“You ready kid? It’s time we teach you the remaining sword strikes and let you practice them.” Volgan asked the next morning, noticing that I seemed a bit tired.

“I’m fine, sir. Just couldn’t quite get to sleep last night.” I reassured him, and he nodded.

“Right. First stance, your attack is a diagonal slash from your right shoulder down to your left hip. This smoothly moves into one that I had you attempt yesterday, from your left hip move your blade horizontally, disemboweling your enemy. You can also reverse this horizontal slash as needed. That same diagonal slash when lowered does a wonderful job of maiming your enemy, especially considering the lack of full body armor on some. A downward to the right slash isn’t much use against an opponent in front of you, as your own shield is in the way. However, if you see an opening against the enemy to your right, take it. Shieldbrothers fight as one. I haven’t gone much into our tactics yet, as you need a strong foundation before we can. I’ll give you a bit here though.”

He paused to take a deep breath, slowly letting it out. “It’s not glamorous, being a soldier. It is a vicious, brutal life and our tactics mirror that. Our job is to kill. Be it thralls, younglings, or even the master vampires sometimes sent against us. In order to do that, we must be effective. If you see an opponent that doesn’t have armor on his legs, you target his legs. If his shield is cracked, you target that weak point and exploit it ruthlessly, for he will no doubt do the same to you. With these final attacks, you are now going to be looking at the best way to kill this person, so that you can move on to the next person and kill them too. And you will keep killing, until your enemy either retreats or is slaughtered to the last. You haven’t joined up, so I can ask you, and will ask everyone on that very first day. Are you prepared to kill? To bathe in rivers of blood, staining your hands in order to protect the civilians behind you? Are you prepared to weather the disdained looks from pompous fools who have no idea what the beast of war is like? Can you live your life with nightmares of bloody battles, watching friends die again and again, though your memories insist they survived that battle? If not, there is no shame in finding another calling. But if you are, then step forward Legionnaire.”

I wanted to immediately step forward, but that wouldn’t do such a huge decision justice. Doubly so since I was going to theoretically live a very long time. Even now I had regrets that plagued me on occasion. Missed opportunities, lost friendships. Could I accept losing yet another family? Volgan often referred to them as shieldbrothers, and I had no doubt that the bonds forged did indeed make everyone family. Then I thought of Molly. I was going to do something to protect her, and this was my opening. Steeling my nerves, I stepped forward.

“Good. Very good.” He said, though it seemed tinged with a bit of sadness. “There are two more attacks that you need to be concerned with, and they involve your shield. One you did yesterday. Raising your shield on an angle, you are covered from overhead blows and can take out your opponent. Most thrusts to the stomach will work, though if you can angle them upward you will end your opponent faster. The other is to tilt your shield forward from the top, and either stab or slash overtop it. Your objective is to prevent your enemy from raising his shield, allowing you to strike his head while still being defended from below. Now, any questions before we move through the motions?”

I shook my head no, and we started moving forward. We started slowly, making sure my form was good and that I wasn’t overextending. Improper form could cause my sword to lodge in an enemy, and that was a death sentence on the battlefield. Even if the entirety of the gladius was sharpened, Volgan wanted me to practice using only the portion between the blade flare and the tip for most attacks. As I got more familiar with the strikes, he started calling them out and increasing the speed. “No healing magic today Brandon! I need you exhausted! So put some oomph into those swings damnit! I can barely see the pells moving! You think an enemy is going to be giving you love taps like that on the battlefield? Gut the bastard, step forward and slash to your right! Turtle under! That’s it!”

He had me practice nonstop for three hours, and by the end my arm was incredibly sore. Thankfully he was a master at reading his trainees. “Stop! Ok, so here we are in the middle of battle, and your front line is tired. They’ve been hacking enemies to death for three hours, and likely feel like their arms are about to fall off. What do you do?”

“Me?” I asked, confused.

“Yeah you! There’s been an unfortunate accident, and your commanding officer has been killed by a stray arrow. What do you do?”

