Soul of the Warrior

Chapter 111: Demonstration of Authority

Reivyn marched in front of the platoon of volunteers who were formed up. Each of the Lieutenants was instructed to take charge of their platoons in their various locations. They weren't all together, so as to give a more intimate meeting between their platoon commander with the troops, but they were still nearby. Each of the platoons was formed up in their own little space, separate from forming the entire battalion.

Reivyn surveilled the fifty-man platoon. There were only a few members that were around his age. This wasn't the same situation as the conscription in Magron where the Tier 1 teenagers were forced into a Peasant Levy Class. Each of the troops was people that volunteered on their own, and they kept their Classes. It wouldn't be too much of a problem, as that didn't preclude them from using the appropriate weapons and gear.

For the most part, all of the volunteers already had the corresponding Medium Armor Skill, and a lot of them also already had the Spears Skill, as it was an extremely common weapon. The saying goes, "easy to learn, hard to master," Reivyn mused. It's a common weapon that's easy to pick up, but that doesn't mean there aren't nuances to wielding it in an expert manner.

The Auxiliary Unit wasn't equipped with veteran soldiers, so there had been no time to accumulate time or merits to promote enlisted leaders from within the ranks. They were still formed up according to their height, and it would be Reivyn's job to evaluate the men and promote from within.

Reivyn stood in front of the formation for a moment, checking everyone out. Like he was inspecting the troops, they were checking him out through the corner of their eyes, as well. He could already pick up on a sense of discontentment from them. They had expected an older, more experienced person to be selected to lead them, and they got a young teenager instead.

"My name is Lieutenant Reivyn," Reivyn lifted his voice, infusing it with Commanding Shout. "You will address me as Lieutenant, or Sir.

"We have all volunteered to participate in the rescue operation of the citizens of Kirlon, and we've all undergone training for the past month and a half. I have high expectations for you, and, I assume, you do for me as well. I can already sense that some of you are skeptical of my abilities, judging me purely on my younger face.

"Unlike the vast majority of you, though, I have already served in a leadership position in a military unit. I have fought against semi-organized monsters, beast tides, and hordes of undead in a military formation, and I have briefly commanded the defense of a city siege.

"I have been tested, mentally and psychologically, by the officer instructors here in Oreck. I can assure you, I know what I'm doing. I won't lead you into a death trap, and I won't give orders that make no sense. I will always communicate the intent of what we're trying to accomplish, and I will use your combat abilities to complete the mission while bringing as many people as possible home alive.

"I have seen the tracks of the enemy army. There will be fighting, and some people will die. I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say it's going to be rainbows and flowers. If you follow my orders, and you trust in your training, you will succeed, and you will survive.

"We have a week together to get used to each other, and I expect this platoon to be a well-oiled machine by that time.

"I have reviewed everyone's personnel file, so I'm familiar, on paper, with each of you already. That isn't good enough, though, so in a moment, I'm going to call each of you forward, individually, and everyone's going to display what combat ability they're most competent with as well as their abilities with a spear, javelin, and sword and shield."

Reivyn looked up at the sun bearing down on everyone, and he looked over to the wall where there was some shade.

"Actually, before that..

"Right, Face! Forward, March!"

Reivyn turned the formation, who obeyed his commands instantly despite the sense of resistance he got from some of them. It didn't interfere with his orders, though. He marched the men over to the shade, and he commanded them to halt where it was slightly more comfortable.

"I don't see any reason to stand in the sun when there's perfectly good shade available to us," Reivyn said.

The other platoons were also meeting with their new Platoon Commanders, but they all remained in the place where they had initially formed up. The other new officers were a bit hesitant about doing things out of the norm, but they were very specifically not formed up as an entire battalion. Reivyn was in charge, and he could do what he wanted. Positioning his troops in a better location was perfectly reasonable, and he didn't even think twice about moving them.

