Olimpia

I looked at the gathered mass of scout trainees, and I was not surprised. Few of those gathered here had the signs of a strong elven heritage. Most had nearly rounded ears with a slight tip at the back and the more square, rugged, tanned features of humans rather than the elves' sharp, pale features.

I would be surprised if any of them had a pure-blooded elf within the last three or four generations of their lineage. "I am Green," I said, eyes slowly shifting from one trainee to another. "I will be your instructor."

My ears twitched as I heard someone snickering at the back of the group. "Aha~! What do you think his full name is? Greeny-the-little-weenie?"

"Who cares? I just wish we had a real instructor, not this reject." Said a second male.

The voices were low, and a human standing in my spot would probably only be able to tell someone was talking. I, on the other hand, heard the comments just fine, as there was something to say about having long, oversized ears. The problem was that while a human standing in my spot might barely be able to tell what was said, most, if not all, of the trainees could hear it just fine. If they somehow didn't, I was sure they would know soon after I left them to talk amongst themselves.

Even as an uneasy silence settled on the group, my gaze shifted from person to person, taking in the reactions of my trainees. It was immediately apparent that most of the forty-eight other trainees harbored thoughts similar to those of the two talking. Hard to miss when, from one second to the next, most couldn't meet my eyes.

The few who were still looking at me had their gazes filled with scorn and disgust, making it clear what their inner thoughts were. The thoughts were already burning in the depths of their minds, but now they no longer even tried to hide it. This came faster than I expected.

"Ahh~. Fuck it." I whispered before I took a few steps to the side and forward, staring down the man who first spoke as I asked him in a too-natural tone, "What did you just say?"

Suddenly, I had the group's entire attention as all their eyes locked on me. None of their other body parts so much as twitched, as they all had too much experience of not drawing any unwanted attention to make such a basic mistake as moving. But I knew that if they could, the legionaries would extend their eyeballs out of their heads and turn them to get a better picture of me and the man. After all, watching drama unfold was the best entertainment in a legion.

The man had tanned skin, a trimmed beard, short black hair, and beady hazel eyes set deep into his face. He must come from quite the noble lineage with those looks. Then again, the man gave off the bearing of a noble who wanted everyone to know he was from the nobility, suggesting he was from the lower levels. If I was drunk and had another concussion, I might have gone so far as to call him distinguished if he wasn't collapsing in on himself from my question and the pointed attention of the group.

In the first moments when I confronted the young man, his face drained of color, and his eyes shifted to the people around him for support. Support no one offered in fear of inviting my irritation, causing him to hunch his shoulders and shrink further into himself.

No spine at all once he's alone, I thought with scorn. As I watched him, I saw the moment his slow mind realized what was happening. The humiliation that one of his status would be looked down on by an elf, of all things, turned his emotions into an anger that started radiating off him.

His pale face quickly flushed a deep red, and I saw his finger start twitching against his thighs in repressed rage. Mouth opening, I could see the words that would allow me to kick him out of the scout trainee program forming on his lips. At the last moment, he clacked his mouth shut, and his teeth were somehow able to hold the acidic bile he was about to spew back.

Through his gritted teeth, he got out, "Sorry, domine. I didn't say anything."

I looked at him without blinking for long moments, and I could hear the uncomfortable shifting of the rest of the trainees as I let the silence continue to build. "Hmmm, I could have sworn you said something else." I finally said, breaking the tension, "Are you sure you said nothing? Or maybe you just can't remember such distant times in the past?" His red face started bleeding down his neck at my words, staining his protruding veins and tendons.

Mouth barely opening, the younger man hissed out, "I asked… What is… your full name… instructor?"

"Ahh… Yes." I said, immediately turning my back on the man and walking down the line; as I walked, I ignored the impacts, grunts, and shuffling of feet behind me. Someone must be trying to get him back in line. Pitty, the prick would have definitely attacked me for the insult of turning my back on him if not for his friends. I shouldn't punish loyalty… It's a good name for him, though…

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

I slowed my steps, letting the scuffle die down before I turned around. I might not like Prick, but what right did I have to get him thrown out if he could regain some semblance of self-control from his companion's intervention. Forcing down the smile twitching at my lips, I decided not to push him any further… for now.

