Chapter 32
Title: Vareks.. Fetish
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." - unknown
Once we stepped out of the gate, the others greeted us with cheerful faces, until they saw the expressions we wore.
Confusion rippled through the camp.
No words were needed. The truth was etched into our posture. Shoulders hunched. Eyes downcast. Feet dragging through the dirt like they were shackled. Even the fire in our breathing had dimmed.
Thomas approached Varek with concern, tightening his features.
"What happened in there?"
Varek didn't look at him. His voice was flat, heavy. "The Commander had to step in. We failed."
Thomas blinked, surprised. "It was that hard?"
Varek let out a slow, tired breath. "No. We were just… careless."
He wasn't wrong. They had grown so strong, so confident, they hadn't even noticed the danger until it was almost too late. Maybe that was my fault. Maybe I trained them too hard, too fast. But time is a luxury I don't have.
Thomas clapped a hand on Varek's shoulder, trying to lift his spirits.
"Don't worry, brother. I'll reclaim your honor. I'll get a perfect score," he said with a grin and a thumbs-up.
Varek didn't respond. He just nodded faintly and walked away, head low, with the rest of his squad trailing behind him in silence.
I called out, "Sentinel."
Thomas turned at once and dropped to one knee. "Yes, Commander?"
"I took some damage during the last raid. You'll postpone your run until tomorrow. Have your party ready and on edge. No slacking."
"Yes, sir." He rose with a salute, all fire and discipline.
That evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the camp was mostly packed. Only tents and rations remained. While others rested, I resumed training with Synn.
His control was improving, he'd finally learned how to pull mana in, even if keeping it in still gave him trouble. He'd bought a [Body Reinforcement] skill scroll, and it was mailed to him last week. So I taught him the fundamentals and when to use it. While his [Mana Control] skill was still only (D) rank, he was able to gather enough for a small measly circle. Bringing his MP reserve near 1,500. Pair that with a rank-F reinforcement skill, I'd say he's grown reliable. Not as green, still far to go, but he was beginning to mold into something sharp.
After his session with me, he went off to spar with Thomas.
Now Thomas was changing fast.
Too fast.
Thomas had started at level 71 when I first recruited him. He now sat at 93. Three months. That kind of growth was unheard of. But it wasn't just the numbers. It was the presence. He walked like a soldier possessed by death, faster, stronger, colder. Not broken like some of the others. No. He hadn't snapped.
He'd become protective.
And dangerous.
When I finished with Synn, I walked to Varek's tent.
I found them all sitting around a dying fire, no laughter, no banter, just the dull flicker of flames dancing in their hollow eyes and the crackling sound of coals. They didn't even notice me.
"Tough day?" I asked.
Juno replied without looking up, voice deadpan. "You have nooo idea."
I smirked. "Maybe instead of sulking, you should train harder?"
"JUST WHO DO YO—!" He whipped around, eyes blazing, then froze. "Ahh.. Commander!" he dropped from his seat to one knee, face pale.
The rest scrambled to follow, kneeling.
"Relax," I said, sitting down on the log beside him. "Rise and sit."
They obeyed.
Silence settled in again until Varek spoke.
"Sir… are all gates like that? So unpredictable?"
"I thought you'd be at your 'meeting' today," I said, glancing at Varek.
He shook his head. "Didn't feel right. Not after today. Not after the team…"
I nodded, appreciating the honesty.
"No, most gates are your standard layouts. Predictable, pattern-based, nothing special. I picked this one on purpose, because of its variety. Its randomness. War's like that. Real danger is like that. If you're not prepared, you die."
Their expressions tightened.
"This one…" I let the weight of my words settle. "This one was the easiest of the unpredictable gates."
A twitch of frustration crossed their faces. Shame. Regret. And beneath it, resolve.
"But don't compare yourself to today's failures," I continued. "Compare yourself to tomorrow's success. Look around you. Every one of you went from average grunts to the empire's top five percent. In three weeks. That's not luck. That's strength."
I let that settle. Let it soak into their bones like warmth.
Then my voice turned to steel.
"Now hold your heads high. You're part of the Black Legion. We don't show weakness. Ever. If you do, I'll kill you myself."
They straightened immediately.
"Hoorah!" they shouted, fire returning to their eyes.
"Good."
—
The next morning, we cleared the remaining gate raids before the sun was at it highest.
Thomas and his squad obliterated the gate.
Fifteen minutes.
Perfect score.
He assigned each team member based on their strengths, had Ivy and Nyx guard the two newbies, and then rushed ahead alone, carving a path like a whirlwind. He crippled enemies but left the final blows for the others, letting the rookies gain XP and confidence.
