The Eve Before it all Began

After Sal and I finished our meals, we returned our bowls to Big Nel and thanked him for the meal. We then proceeded to clean the mess from the night before out of our tent. We swept and scooped out what we could of the puddles of sick. We had to resort to throwing in buckets of water hoping to wash away the chunks of last night's meal. It worked, somewhat. The strong stench still permeated the interior of the tent. I had nearly added my breakfast to our task on several occasions while cleaning. Sal found great joy in the sight of my sickened green face and wasted much of his energy on laughing at me. By the time we finished our cleaning, the other members of First Deca were gathering for lunch. We joined them, all the while Sal was laughing at my sickened green face. 

While the others lined up, bowls in hand, I sat to the side in an effort to sooth my churning stomach. I always had a weak stomach. I had surprised myself by not vomiting while cleaning. The smell of warm stew filled my nostrils, I pulled away, any other strong smells could likely push my stomach too far. But even though the scent of the stew was strong, it was pleasant and soothing. I opened my eyes to find a bowl of steaming stew held below my nose. I took it before even seeing who it was handing it to me. 

"You look like hell," Ginil said taking the seat next to me, "I hope the captain didn't put you through too much this morning. He can be a bit much at times."

I shook my head, which made me queasy. "I don't do well with intense smells."

Ginil laughed, "You better get over that quick or the other side of the bridges are going to leave you looking green for the rest of your life."

I took a bite of the stew. The warm meat and vegetables seemed to drive the sick feeling out of my stomach. I devoured the contents of my bowl. With each delicious bite I felt my nausea disappear. Even my lingering hangover vanished. I was thoroughly surprised by how good I felt. I was completely rejuvenated. I smelled the stew again. There were no out of the ordinary scents, just the usual herbs and spices one added to such stews. Every energizing or healing herb I knew of had very distinct scents and none were present here as far as I could tell. 

"It's not the stew," Ginil said, "Or not whats in the stew; more of what the stew is cooked in." He gestured towards Big Nel. I eyed the giant bronze cauldron. 

"It is called Chef's Blessing. It is a support Article of Power that creates healing properties in whatever food is cooked inside of it," Ginil said, "I bet your stomach is feeling better already after devouring your bowl."

I nodded. 

"Minister mentioned that we have three Articles of Power in the Legion," I said, "He said Big Nel, you, and our captain hold them."

"As amazing as the Captain and my Articles are, they have not been nearly as helpful compared to the usefulness of the Chef's Blessing," Ginil said.

"What do the others do?" I asked.

"Well, without going into too much detail, the captain's article is more or less a suit of armor," Ginil leaned back, "Mine has more offensive uses. You will see tomorrow when we break camp and gather at the bridges." There was a glint of excitement in his eyes. 

"Okay," I said, not wanting to pry any further. I was too busy wondering how the captain's belt would act as an entire suit of armor. 

"I would eat another bowl of Big Nel's stew if I were you," Ginil said, "We are going to be running drills this afternoon."

Ginil stood and gave me a wink, "You will need the energy." He then turned to address the group, "Bridge drills begin in fifteen minutes. Grab you gear and be on the practice field or be punished." After which he left the circle.

The rest of us finished our meals, I took Ginil's advice and had myself another bowl of the stew. After, I sat in my seat, unsure of what to do, while the others returned to their tents and emerged, fully equipped in weapons and armor. Each wore armor similar to what Jasmine was wearing the day before. Leather breastplates formed to the likeness of a human torso, male and female respectively. With the breastplates were gauntlets and greaves and helmets. Each Legionnaire's breastplate was modified to meet the wearer's different needs and preferences. 

I was surprised by the variety in all of the members of the Deca. Flex had removed his pauldrons leaving his overly muscled arms bare. Perfect for a man who relies heavy on strength in combat. He would need the mobility to properly wield the large double headed axe he carried. Cole added large plates of steel to the pectorals and abdomen muscles for better protection, especially for a swordsman of the caliber that I assumed him to be. Sal had removed only the pauldron of his right shoulder, leaving the left for the added protection behind the round shield he had slung over his back. Ren had added brightly colored tassels to the pauldrons and bottom of the breastplate. Cilvi's armor was painted with swirling patterns and shapes. Some added more pieces of armor to their thighs and arms and pieces of steel to help fortify the leather. Hern had a piece of leather armor covering every part of his body besides his hands on which he wore a pair of fabric gloves. The only members of the Deca who were not wearing the breastplates were Gavin; who replaced his with a thick leather duster, Urchin; who was wearing only the gauntlets and one pauldron on her right shoulder, and, of course, Big Nel; who was far too large for any of the pieces of armor to fit him properly.