"Hmm. …As many of you have no doubt heard," I began as I walked around the gathered group, "the Elvan naming traditions are considered… weird by humans. Our parents name us after something they saw in nature on the day of our births. Not that you will ever use it, but my full name is Greenish-red Leaf Floating Past On A Gentle Breeze. For simplicity and to save time, everyone shortens it to Green, but to all of you, I am Domine, Instructor, or Instructor Green." I stopped walking and turned my head, locking eyes with the man beside Prick. "And you said something about wishing for a real scout Instructor… right?"

His back stiffened, and I could see his Adam's apple frantically bob before his mouth opened, "Ahh—" He croaked out before licking his lips and swallowing again, "Yes… Domine."

I nodded when he answered, then turned my head forward and continued walking to the front of the group to face everyone at once as I asked, "Do all of you really think that?" I let the question hang in the air, but not so long that someone would build up the courage to answer my rhetorical question in an attempt to escape the discomforting silence.

"Do you really think that the scouts would allow anyone into their ranks that did not meet their requirements? That they would allow me into their ranks under such conditions?" The rows of recruits shifted their feet in discomfort at my question. "I assure you, any and all scouts have met and exceeded the minimal requirements. And that will be the same for all of you!"

Taking a step back, I took a breath, calming myself. I had gotten a little heated at the end, so I took a moment to center my mind before talking at a calmer level. "Do not delude yourselves. Your heritage — your nobility and families — mean nothing to me. It means nothing to my superiors. If I say you fail and are kicked from the program, you fail. There will be no discussion or appeals. For most of your lives, you have skated through your mental training. If you hadn't, you would be joining the knights, not the scouts. But you're not good enough for them, now are you?"

At my declaration, more than one person flinched. I held back a smirk when I noticed that Prick was one of them. Well, I tried to, but his maroon face said I didn't entirely succeed. "So most of you decided to come to the scouts as your… backup plan. Except that you are coming here with the same misconception that most scout trainees have. A misconception that will get you kicked out of the program for being inadequate."

I took my time to try to look each of them in the eyes as I spoke, and although they were hesitant, they were meeting my gaze again. I could tell their doubt in my authority and right to teach them had somewhat lessened, but it wasn't gone entirely. "Usually, I wouldn't tell you, but now isn't the time to watch you all flounder until the few capable and dedicated ones rise to the surface. As it turns out, you are all lucky."

The smile I gave them at my words was not kind. It had too many teeth to be taken as anything near that sentiment. "As you have undoubtedly heard rumors of, a beastkin hoard is nearby. It is why we moved the fish camp here, and it is why I ended up instructing this class." I could see them shifting in excitement as they looked at each other from the corners of their eyes. Everyone knew fighting a hoard was a great chance to gain recognition and promotions.

But if I was going to have any chance to whip them into shape in time to matter, they had to understand what we were dealing with. What I feared was coming. "What you have not heard is that more than half of the scout century of the 15th is missing, most likely killed by the beastkin wanderers. The only reason I am here is that I stumbled into camp half-dead a couple days ago after escaping their ambush, and I'm still recovering. At this point, I am the only survivor of my squad, or any squad, that has seen the hoard of beastkin and returned. A hoard which is being shielded by beastkins who were able to shroud their minds and bodies from us."

I took a moment to breathe and let the information sink in, giving the perfect moment for everyone to hear a woman mutter, "Kawrashit!" Some of the trainees were so shocked by my words that they nodded in agreement or even twitched their heads to look at the woman and me in surprise.

Ignoring the interruption, I continued, "Right now, every other scout is out on patrol. And if half of them come back, I would be surprised. Even if they all come back, we already have plenty of spots that need filling sooner rather than later, as more patrols need to be sent out. So, you lot are practically guaranteed a spot in the legion as long as you can muster up the will to dedicate yourself to learning." The recruits did not look reassured by what I said, and they had reason not to be. In fact, their appearances looked paler and more washed out than I have ever seen a collective group take on, and I wasn't sure what part of those emotions were directed solely at the idea of simply joining the 15th.

"I am not wrong. I am not mistaken. This is not a joke. You will be scouts because the legion needs scouts. So I will tell you this now, to save time and applicants. This will be some of the hardest training of your life and will take more effort than you have probably ever used to achieve a single goal in your life. But if you can endure it, you will gain more skills and abilities than you could imagine."

I let the words and my resolve sink into everyone, and then a vindictive smile spread over my face, causing some to flinch in fear. "Now, let's begin."