Felix's Point Of View

I have made a mistake.

I should never have agreed to lead us through Plymfell... once I did my fate was sealed.

I was placed in the vanguard squad with some of the people that stand out the most: Asher, the only knight with concrete war experience. Vitis, the most sociable guy around. Peony, the least sociable guy around. These three always manage to get themselves noticed one way or another, and to round everything off Augustus... or rather, Lily Celeste, is in the group too. In other words, I've been placed in the limelight.

Other than standing out and being asked about Lily, there is our brutal commander herself...

Every day she wakes up the ten of us before dawn and forces us to train until everyone else are awake and ready for breakfast... as much as I am supposed to be grateful for her individualized training regiments for us... I just can't... she's a monster...

For Peony and Vitis it's absurd teamwork exercises like passing basic obstacles... without touching it with your hands... Try crossing a beam that's up higher than you without using your hands! Darius, Arven and Spence have to do the same exercises by the way... I feel it a bit unfair that they have more people to get it done... but they have it easy...

Mike and Rudder have it easy too... they're doing all around training...

The ones really in trouble is Asher and I as we get 'special attention'.

As such... Asher gets a net filled with rocks on each of his arms and one on his back. Then has to walk around...

...It makes sense that Asher would get special attention. He practically follows her around like a baby duck... but why me?!

Also... what is with her monstrous strength?!

I made another mistake... I ended up saying her expectations of 100 dashes, 300 push-ups, 300 squats, 600 sit-ups... sounded inhumane... so she doubled it.

Furthermore... she pulled it off next to me just to show me that it was perfectly humanly possible...

I can state now after TWO WEEKS of this pre-march daily torture that it IS NOT HUMANE!

Not even if she removes the fatigue with magic after!

Of course, in the beginning I couldn't complete the regiment, so she forced me to do as much as I could until every muscle in my body was screaming in pain and I couldn't get off the ground. If I slow down on purpose she just adds extra weight...

When I asked why all of my training was based on strength training she answered rather plainly:

"You're a very perceptive tracker, strength works in harmony with how perceptive you are when it comes to movement. With only speed you stumble, fall or run into things, and with just perception you're slow. It fits with the Celeste war style, and works since you don't sneak around like... Darius..."

She gave a polite smile at the end, but her lower eyelids move up a bit like a cat about to hiss.

I didn't press the matter further. I'm not putting my hand in the fire for no reason.

---*---

There is... one more little problem... my fairy Sídh is a very beautiful fairy... but he's loud mouthed and doesn't hold back a bit. So, when the training first started, Sídh made a 'casual' comment while being hidden along the lines of 'In what world is that monstrous girl called cute?'. Lily herself didn't hear a thing, but the water fairy next to her froze in the air.

At the current point in time I was doing push-ups with Lily basically breathing down my neck and roaring at me like you would expect for a military commander.

Lily's spirit quickly took the shape of a knight rather than a fish, and a tiny little gauntlet flew through the air and hit Sídh square in the temple, causing Sídh to fall through the air after giving off a little 'puff' of faerie dust from the impact.

Then Lily's spirit manifested an ice sword in its hands and started the duel in an instant. Sídh caught himself mid-flight and pulled his own tiny fairy sword. I'm not familiar with the rules, but apparently magic was not allowed.

The bizarre scene of them dueling so casually next Lily's training regiment of death has stuck with me, and I can't help but to wonder if that is how they usually pass the time when we aren't looking.

In case you're wondering about the result of the duel...

Sídh got the first cut, but just when Sídh was about to get in a good cut on the tiny ice knight... the ice liquefied to water and Sídh's sword went right through it.

"That's cheating!" Sídh had insisted, but Lily's spirit brushed him off and attacked him again. At this point it turned from a duel to a chase, as Sídh realized he couldn't win without magic.

When Sídh finally blasted the ice knight and split it into pieces and drops... said drops gathered back into a blob and formed a knight again.

I think Sídh finally understood the terror we have of some specific magic beasts. No, actually this one is worse, because it doesn't have a core you can crash.

By the time Lily finally called 'Lumere'... like the lake Lumere... Sídh was finally given rest.

He was traumatized.

He doesn't like Lumere.

Lumere seems to turn to a knight form and hint at Sídh that he has his eyes on him whenever they get near each other.

Other spirits that don't get along well with Lumere is Peony's fire fairy. This sleepy fire bird doesn't really mind anyone, but Lumere minds it. Probably because it's fire. At least they haven't gotten in a fight like Lumere and Sídh, but it's quite interesting to see the two animal shaped faeries next to each other. Like Lumere, Peony's fairy stays visible at all times. If it doesn't stay on Peony's shoulder, then it stays nearby. I'm counting down the time until Lumere decides to splash it.

---*---

It is finally over. After two weeks of hell, we have been freed of our hellish morning training as we head into Plymfell. One squad split from the rest of us to head directly towards Ice-Claw while the rest of us head into the swamps.

Everyone gathers in front of me for a final briefing.

"As some of you may know swamplands are very dangerous, however, there are many plants and gasses here that make you more susceptible to seeing beyond this realm, and the swamps have plenty of ghosts as well. You will likely hear voices of the dead once in a while, that is normal. If any of you are already sensitive to spirits you may end up seeing them fully visible as well. If that happens, focus on the people around you. The ghosts cannot touch you or otherwise affect you."

I put out this warning just in case. I doubt anything will happen though. During the time I've spent with these guys, none of them have seemed sensitive to anything like ghosts or spirits.

"If you have ghosts near you, you will be able to hear them. Please do not listen and stay on the path, one of the most usual causes of death are whispering ghosts. Keep an eye on your partner and everything will be fine. We will reach the eastern village by nightfall."

I look over the crowd once again, and everyone look uncomfortable.

"Hey, Felix. Is that mo-... woman going to be fine?" As usual Sídh is too blunt, but at least this time looked over his shoulder towards Lumere that was staring at Sídh's back.

I glance to Lily before I turn. She looks uncomfortable and glances to Asher once. Those who have killed in war usually feel like they get dragged into the swamp by the many ghosts clawing at their feet... I can only express my empathy for what she will have to go through.

"Probably." You don't turn into a legend that easily... but I still feel sorry for what she had to go through as a kid.

Another thing I confirm as we step into the swamp, is that she really has some odd and cat-like traits at times.

The way her head and shoulders move when she scouts and perceives is exactly like a cat. Her head kind of perks up and she takes in the scenery with little jerks towards sounds.

Even the way she tests the swamp water while double and triple thinking if this was really a good idea. Then, unexpectedly, she just walks into the water as if her hesitance wasn't there in the first place.

---*---

...sadly, we don't get very far into the swamplands before things start taking a dangerous turn...

Asher starts calling Lily, but she isn't reacting... and around her the water swirls unnaturally... once I step closer hundreds of whispers merge into a flood... she's completely and utterly surrounded...

"Shissssssss~"

I peer up from Lily and note a giant viper appearing from under the surface of the water a good distance away. Furthermore, it's fully focused on the commander. It's ghostly and translucent body squirms for a moment as if observing something we can't see.

"Get ready!"

Vitis is the first to react properly, and everyone gets into battle stance in the thigh deep water.