“Um, is there some way to rotate people in and out of battle? We would have to do it safely, and only one or two at a time so the line doesn’t collapse. Each shift is going to be a weak spot in the wall, even for just a fraction of a second, but that’s sometimes enough.” I trailed off at the end, not noticing the smile on Volgan’s face.

“Excellent work. There is indeed a process for that. When you get tired, call out ‘ROLLOUT LEFT!’ and hold your blade high. You step fully behind your shield, and wait for the tap. Your replacement will tap your shoulder, and this is where it gets tricky. You drop down and angle your shield out and to the left. Your replacement slips his shield overtop yours, while you half turn your body and slip back, while he moves forward to replace you. Do it right, and there is next to no chance for the enemy to retaliate. Should someone try and get under your replacement’s shield, they simply have to bash it forward with that steel lined edge. Ready for some practice?”

“I suppose so.” I said with an exhausted voice, resuming my position. “ROLLOUT LEFT!” We slowly went through the motions, and though it was complex, it wasn’t too bad. I particularly liked that the tired soldier got to take the lower route, as holding up armor just wouldn’t have worked well in such a maneuver. Of course, we didn’t get it right on that first try, as I got my legs caught up with Volgan’s.

“And that is why this is one of the most practiced maneuvers in the legion.” He chuckled, standing back up. “We are going to practice this until you can do it ten times in a row with no mistakes, or until Devon arrives. Should you not manage ten, this is what we will start with tomorrow. You’ll be on my end until you get tired, and then we will switch sides. Deal?”

I glared at him for a bit, getting fed up with his cocky smile. “Deal. Though I should warn you, us farmers can be rather hard headed when it comes to challenges. I’ll make your ten times in a row, and gladly start tomorrow off as if we hadn’t.”

“Oh, what’s this? Do my eyes deceive me, or did someone finally light a fire in my trainee?” He laughed, taking his stance. “Well? Don’t wait on my invitation!”

“ROLLOUT LEFT!” I cried, and dove back into training. Bit by bit I started making improvements, only to be frustrated by a slip of an ankle, or I didn’t turn my shield enough. I had worked my way up to my best streak of eight when a fireball roiled over our heads and immolated the pell we were facing off against. I completed the maneuver, and we paused to see a smug looking Devon standing there with another fireball calmly bouncing above his palm.

“I have been trying to get your attention for an hour, but you seemed engrossed in your training so I thought I would help. Volgan failed to mention there is another way to substitute the line, but you need to be working with the mage corps. You call in a bombardment, danger close. We land a line of fireballs on top of the second row of the enemy, using the first row to shield you from the blast. While the enemy is recovering, the entire line shifts out. Well done.”

“Hrmph.” Volgan grunted, heading over to where Devon was standing. “We were saving that for training with the actual mage corps, but thanks for the demonstration. Shall I tell the Duke that the cost of a replacement pell is coming from your allowance?”

“Ha! Well played, and yes, feel free. Now, are you ready for some more training Brandon? This time of the magical one. Though I do wish you had some talent with water magics, as you could definitely use a cleanse spell right about now.”

“Sure. I was wondering if we could do something slightly different for mana manipulation training if that’s ok? I learned a new spell that I think with the right modifications could really help out.”

“Sure. Any lessons he needs to work on Volgan?”

“Nah. He best be ready for tomorrow though, we are going to work you to the bone.”

“Lookin’ forward to it.” I said with a manic grin, joining in Volgan when he chuckled.

“Right, well let’s go ahead and get down to it. Why don’t you step forward and show me this spell of yours?”

“Sure. Oh, before I do. I’ve noticed that you and I tend not to say the name of the spell, neither does my teacher. Yet they always do in the stories. Why is that?”

Devon chuckled, and indicated I take a seat. “There’s a simple reason. It isn’t needed. Rituals have their chants, but most spells are simply the mage’s will made manifest. The reason that many do it is because of the mage corps attached to the legion. The unit leader will call out what spell he wants and where he wants it, depending on his cohort’s makeup. This keeps everyone on the same page, and prevents accidents.”

