The Legion of Knights Training Center

After two long hours of traveling, the carriage passes through the city gate. They make their way down a wide dirt road till the tall palace walls in the distance disappear into the horizon. The carriage stops near a giant stone building, surrounded by a vast green field in the middle of nowhere, near an obscure, dense forest.

Howard opens the carriage door and touches down on a stone pathway leading straight to the front door. He first stretches his back before taking a glance at the building the driver had driven them to. It featured 2 stories, with thick and smooth columns going up to the roof. It was made out of thick stone bricks, coated in a fine layer of white paint.

Although the building was short, compared to the other structures Howard had witnessed, it compensated for its height by being very wide. On the walls of the building, he found intricate artwork of people, performing miracles, fighting beasts that towered over them, and protecting the weak and vulnerable.

"The candidates are inside that building, Mr. Bright. We better get going," Adam spoke up, getting Howard's attention. As the two men walked towards the compound, Howard asked Adam a question.

"Knight Adam, may I ask what this place is?"

"This is the Legion of Knights training center. Well, one of them anyway. It is where Knights come to train and spar with each other. It is a place to allow Knights to use their magic without any restrictions," he answered.

"Why did they build it here?" Howard inquired, wanting more details.

"They built it here to keep the peasants in the city safe from any dangers or accidents that might happen," Adam told Howard.

"Besides, it also provides us good access to some demon-infested areas. It gives them a lot of good practice before they officially enroll as a Knight."

Once they reached the door, Adam made sure to give it a firm knock and instructs whoever was on the other side to let them in. They first open the peephole to confirm their identities.

"Show us the book," the man on the other side requests. Knight Adam quickly takes out the book, slides it through the rectangular peephole, and waits for them to unlock the door. The door soon clicks, and creeks right open for them.

The interior proves to be a crude and sparse, contrasting and contradicting the more opulent and extravagant exterior. As he places his first steps inside, his ear could hear the wooden floor, made entirely out of planks, creek with each step he took. The walls, made out of the same stone bricks on the outside, was bare and left exposed, exposing its grim grey color. 

"The candidates have all arrived, Sir Knight Adam. They were waiting for you two upstairs, room 67." Knight Adam nods, and extends his hand.

"Thank you. But before we go, can I have the book back, please?" he kindly asks the man.

"Oh yes! Of course! Here you go."

Once the book is back in Adam's hands, he leads Howard through the building. They walk down a set of narrow hallways, before reaching a staircase. As they go up the stairs, getting evermore closer to room 67 on floor 2, Adam started spewing a bit of lore, about himself, about this place, and the relation he had with it.

"Back when I was a young land, I still remember that they didn't have a second floor, nor it was as this big. It used to be much more… smaller, holding and training a lot fewer people. Much more lavish, too," he claimed.

"Lavish?" Howard asks, wanting elaboration.

"Yes, lavish. These walls used to be painted with the same coating, just like outside. But…"

"But what?"

"Well… something unexpected happen. A lot more people started become eligible to be knights. Places like this had to expand quickly, to accommodate the newcomers, to train them and have them out as quickly as they can.

Thus, the king at the time ordered all Legion of Knight Training center to undergo a rapid expansion. It was then when they build the second floor, and expanded the building massively," he claims.

"However, they didn't time to fully build out the interior. They had little time, and they wanted to make the king happy. So, they put in a lot of effort to make sure the outside looks impeccable, while leaving the inside to… this…" he remarks as he points to everything around him with both hands.

"Have there been any efforts to improve it?" Howard questions. As he asks, the two men finally reach the top of the stairs. However, Howard's question continued to fuel the conversation, all until they reached their destination.

"There have! There were a few fundraisers and efforts to improve some parts of the building. Most of the people who donates were people who were stuck there, mostly poor people before they had made any money from being a knight.

Although they did raise enough, the areas that got renovated and improved often got stormed by richer trainees, coming from more wealthy and influential families. After that, nobody bothered to donate to continue improving this place further."

"What about after they graduated? Did they bother donating then?"

"Why would they, when they know any improvements would be taken up those above them. They had a lot of other things to spend that money on."

"Hmm… I see."

As the conversation ends, the two hear muffled chatter, penetrating through the walls. Adam looks at the wooden doors, to find out where they are. Etched on the wooden door was a number, telling whoever passes by which room it is.

"Room 67. This is it," he tells Howard. Knight Adam grabs hold of the door knob, ready to turn it over. However, just before he opened the door, he turns his head to gaze back at Howard, asking him if he is ready.

"Alright, Mr. Bright. Are you ready?" Howard takes in a deep breath, and let it out.

"I am ready," Howard replies with confidence. Adam nods, and the metal knob to open the door. As the two men enter the room, everyone's mouths suddenly shut close. Seeing Knight Adam in his formal uniform causes a chain reaction within the contestants' brains, cohering them to form 6 neat lines, each holding 9 individuals.

"Alright! Listen up everyone!" Knight Adam speaks up, before pointing at Howard.

"This is Mr. Howard Orwell Bright. He had just been examined and appointed as Governor of the territory of Lukeword, by his royal majesty Danial Icarus Maybale.

We are here to appoint a bodyguard to protect him from any danger he faces while governing the territory of Lukeword on behalf of the king," he proclaims.

"Now, I will call out each of your names. If you are present, I want you to raise your hands, and tell me if you are here. Does everyone understand?"

"We understand, Sir Knight Adams!" they all respond in unison.

While Adam busied himself collecting their names, Howard took this time to observe each candidate and the articles of clothing they chose to wore today. Instead of mysterious figures entirely clad out in metal, or a diverse variety of unique outfits on each individual correlating to their status or personality, he found them wearing the same clothes; a white shirt, with blue breeches and leather shoes.

Maybe they were told to wear this exact outfit? They must have given some guidelines for the dress code. Before Howard could ponder any longer, Knight Adam finish taking their names and leans into Howard. He whispers something into his ear, wanting to tell him something.

"What do you want them to do first, Mr. Bright?"

"Hm… I don't know. What are my options?" Howard whispers back. Adam had bothered to tell him what was in this place beforehand.

"Well, there is a shooting range outside. We can use it to test how accurate they are."

"Accurate with what? Bows? Spells?" Howard questions, wanting elaboration.

"All of them, I guess. There are plenty of bows and arrows in storage, and these candidates should be able to cast spells," he elaborates.

"We also got an obstacle course set up near the woods, designed to assess their agility, speed, and ability to navigate challenging terrain. We also got a sparing area nearby the obstacle course," Adam adds.

"Is that it? Is that all this place has to offer?"

"Well, no. There are some other rooms and facilities, but I don't think they would be useful. Besides, we don't have the time to explore them all today," Adam replies.

"Anyways, what do you want them to do first?" he asks Howard again. The man ponders for a moment, before coming up with an answer.

"We should start with the shooting range. I want to see how precise they are with a bow or a magical spell. Whatever they are best at," Howard finally answers.