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Murmurs passed around the crowd as the villagers assessed the array of trained men. The soldiers slowly searched and qued up the youth, including Sven. Then a man attired in lavish embroidered robes came forward. He moved his hands together, pulling up three fingers and placing them on the first man's head. After a few seconds, he sighed," He's good."

This went on for a good two hours as the man got progressively wittier with his remarks until only two men were remaining. He placed his fingers and immediately announced," Debilitated." which confused everyone for a minute until the man realized and repeated," Unfit!" The Sven walked forward. The man put forward his hand. Sven felt tingles run through his veins, giving him a boost of energy. the man declared," Right as rain." The selected men were given a day to exchange farewells . It was mandatory for all youth to be enlisted. It would be upto them if they wanted to continue on or return back.

Sven sat in the back of a cart, watching as Ryn got smaller until it disappeared. Nelson had gifted him armor that resembled leather. However, when Sven asked what the material was he refused to answer. Along with the armor, he was given a pretty sleek looking dagger and a backpack full of necessities

The cart had 8 people excluding the driver. There were a total of 3 carts. The man who did the tests along with the commanding knight was in one cart surrounded by 4 soldiers who walked in perfect sync. The other carts had two soldiers each. There were also soldiers guarding the rear. The soldiers maintained their stance and formation which increasingly bored the youth. Sven pondered about what hellish training the soldiers went through to be this stone faced. The entourage travelled through a dense forest. Time passed, and eight in his cart started to banter with the drivers. Being arround some of the most intelligent people proved them be gossip queens. Sven learnt that army positions were not easy to get. Connection and heritage couldn't get you far. As such the higher your position in the military, the more you were respected.

The trees grew taller, now looming some 50 feet over their heads. Smaller herbs and shrubs surrounded the path. Leaves rustled as a few monkeys jumped around, curious as to what the troupe of humans was doing. They stayed at a safe distance only observing. As the group stopped for a break, eating away a meal one of the soldiers cooked. Sven ate his food, gazing at the passing clouds, leaves danced and blades of grass swayed to the wind. A monkey dared to try and get close to Sven. Sven flinched not knowing what to do. He had no experience with animals whatsoever. 'Treat animals as you babies' was what Nelson had said. Sven tried to follow the advice, extending his hand, holding a piece of potato in it. The animal approached cautiously. swiftly grabbing the potato and running back into the shadows. The creature's behaviour amused Sven, but he didn't have the time to sit and think about it as he returned to the journey.