"RECRUITS! TODAY, YOU RIDE! THE KEY IS COMMUNICATION. CHOOSE YOUR MOUNT!" He gestured to the right side, where a long line of enormous red warhorses clad in golden-plated barding stood. Their sheer presence radiated vigorous intimidation, but they kept their calm.
With the order given, they went to a warhorse each.
Baines moved toward the left, where a warhorse stared him down but didn't move.
"Eye, what do you think?" Baines asked, standing just a few centimeters away from the horse.
[HER EMOTIONS TOWARD YOU ARE FAVORABLE]
"Her?" He raised a brow, then chuckled faintly as he stroked her head. "You don't mind me being your rider, right?" He projected his will, not just through thought, but emotion.
The warhorse grunted softly, nudging his palm.
"Good."
He mounted her in one smooth motion. Reins in hand, he signaled gently, and she moved. Fluidly. Obediently. He guided her through several maneuvers, like they'd been training for years
Some recruits cast envious glances his way. He only had to stroke its hair, and he was able to ride it while some were even getting chased and bitten by their horses.
Just as the others noticed it, the instructor likewise noticed him.
"He must be the young sword master, Jin," the instructor muttered. He watched and nodded in satisfaction. "He's good."
The training to mount their horse continued into the night while Baines was allowed to leave after as he had passed the riding course.
Baines went over to the general cafeteria.
After exhausting the stock of food he brought from his house, he had no choice but to survive on the grain Martos had provided for him. It had been a while since he ate a good meal.
The cafeteria was plain and simple, like an old-fashioned restaurant with wooden benches and tables that were enough to hold about eight per table.
Baines got his food and sat at an empty table, but his silence was interrupted almost immediately.
"Hey!" A cheerful voice called out.
Baines raised his head upon hearing a familiar voice. It was the talkative man from the recruitment line.
He continued, "I didn't see you in the Sunblade Legion!"
Not responding, Baines shifted his attention and continued eating.
"Why are you always so cold?" the boy sighed and took the seat across from him, also eating his own food. Seeing that Baines wasn't going to respond, he chose to remain silent.
When dinner ended, Baines silently returned to his quarters under the weird gaze of many in the cafeteria.
The truth was, some of these recruits wanted to jump him and teach him to act his place, but unfortunately for them, Baines was a sword master.
How would they handle the consequences of angering someone as strong as their instructors?
That night, after entering his quarters, Baines took a quick shower and attended to his plants. He delicately cut the weed away from the plants, plucked out those already matured, and watered those still growing.
He hadn't forgotten his roots.
If there was one thing he didn't forget during his training course? It was his plants. Each day, he experimented on them. Combining new flora and testing their effects.
Now, after six years in isolation, he could identify a plant and its effect just by scent. And until recently, an idea had begun to bloom in his mind.
Once he was satisfied, he stored them in his pocket and went to sleep.
The next morning, they rose early, and the training resumed.
Due to the constant need for active members in the army to battle against the outliers, the training schedule for the recruits was flexible. As soon as a recruit mastered a stage, they went to the next stage.
It was a move not only to draw in skilled personnel faster, but also a method to differentiate talents and areas they excelled.
That was why, after passing the riding stage, Baines went over to the next stage.
The techniques of the Pyre Vanguard legion.
He and a few others who managed to pass the riding stage stood on a training field with their warhorses beside them.
But the focus wasn't on the warhorse this time. It was on the two-meter-long silver lance each one of them held.
"I'm sure you have all read through the techniques you were given on your first day." Another commanding officer standing before them spoke, also holding a lance.
"As you know, because we are all fighting on the warhorse, the vanguard legion does not need to learn movement techniques. But in the instance you leave your horse," She lifted her hand while speaking, and an aura gathered around her hand before turning red.
She struck the air in one fluid movement, and a bang echoed in the training field.
"Searing Grip. It is a grappling technique that burns through flesh and metal upon contact, and as I said earlier, it is designed for close-range brawlers."
She didn't waste time explaining the technique and moved over to her warhorse. After mounting it, she revealed a grin,
"Now, this is the main technique of the vanguard. Infernal charge." As she uttered the words, she and her warhorse suddenly erupted in a flaming aura.
It was so sudden and explosive that the recruits jerked in shock at the explosion of energy.
Baines also watched the technique unfold in marvel. This was the reason he thought the techniques weren't bad at all.
'Infernal Charge. The warhorses and riders are covered in a flaming aura, becoming an unstoppable force. If this is just one person, then what happens when several soldiers unleash it?'
No defensive formation was enough to stop it.
After a few seconds, the exploded force calmed, and the commanding officer dismounted her mount. Surprisingly or not, her armor didn't melt, nor did she seem exhausted.
"These beasts have been passed down by previous riders, so they can handle the technique. Enough talk. Now begin."
After understanding the theoretical aspect of the technique and now seeing it firsthand, Baines had seen all he needed to see.
Once he got on his mount, and after a bit of 'mistakes', to avoid suspicions of any kind, he and his warhorse were set ablaze.
It was a move that caught the attention of everyone present in the training field, including the commanding officer.
'What? He got it on day one?' The commanding officer was perplexed. And it wasn't just that he got it; his blade was well-balanced, just like someone skilled in the technique after months of practice.
Once again, Baines stood out among the remaining recruits.