The Legend of X : the Instructor

X woke with a start the next morning, the dreams hadn’t stopped yet. The enormous man hidden in the shadows, the cold disembodied voice. Along with the voice like thunder repeating “if the world hates you, know that it hated me first” It was all so confusing. A new dream had been added to his sleep, he watched flashes of a crew of sailors sailed from a frozen sea to warmer waters, amongst the sailors was the silhouette of a man and a small boy.

Before X could ponder the thought any further the door to his quarters was kicked in with a crash. “Get the hell up, get up and get on line” Jones’ voice exploded into the small room, he caused every one to jump, Y so much so that he fell from his top bunk and landed on the floor with a dull thud. X immediately hopped out of his bunk where nothing but a pair of boxers, a second later Welks jumped down sporting his own night wear. Z got out his bed quickly and quietly while Y grumbled to himself sprawled out on the floor slowly getting to his feet and taking his place next X and Z.

“Well, well , well, that was almost entertaining” Jones said his voice now more comfortable, “if you gits haven’t figured it out yet, I’m am going to be your instructor for the next 8 weeks. Your going to learn what it takes to be a good soldier” he spoke in an almost condescending tone “I am going to enjoy the next two months, you however are not. We are going to learn what your strengths and weaknesses are. This will not be easy but trust me there going to be a time when you’ll want to thank me for this, now put your clothes and follow me.”

They all got there uniforms on and shortly there after followed Jones down the corridor and into the mess hall on there way in they passed a guard with a dark purple bruise around his neck. As they entered the bleak gray empty room that held nothing more then a few tables and the still standing stage from the night before. Jones waved them over to a round table where they sat down facing one another. As they sat down Jones spoke to them once again “you all have very unique personalities and traits that have served you well so far, the goal of the first test was to measure how you would react under severe circumstances, now none of the guards no how you escaped the dark room. With that being said I won’t you to tell me how you managed to escape. We will start with W first.”

Once again all eyes turned to Welks to recount his story “well, I guess it had a lot to do with what X had said about having such long Chains. He gave me an idea, I walked the full length of my chains drew a line on the ground then took three steps back and made another line. Then I walked back to the wall and waited for a guard to enter, when he did faked being injured. I watched him cross the first line knowing that now I could reach him, as he walked pass the second line I knew would have enough slack in the chain to make my move and so I did. I sprung up tackled him to the ground and wrapped my chains around his neck. When I knew he was subdued I reached in his pocket and took out his keys and freed myself from the room” stated Welks while staring up at the ceiling as if his story was written on the ceiling tiles.

“interesting, now X why don’t you regale us on how you got out” asked Jones absentmindedly. “Well I , uh um Wel… I mean W gave me the key and I escaped with him” X half whispered sheepishly. “O.k., well I’d ask you Y but I think we know what happened there” Y snickered as Jones talked “Z lets here how you did it” said Jones staring at Z who was wearing a blank expression.

“I took the knife from the guard W knocked out and stabbed the next guard to come in and check on us, when he got close enough of course ” stated z bluntly as if talking about murder was like talking about the news. Jones didn’t even flinch over the news that one of his fellow guards was killed by the child right in front of him, he just took a deep breath and continued speaking. “Alright then, each of your escapes tells a great deal about yourselves, except for X, X your free ride has cost you valuable experience and experience is the greatest of all teachers. As for the rest of you, Y your escapes tells me that your quick thinking and reckless, willingly putting yourself in harms way to complete your objective. W your escape tells us that you are capable of strategically thinking even under harsh conditions and are capable of anything that requires you to achieve your objective, it also gives a sense of how you treat your friends. Z your escape tells us that you are quick thinking and resourceful, your also more then willing to take a life if that life furthers your objectives.”