“Oh. That makes sense, I guess.” I said, slightly disappointed it was so simple.

“Ha! Don’t look so down kid. There’s still plenty of things about magic that will blow your mind. Now, why don’t you show me this spell of yours and let me see what you can do.”

“Alright.” I said, standing and walking over by the pells. I stopped about five feet away, far enough that a gladius wouldn’t reach without a lot of effort, but close enough that I wouldn’t be overspending a bunch of mana to extend my spell. I went to go and make slight slits in my wrist to gain access to my blood, but found something odd. Just above the wrist on the inside was a hard case.

“Huh, that’s new.” I muttered, rubbing it. I barely grazed the bottom when a small, hollow spike erupted from my skin and I could feel access to my blood open up. I did it to both wrists. And sent out small streams of blood. I stopped them at about six feet long, and made three of them for each wrist. These I braided together, fusing the whip end into a point and bending the handle back on itself to give myself a better grip. With a combination of physical movement and magical manipulation, I started slashing at the exposed pell, coming in at differing angles. Each strike lost a bit of blood that was easily replaced, but it also eventually started taking splinters off the pell. After a few minutes, I stopped the physical movements and kept going with magic only. When I felt my magic pool near the halfway point, I recalled my blood and watched as it flowed back into the needles, and then watched the needles slip back into my skin without leaving a mark.

“What? What the hell is that?!” I turned to see a horrified Devon staring at me.

“What do you mean? It’s a spell called blood whips. All I am using it for is mana manipulation. It’s incredibly hard to control the entire whip with just mana.”

“I know what it is, where the bloody hell did you learn it?” He practically screamed, and I noticed his hands had ignited in flames.

“My night teacher. He said it was a vampire spell, but that nothing was really stopping sanguimancers from using the level one version.” I hastily explained. Devon shook for a moment, then slowly sighed as he got control of his anger.

“Come, sit down. We appear to have missed some basic things, and that is my fault.” I sat down with him, and for a few moments he just sat there with a defeated look, staring upward. Finally, he spoke, “I don’t know who your night teacher is, but I think you should be wary of them. Yes, blood whips at level one can be used by sanguimancers, but most avoid them. They are not a weapon Solaris condones, as they are used to prolong pain. Suffering and pain are parts of this world, but we aren’t supposed to prolong them. That’s why we use almost exclusively blades. Yes, they can be twisted to prolong pain as well, but in general they end it. Do you understand?”

“But?” I asked, confused. “He is under a geas? He can’t lie?”

“I know.” He said. “Mom filled me in, and I failed you. I should have warned you sooner. He will teach you, and follow the orders of the geas to the letter, but will do his damndest to get you to stray from the path. He loathes humanity, refers to us as cattle. And if he can get you to stray from the path, he might be able to get you to break the geas and free him.”

I felt like I had been sucker punched in the gut. “I thought.” I started, only to stop. I had only met him a few times, but it seemed like we were fast friends. But looking on things with another light, I could see how Devon could be right. There were several times where he started to say something referring to people that started with a c, but he stopped himself. He referred to the desk clerk with disdain, then blatantly bought him off with some coinage so that he would leave and forget about the blood. My stomach clenched as I realized what I had done, stealing blood from the unsuspecting. That wasn’t what people in the service of Solaris do. “By Solaris, I’m an idiot.”

“It’s not your fault. That creature has been twisting minds and corrupting souls for centuries, and has an incredible amount of practice. How many humans could stand against that? Especially ones who have only recently reached their majority? Unless you were raised in the political arena, you wouldn’t have known.”

I spent the rest of the afternoon in a funk, trying to fight off the despair. If it hadn’t been for Devon and my foolish wish to show off a new skill, just how far down the dark path would I have inadvertently walked? Could I have been so lost that I could never find my way back? Or more importantly, how long would that brand of mine let me live before consuming me in flames?

“Hey.” Devon’s hand clamped down on my shoulder. “Do you want someone with you when you train with him?”

