Half-Blood [Fanalis Corps Training/Plot]

Ayero had instructed the younger Fanalis woman, Delphi, to arrive early for training until she was up to speed with the others. But by early, Ayero didn’t mean this early. The Fanalis instructor herself had woken up early and arrived several hours before training was to begin in order to secure the training area and go over the itinerary for today. Octavius had entrusted her with training fresh recruits, and Ayero was eager to prove to the Fanalis General that she could handle the task. Still, it had proved to be more of a challenge than she had anticipated—some of the recruits were skeptical about following someone they’d never seen nor heard of.

Delphi had stuck out to her upon their first meeting—while the girl did indeed have Fanalis heritage, she was small and her body was weak and untrained. This was especially apparent when compared to the former slaves who made up a good chunk of the recruits, men and women who had known nothing but hard labor for the majority of their lives. Her physical capabilities were well above that of the average human, but still sub-par for one of her race.

The younger Fanalis stood with her cloak clutched tightly around her body, swaying slightly as if she felt out of place. When Ayero came into view Delphi straightened and hardened her face in an attempt to mask her nerves, returning Ayero’s nod in greeting. She clenched her fists tightly, hands obscured by the long sleeves of her cloak and fixed Ayero with a look of determination, prepared to take on any task that was given.

Ayero arched a brow and swept her gaze over the smaller woman’s form, finding most of it hidden by the cloak. But the Captain was able to glean enough from Delphi’s body language to know that the girl took this seriously. Crossing her arms over her chest, Ayero drew in a slow breath before addressing the other Fanalis.

”We will work on fixing your lack of physical strength in order to help turn you into a warrior. We will begin with some stretches, like so.”

Widening her stance, Ayero began stretching her arms and back, silently signaling for Delphi to do the same and copy her movements. But the girl seemed hesitant.

”Wait, but…stretches? Captain, aren’t we supposed to do weight lifting? Or sparring? I don’t see how stretching is going to make me stronger… Delphi stepped forward as if to mimic Ayero but held back for a moment, concern and skepticism etched into her face.

Ayero nearly chuckled at the look that Delphi was giving her. I guess she really doesn’t have much experience with this sort of thing. Still, Ayero continued stretching before answering. ”Well, it’s no use to go right into weight training without warming up first, lest you tear your muscles. I’d rather none of my recruits be injured by something that could have been prevented.”  

The Fanais Captain watched with a satisfied look as Delphi began to stretch as well, though Ayero’s explanation did little to shake the wariness from her face. So she’s worried about not getting a good work-out? Truly a Fanalis.

”We will increase the intensity of these sessions as I see fit. You will feel the strain of working your muscles to their limit each time, but I will not force you to injure yourself.”

[568/1000]

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”Here, that one is too heavy for you. Let me take it.” Ayero insisted as she moved to remove the weight from Delphi’s shoulders. At her words, the younger Fanalis’ eyes flared and she gripped the barbell harder, struggling under the weight.

”No!” She choked out, stopping Ayero’s hand as she reached for the weight. ”I need to do this for myself! I need to become stronger!” She gasped as the barbell began to slip from her hands, tilting her thin frame to one side.

Sighing, Ayero reached out and gripped the bar with both hands, lifting it off of Delphi’s shoulders and dropping it onto the ground. Delphi gave the woman a brief look of indignation at how easily she had lifted the heavy weight.

”Listen to me, Delph, straining yourself that far beyond your limits isn’t going to make you stronger.” Ayero paused for a moment, hand on her hip. ”Well…it will, but it will be a slower, more painful process. Pushing yourself is good, but push too hard and you’ll end up throwing out your back. Now let me take a few of the weighs off of—“

Ayero knelt down to the discarded barbell, pausing in her movement when she heard Delphi make a strange sound. Looking up, the Fanalis woman was startled to see tears misting the girl’s eyes. Her own eyes widened and a sudden wave of helplessness crashed over her. Shit. She’s crying….shit. Shit. What do I do?!

Standing abruptly, Ayero grabbed Delphi’s smaller shoulders and gently shook the girl in slight panic. ”Oi Delphi, calm down! I told you that I’ll lower the weight, so stop crying!” What was meant to be a plea sounded more like a demand from the Fanalis instructor. She could break up fights with confidence, but when faced with a crying girl she didn’t quite know how to handle the situation.

”N-no, it’s not the weight! We-well…it sort of is the weight…but I’ll never be able to catch up to you and the others!” Delphi clutched at her skirt and looked down, biting her lip.

”What?” A little more alarmed, Ayero bended her knees slightly and tried to get a look at Delphi’s face. ”Why do you think that?”

”Because…I’m just a…a….ha…a half blood! I’m not a pure blood like you and the others. I’m not as strong as you all, I shouldn’t even be here…this was a bad idea…”

Ayero blinked as the girl began to sob and slowly released the hold on her shoulders. When she did, Delphi sank to the ground and continued to whimper and cry. Half blood? That’s what this is all about?

”I never want you to say that like it’s a dirty word, again.”

Delphi would look up upon hearing the sudden demanding tone to find Ayero kneeling just above her. The sharp look in the Captain’s eyes softened briefly as she lowered her tone and voice. ”I don’t know what you’ve been told, but there is no shame in being a half blood. Anyone with Fanalis heritage is welcome within the Corps, half bloods like you and I included.”

There was a pause as Ayero carefully watched Delphi’s face for a reaction. She nearly smirked at the incredulous look on her face when the words were fully absorbed.

”E-EH?! YOU’RE a half blood? But you’re…strong! You’re a Captain!” The shock had stopped her crying save for a few sniffles and hics, her focus now primarily on Ayero. ”Do the others know?”

Running a hand through the back of her hair, Ayero rolled her eyes to the side in thought. ”I…don’t know if they’re aware. But the point is, you shouldn’t discount yourself because of your blood. It took me years to build up the strength that I have now. I can’t remember well, but I had a similar frame to the one that you have now. And well…” Ayero shrugged and leaned back on her hands. ”Reim wasn’t built in a day, but if you’re dedicated, you’ll grow stronger for sure. I won’t let you, or anyone else fall behind.”

Ayero paused, looking up as Delphi began to shift. The young woman used the sleeve of her cloak to scrub her cheeks and undereye area, wiping away the tears that had yet to dry. Reaching over to the barbell, Delphi resume Ayero’s work of removing some of the weight.

”Is this much good enough, Captain? Should I remove some more weight?” She looked over to Ayero with watery eyes that held a spark of renewal.

”Hm? That should be good enough. Try that.” Ayero lazily eyed the barbell before pushing herself out of her sitting position and upwards with a grunt. Crossing her arms over her chest, Ayero resumed her strict posture and steel-like face as Delphi slid the weights onto her shoulders once more. A wave of relief washed over Ayero as Delphi continued her training with a re-inspired vigor.



[1375/1000]

[Exit]