"At Ease!" Reivyn commanded. He didn't give the order to Rest, which would have enabled the soldiers to converse quietly with each other while maintaining their formation. At Ease would allow them to relax a bit, though, and he wasn't too concerned if some of them did actually talk. They weren't professional soldiers, and he was far more concerned with their fighting abilities than their ability to look good and maintain proper military decorum.

"Private Jerzen, Front and Center!" Reivyn ordered the first man in the first platoon to make his way. The man stepped forward, and he had the beginnings of a smirk on his face as he marched in front of Reivyn. The smirk faltered, though, as he got closer and got an actual good look at Reivyn, who was half a head taller and considerably more broad-shouldered than Jerzen was, and Jerzen was one of the larger volunteers in the platoon.

"Attack me with your spear," Reivyn ordered, standing with arms at his side. The man frowned for a second as he hesitated. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take up a stance with your spear, and attack me with it," Reivyn insisted.

Jerzen shrugged as he assumed a fighting position and thrust the spear at Reivyn. Reivyn rolled his eyes as he easily avoided the thrust by just twisting his body.

"What was that?! Do you expect to defeat our enemies with such a lackluster display? ATTACK ME!"

Jerzen crouched down and delivered a more serious thrust. Reivyn gauged the force of the strike, and he parried it with his open hand, directing it to the side. Jerzen was anticipating this, and he brought the spear back around for a swipe, which Reivyn simply took a step back to avoid, and then he once more parried a thrust with his bare hand.

"Very good, Private Jerzen," Reivyn indicated for him to stop. "I believe I've got a basic understanding of your Skill with a spear. Now use your sword and shield."

Reivyn unsheathed his own sword and stood in a relaxed manner as the other man holstered his spear in place on his back and pulled out his sword and shield. Jerzen assumed a guard position as he inspected Reivyn before launching forward with an upper swing. Reivyn parried the attack, and the two men exchanged a quick bout of blows, Reivyn never moving a single step from his position as Jerzen danced around to try and find an opening.

"Excellent," Reivyn called a halt to the duel. "I'll get a gauge of your ability with a javelin later. What weapon are you most familiar with?"

"Sword and shield," Jerzen answered. Reivyn looked at the older man through his brows, crossing his arms in front of himself.

"Sword and shield... what?"

Jerzen frowned as he thought about the question for a second.

"Sword and shield, Sir," Reivyn nodded his head in approval.

"Very good, I can tell that you're pretty competent with them," Reivyn sheathed his weapon. "That will be all, return to your position."

Jerzen turned around and started to make his way directly back to his position in the front of the first squad.

"Stop!" Reivyn commanded. Jerzen halted and turned his head to see what his Lieutenant wanted from him. "March to the side, and circle around the back," Reivyn pointed to his right, toward the back of the formation. Jerzen turned and followed the orders to go around the formation.

"Private Jekle, Front and Center!" Reivyn called.

The man that had been standing at the front of the second squad sauntered forward, a clear smirk on his face this time. He had witnessed the exchange between Reivyn and Jerzen, and he believed he had gotten a good grasp of Reivyn's abilities. He walked in front of Reivyn, standing casually as he stopped in front of him.

"Hey, Sir, do you know what the difference between a Second Lieutenant and a Private First Class is?" Jekle asked.

Gonna be one of these guys, I see, Reivyn thought.

"Oh, no~o, what's the difference?" Reivyn asked back in an exaggerated manner.

"A Second Lieutenant hasn't been promoted, yet," Jekle's smirk remained on his face.

"Oh, yeah. Ha, Ha. That's very funny," Reivyn said, deadpan. "Do you want to know what the real difference is?" Jekle nodded his head and held out his palm for Reivyn to continue.

"ATTENTION!" Reivyn shouted, infusing his voice with Command and Commanding Shout.

Jekle's body locked into a perfect military position of attention, and so did all of the other troops in the platoon.

