Chapter 100: 099 Command and Camaraderie

"Alright boys, I think that's enough for today." Donovan clapped his hands over his companions sprawled out on the floor. They had just finished an intense workout. Ten circuits of weight lifting, running, and other such physically taxing exercises combined with an ample amount of rattling metal courtesy of Rize and some of the maids. Donovan wanted to mimic the conditions of a battlefield as best he could, just to get them in that mental state of constant confusion, but he had to admit it wasn't as daunting as he thought it might be. If anything, it only made it harder to tell them what to do.

Perhaps that was an area for growth in its own right, challenging Donovan to relay orders to his subordinates under combat conditions.

"We can go get cleaned up in a moment, but while you are all in a state of exhaustion I'd like to extend an offer to the four of you. Last night, I was approached by Wall about the possibility of him taking part in an upcoming tournament. After having a discussion with Titanyana, I have come to the conclusion that it is acceptable for you to participate should you desire so."

Wall showed some degree of relief on his face despite his exhausted state.

"That said, I do have a few conditions. The first is that you must make it to the third round at minimum or else you will not be permitted to take part in the next competition. I understand that there is an element of luck involved in the way these tournaments are arranged, so I may be persuaded to annul this punishment, but don't count on it."

There was silence at this. Obviously, this condition was acceptable to the four of them.

"The second condition I have is that you provide a report of your thoughts of your battles and what you think you learned. I don't yet expect you to write this report, you don't even know the alphabet yet, but I would like this information to further both my personal growth and my understanding of our combat capabilities as a whole. I don't exactly have a punishment attached to this one, but it would be of immense help to us in the future if I find some weakness for us to iron out or some area that we can grow."

"You make it sound like you expect us to fail, sir." Sanna, the back of his head resting on his arms crossed behind him, took note of his inauspicious tone, the sir at the end being more of an afterthought given his physical status.

"It isn't that I expect you to fail, Sanna. This, for me at least, is a matter of process. If possible, I want us to fail early. Early failures in a low risk environment give us time to fix those flaws before the stakes increase. Right now, we are effectively nobodies. We have no reputation, no rank, but most importantly no expectations. Should we fail now, then there is no issue with losing reputation or becoming demoralized due to a failure to meet expectations. The only direction to go is up, so to speak. However before that, I want to get rid of any pitfalls that might trip me up on my way to the top."

Wall laughed a bit, weakly and gasping for breath. "So bold! I like it!"

"Not bold, Wall, determined. I told you about my situation, reaching those heights has the potential to mean life or death for me. Just between us, I'm personally quite attached to this life of mine."

A little bit of laughter from all except Titanyana. It wasn't that she didn't want to laugh, only that she couldn't. Her body was physically far weaker than the rest of them on account of her biology and small stature, so she was taking this workout much worse than the rest.

"Now for the third and final condition. Should you decide to compete, you must conduct yourself in a manner fitting of a proper competitor. I will not tolerate acting like a sore loser. If you lose, oh well. Don't blame some factor that you consider out of your control for your loss, if anything blame yourself. Find out what you can do better, think about why you lost. At the same time, do not taunt, jeer, or harass your opponent in either victory or defeat. I will tolerate some pre-match vitriol to some extent as a means to build your fighting spirit or demoralize your enemy, both viable tactics, and I can ignore some more dishonorable behavior while actually fighting, but once the match is done you are to treat your opponent the same you would any other gentleman you wish to maintain amicable relationships with. I believe that competitions like this are an excellent way to make connections, so maintain a sociable air even if your opponent has elected not to reciprocate. Am I understood?"

"""Yes sir.""" Three responses and a grunt in close to good enough English.

"Good. Now, Wall, I know you want to compete, but is that still the case?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Sanna, I know you did not express this desire to compete to me openly, but I will extend the offer to you all the same. Do you accept?"

"If it gets me out for this hell for a day."

"I'll take that as a yes. Len, before I offer the chance to compete to you first, I want you to know that both Titanyana and I have serious concerns over whether or not you are yet mature enough to do so. This is not an indictment of inability, merely that you have not yet expressed the physical ability to properly fight with your Pile Lance. Personally, I have concerns over what a particularly devastating defeat might do to your mental state. However, I will extend the offer to you all the same."

Len was quiet. He was tired, still breathing deeply and trying to wipe the sweat from his eyes, but this silence was due to him contemplating how he should respond. Don could tell he wanted to go, but he seemed to have doubts as to whether or not this would really be beneficial to him, the same reservations that Donovan and Titanyana had.