By the time his squad caught up, he'd already incapacitated the floor general. Then, because he's a meticulous bastard, he waited for them to arrive so they could share in the kill XP. Efficient. Ruthless. Strategic.
When they emerged, the camp exploded in whispers.
Varek looked on with narrowed eyes, jaw clenched.
He wasn't jealous.
He was disappointed.
Disappointed in himself for falling behind a man he once called brother.
He looked down. But I shot him a look.
'Don't you dare.'
His back straightened instantly. Emotions gone. Face blank.
Thomas approached with his usual grin. In his eyes, he was just showing pride. A child saying, "Look, Commander! I did good!" But Varek didn't take it that way.
Synn's group went next. Clean, efficient, average difficulty. They cleared it with strong teamwork and no fatal damage, almost faster than Varek's squad had.
With both raids complete, we packed up camp and began our journey home.
_____________
"Finally… we're here," I murmured to myself as we arrived at the newly constructed camp, our new home.
Getting the funds for this had required a little creativity.
Using my negotiation skill, I'd "convinced" a particular noble, one desperate to get his sniveling son into the Black Legion, to buy the rest of our mana crystals at a very fair price. I promised him that, upon our return, his son would be allowed to train with us. If the boy proved himself, he could join. If not... well, that was the end of the story.
With the Guardian Coins from that deal, I began construction on a stretch of land I'd already purchased from the Empress at a steep discount. The territory lay about 2 hours east of the capital, secluded by dense forest with a mountain forming a natural barrier behind us. I bought it right before we left on our expedition, and with Lace's help, I drew up the plans for a fully independent legionary compound.
They said it would take a month and a half to build.
But on the day of Varek's trial, a courier delivered a sealed letter:
"Construction finished. Early."
The camp was more than I'd imagined. It was a fortress in all but name.
At its heart stood three main buildings. First, my personal quarters, a command center with 10 top-tier suites and one special room for me, a private indoor training arena, a war room large enough for thirty people, and a spacious common area for receptions and briefings.
Second, the barracks: a towering, three-story structure capable of comfortably housing all the troops. Easily the largest building on site.
Third, the chow hall, large enough to seat 3,000 soldiers at once. Fully staffed with cooks and maids, all paid for with our reserve of GC from the mana crystals.
Surrounding these were several auxiliary buildings:
– A fully stocked tavern for the men.
– Two storage houses, one for gear, one for high-value items and GC.
– Dormitories for the service staff.
– Two training grounds, one outdoor and one indoor.
– A battle arena for duels and tournaments.
– A stable big enough to hold our Stormstriders.
– A small post station for incoming and outgoing letters.
– And finally, a library, filled with texts from every known kingdom and time period. I would require all captains and above to spend at least two hours a day there, no exceptions.
"This place is amazing, Commander!" Thomas said, pulling his horse up beside mine.
"Yes," I replied, a rare warmth creeping into my voice as I looked over our new home. "And it's all ours."
Pride swelled in my chest. 3 months ago I had no home, Now? We had land. We had infrastructure. We had an army.
We had a future.
We rode through the gate and dismounted at the stables. Lace and the men already stationed here had finished the setup and were organizing the final supplies. I gave the order for the troops to claim bunks in the barracks, familiarize themselves with the layout, and prepare to meet at the stadium in the center of camp by 6 p.m.
The stadium was built into a natural amphitheater, its banners proudly flying both the imperial flag and the flag of the Black Legion.
I met with Lace shortly after.
He was waiting near the training grounds, clipboard in hand.
"How'd training go while we were gone?" I asked.
"Well enough," he said. "They're all awakened, every last one a Guardian. Average level's around seventy now."
We stood shoulder to shoulder as he updated me on the past few weeks. I told him about the captains. About the shift in some of them. Their bloodlust. Their obsession. The ones who had become addicted to demon blood like it was wine.
He told me about the racial tensions he struggled to manage, and the infighting it sometimes caused. Still, he assured me that every soldier had chosen a weapon they were comfortable with, and he'd pushed them hard, hard enough that, by his estimate, they were nearly as capable as the Empress's elite guard.
Impressed, I gave him a smile and a thumbs up. "You've done good work, Lace. Better than I expected."
We started walking again, chatting casually, until he brought up something I'd been waiting for.
"Commander," he said hesitantly, "not to question your decisions, but... we're called the Black Legion. So why is our flag pure white?"
I smirked. "It's not just white. You'll see soon enough. In time, that flag will mean something more than just color. It'll stand for fear, when the enemy sees it crest the battlefield."
He raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. I'm not exactly sure what you're saying… but alright. I'll wait and see."
"Good." I clasped his shoulder. "Because when the time comes... that flag will tell the world exactly who we are."