…And then it was over.

No my friends, not our tenure in the Legions, for that was to go on for much longer, but the

training period that had seemed to go on interminably.

I can still remember it as if it were yesterday; the parade where we received our Legion cloaks,

the excitement as we were all shipped on to our new assignments, even the long night watches I

walked in my pride at belonging to the Brotherhood of the Sword.

The many weeks of ‘Boot camp’ that were endured by the squad had changed us all, certainly we

were all starting to mesh more as a group than we had during our initial introduction…

Grunth was a tad more ‘restrained’ by this time; evincing a more forgiving attitude to life, if not

to those who should have known better than to aggravate him.

As a matter of fact, If I were the type to pay heed to company scuttlebutt, it appeared that he had

‘mellowed’ significantly, deigning only to knock some once ignorant fool into the next week, as

opposed to hammering him into the underworld.

Sylud busied himself in his attempts to be accepted as one of the group, going out of his way to

provide little extras for the Company when he could.

As a matter of fact, he was fast becoming an integral part of our team, the backbone of the unit

so to speak, and I should know, as I heard him telling members of the 2^nd Company about it that

very night over supper…

Nico had settled into his role as Quartermaster with gusto, embracing the responsibilities of his

position with the same seriousness and dedication that he applied to most tasks he took on.

We were never short of materials when needed, and he had dedicated a sizeable portion of his

free time to instructing both Grunth and myself in our letters.

Obviously his time in the Legion had helped give him more direction in life, and he had applied

that focus to his job, though admittedly there were times when he could be swayed from the

path…

Certainly, this period of time was quite placid in comparison to the ups and downs of our

induction, but even they were to pale next to the events that loomed in our future.

Therefore it was in complete ignorance that we went about our day to day duties, but even the

rote of repetition was not to save some of us from attracting unwanted scrutiny.

For some strange reason, Sylud had apparently convinced Nico of our need to draw extra rations

for our small ‘band’, an act that did not pass unnoticed as evidenced by the punishment that was

levied against him by our superior officers.

Fortunately Nico was willing to take the repercussions for the incident, more than likely because

Sylud had only meant to provide for his fellows, a selfless act of Esprit de Corp that has come to

mark many of his recent actions, and therefore obviously fuelled Nicos’ own display of

camaraderie.

This, however, fails to explain the incident with Grunth, Sylud and the barrel of small beer that

occurred later that day, but I must admit that I had taken to turning a blind eye to my compatriots

little foibles by then.

As long as it did not compromise the squad, I was more than happy not to know about it.

The one high point of the trip had to be our traverse through Grunths’ home town.

For Grunth it must have been memorable for nostalgic reasons, but for myself it was the first

time Sylud had fully shown his acceptance of his place in the team, wanting to test his mettle

against myself in a mock combat.

Now admittedly he had always done what was required of him before, but usually it was

accompanied by an incessant tirade questioning why he had to be here, why he had to do this…

This was the first time he had actually initiated a military exercise, so I was not about to deflate

his enthusiasm by refusing the challenge.

I must admit I was surprised.

He came at me like a rabid Gargun, sword flailing left and right in a bewildering series of

uncoordinated slashes.

I found myself straining to block all the blows he threw my way but, then again, you only need

to miss one or two and it’s all over.

Kudos’ to the winner, he deserved it, for he would make quite a swordsman once he had learnt to

use a blade properly and a worthier soldier still.

Four defenders of Tharda, standing against the hordes who seek to tear down the jewel that is

Thardic Civilisation.

Almost enough to bring a tear to your eye, Yes?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Next Story.

Written By: Shane Saunders (a.k.a Lothar of Barkus)