"Would I be able to give you an answer later?"

"Be my guest. Just be sure to decide by the time we leave to register today." Donovan turned his attention to Titanyana, still barely moving on the ground. "You can decide on your own, Titanyana. I trust you to make your own decisions."

Once again, Donovan clapped, the last man standing in the courtyard.

"Alright, let's get cleaned up. Wall, help Len up, I'll get Titanyana."

- - - - -

The bath was quieter that Donovan had hoped it would be. There was the trickle of the little stream and the occasional splash when someone moved around into a position that was a little more comfortable. Don was in the awkward situation where he was uncertain the reason for his compatriots' silence.

He feared that he might be seen as unapproachable in spite of his efforts, understanding that it would be tactless to come on strong at this point. However, it could just be the case that he never interacted with them outside of a professional setting. They were exhausted after their sessions, often opting to just spend the rest of the day resting in their rooms, exiting only to eat. He really wanted to be friends, if not that then at least on amiable terms, but he fact he needed them to be obedient as well harmed that relationship.

He was beginning to understand why it was that many of the veteran officers maintained the stance that they shouldn't bother with forming such close relationships proactively. These things would need time to develop, it would appear, if they were to develop at all.

A demoralizing realization, but not irrecoverable.

Donovan was convinced that now was not the time to start cultivating that sort of relationship anyways.

"I think I'll head out first. Don't feel the need to rush to give an answer, we've got a good amount of time before we leave. Just be sure to make your selves presentable."

"""Yes sir."""

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"We aren't training, so spare me the pleasantries. It rubs me the wrong way being called 'sir' in a place like this."

"Yes sir." Len mindlessly responded to Donovan's request.

Donovan rolled his eyes, annoyed yet understanding. Len lacked the mental capacity to realize his mistake in the moment, and Donovan had no intention of chastising him for it.

- - - - -

"Think he's gone yet?" Wall was the first to speak up, convinced he had heard the sound of the bathroom door closing in the distance. Regardless, he wasn't going to lift his head up to get a look.

"I would think so. He doesn't seem like the type to linger." Sanna similarly left his head on the rounded wooden board as he spoke. "On second thought, it might be more the case that he has more to do than the three of us."

"Maybe, but I can't imagine he would be so busy as to not give himself time to relax."

The two of them thought about their interactions with him outside of their training sessions. He hardly seemed occupied with talking to other people, though he did seem to be glued to that glowing rectangle whenever he had the chance. 

"How does he do it, I wonder." Len questioned how they could display such different levels of endurance and strength in comparison to Donovan. "He makes it look so easy..."

"Agreed."

"Mhm."

The three of them sunk into a tired silence, recounting the events of the past week. True to his word, Donovan was being extremely hard on them. This morning's routine left them practically dead on the ground, and yet they would qualify it as light. It was practically nothing in comparison to Day one.

"He's gotta have a secret, right?" Sanna was left grasping at straws. The body was not his area of expertise, so he could only imagine there was some trick. "There's gotta be something he is doing differently than us he just hasn't been able to teach us, isn't there?"

"I can tell you for certain it ain't anything to do with split." Wall seemed irritated, his hand moving to hold his temple. "I didn't catch a whiff of it during training. You?"

Sanna shook his head as best he could in his position. "Your head okay?"

"I'll be fine, just a headache. I get em when I'm really stressed, see, and as you can imagine..." Wall made a vague gesture.

"I get that. How are you feeling, Len?"

"I feel like my limbs are about to fall off." 

"Ditto."

. . .

. . .

. . .

"Sooooo, how about that tournament?" Quiet public baths were a dangerous thing for Wall, allowing his thoughts to go uninterrupted while in the presence of others usually ended poorly for him. "Are you two in?"

"I think I'll participate, just to get some actual practice against a regular combatant, no offense to you two."

"None taken."

"Mmm."

"How about you, Len? Are you gonna give it a go? I know the boss advised against it, but I don't think there would be much harm in it even if you don't get to go next time, right?"

"Mmmm, maybe." Len hadn't put any thought into it, too tired to even think at the moment.

"It sounds like you'll get a day off if you do." Sanna added a piece of critical information for Len's consideration.

"I'll have to think about participating a little harder..."

His comrades laughed at his little jest, Sanna himself probably considering the potential to skip a day reason enough to fight.

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