"You will stand at attention and lock your body when you address me!" Reivyn yelled, holding his hand, fingers, and thumb together in a perfectly flat, vertical position, right in front of the man's face. Reivyn stared at the man who now had sweat dripping down his face before turning to look at the rest of the platoon. He raised his voice above the conversational tone he had been using with the men he called forward in order to address the entire formation.

"That is the difference," Reivyn said. "I am not some new recruit that you can bully. I'm not some inexperienced newbie. I dare say I have more experience in these kinds of endeavors than any of you. I am your Commanding Officer, and you will treat me with the respect that position deserves." Reivyn pointed off to the side. "The door's over there. If you don't like it, pay the fine and get the hell out! We don't need you."

Reivyn turned back to Jekle. The man was still standing at attention, and he, too, now had sweat dripping down his face.

"What did you do to me?" Jekle asked, not relaxing his position of attention.

"I am your lawful commanding officer," Reivyn simply said. "I gave you a lawful command, and I have the Skill to invoke obedience. It's not mind control, or anything. It only works for lawful commands on people who are legally bound to obey the command, or on those who believe they are subordinate." Reivyn looked the man up and down. "You're both. Your ego is telling you to test me, but you believe, deep down, that I'm your commander.

"Now," Reivyn said, taking a step back, "assume a stance and attack me with your spear."

Jekle's body relaxed and he immediately launched into lightning-quick strikes. Reivyn judged the attacks and chose to avoid them all instead of parrying, twisting his body up, down, and all around. He lifted his foot to avoid low sweeps, and he moved back and forth, never letting his general position be altered by the strikes. Jekle finally came up short, panting for breath.

"Great!" Reivyn enthusiastically appraised. "That was excellent spear work. Now, sword and shield."

Reivyn unsheathed his sword once more and engaged Jekle. Jekle wasn't holding back, and Reivyn didn't either. He parried Jekle's sword and avoided the attempted shield bashes. Reivyn's sword came down, hard, on Jekle's shield after the failed attempt, and the man was sent stumbling back. Reivyn advanced, and his sword snaked and swung around in intricate patterns, dancing past Jekle's own defenses. Reivyn didn't strike the other man, but he simply slapped him with the flat of the blade whenever he made contact, which was almost every attack.

Reivyn stepped back from Jekle who was panting for breath, eyes wide after the exchange.

"What weapon are you most familiar with?" Reivyn once more sheathed his weapon, standing nonchalantly.

"I'm a Pugilist, Sir," Jekle said, standing straight and storing his weapons away. Reivyn internally smiled at the quick change in attitude.

"Show me," Reivyn assumed a hand-to-hand stance.

Jekle rushed forward, a large haymaker swinging toward Reivyn's head. Reivyn smirked as he recognized the feint. He stepped forward and brought his hands down to block the knee that was coming up to connect with his midsection, and then he flowed smoothly from the block to striking Jekle in the sternum with his elbow. He held his strength back, though, as he didn't want to injure anyone in the sparring sessions.

The two men exchanged rapid blows with each other, Reivyn displaying a clear superiority in combat Skill. They exchanged punches, kicks, elbows, knees, and throws, and Reivyn responded with the appropriate method and a devastating counter each time. Jekle was thoroughly convinced of Reivyn's prowess, and he gave a respectful bow after Reivyn disengaged. It wasn't strictly military protocol, but one Reivyn had seen others engaged in Pugilist sparring use.

"You know your way around combat," Reivyn nodded his head. "Fantastic. You'll be an excellent pillar for the platoon. Return to your position."

"Yes, Sir!" Jekle smartly saluted and marched around the formation in the direction that Reivyn had instructed Private Jerzen ahead of him.

The grumblings, joking, and overall sense of discontent Reivyn felt from the platoon had already vanished after two demonstrations. Reivyn mentally nodded his head as he called the next person forward to display their combat Skills. The next person in line was the same height as Reivyn, though Reivyn was still broader, and the remaining three people were slightly taller than he was.