The only uniform piece of armor that was shared by all was their helmets and the purple cloaks. Though, Cilvi's helmet was covered in similar painted patterns as her breastplate. The helmets were steel, made is the fashion of the ancient helmets of the Guard of the Royal Palace. A T-slit face guard with a nose guard reaching past the tip of the nose. They had a raised portion on the top that rose and ran down the back of the head, some like a pointed spine of a dragon or others like the smooth fine of a shark, varying, I guessed, from the craftsmen of the helm. 

"How do I look?" asked Sal.

"Like one of the toy soldiers we used to play with growing up," I observed.

"That's exactly what I was going for!" said Sal.

"What about my armor?" I asked.

"There should be some over at the practice fields," Sal said, "We will get you suited up there."

I followed everyone back to the training field between camps. Another Deca was practicing their maneuvers. It must have been Third Deca, Sindra Floos was off to the side correcting any of the legionnaires who were out of step with a smack on the helm with long stick. The First Deca stood around aimlessly waiting for Ginil to arrive. Sal motioned for me to followed him. We approached Minister. "Minister," Sal said, "We need to get Jex some equipment of his own."

Minister still wore his spectacles beneath his helm. "Okay, take a look at the gear and let me know what he takes."

The boxes stacked beside the weapon racks were filled with a random assortment of armor. There was no order to their contents. I dug through the breastplates, gauntlets, and helmets, it all looked second hand and well worn. More than several were scarred with slashes, some even were stained with dried blood. I pushed those pieces to the side. 

I chose a breastplate with smaller pauldrons as well as gauntlets and greaves that had been reenforced with metal plating. For a helmet I chose one that fit and showed the least signs of wear. There were no other choices. Sal helped me into the gear. It felt odd. I had never worn armor before; I never reach that point in my training. As I moved around, I became more comfortable. Stretching and making mock motions of combat gave me the certainty that I could at least move properly. Though I hated the helmet, it was stifling and cut off a significant portion of my vision. A worthy price to pay for protection. 

For weapons, I took a simple arming belt with a short gladius sword and a stiletto dagger. Opposite the sword sheath I hung quiver of arrows. I took the longest choosing a bow. I tested several draw weights and different handless until I found one that suited my needs, settling for a short recurve bow with a leather wrapped handle. It was not perfect, but it would enable me to fire swiftly while still remaining accurate. I loosed a few arrows into one of the targets to be sure. Satisfied with my choice, I retrieved the arrows and rejoined Sal. I informed Minister exactly what gear I picked out. He listened and took notes on his ledger without saying a word or looking in my direction.

The Third Deca finished their training and began filing off the field. Sindra noticed me and came running towards me, "Hello again, recruit," she called, "you are look good in that armor. Though I believe you future would be in better hands if you were a part of the Third Deca. I could bring you to your full potential." There was not underlying meaning to her words, as far as I could tell. She wore similar armor to the rest of the Legion though it had one major difference. The right pauldron had a plume of red hair with a yellow line through the center that identified her as a Deca commander.

"Could you please refrain from attempting to steal my Legionnaires, Sindra?" Ginil was approaching from the tents. His right shoulder was decorated with a similar plume of red hair, though his had a line of purple. the was a bronze crossbow strapped on his back. I assumed that was his Article of Power, either that or he painted a regular crossbow bronze to conceal his real Article. A second glance told me otherwise. While it was shaped like the usual crossbows used by the Bridge Legions, there were unique and extreme differences. The largest being the arms were facing the opposite direction. I thought that would be an issue with firing until I noticed how the bow string was strung over the ends of the arms. There was also a third arm on the bottom of the weapon where you would brace the weapon to aim. The crossbow was other worldly. 

"I'm simply keeping what's best for his future in mind," said Sindra smiling, "for when he inevitably realizes that my Deca is far more fun."

