Chapter 13. You’re in the army now

Chapter 13. You’re in the army now

My boots stomped the ground as I turned for another circle across the training ground. I didn’t care much since that was not the loudest noise I was making at the moment.

Apparently, my trainer didn’t particularly like my attitude and decided to make sure I was up to the task. Or at least was properly humbled for the foreseeable future.

I was stripped and inspected. Finding my physique to be ‘sufficient’ for a ‘scholarly murk’, he pointed me at the heap of clothes and metal.

The full infantry armour according to his words. And not the bare minimum that Emanai provided at a cost to the freshly trained recruits, which was already substantial, but an upgraded kit fit for a promising warrior. My trainer did lament it would be wasted on someone who will most likely stay behind the lines and count grain deliveries or something equally administrative. Nevertheless, he expected me to wear it all.

Well, Aikerim was wary of losing her future son-in-law and a present gold-laying-goose so armour did make sense. I was wary of getting stabbed somewhere soft or, specifically, blocking said stab with my skinsuit and then trying to avoid resulting suspicions about why I wasn’t dead. Which meant the only questions I had was how to put it on and in what order everything was layered.

The weight of the hauberk pushed my shoulders down like two hands of a giant. Said weight was exacerbated by a breastplate on top. And a helmet with its own chain scarf along with vambraces and greaves on my now-panted legs. It was no wonder that my belt had gotten even wider just to pick up half of that weight off my shoulders and distribute it over to my waist.

The equipment didn’t stop there. Apart from the newly-issued pants and a hood to cushion my head, I got a long kaftan to cover most of the gear underneath. Thick and sturdy — good enough to act as a barrier to the elements yet easy to remove. Good enough to cover me from head to toe too. Slap the helmet with most of the face hidden behind a crescent nose guard and I could paint myself underneath in ultramarine blue without anyone noticing.

Fair to say I was not complaining. Although some adjustments to the metal components were in order.

My nonchalance however was not received well. I was strapped with all three weapons and the shield and told to march. Then to run.

Eventually, I found myself sprinting while carrying an entire military backpack, a set of marching tools and even a small wooden keg filled with water.

To call this exercise loud was an understatement.

I would’ve been dead by now or seriously contemplating falling over and wheezing on the spot without my nanites. So I ‘cheated’ even further. Covered by multiple layers of armour, my skinsuit grew across my body. Distributing the load and providing additional assistance to my now-enhanced muscles.

I could still feel the drain on my energy reserves but now they weren’t time-critical. This was less about my ability to metabolize and expel waste and more about how much energy I had currently stored in my body. And I had enough to keep sprinting like this for hours.

Then I would need to eat. Ravenously.

In the meantime, I listened to the barks of the trainer and carefully adjusted my running gait, pushing it from loud and awkward to merely loud and less awkward.

I would definitely need to do some adjustments later. Protection was essential but it did sacrifice too much of my mobility in the process. At the same time, while I didn’t think of myself as a professional armoursmith, I did have enough knowledge about history and engineering know-how to already start considering replacements.

Especially for the bulky and rather uncomfortable hunk of bronze on my chest. Two solid pieces wrapped around my upper body like a shell I didn’t need.

“And yet he isn’t even a wer,” My trainer shook his head, “how long are you planning on making so much noise?”

“Until you tell me to stop?” I tried my best to shrug my shoulders while running, it didn’t work very well, “I am not sure I can stop the noise — I need a completely different set of gear and better straps to hold everything in place.”

He sighed, “Enough of this, all you do is give me a headache with that rattle.”

I stopped and silently waited while he grumbled some methods of getting even with Sulla or something similar.

In the end, the wave of his tail signalled the continuation of our conversation: “I would’ve demanded to know more about what manner of murk you are but I have been warned not to ask too many questions. Nevertheless, I see that you have potential. Given time and training obviously, don’t think that your physical prowess is enough.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“Hmm,” His fingers traced my neck, stalled for a few seconds near my artery and vanished altogether, “Domina had asked not just train you but train you well. But to do that I must know what do you seek? Glory in battle and the strength to defeat your foes? Or do you seek profit and spoils? Perhaps to increase your renown and get noticed by a future wife?”

I shuddered, “Definitely not the last. Frankly — none of them. All I seek from this is freedom.”

“Freedom?” he blinked, “That’s it? Assuming Domina is already willing to let you go, all you have to do is survive.”

“Yes. I value my freedom high enough to even attempt this venture. I prefer to do what I do best: alchemistry and other crafts, rather than shedding blood in battle.”

His tail swiped the ground in frustration, “Anyone can teach you about survival. A few months in the training fields will give you enough experience to survive behind the Barrier walls. Yet Domina decreed for me to train you. Why?”

I flicked the golden Gestr on my neck, “There is one reason that I know. Aikerim is extremely averse to me dying. No matter how small that chance would be. And I share that sentiment. Despite having no plans to dedicate my entire life to battle, I will learn anything that you deem necessary or even beneficial without rebuke. After all, discipline is the most important value for a soldier.”

“Aikerim?” His eyebrows rose, “My, I wonder how Ramad Qasam would react to such words. Or even Domina herself?”

