Fresh Recruits [Fanalis Corp Training/Plot]

Ayero let her gaze fall over the group of redheads that had assembled in front of her, taking in the tone of their heavily muscled bodies. She paid little attention to their reactions as she swept her gaze boldly up and down their forms, gauging how well they would be able to work with weaponry based on the size and definition of their muscles. Most of them were former slaves or had otherwise been employed in some sort of physical labor for their natural strength, so physical ability wouldn’t be a problem, she guessed. The challenge would be training unskilled warriors with powerful muscles and delicate tempers.

With her mane of red hair and penchant for physical combat, one wouldn’t be able to guess that Ayero was only half-Fanalis. Only one fairly familiar with the strength of the Fanalis race would be able to determine that her own enhanced strength falls just short of that of a full-blood. But the halfling was a skilled warrior, wielding both blade and fist against her opponents. While walking the path of a fighter she had learned to control her temper (for the most part) and to focus her strength and speed to enhance her attacks. After the dust from the war had settled, Ayero decided to help Octavius rebuild his Corps. Since their public revival, those of Fanalis lineage seemed to come out of the woodwork in order to join. With so many fresh recruits, the General tasked Ayero with giving them some basic training.

”Welcome to the Fanalis Corps. My name is Ayero, and I’ll be laying down the foundation to your training as warriors.” Ayero stood several feet in front of the small crowd, her feet spread apart in a solid stance and her hands clasped behind her back. Though it did not show on her stoic face, she hoped she seemed intimidating enough to be taken seriously. In the back of her mind she wondered if Octavius was testing her ability to teach or lead…or both.

”Warriors? We already know how to fight.” One of the larger men standing in the front piped up, drawing gazes and a few murmurs of agreement from his comrades. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and fixed Ayero with a skeptical gaze, his muscles bulging beneath tanned skin.

”I see.” Ayero wasted no time in letting her own sharp gaze pin the man, but he did not waver beneath her eyes. Reaching for the sash tied around her waist, Ayero removed one of her blades and tossed it to him. It was a longsword she had rarely used except for training, but figured it would be good enough to test his skill. Slightly startled, the Fanalis man caught the blade and stared back at the woman as she began to unsheathe her scimitar.

”Show me.” She demanded, beckoning him forward with a tilt of her head. Ayero stood with her own blade at the ready, though her eyes did not harden as they usually did before an intense battle. Frowning, the man unsheathed the blade he had been given and faced Ayero with a grunt. ”My name is Icarus. I used to be a sword slave in the coliseum before slavery was decalred illegal.” With that, the Fanalis man let out a yell and charged towards Ayero, blade swinging in a downward arc towards her.

[564/1000]

Hm… Ayero focused on Icarus, taking his every movement in. Before his strike could cleave her in two, the Fanalis woman spun on her heel to side step the attack, watching as Icarus followed through with the sword’s motion and swung the blade into the ground. Grunting, the Fanalis man hoisted his weapon upwards and sent a vertical strike to Ayero’s midsection, which was dodged again with little effort on the woman’s behalf. His style is brash and bold…he has some of the basics it seems, but this man hasn’t been taught proper swordplay. Spinning on her heel again to avoid another strike, Ayero drops her center of gravity and sends a sweeping kick along Icarus’ legs.

The quick movement catches the man off guard and his legs buckle out from under him, causing him to hit the ground with a groan. A few onlookers snicker at the sight, but Icarus looks up at Ayero with irritation burning in his eyes. When Ayero offered him a hand to help him up, the already annoyed Fanalis snarled at her, throwing the sword back to the woman before standing to his feet on his own and stalking away. Catching the sword in her outstretched hand, Ayero blinked and watched Icarus storm off. Uh… Well, she hadn’t expected that to happen. Shaking her head to herself, Ayero wondered how Octavius dealt with Fanalis tempers.

A thought occurred to her that she had spent little time around other Fanalis during her travels until recently. Glancing back at the group of about a dozen or so Fanalis staring at her expectantly, Ayero sheathed her sword and turned to them. ”We will begin with the basics. Many of you are strong, yes. But your natural strength will only take you so far. There are many opponents you will face that are far smaller and weaker than you who would be able to defeat you as you are now. I will teach you how to harness your strength and focus it into your attacks, to become a warrior with skill.”

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The next week went by without major interruption. Ayero began to teach the Fanalis recruits how to channel their strength properly as well as a few basic fighting forms. The recruits were receptive to it for the most part, though Ayero found herself dealing with some frustrated Fanalis or breaking up fights. She learned that—despite her teachings—physical violence wasn’t always the best route to defuse tension. It had its time and place, but she found that other methods seemed to work just as well, or even better. If two Fanalis began to bicker, Ayero would order them both to go and take a walk to cool off. It worked for some, but others seemed to get their aggression out through sparring with eachother. Gradually Ayero began to learn that different methods worked for different people, not just the ones that worked for herself. She tried her best to understand what they were feeling, what they were going through in order to help them through their anger. It would be a slow process as Ayero wasn’t the most sensitive type, but she was making progress along with them.

While most of the team seemed to have no problem completing exercises and sparring, one recruit stuck out to Ayero. She was a young woman no older than 16 with a pretty face and short hair. What caught Ayero’s attention was not her delicate beauty but her lack of physical strength for a Fanalis. Her body was slim and slender and her muscles had little to no definition. Is she from a rich family?” Ayero frowned in thought as she watched the young girl struggle to lift a pack of weights.


Sighing, the instructor walked over to the young Fanalis and pulled the weights from the girls shoulder. To Ayero’s surprise, the girl looked up at her with a startled yet indignant look in her eye. Quirking a brow, Ayero prompted the thin girl. ”What is your name?”

A slight pout crosses the young woman’s face and she turns her gaze away from Ayero before fixing her eyes to the older woman’s with a clear expression of determination. ”Delphi.” Her tone was strong until she squeaked out the last syllable, immediately covering her mouth with her hand as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Nodding, Ayero ignored the somewhat embarrassing noise in favor of getting to the core issue. ”Delphi, I want you to start coming an hour early. We’re going to work on your strength training.” With that, Ayero dropped the weights at the girl’s feet and turned, walking off to supervise a sparring pair that was getting a bit too rowdy. As she turned away from Delphi, her heart beat with the adrenaline of issuing an order. I hope she takes me seriously and shows up…

[1375/1000]

[Exit]