Reivyn spent the next hour getting a grasp of everyone's abilities. He displayed a better grasp of the combat abilities of every single member of the fifty-man platoon, and he even displayed superior Skill with their own specialized weapons as well. All of the volunteer soldiers were thoroughly convinced of his fighting prowess, and they were all onboard with giving him the benefit of the doubt on his ability to command. They addressed him as "Sir" without having to be told, and they held themselves with proper discipline.

The best way to convince people of your authority is with a display of competency, Reivyn nodded his head. That was actually quicker than I thought it would be, to be honest. It might have helped that Jekle was one of the strongest soldiers in the platoon, and he was the second person to spar with me.

Reivyn had a lot of Stamina, so he wasn't winded or tired at all after the sparring sessions. There was still some time before lunch, so Reivyn marched the platoon over to the training area where the dummies were.

The platoon resumed their individual displays as Reivyn had each of them launch a couple of javelins at the targets. Each of the volunteers was able to put the javelin on target, though not everyone was able to strike the center dot. Reivyn nodded his head.

"Sir!" Reivyn looked up to see Jekle raising his hand. The men were At Ease, so it wasn't inappropriate for him to do so, though calling out to the commander was a little off. Reivyn let it slide as he indicated for the man to speak. Jekle looked around at the other volunteers who nodded back at him, and he stood at attention before opening his mouth again.

"You showed us your abilities with the other weapons. I think I speak for everyone when I say we want to see your Skill with a Javelin."

Reivyn looked at each of the soldiers, most of them men, but there were a few women in the formation as well, further down as they were still lined up according to height. He saw the eagerness on their faces.

"Alright," Reivyn agreed. "Toss me your spear."

Jekle threw his spear to Reivyn, and he snagged it out of the air. Reivyn looked over his shoulder at the target that still had a spear embedded in it. He concentrated, twisted his body, and utilized the combination of Weapons Master and Aim as he launched his spear from his current position, considerably further away from where he had had the soldiers take aim.

The spear sailed through the air and pierced into the target, shearing through the edge of the spear already there on the side closer to the center of the target. Reivyn turned back to the platoon, and he could see the level of respect tick up marginally once more.

"Alright, I'm going to dismiss everyone from the formation, and I want you to form up into random groups. Not your current squad," Reivyn instructed. "You'll all practice your spear work and other weapons for a while as a group, and I want you to show me what you got working in smaller groups before we move on to working as an entire platoon.

"Fall Out!"

The soldiers stood in place for a moment, looking around, not quite knowing what to do right away. Jekle once more raised his hand, and Reivyn nodded to the man.

"Sir, how are we supposed to group up?" he asked. Reivyn just shook his head.

"Figure it out amongst yourselves."

Jekle shared a look with several of the other troops. Not all of the current troops placed in the position of squad leader made to take charge and sort the troops into groups, but several did. Jekle called some of the more competent combatants over to him.

They formed a little circle and had a short discussion before they started divvying up the soldiers into groups. Jekle had his own group, but he also assisted with giving his thoughts on who should group up with whom, and there were several different smaller groups formed up quickly.

Reivyn nodded his head as he watched, keeping a mental tally of those displaying leadership abilities, and those that had others naturally follow their suggestions and instructions. Jekle was clearly the most respected by everyone in the platoon, and Reivyn mentally went over his personnel file once more.

He's the leader of a fairly prominent and active Adventuring Party, and they've all volunteered. The other members of his Party aren't in the same platoon as him, which I can understand on one level. The higher-ups don't want cliques forming in place of the camaraderie formed from being a member of the platoon, but on the flip side, they could have formed their own efficient Squad or Fire Team.

It's not strictly necessary to determine all the way down to the Fire Team Leaders, now. I can get the recommendations from those stepping up to act as leaders now for the lower-ranked positions.

