Calm Before the Storm

Doevm and the rest of squad six woke up to another day on the frontlines. They got out of bed. Wade ordered them into lines, and they followed instantly and without complaint. They marched to the Mess Hall, ate their breakfast, then went into line drills, where they would practice formations. Every order was immediately followed by action. Tiredness was absent.

"Listen up!" Wade boomed. "We got orders that tomorrow we're going to have our first battle with the enemy. This will be more of a skirmish than a large-scale battle, but that doesn't mean there won't be deaths. That's why it's important we get these formations down now. We must act as one, not as individuals. I don't want your 105%. I want your 100%. Do not go above and beyond, follow my orders. When you have blood dripping off your sword and the enemy is staring you right in the face, let my voice ring like the words of the goddess. Attention!" Dozens of hands went into a salute. While the sound was not a singular loud noise like in the guards, it was close considering it had only been a few days. They didn't even know each others' names but were unified.

Their sparring session that day was light. Wade didn't want them to be tired the day before the battle. Each soldier didn't feel like sparring. The flare they showed on day one was completely absent. A looming dread filled their hearts. Squad six wasn't alone in these feelings. The entire base was not as noisy. Squads stood straighter. Doevm was the only one to practice more than a few hours at training, although he did eventually relax. The squad leaders were running around, making sure their men were taking it easy. Marcus wasn't seen all day, as he was away planning with the general.

The older and more experienced soldiers played cards. They didn't exchange any words but "hit me", "Stay", and an occasional curse. The younger inexperienced soldiers tried to copy them. They bet with nuts from the trees instead of proper gold.

Of all the antsy people, Hopi was the worst case. He huddled up in his hammock and stared at the leaves, occasionally muttering to himself. Every once in a while, his eyes darted around, and he moved his body over something under him. Doevm noticed but didn't stare. It was like Wade said, the man had secrets. There was no point in digging them up.

Frey had taken a walk around the camp alone to clear his head. He stopped by the medical wing and talked to Oliver, then went to the training field. Despite his location, he sat and stared at the dummy. His spear was in hand, but he didn't raise it. It was the longest day in Doevm's new life; not because of his anxiety, but because of the unspoken weight lingering over the base. People slept early and waited for the next day. Doevm felt awkward being the only one awake, so he got in his hammock and did mental practice of throwing knives. After an hour of it, he ran simulations of what would happen on the battlefield. Nearing the end of the night, he noticed Hopi's hammock was empty.

'He's probably taking a walk or something,' Doevm thought. 'I wonder what he thinks about all of this. He's an Elf in his native habitat. This is supposed to be the home of half of his ancestors.' Then he realized something. The reason the year-long war was only a year long was because of the Elves. The place they occupied was borrowed land. Elves and Manticores are both native inhabitants of this forest. The Elves were actually in a war with manticores that spanned over centuries. If one group was pushed out of the forest, either the Acrin or the Vilbar Kingdom would wipe them out. The battleground moved west every year and east every other year. This year, the two races fought in the far west of the kingdom. The war had one year until the Elves and Manticores returned to the east battlefront. Before that time, the war needed to conclude, or else thousands of deaths would occur. 'What if Hopi is fearful, we'll be attacked by a Manticore? I doubt it.' Doevm laughed to himself, but internally did a simulation.

Far away from the camp, at this second, a legendary creature sneezed. It rubbed its human nose with one of its paws covered in golden fur. 'I think I'm lost,' it thought as it chewed on the humans it caught for dinner. 'I haven't seen an Elf in a month or two. No matter. I can just slaughter my way back to my tribe if I need to.' Its black scorpion tail wiggled back and forth. It occasionally dripped a green acid that melted the surrounding vegetation. Its human face smirked.

…

Early in the next morning, Wade woke everyone up. Squad six was out of their hammocks and in lines in a few seconds. "I've just received word on our first assignment. We move out today. You all have one hour to get ready. Bring along enough supplies for a week. That is all." Wade left to retrieve his things from his own private squad leader's quarters.

"Aren't you excited?" One of the commoner soldiers said. "This is going to be our first battle. We finally get to show our worth to our squad leader."

The man who the idiot was talking to smirked. "I'm going to kill at least three people. I promised my fiancé I would come back a hero. What about you?"

"I-I'm going to kill double your amount." The idiot smirked.

"Both of you, shut it." Hopi growled. When he got out of bed, he had large bags under his eyes. Despite his words, the other soldiers agreed with him for once. The two idiots shut up and put on their equipment.

Doevm sighed and put on his equipment. First, his breast plate, then his shin guards and boots, then his arm guards, and lastly his helmet and throwing knives. He already had his dagger at his hip. After the night with Ashtehar, he made it a point to wear a weapon at all times. He picked up his Bloodwood spear and packed his things. Squad six stocked their bags with rations from the Mess hall. Doevm, Hopi, and Frey were allowed the first place in line. Where they went, the entire squad followed. After their given hour, they met with Wade at ground level.

"Is everyone ready?" Wade asked. "If you need to shit, do it here. If you need to eat, eat only a little. If you need to adjust, now is the time. The minute we step away from base, expect an attack."

"Are we going to be in a fight that fast?" one asked.

"No idea." Wade responded. "We could be attacked today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or possibly not at all. That's why your hand should never leave your weapon. Don't grip it too hard, but have it resting against the hilt. This rainforest is perfect for an ambush. The reason the Elves built our base so high was to prevent an ambush. Keep your eyes as well as your legs moving. Listen, smell, feel, use every sense available to sense danger. The war starts now. Get yourselves together and be prepared to die."

'I understand why he said that,' Doevm thought. 'But he scared the recruits a little. They're a little wound up.'

"Formation one!" Wade shouted. With two words, the entire squad was thrown into chaos. People clashed together and shoved. One person even took a few steps back. Only the former guards were in formation. "That was a test." Wade shouted over the confusion. "You all failed and died." The soldiers all laughed with each other like idiots. They loosened their grip, but now they were more alert. Their morning tiredness was erased. "Everyone ready? Move out!"