She turned her attention to me, "Just let me know when you want to join, we will except you gladly and with open arms."

She walked away, waving back.

"I still haven't decided if I like that woman or not," said Ginil under his breath then added, louder, "Listen up! Third Formation, now!"

First Deca sluggishly started moving into position. "I said NOW!" Ginil barked.

Everyone hurried into position. I was unsure what to do. "Jex," Ginil called, "you will be with me in the rear. For now, follow Gavin and Urchin." I did.

We spent the afternoon running drills. We practiced maneuvers for moving and fighting on the bridges, marching back and forth countless times. After which we practiced different formations for being attacked by different creatures. A shield dome for Hawks. A spear circle for Wolves. And even spreading out for attacks from a certain category four called a Crab, some sort of large armored creature. I could not help but imagine a large fiddler crab. We then split into pairs and began sparring. I was pair with Gavin, we took turned attacking and blocking. My new armor felt cumbersome, but I pushed through, and soon fighting in the gear felt manageable. 

We were working up quite a sweat when Ginil called for us to gather. He was standing beside Captain Virgil watching us spar. The members of the First Deca gathered around the two. Many, including myself, removed our helms. All heads were drenched in sweat. Everyone's hair was drenched in sweat and plastered to their heads.

"Legionnaires," began the captain, "tomorrow is the day you have been waiting for three long years. We will dive headfirst into the dangers on the other side and bring back our weights in treasure."

A soft cheer rose from the Deca.

"But remember what is most important, each other. We work as a team and survive as a team. No matter what happens, we protect each other. If you have a choice between saving a comrade and a pile of gold, save the comrade. Or I will personally kill you." The words were heavy with intention, and I did not doubt he would have no issue fighting anyone in the Bruises Legion.

Judging by the looks on the other Legionnaires faces; they all had the same train of thought. 

He continued, "I want you to fight Legionnaire and monsters alike to protect you friends. Just make sure you get their treasures from them when you're done." He gave sly smile. The group laughed.

"Let's go, get gold, and come home as kings," he finished. Another cheer filled with laughter rose. We returned his salute. Then after Ginil and the Captain had an exchange of words, the captain left. 

"Alright," Ginil then spoke, "Tomorrow morning at dawn Bridges appear. Please refrain from partying tonight, if you are not packed and ready before the sunrise, then we will not hesitate to leave you behind." He glanced at every person gathered and added, "I'm looking forward to this year. I feel it's going to be exciting."

I spent the rest of the day breaking down camp with the others. I quickly noticed that while we were packing boxes and barrels into carts and rolling up our tents the other Legions were hardly putting in the time to break down their camps. Some were loading a few boxes, but not a single Legion had begun collapsing their tents. 

When I asked Sal about it, he said, "Captain Virgil insists that we break camp the night before so we can be the first to the Gathering Place."

With the tents rolled away we were left with bed rolls and blankets laid out around the fire. As night crept up on us, we sat on our bed rolls and listening to stories told by one another. Big Nel still prepared a stew in the Chef's Blessing. He cut up large pieces of beef and vegetables and tossed them into the boiling water. The smell was pleasant to aching muscles and my mouth watered with expectation. 

We ate and laughed under the stars. One by one the other members of the First Deca fell asleep. I laid back and stared at the stars. I recounted the constellations, remembering laying in the field by our house with my parents and grandfather as they told me about the legends behind them. We continued the tradition even after my father died, then after my grandfather had passed away. Even when my mother got sick, we still took the time to look up at the night sky. But after she passed, I had no desire to look up at the night sky. It was a reminder of what I had lost. But now, on the eve of what could finally be my revenge, it felt almost poetic to star gaze once more. I wondered if the world beyond the Bridges had the same stars in the sky. Perhaps the same constellations, but reversed? I had no idea, but I was excited to find out. 

I turned my sight from the night sky and to the dying flames of the firelight. Tomorrow was the accumulation of everything I had been striving towards for the past few years. One night's sleep and I will be able to regain the honor of my family had lost and perhaps even prove the theological theories that got my grandfather and mother thrown from the church clergy were in fact true and the Church was the one in the wrong. Either that or I would die beyond the bridges and my family would be forever nameless and forgotten in the margins of the history books.

I closed my eyes. That would all begin tomorrow.