Competent fighter. Not purely speed-oriented, nor fully strength-reliant, an agile-strength hybrid. Excels at following directions and serves as an effective mediator among peers. However, struggles with clear communication in high-pressure situations. Emotions are not concealed well enough for covert operations.
Henry read the sharp, clinical assessment printed beneath his 9/10 score. He folded the parchment and set it aside, adjusting the collar of his freshly washed, perfectly pressed red jersey. Today was graduation day.
At exactly noon, the recruits stood at attention on the barracks training pad, lined up in their usual numerical order, 1 through 14.
A freshly constructed wooden stage elevated the instructors, Sir Red, Sir Blue, and Ma'am White, above them. Standing at the forefront of the stage was the Head Recruiter.
Behind him, looming like statues on the back left of the platform, stood three fully armored knights bearing a distinct shield insignia on their polished chest plates.
"When all of you showed up that first day at the Sinclair Barony," the Recruiter projected, his voice booming across the courtyard, "I knew this class was special. Granted, most of you had a large amount of work to do and still do but the innate potential was there from the beginning. Or maybe," he added with a fleeting smirk, "I'm just that good at my job."
The smirk vanished, replaced by stoicism. "Jokes aside, you should all be proud of surviving. But special recognition belongs to the three honor soldiers who earned the highest performance ratings during the last 3 months. Recruits 1, 4, and 14. Step forward."
Henry, positioned at the far end of the formation nearest the stage stairs, waited for 1 and 4 to ascend first. He knew better than to break the exact numerical order they had been called in. The three of them lined up facing the instructors. Ma'am White stood opposite Recruit 1, Sir Red opposite Recruit 4, and Sir Blue opposite Henry.
In unison, the instructors stepped forward and draped heavy, three-inch gold-plated medals around their necks. Henry glanced down as the metal settled against his chest.
The words Hope Training were etched in a perfect circle around the border, with a large number 3 deeply engraved on the reverse side.
"About face," the Recruiter commanded.
Henry, Recruit 1, and Recruit 4 turned to face the courtyard, receiving a respectful ovation from the remaining eleven recruits.
"Return to formation."
Once they stepped down, the instructors called the remaining recruits up one by one to receive smaller, one-inch silver medals. However, the graduates' destination began to shift. Most were ordered to form a new line in front of the three unknown armored knights.
Only Henry, Recruits 1, 4, 7, 12, and 13 were directed back to their original starting positions.
Leaning slightly, Henry strained his enhanced hearing to eavesdrop on the other group.
"You have all been assigned to the Border Defense 2nd Brigade," one of the armored knights stated gruffly to the reassigned recruits. "Stationed on the Saltus-Mountain border."
'The Saltus border,' Henry thought.
The Saltus Kingdom was the only other known sovereign nation on the continent, populated entirely by long-lived elves. Henry had never actually seen an elf; the Sinclair Barony was situated far too far west within the Regium Kingdom for any elven travelers to pass through.
As the armored knights marched the bulk of the graduating class away, the instructors, including the Head Recruiter, stepped down from the stage and approached the remaining six recruits.
"You six are staying with us," the Recruiter said, his tone entirely conversational. "You happy about that?"
"Yes, Recruiter!" they barked in unison.
The Recruiter actually chuckled. "You don't need to lie to me anymore. You're completely done with basic training. Oh, and from now on, call me Black."
"Yes, Sir Black!" they replied.
Henry's mind raced, quickly doing the political math. 'Red, Blue, White... and now Black. If he has a color designation too, and he clearly outranks the others, he was never just a simple recruiter.'
Black turned his gaze to Ana and 13. "Although you two have shown the raw potential to stay with us, you aren't quite ready for what comes next.
Return to your rooms in the barracks and await further instruction. Blue, stay with them."
Once Sir Blue escorted 12 and 13 away, leaving only Henry, 1, 4, and 7, Black's demeanor instantly shifted from relaxed back to dead-serious.
"On paper, we are officially known as Border Defense, 1st Brigade, 12th Battalion, 12th Company, 1st Platoon, Squad 1," Black recited with no stutter or breaks. "Make absolutely sure you memorize that. That is the only answer you will give to anyone who asks."
He stepped closer, dropping his voice. "Who we really are are the Colored Unknowns.
We specialize in secret investigations deep into the Mana Beast Territories, and the uncharted lands that reside on the far side of the Willder Mountain Range. Everything regarding our operations is strictly classified. Your backgrounds have already been thoroughly vetted. Do not break our trust."
Black gave them a hard look. "I will answer your questions later today. Follow Red. He will show you to your new accommodations."
Without a word, Sir Red pivoted and took off.
The four of them scrambled to follow.
Henry quickly realized that Red was pushing the pace incredibly hard, moving at a speed that heavily taxed even their newly unlocked attributes. Glancing sideways as they passed through the Fort, Henry noticed Recruit 4 keeping pace as well. 'So, 4 made it to F-Rank during his trial, too,' Henry deduced.
The speed required so much concentration that Henry couldn't even map their route. By the time Red finally decelerated to a walk, they were standing deep inside a dilapidated, run-down district at the absolute edge of the military base.
Sir Red led them down a shadowy alley and pushed open the heavy wooden door of the most condemned-looking building on the block. But stepping inside was like crossing into another world.
The interior was a lavish, immaculately clean, and completely empty lobby.
Sir Red wasted no time with a tour. He marched them to a wide hallway branching off to the left of the lobby and began assigning the oak doors at the far end.
Henry's room was sandwiched right in the middle, with Recruit 1 on his left and Recruit 4 on his right. Recruit 7 was placed at the very end of the hall, next to 4.
"Go to your rooms," Sir Red instructed, turning back toward the lobby. "We will fetch you when it's time for the briefing. Wear your new gear."
Henry pushed his door open and stopped dead in his tracks.
The room was sprawling, decorated with a level of lavish comfort that easily rivaled his father's master chambers back in the Sinclair Barony.
Lying neatly on the center of a massive bed was a set of equipment: an ultra-lightweight, perfectly polished metal chest plate bearing the exact same shield insignia as the knights from the graduation stage.
'What exactly are we going to be investigating that requires them to accommodate us like nobles?' Henry thought, running a hand over the cool metal of the armor.
He spent the next few hours turning the possibilities over in his head, strapping on the lightweight armor and wondering if they had just been drafted as some kind of king-sponsored, black-ops treasure hunters.
His thoughts were finally interrupted by a knock on his oak door.
"It's time," Sir Red's voice echoed from the hallway.