Ramad? Ah, Aikerim’s first husband. I think I remembered Anaise talking about him once or twice. While Tarhunna acted as a naval envoy of sorts, Ramad had been travelling across land routes somewhere north and east, past the Babr mountains.

“Domina would probably smack me upside my head for speaking like that,” I conceded, “Ramad Qasam would probably be curious about his future son-in-law.”

My trainer sucked in his breath, “I...see...”

It was a good thing I had permission to say this much. As Aikerim saw it, my union with Anaise was a foregone conclusion. The only thing left was to wait until she had her Entrance Feast and proclaimed twenty years old and capable of joining life-long unions like sadaq. Well, and to figure out who was officially entering which sadaq.

Not that I could brag about it to anyone around, lest I'll have another ‘acute steel allergy’ incident, but I was allowed to drop hints to ‘facilitate certain conversations’ and ‘alleviate the surprise’.

“Fair enough. I will have to keep it in mind if I decide to change anything. I will seek your opinion before committing to any changes, of course.”

His tail stilled, “Are implying that you are a smith as well?”

“No, that I definitely have no skill at. However, I do have the knowledge of many armour designs and likely gain a master smith under my employ sometime in the future. Perhaps some of the designs will pass the muster of a skilled smith and warrior.”

“Ri-ight,” He drawled, “May the horns save you if you bring me something stupid. Any other revelations that I should expect?”

I shrugged, “Can’t say at the moment. Irje had expressed her desire to fight alongside me. She is a wer. I can probably spar with her during my off-hours too.”

Master Siamak thought for a second. “She did? A lover?”

“Wife.”

“Ai, and you dare to lay your eyes on the Lady of the House?” His eyes narrowed once again.

“Anaise Hilal had made her choice, I can simply be grateful for it.” I tried my best to answer it as politically neutral as possible.

He stared at me for almost a minute then groaned and palmed his face.

“Bring her over next time. While there will be others to spar against she will probably end up fighting beside you. Coordination will help.”

“Families fight together?”

“If they wish to. Most do. Military service is a great way to show oneself off and find a partner. Wives tend to make sure their husbands don’t stray too far.”

I could hear the intent of his words but I couldn’t help but scoff at the hilarity of the situation. I knew Irje well enough by now. If she even thought about that part of the military service it was me who was in danger of her bringing someone else. To see if I would like to have another.

XXX

“How was the training?” Yeva quietly asked as she slowly washed the sweat away from my body.

“Informative, to say the least. Did you know that people use it as a dating service?” I asked incredulously.

She giggled, “I’ve heard some rumours. Successful military service means that you aren’t just free but likely have a stipend and would own a piece of land someday. That does elevate one status somewhat.”

“Ugh, and Irje is coming with me. Is it weird that I am more worried about her shenanigans than the potential threats?”

“Don’t joke about that,” Yeva gently slapped my head, “And she is getting better, her current shenanigans notwithstanding.”

I quietly shut up and let her work. The new sleeping arrangements meant that she could no longer enjoy sleeping with all of us every night and Yeva made perfectly clear that she did expect some ‘allowances’. This was one of them.

“Say, Erf.” She suddenly started, “If I told you not to take Anaise in, would you?”

“Well, no. That was the point of our sadaq originally. I mean we would have talked about it first but if you had valid reasons to veto her, and your emotions would be valid too in that regard, then I wouldn’t have accepted her into our sadaq.” I frowned, “Why are you asking it now? Did something happen between you?”

“No, I...I’ve met her father today.”

“Tarhunna? Did he threaten you?” I started to rise up.

“What? No!” Her palms pushed me down again into the water. Quieting my heart as well.

Main baths were being repaired, so we were using the sacrilege that I would never call a sauna. Obviously, the temperature could not keep up with the volume but it was enough to have a nice warm bath.

“We spoke...He mentioned certain things that I, after some thinking, realized as true. Like how much I could influence sadaq. He didn’t judge but he did suggest for me to grow stronger.” She sighed, “I think he is right.”

“You want to get the nanites today?”

“No, it could wait until tomorrow as we planned. I meant stronger in heart and mind. I don’t want to either lose you or squander my connection with sadaq due to my naivete. I am well aware that after the Entrance Feast the news of this sadaq would spread. And with them — there will be others who would either think ill of us. Or try to use us. Irje is loud but she is a wer and lived for many years already. Anaise is young but she had teachers and training. I have neither.”

She let out a disgruntled huff, “I can’t even make your family to change their mind!”

“Let them be for now, so they can enjoy some peace and stability. So you wish for education? I think we can make it happen. I am all for it and both Anaise and Aikerim would likely agree as well.”

“Do you think I will be able to catch up?”

I grabbed her hand and gave it a kiss, “Nanites won’t make just your body stronger. They will strengthen your mind as well. Just as I learnt to read and write within a day, so would you. And many other skills as well. You would be able to read a codex and remember its contents a century later if you so desire. My knowledge too — there are ways to share it even faster than with speech or writings.”

Yeva hummed as a tiny smile graced her lips, “My these worms of yours are truly magical.”

“They aren’t worms!”