Chapter 3: Basic Weapons Training
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
Chapter Author's Notes:
Time skips in this chapter. Establishing world building in the League and League culture.
This chapter also has some lemons. I toned it down to Mature, but if you want the full thing. AO3 has the Explicit version.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
TIBET, NANDA PARBAT – LEAGUE CITADEL, TRAINING FIELD: 7 FEB 2013
SAH-HIM (OLIVER), ALDIRE (LAUREL), YAD ALQADAR (THOMAS)
Al Sah-him, al Aldire, and Yad Alqadar fell into a new training routine. The days started early with a quick meal. They spent the next six hours rotating between learning all forms of ranged combat weapons and unarmed combat.
What slight advantage Sah-him had by learning the bow on the island was quickly taken away. They were expected to become proficient in all forms of ranged weapons. The longbow, the short bow, compound bow, the crossbow, darts, throwing stars, the sling, the blowgun, the bola, and the throwing ax. As soon as they had proficiency in one weapon, they moved to the next. Sah-him quickly learned that Yao Fei's bow was neither a longbow nor a short bow. It was an expedient version used to survive on the island. Nothing more. However, the techniques Yao Fei taught Sah-him in targeting held true.
Sah-him focused on his aim. Soon, he could acquire and hit his target quickly with all the ranged weapons. His accuracy wasn't limited to the ranged weapons. Once the teacher was satisfied that he was proficient in all, he directed Sah-him to master the ranged weapon of his choice. He preferred the bows. He placed all of his focus on the longbow, the crossbow, and darts.
Aldire was not as quick to pick up all the ranged weapons. She was unable to focus on the weapons of her choice for far longer because she had not gained proficiency in each of the weapons. After struggling with her proficiency, Aldire decided to stick to the blowgun and the darts for mastery. She could see how those would be the most useful in the field.
Yad Alqadar didn't find his proficiency as quickly as Sah-him, but he didn't struggle with it either as Aldire did. However, he chose his ranged weapons for mastery based on what he decided would be his primary weapons. He didn't think he would be able to carry a longbow and multiple swords. But he did like the penetration power of the bow. He finally decided on the crossbow with throwing stars and darts. He could see, strategically, how a ranged weapon would be needed when a bladed weapon could not be used.
All while they were learning the ranged weapons, two of the instructors would pull two of the trainees off to the side for a brutal lesson in unarmed combat. This was the kind of instruction that they had received with the escrima sticks and the swords. They were taught by being brutalized. Punched, kicked, thrown, elbowed, choked. The instructors would commend them for a successful block. The trainees that were not actively shooting ranged weapons were encouraged to watch and learn.
Aldire was drawn to this type of combat more than Sah-him or Alqadar. She watched as often as she could and would practice in the shadows. When her turn came, the instructors would commend her willingness to learn. Of all the trainees, she progressed faster than the others in unarmed combat. Though Sah-him seemed to fall not too far behind her. Alqadar noted that they seemed to absorb the knowledge just by watching.
Alqadar took longer to learn unarmed combat than the other two. He often lamented that he would be useless in the field while they had their quick lunch before their evening classes. Sah-him told him not to worry. Aldire told him that neither of them could match him in a bladed weapon. They couldn't even fight the instructors at the pace that Alqadar was using. That comment eased his concerns.
In the afternoons, the trainees were given three hours more of weapons training. This was divided between bladed weapons and pole weapons. Frequently the trainees were taught how to battle one type of bladed weapon against a different type of bladed weapon. A sword against knives. A kukri against bladed claws. A longsword against a machete.
This type of challenge intrigued Alqadar. It drove his tactical and strategic mind into overdrive. He loved these challenges and would frequently challenge the other trainees to test his new strategies. Both trainees gained from the experience.
The pole weapons presented their own challenge. Initially, all the trainees were trained using the quarterstaff. When they had gained proficiency with that weapon, they were told to gain proficiency with the other pole weapons. Having learned how to move and fight with the long pole, it became a small matter of how to utilize the weapon attached to one end.