“You gathered all that from” Y said with a look of disbelief “from us smacking heads. I think I might have knocked more then your key loose” he then broke out into a fit of laughter. Jones rubbed hid head then looked back at the group “alright, get up and follow me” Jones said as get up and headed back out of the mess hall. The group quickly followed, they soon found themselves walking through long corridors and twisting hallways. They mad several turns and twists along the way until they came to a heavy metal door very similar to the one to the dark room. Jones rummaged through his left pocket and pulled out a silver key, he then used it to unlock and open the metal door. The door opened up into a large circular quart yard with a dirt pit in the center and stone walkways around the edge leading to several doors along the walls and one vary large gate opposite to the group. To everyone’s surprise it was still very dark out “alright where going to find out how well you gits can hold your own in a fight” Jones’ voice was once again loud and imposing “W and Y, get in that pit and square off” barked Jones. “square off?” said Welks with a quizzical look on his face “he means get in there and fight retard” Y told him. Welks and Y walked over to the dirt pit each taking a place at the opposite end of the ten by ten square. “Alright kiddies your objective is either to get your opponent to give up, get knocked out or remove him from the pit, any questions” explained Jones. “You mean I get to hit Y for no reason at all” exclaimed Welks, “oh-ho look who’s got joke now” returned Y with a smile. “alright, begin!” barked Jones With a yell. Welks put up his hands and advanced on Y, Y just waited at the opposite end of the pit. When Welks got in arm length he threw a quick jab from his right, Y just shifted his body out of the way not leaving the spot where he stood. Y quickly followed his jabs by three full force punches, none of which landed as Y ducked and weaved out of the way. “come on Welks can’t you even hit me’ Taunted Y. Welks was quickly loosing his patience as he threw more blows but none of them connected, the others watched as his face contorted in frustration. All the while Y laughed at Welks’ failed efforts, giving into his frustration Welks threw his entire body into one punch. Y quickly stepped out of the way and planted his knee directly into Welks stomach. Welks doubled over in pain, his momentum combined with the force of Y blow caused him to black out. As Y walked off x quickly ran over to Welks’ unconscious body and dragged him aside, Jones came over and said “he’ll be fine, now you and Z get in the pit, its your turn.”

X was almost shaking with fear, he couldn’t remember who he was or how he got hear, little less how to fight. As he stood opposite of Z Jones called for the fight to start, before X even had time to think Z was upon throwing a flurry of punches. X put his hands up to cover his face and so Z punched him in the stomach, one square blow to the chest knock X onto his back. One thing was for sure this was not Z’s first fight, as x laid on his back he could see the sun rising just over the wall of the fort. X got back on his feet and put his hands up, This time when Z came at him X was ready, as Z charged X quickly stepped out of the way. When Z passed him X picked up his foot and planted into Z’s lower back, using z momentum to sent him flailing out of the pit and landing on the ground with a thud. Z quickly got up, furry evident in his face he raised hi hand ready to hit X “Fights over boy” Jones grabbed Z’s wrist and threw him back to the ground “learn to accept that you’ve lost” Jones said with a bit of disgust in his face. Y was laughing his head off in the back ground, but to X it sounded miles away, the adrenalin was still pumping through his veins, he slowly walked over to where Welks was laid out on the dirt, who himself was starting to return to consciousness. “So much for out crazy killer, couldn’t even take down the tiny tike” howled Y still laughing. “What’s going on? Why am I laying on the ground” X just chuckles at his friends predicament. “well that good enough for me today, tomorrow will start some real exercises, if you can find your quarters you can head back there” Said Jones as he headed for the gate. It soon dawned on the group that none of them had aped attention to how they got out here and even if they had a thought the fights erased them.



Jones walked down the empty streets of the town, people were just waking up, little wooden inns and other assorted shops surrounded the street he walked down, he turned a corner down an alley way which led cellar, he entered it walked down a flight of stairs and found another Heavy steel door, he found his keys and opened the door revealing a large and well furnished office. “Well, what do you have to say about the project?” asked a cold voice, “W seems to be stubborn, he refuses to let go of his name, X has absolutely no memory of you or the voyage, Y will be a good soldier when we break him, and Z is cold and dangerous. He had no qualms about killing my guards, and he already has some combat experience” replied Jones. “Good, now leave I have many more reports to take to day” answered the cold dark voice.