Luvi arrived to the recruitment booth in the early evening when things had quieted down a little. There was only a slow trickle of people in line, which was convenient because Luvi didn’t feel like wasting her time waiting. She’d come dressed in her armor with her two swords by her side. She wasn’t expecting to fight, but if one was applying for a position she thought it appropriate to dress the part.
“Next,” called the recruiter who had a very tired look on his face. He’d been at this for going on ten hours now. He liked his job but he hated how long his days could get on busy days. His expression lifted a little when he spotted Luvi’s mutations. Though she wore armor, her mutations weren’t hard to miss. Her skin, hair, and arms were all exposed to varying degrees.
“Hello,” Luvi said as she stepped up. She had a vague idea of what was going to happen as she’d gone through a recruiter in the past. She wanted to do things a bit differently this time, however.
“A mage, don’t get one of those applying every day,” the recruiter said as he looked her over once more.
“I suppose not,” Luvi said with a smirk, “I’m a foreigner to these lands and am in need of work. I would like to sign up to serve to the best of my ability.”
“You’re in luck,” the recruiter said with a grin, “we’re always hiring. We can get you started in the magic corps…”
Luvi shook her head and cut him off, “no, I want to be in the infantry.”
The recruiter’s face scrunched a little and he sported a frown, “why? If I could ask.”
“My magic is apt for being on the front lines. I want to be where the action is, always,” she explained, not wanting to go into detail about exactly why.
The recruiter looked at her for a long moment but ultimately shrugged, “I’m sure they’ll be happy to have you. Infantry it is. Just fill out this paperwork and we can set your start date.”
“Alright then,” Luvi said. She hummed to herself as she read through the contract and thought it looked fair enough. The pay wasn’t great either, but she couldn’t expect much from such a low position on the totem pole. She signed it and asked, “I can start immediately.”
“Great!” the recruiter enthused, “then you can stick around till I’m done here then follow me to the barracks. I’ll introduce you to some privates that can help show you the ropes until we can get you properly trained and assigned.”
The evening passed in a blur. Luvi was introduced to so many people and assigned a temporary bunk. There were a lot of rules, a certain way of addressing people, etc. Coupled with being in an entirely new culture and the poor woman’s struggled trying to keep up.
The next morning, Luvi was already awake before the sun had risen, feeling restless in her new surroundings. She decided to take a walk around the base to familiarize herself with the layout and get a feel for her new, albeit temporary, home. As she strolled along, she came across a group of soldiers gathered around a superior officer, who was loudly issuing orders and delegate tasks.
"You there," the officer barked, spotting Luvi. "Yes, you with the weird hair. You look strong. You can start by cleaning out the supply closet. It's a filthy mess in there."
Luvi bristled at the officer's dismissive tone, but she held her tongue. She was new here, and she didn't want to make enemies on her first day. Besides, she reminded herself, even lowly recruits had to start somewhere.
"Yes, sir," she replied crisply, snapping to attention.
The officer grunted in approval and handed her a key. "It's the third door on the left. Don't come back until it's spotless."
Luvi made her way to the supply closet, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. The smell of mold and dust assaulted her nostrils, and she coughed as she surveyed the disorganized chaos before her. Boxes were strewn haphazardly on the shelves, and piles of supplies lay forgotten in the corners.
She sighed and got to work, sorting through the mess and organizing everything into neat piles. Hours passed, and her back began to ache, but she pushed through the pain, determined to prove herself to her new comrades.
Finally, she emerged from the supply closet, sweaty and covered in dirt, but satisfied with her work. She locked the door behind her and turned to find the officer standing nearby, watching her with a critical eye.
"Well?" he demanded. "Is it clean?"
"Yes, sir," Luvi replied, standing tall. "I straightened everything up and even found some supplies that were missing."
The officer grunted and nodded, seemingly impressed. "Good work, recruit. I didn't think you had it in you."
Luvi felt a surge of pride at the compliment, but she kept her expression neutral. "Thank you, sir. I aim to please."
"Keep up the good work, and maybe you'll make something of yourself here," the officer said, clapping her on the shoulder. "Now get some rest. You've earned it."
Luvi saluted smartly and headed back to her bunk, feeling more hopeful than she had since arriving at the base. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad after all.
After a quick lunch break, Luvi reported to the training grounds for her first sparring session. She was excited to finally put her skills to the test, but her enthusiasm quickly faded when she was paired up with a fellow recruit for hand to hand combat practice.
Luvi had never been particularly skilled at fisticuffs, preferring to rely on her sword instead. But now, faced with an opponent who was just as strong and agile as she was without magic, she realized she was woefully unprepared.
Their sparring match started off poorly, with Luvi tripping over her own feet and struggling to land even a single punch. Her opponent, a much tall and more muscular recruit named Kaden, took advantage of her weakness and quickly gained the upper hand.
"Come on, Luvi! You can do better than that!" Kaden shouted, easily dodging her wild swings. Luvi put all her force into her punches, but found that she was throwing herself off balance in her desperation to hit him.
Luvi gritted her teeth and tried to focus, but her frustration only seemed to grow as the match went on. She knew she was better than this, but she couldn't seem to translate her thoughts into action. Suddenly, Kaden lunged at her, catching her off guard and sending her crashing to the ground. She groaned as she struggled to push herself back up, but before she could, she felt a sharp pain in her side.
"You're not focusing," Kaden said, studying Luvi carefully. "Your punches are weak and sloppy. You need to plant your feet firmly on the ground and rotate your hips when you throw a punch. Here, let me show you."
Luvi watched as Kaden positioned himself in a fighting stance, his feet shoulder-width apart and his fists raised. He threw a few experimental punches, each one landing with a loud thwack.
"See how I'm using my entire body to generate power?" he asked, turning to face her. "Try it again, but this time, focus on your form. And don’t look so tense… relax a little. If you keep gritting your teeth like that you’ll get some knocked out."
Luvi nodded, taking a deep breath. She positioned herself in front of Kaden and threw another punch, trying to remember everything he had shown her. This time, she felt a surge of power flowing through her body as she connected with Kaden's hand.
"Much better!" Kaden exclaimed, grinning. "Again!"
Luvi continued to practice, throwing punch after punch as Kaden corrected her form and offered encouragement. Slowly but surely, she began to improve, her punches growing stronger and more accurate with each try.
"You've got potential," Kaden said, nodding in approval. "With a little more practice, you'll be able to hold your own in any fight."
“Hopefully I’ll have my swords,” Luvi said with a smirk, “you wouldn’t have stood a chance if I’d used magic either.”
“Probably not,” he admitted with a grin.
It wasn’t long before they were made to fight again. This round didn’t go much better than the last, though Luvi did manage to land a hit on Kaden’s chiseled abs. It was a bittersweet victory because he’d allowed it to happen so he could grab her hand and deliver a right hook to her cheek. The blow sent Luvi reeling backwards and into one of the other privates. She’d taken the advice to not clench her teeth and could definitely see how someone could loose a tooth by tightening their jaw.
“Alright, that’s enough,” shouted the man in charge, “time to clean the latrines! Pair up and get moving!”