Aldire liked using the quarterstaff, but found that the weapon disrupted the balance of the weapon. She preferred to use it without an additional weapon. Sah-him didn't like any of the weapons. He gained proficiency, but he only mastered the halberd. He preferred to use the bow. If he had to get close, the short sword. Alqadar was of a similar mind to Sah-him. He had a preferred weapon. He gained his proficiency and mastered the pike, but he still preferred his swords.
The next three hours were an intensive study of various topics. The Americans had no problem learning how to use computers and smartphones, but they were not as proficient in learning how to operate and maintain a car engine, motorcycle, or boat. Everyone learned about basic medical first aid for both self and for allies. As well as how best to determine if death has been achieved… for evil and for allies.
Sah-him's vision of Fyers being alive again was haunting him. He was disturbed to learn that Fyers could have survived an arrow to the neck. Arrows generally didn't penetrate deeply or do as much damage as firearms. While the target was surer, it was less likely to be fatal. It made him more determined to ensure that his targets were really dead, not appearing dead. Sah-him made a detailed study of the human body to determine where the best and most painful places to be hit on the body with an arrow. He swore to himself to use his sword to ensure his targets were truly dead.
The trainees were also given a detailed study of the use of nature to produce medicines and drugs to aid in their mission. They were shown how to identify various plants and animals in different regions of the world. What those plants and venoms would offer. They were told which parts of the plant held what elements they could use for different elixirs or drugs. These elixirs could be used for healing or for their darts as poisons, paralytics, or comatose drugs.
After their last class instruction, they were sent to wash, eat, and retire for the evening. Most of the trainees were in solitary rooms, but Aldire, Alqadar, and Sah-him all shared a room. They preferred it this way. Nyssa had promised to keep them together.
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
TIBET, NANDA PARBAT – LEAGUE CITADEL, BATHING ROOM: FEB 2013
SAH-HIM (OLIVER), ALDIRE (LAUREL), YAD ALQADAR (THOMAS)
Perhaps the most shocking thing the three Americans encountered in their new life was their immersion into the League culture. Americans are by nature reserved and prudish. Of all the cultures in the outside world, Americans had the largest amount of personal space required. A zone or distance that a person maintains in polite conversation. While younger Americans are less reserved than the older generations, they still covered a significant portion of the body to be considered decent. Only culturally authorized clothing changed that perception.
The amount of the body that needed to be covered varied by culture and by religion. No culture in the outside world allowed nakedness. None of these standards were held in the League. The League refused to be held to any outside culture or religious standard. It held only the balance of good and evil as its purpose. All other considerations had to be weighed against that measure.
For the first weeks, after they had complete indoctrination, Aldire, Sah-him, and Alqadar were too exhausted and bruised to take note of their surroundings. They barely shuffled from their room to the bathing room, to the dining room, and back to their beds before they fell into an exhausted sleep.
As they began to improve in their martial skills, they began to become more aware. They no longer shuffled from their room too tired to notice where they were. They began to take notice of their surroundings. The most shocking thing to them was the bathing room.
The bathing room was designed as one long pool. Gentle steps lead into and out of one end. The whole pool was kept at a slightly warm temperature. The water flowed constantly. Removing fouled water and replacing it with clean warm water. It was perfect for bathing. The pool was surrounded by a rock surface of several feet.
Most of the other members of the League would use this stone surface to place washing soap or cleaning rags. The pool room was lined with hooks to hang their robes and a shelf with stacks of soap, rags, and towels. Bins for the used rags and towels were next to the stack of clean towels. Everyone was expected to return the soap.
Aldire, Sah-him, and Alqadar were shocked as the League members shed their robes and strode naked with a rag and soap into the pool, regardless of sex or age. They strode naked out of the pool to towel off and return their soap. The older members of the League showed no modesty. Even in the presence of children of all ages. For there was often a group of children in the care of an older League member.
They learned, like all the new trainees, that they should not be ashamed of their bodies. They should respect others. A lack of respect would not be tolerated. If they did not want to look, then they should not look. It took them time to adjust to this new awareness of their surroundings, but they were able to make the adjustment fairly easily.
The next shock came when they walked into the bathing room to see a couple obviously engaged in sex at one side of the pool, but the others, including the children, ignored them. Apparently, this was also a fairly common experience. They learned to ignore this also. Over the months, the three of them became conditioned to seeing and ignoring all kinds of intimacy, sex, and oral sex between men and women, men and men, and women and women. There was no taboo. Tolerance was the only allowed reaction.