I thought about it. Really thought about it, and almost said yes several times. In the end, I simply patted his hand. “I appreciate it, but this is a path I’ll have to manage on my own. Now that I am aware of the dangers, I’ll eventually have to start watching for them myself. After all, you won’t always be there to advise me, will you?” I chuckled a bit. “Though I might run the next few sets of spells past you if you don’t mind.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” Devon agreed. “Why don’t we call it a day? You can get a bath and some rest, and face Alphonse when you are at your best.” I agreed, and spent the rest of the afternoon getting myself ready for battle.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Hey there Brandon. How’s it going tonight?” the clerk asked.

“Not the greatest. Marcus, I let myself get led astray last night and did you wrong. I consumed your blood, what was left over after the test Alphonse put us through. I’m telling you because, while I don’t know how to make it right, I most definitely don’t want it to happen again in the future. Guard your blood, and for the love of Solaris don’t trust the night master. Everything he does is for himself, understand?”

“I. Yeah, but where did all this come from?” He asked.

“I made a huge mistake today, and luckily had someone there to set me straight before I went too far down a very bad path. If you aren’t careful, the same could happen to you.” I said, then walked away. My hands were shaking, but I had to do this. Who wouldn’t be nervous about confronting a vampire that was over fifty times, likely even a hundred times your age?

“Ah Brandon, welcome back. Is something wrong? You seem a bit pale, palms are sweaty, and your heart rate is elevated.”

“Sit down Alfonse. We have some important things to discuss.” He elegantly raised an eyebrow, before silently complying.

Once he sat down and crossed his hands on the table in front of himself, he asked, “And what, pray tell, do we need to discuss?”

“First, I need to know the exact wording of the geas that binds you.”

He immediately recoiled, hissing as he fought the chains digging into his heart. As they slowly pierced him, they started glowing red. The pain must have been unbearable, and after about a minute he finally capitulated. “ALRIGHT! I’LL TELL YOU!” He cried in agony, gasping as he tried to catch his breath. Just as the chains started moving again, he started speaking, “I. Am Bound. To the service of the city and the kingdom. I am forbidden from harming any human save in defense of myself or others, or under direct orders of the king or his blood relatives. At the appearance of the next sanguimancer, I am to be their trainer. Answering all questions honestly, and obeying their orders. Through good deeds, I may earn my freedom.”

“I see what happened then. Like all things, there is wiggle room. I’ll have to fix what I can then.” I said with a sigh, hoping I did this right. I had consulted the Duke and his wife to get an idea of the proper wording. “Alfonse. By the geas that binds you, I hereby add the following orders. First, you shall immediately and forevermore cease activities designed to lure me into walking a dark path. Second, with any spell you teach me you will explain any portions that go against the teaching of Solaris and the path of the sanguimancer. Finally, you are to do everything in your power to aid me in the proper growth of a sanguimancer, so that I might be ready to face the trials the world will place upon me. Do you understand and acknowledge these orders? And explain what you did last night that would have put me upon a dark path.”

He fought. Oh, he fought but the chains upon his heart started heating again, and he was forced into compliance. “YEEEESSSSS!!!! I UNDERSTAND YOUR ORDERS AND OBEY! Hah, hah, hah,” He paused for some more panting, not taking as long to recover this time, “You little bastard. What did you do? How did you learn that the blood whips were meant as torture and thus against Solaris? I coaxed you into taking blood not freely offered for that in the hopes of darkening your soul, bit by bit, until Sanguinis could claim it! You would have been a Sanguine Emperor! Never before has one so young had purple magic! Instead of centuries, you might have only needed decades! Then you could have broken this geas on me, and we could have feasted upon these cattle!” He snarled, spittle flying as he leaned over the table.

“I see. It seems I was naïve, and underestimated you. I’ll have to thank Devon for setting me straight so early. Tomorrow I shall return for practice, and for your sake I hope you have prepared a challenging course to teach me.” With that, I turned and strode out of the library, ignoring the howls of anger and pain coming from the vampire.