Writing and Running

“Come on!” Ulal shouts at his recruits. “You can do this, you did it yesterday! One more set!” It is a sunny day and Ulal decided to hold this days training on the plaza in front of the tower, each of the three recruits is wearing a plain black uniform with a matching military style hat with Ulal’s emblem at the front.

They sit on tables, pen in hand and write feverishly. Ulal walks to one of them and rips the paper from his hand. “That is not how you write the Gatza-sign. This part is meant to be curved slightly, not a straight line. For the last time look at the example paper and REPLICATE IT UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND.” He slams the paper back on the table and is about to give them a few more reprimands when he sees Alratha standing on the bridge to his district. “I see that you three need some movements to get your head clear. One round around the plaza. GO!” The recruits hastily obey and start running off. With the trio temporarily taken care of Ulal walks to Alratha. The assassin first watches the recruits run by her before she turns to Ulal.

“We have water now.” She points out the obvious as she looks down into the canal again. “Yes. Thanks to a certain indecisive demon. How is Brikstrat?” Alratha jumps on the bridges broad reeling and walks on it for a few steps. “Shouldn’t that wait until the council meeting?” Ulal sighs, “I suppose. Hearing the same story twice would also be boring.” He looks up at the sun. “That is another three hours away I reckon. Well I actually wanted to talk to you about something else as well so let us do that first.”

Alratha sits down the reeling, her legs dangling over the canal. Ulal soon joins her. Together they look at the still, clean water. “Out with it then.” Alratha says and hits Ulal on the shoulder. The Demonmagus smiles, “Thirty seconds. Not bad did your patience increase?” “I don’t know neither do I care.” Alratha says, her legs swinging back and forth. “Now, tell me, Ulal.”

“The Tale of one Hundred is that, a tale. Based on a truth even but nonetheless a tale. They won that battle and their discipline was extraordinary but the truth is a bit different.” Alratha chuckles, “I know this already. They won because the night before the battle they murdered all but the most incompetent leaders of the army.” Ulal looks at her with slight confusion, “I am insane, Ulal, not dumb. I had a noble upbringing after all.” “One of these days you should tell me about that.” Alratha shakes her head with a sorry smile, “No can do. My past is mine alone.”

A very unappreciative sound from Ulal later he continues. “Well, if you know this makes this discussion a lot easier. I need an elite core of spies and assassins. A secret order within the military so to say and as it stands you are the best contestant, not to say the only, I have to lead that organization.”

Alratha break into wild laughter. “All that goes around comes around.” She cackles, “I am in, what do you want me to do?” ‘Here I am mother, leading an order of assassins like you always thought.’ She adds in her thoughts. “I need you to recruit and train four more worthy people. Only pick the most secretive and able of individuals, if somebody you picked turns out to be untrustworthy.” Ulal runs his thumb over his throat, a very decisive gesture. “Not a single word of this order can ever leave the inner-most circle. A dagger in plain sight is useless.”

“Actually you can still stab somebo….oh you mean metaphorically.” Alratha stops herself when she sees Ulal giving her a very annoyed side-glance. The Demonmagus sighs, “I wish I could do something about that screwed up brain of yours.” He mutters. “You should start with your own then, you are a monster.” Alratha chuckles and jumps of the reeling into the water below them. “I can still freeze you down there.” Ulal shouts after her as she swims away. “But you won’t, I am still useful. I will see you at the council meeting, Lord Lordy~.”

Ulal gets his feet back on the bridge and walks towards the plaza where the trio is already waiting. ‘I hate it when people figure me out.’ He thinks angrily and stomps towards the recruits. “What are you two standing around for?” He reprimands at the recruits that are still gathering their breath. “Look at Tang. He is heaving as well but at least he is working.” Ulal points at the guy who is indeed already writing again. Of course the signs he draws are terribly jittery but at this moment all that Ulal cares about is effort. After all, if these farmers don’t give it their all they will never reach what Ulal wants them to be.

“I…” one of them mutters and takes a deep breath. “I…I can..’t…I give up…” Ulal grabs him by the collar. “Well then.” Runes on the inside of the uniform fill with magical power. “You are dismissed. Don’t come crawling back when these two will have ascended beyond you weaker minds.” The uniform is transmuted into simple farmer clothes. They are still of superior quality to what he was wearing when he entered the city but they simply feel and look inferior to the uniform of his friends.

“Now, get to Glenn. He surely is happy about all the hands he can get.” Shamed the man walks off. “What about you?” Ulal turns to the remaining man. “Will you leave as well?” The man shakes his head, “Nah, Lort.” “No, Lord.” Ulal corrects him. “Then sit the fuck down and continue learning, else I will take the decision from you.”

With a tired nod the man sits back down and starts to write. Ulal spies over his shoulder and says, in a much softer but still commanding tone, “Better. Much better, but you need to hold the pencil a bit differently. Let me show you.” He takes the pen of the third, now vacant table. “See? More shallow, if you hold it vertically the lines become either to thin or you leave points of ink on the paper. Both is very unsightly.”

Ulal makes sure that the man has understood and then turns to Tang. The quiet man has regained his breath and is holding his pen with precision. Ulal looks interestedly at the paper. He is far from perfection but each time he writes the sign he gets a bit closer. Slowly he draws the letter. Then he looks at it, then at the original, finally he draws the next one. Rinse and Repeat, with steady determination only concentrated on this single task.

Ulal is impressed. Sure there is no talent here, in fact his letters look worse than the one of the guy that just gave up but given time and more attempts his determination will bring him to perfection. “Tang, tell me more about yourself.” Ulal demands. Tang doesn’t look up from the paper. “Not much more to tell. I was a normal farmer. Estara did not give me what I wanted. So I choose the risk of serving you.” That was the same story he already told him back at the council meeting. From the sound of it he really believes that he is just a normal farmer.

“When did you start working?” “Every day at sun rise.” “And stopped?” “Sun down.” “How much did you manage to make in a single day.” “As much as was demanded of me.” “Never more?” “Never less.” Ulal smiles, he has indeed found the perfect soldier, following orders like a metronome follows the tact of time.

“What do you hate?” Tang stops writing for a moment. “People who don’t give back.” He says. “Care to elaborate?” Ulal genuinely asks. “I worked for Estara. Estara gave me nothing in return. I am no greedy man. Recognition would have been enough.” Tang looks at Ulal, his iron eyes have no hate in them, only resignation, “but I got hit instead.”

“What if I won’t reward you?” “I go north.” “Why?” “The followers of Vakanth speak of their saviour. Maybe he will be worthy.” Ulal’s right eye twitches, there is a loud roar that block out all other sounds, the world blurs before him. He sees Tang move his lips. The Demonmagus shakes his head to get rid of the flashbacks, “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.” “Will you not reward us?” Tang repeats his question.

“I will. I just wanted to know you a bit better.” Ulal grins, “I am not good person. Never was never will be. In my experience being nice means to be the first one to die of dehydration. However I reward what I deem worthy of reward.” Ulal looks at the sun again. “I have to go meet Aclysia now and help her organize her laboratory in her district. You know what do while I am gone?”

“Write. Run.” Tang answers and does the former. “Correct. I will come back here after the council meeting to give you more fighting lessons.” He pats both of them on the back. “There is shame in giving up and glory in overcoming great odds. Don’t disappoint me like the other three did.” Ulal walks over the bridge and towards District Aclysia with a smile. This has been a productive day already.