Sah-him found all of this fascinating and intriguing. He was curious. He knew beyond any doubt that he loved Aldire, but he also loved Alqadar. Was it just the love of a brother? Could it be more? Do I want it to be more? He has been with me my whole life. I love him with all of my heart. He wanted to find out.
Aldire was fighting her own demons. She was still struggling with the demon of Ivo's violent rape. Having killed Ivo, she still feared intimacy. She still wanted Sah-him. She knew that he would not hurt her in that way, but she still hesitated. She also didn't want to exclude Alqadar either. He had become more than just a friend. He was a part of them. He had been since the Amazo. She knew that Alqadar had always felt distant from them. She didn't want that. But if I am not ready to be with Sah-him, how can I be with Alqadar? Can I be with both?
Alqadar just wanted to be with his friends in any way they would accept. He acknowledged that his friends were meant to be together. They had always been together. They had been drawn to each other since they were eight. He knew that. He would always support them. He was glad that they strove to include him in everything, even if it meant they couldn't be alone together. He was glad that they didn't want to push him away. He needed to be near them too much. As long as I am not alone…
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~
TIBET, NANDA PARBAT – LEAGUE CITADEL, RECRUIT QUARTERS: 28 JUN 2013
SAH-HIM (OLIVER), ALDIRE (LAUREL), YAD ALQADAR (THOMAS)
Four months had passed since they had been released from their indoctrination. All the trainees were feeling confident in their martial skills. They had completed proficiency in all of the weapons presented and had worked at mastery in their selected weapons.
Sikiyn took the place of the priest that had taught their evening class. "Good evening, Trainees," he greeted them.
"Good evening, Sikiyn," they replied with a practiced response. Sikiyn would usually address the trainees like this when he was announcing a change in the next day's routine.
"You have all made good progress in your training," Sikiyn told them. "It is now time for you to practice the stealth and infiltration techniques you were taught in the previous class. To make this a challenge for you, we will be relocating to the city of Hong Kong. We will depart from the airfield after the morning meal. Now, go. Wash, eat, and rest." Sikiyn then quirked his lips and walked out of the room through the students. The trainees quickly followed him.
"Hong Kong," Alqadar commented after they had changed into their robes and walked to the bathing room.
"Sounds like," Aldire replied.
"None of us will blend in there… even with civilian clothes," Sah-him commented. "Four of us are lily white, three of us are middle eastern, and the last is black. We will all stand out," he said. He paused. "I think that's the point."
"That makes sense," Aldire replied. "We actually have to try to blend in and use stealth to infiltrate."
They walked into the bathing room and hung up their robes with practiced ease. They grabbed towels and soap and started walking to the pool. Aldire just walked past the spectacle of Nyssa eating out another woman of the League at the top of the stairs. Alqadar tried to follow her lead when the woman moaned in pleasure. Sah-him stared briefly before he hurried past. He quickly washed to the sounds of the woman's pleasure and her eventual climax.
Sah-him finished drying himself and wrapped himself in his robe as quickly as he could to hide his erection. He needed to get back to his room. He moved past the door and closed it. He leaned heavily on it. He was panting. A sound made him turn.
Alqadar was laying on his sleeping mat on the floor. He was still naked and had taken his dick in hand. It was his soft moan that had made Sah-him turn.
Sah-him licked his lips. I have thought about it before. Now is the perfect opportunity. He strode forward and dropped his robe.
"Wha'?" Alqadar asked. His eyes were already black with lust.
"Let me," Sah-him told him. He leaned forward and stroked it hard a few times.
"Shit!" Alqadar swore as he threw his head back.
Sah-him continued to stroke him as he took his friend's cock in his mouth.
"FUCK!" Alqadar swore louder. "Oh, fuck!"
Sah-him sucked harder and shoved more in his mouth.
"Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!" Alqadar screamed as he grabbed Sah-him's head. He climaxed in the warm heat. He held there briefly before he was let go of Sah-him's head.
Sah-him finally let his friend's cock fall out of his mouth.
"Feel better?" Sah-him asked his friend with a smile.