Reivyn was happy to see several people step up and assume minor leadership roles. It was imperative that there be more than one person in the overall command. Reivyn was determined to decide on an XO, a Platoon Sergeant, and Squad Leaders that he could use to direct the rest of the platoon through. Jekle was clearly XO material. He didn't have the authority to commission another individual, but one didn't have to be officially promoted to assume the position.

Reivyn had the platoon work with their spears for a while before switching to swords and shields. When it was time to let the men go get lunch, he formed the platoon back up.

"Privates Jekle and Paul, Fall Out of the formation and come stand behind me," Reivyn ordered. "Private Turro, go to the front of the First Squad. You're the First Squad Squad Leader. Private Herrik, Second Squad. Private Rippo, Third Squad. Private Ingrid, Fourth Squad. Private Merrith, Fifth Squad."

Ingrid and Merrith were two of the females that had volunteered, but they didn't let their gender get in the way of stepping up to a leadership position over the men. While it was still rare for women in general to take on combat roles, Reivyn had long known that it didn't play much of a factor for those that made the choice to do so. Ingrid and Merrith were just as willing and able to act as Squad Leaders as any of the men were.

Reivyn turned to address Jekle and Paul standing behind him as the platoon shifted about.

"I don't have the authority to promote or commission others, but I can request it. It's unlikely they'll refuse the request, either.

"Paul, I'm going to recommend you be promoted to a Provisional Senior Sergeant, and you're going to be the Platoon Sergeant.

"Jekle, you're going to be the XO, or Executive Officer. As I said, I can't commission you, but that doesn't mean you can't fill the role. I'll request for you to receive the same promotion as Paul, but your position is superior to his. You'll be with me from now on.

"I'll request the Squad Leaders to be promoted to Junior Sergeants. I'm going to further break the squads down into smaller groups known as Fire Teams, and it'll be your job to confer with the Squad Leaders to recommend the appropriate people to promote to Corporals to lead those teams.

"Private Paul, take charge of the platoon. March them to the Mess Hall for lunch and a short break. Have them formed back up in the shaded area we first Marched to by one o'clock. We'll perform platoon maneuvers at that time."

"Yes, Sir," Paul saluted before stepping forward into Reivyn's position in charge of the platoon. He didn't waste any time after the squads had shuffled around, and he Marched them off to the Mess Hall. His cadence was a little choppy at first, but it got better as his confidence grew. He wasn't used to issuing the commands, yet, but he knew what they all were from having to perform them himself.

"Jekle, you're with me," Reivyn waved the man to walk next to him on his left side. "As I said, you're not a commissioned officer, but you'll be acting as one in regards to the platoon. I'll teach you how to fill in for me as the commander of the platoon, and once you've got that down, I'll teach you how to command a company."

"The entire company? Isn't that a bit..." Jekle trailed off.

"Every person should understand how to fill the role of two ranks above themself," Reivyn explained. "As the acting XO, you need to understand your job as the XO, the Platoon Commander, and the Company Commander. It's highly unlikely you'll have to step up to such a role, but you never know when it comes to combat.

"Likewise, once you've got those things down, you and I will have to make sure the others understand the same thing: how to operate two ranks above their position. All the way down to the troops not assigned to any kind of leadership role, currently. I want every single person in the platoon to be able to act as a Squad Leader, at minimum, no matter what.

"We only have a week to ourselves before we head out, but these are things we can continue to study and learn as we go. You're used to leading an active Adventuring Party, and you have the respect of everyone in the platoon. Just like with me, showing competency to others in the eventuality that you have to step up will inspire them to follow you and obey your commands.

"Also, I doubt the other lieutenants are going to be training their soldiers in the same manner as I am, and that's OK, for now. We'll set the example, and others are sure to follow."

"Yes, Sir," Jekle replied.

The two men marched to the Mess Hall where they would eat separately from the rest of the troops. Reivyn was going to introduce Jekle to the other three lieutenants he had spent the most time with, and he was sure they would pick up on his intentions and spread the doctrine to their own troops.