, that is. But still..."
Alex gasped at the strength of Olivia's fist. How long would he survive caught between his family's scorn, this mighty sister, and her ice-cold big brother? Gods watch over me!