"That was fucking amazing," Alqadar replied with his eyes closed as he relaxed in contentment.
"That was fucking hot," Aldire said with amazement from behind Sah-him.
Sah-him turned to look at her with wide eyes. "Uh…" he started. Is she be upset? I should have asked her how she felt about it first…
"What about you?" Aldire asked Sah-him.
"I don't…" Sah-him started to reply. She doesn't look upset. She looks… horny…
"I want to take care of you," Aldire replied. "I just… I'm not ready yet. But I can take care of you." Then she looked over at Alqadar. "Do you want to help?" she asked.
"Help?" Alqadar asked. He looked intrigued. How can I help? "Okay, sure," he replied. She always has a plan.
Aldire smiled. "Good," she replied. "You, on your back. I want you to put your tongue to use again," she told Sah-him.
"Alright," Sah-him replied. He lay down next to Alqadar.
"You, down here," Aldire told Alqadar. "You spread," she told Sah-him. They obeyed her instructions. They had basically reversed positions. "Good," she replied. Then she climbed down and lay on top of Sah-him in a 69 position.
"I think I know what I am supposed to do," Sah-him replied with a smirk.
"Oh… yeah," Aldire replied with a soft moan. She started to pant. "God, so good," she moaned. "Alqadar," she said as she tried to focus on him. "Help me… God!... I'll take the front. You take the back," she panted between breaths.
"The back," Alqadar replied. He could see his friend's ass. He gently ran his fingers over it.
"Oh, fuck!" Sah-him swore.
Alqadar took that as a good sign and used spit to lube up his finger.
Aldire started to suck his cock hard and thrusting her hand on his shaft while she sucked. Alqadar loved listening to the moans of both his friends as they were pleasured.
Suddenly, Sah-him's whole body tensed and his hips thrust a few times as he gave a wordless cry. Sah-him's body slowly relaxed. Aldire let his cock slide from her mouth as she released it with her hand.
"Oh, my fucking God!" Sah-him swore from the mat as he slowly came back to himself after his release.
"Is that a good thing? Or a bad thing?" Alqadar asked. He still wasn't sure about what he had done. It seemed like his friend had liked it, but… best to hear it.
"Absolutely a good thing," Sah-him replied instantly. He looked up and blue eyes met blue eyes. "I mean it. I'm glad you popped my cherry."
Alqadar smiled. "I hardly think you are a virgin," he replied. "Aldire may argue that point."
"Not that cherry," Sah-him argued with a smirk.
"Boys," Aldire chastised. Then she turned to Sah-him. "You really liked it?" she asked.
"I did," Sah-him told her. "I liked it better because it was Alqadar. I trust you in ways I don't trust anyone else. I need you," he said looking at Alqadar. "I always have."
"So do I," Aldire admitted while giving soulful eyes to Alqadar. "I want you to be a part of us. In all ways. Is that something you want?" she asked him.
"I… I think I have always wanted that," Alqadar admitted. "I just didn't know how. You two… you were meant for each other… outside..."
"We are not in the outside world any longer," Sah-him replied. "Here… we can be exactly what we were meant to be."
"I asked Dusan," Aldire said after some hesitation. "They call it soul bound. Our souls are tied together. The three of us. Always… Not even death can separate us."
"I… I think I can live with that," Alqadar replied. Then he smiled, "Does that mean we are going to be doing more of this?" he asked.
"God, I hope so," Sah-him replied.
"Well, we may have to take that slow," Alqadar replied with his eyes wide. He wasn't quite sure how to take these new feelings yet, but he wasn't against them either. Not with Sah-him at least.
"Good thing we are going to Hong Kong then," Sah-him replied.
"God," Aldire swore. "Just watching him made me horny as hell. Watching him actually… I may be ready for you myself soon with that to entice me."
"You want to watch?" Sah-him asked with a smile. The thought of Aldire watching them both made it even better for him. He liked that thought.
"Oh hell, yes," Aldire replied. "The sight of two men is hot as hell. Make them MY two men… and I want to get involved."
"I like the sound of that," Alqadar said. "Your two men."
"It does sound good," Aldire replied. "Come on. We need to eat and rest. Hong Kong is waiting."
~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~