The Ordinary Commander

The Training Grounds

The iron door groaned, its hinges screaming in protest as it swung inward, revealing not a hallway, but a vast, desolate training pit carved directly into the bedrock of the fortress.

"Is that... is that the borderlands?" Leo stammered, stepping into the opening.

"No," Raka said, his eyes scanning the horizon. "It’s a kill box. Look at the walls. See those grooves? They’re prepped for magical dampening. This is a practice ground."

"A practice ground? While the alarm is going off?" Sofia moved up beside him, her daggers drawn. Her movements were fluid, predatory. "Raka, look."

From the shadows of the pit, four hulking shapes emerged. They were golems—crude constructs of jagged slate and pulsing runic clay, standing nearly eight feet tall. Their limbs were heavy, cumbersome, but the way they carved through the stone floor suggested they were anything but slow.

"Golems," Marcus spat, gripping his sword so hard his knuckles turned white. "We’re really fighting rocks now?"

"Don't get cocky," Raka hissed, his voice dropping to a sharp command. "Look at their joints. They aren't held together by magic alone. They’re anchored by those glowing blue cores in their chests."

"Who cares about the cores?" Leo shouted, already sprinting forward, his shield held high. "I’m a Holy Knight! Let’s see how they like a taste of real steel!"

"Leo, wait! You don't know their reach!" Raka lunged forward, but it was too late.

Leo slammed his shield into the nearest golem with a deafening CRACK. A shockwave of golden light rippled outward, knocking the golem back a few paces, but it didn't collapse. Instead, it raised a massive, stone-hewn fist and brought it down like a falling mountain.

Leo barely rolled out of the way, the floor where he’d been standing shattered into spiderweb cracks.

"That’s cheating!" Leo gasped, scrambling to his feet, panting heavily. "It’s too heavy! My holy aura didn't even dent the armor!"

"It’s not armor, it’s density!" Raka yelled from the edge of the gate. "Stop trying to smash through them! You’re just wasting your energy!"

"What do you suggest, Commander?" Sofia called out, sliding behind a pillar to avoid a sweeping blow from a second golem. "We’re pinned down!"

"Marcus! Use your reach!" Raka shouted, his eyes darting across the combatants. "Stop aiming for the center of mass! The cores! Look at the rhythm of their movement. They pulse every three seconds. That’s when the core is exposed!"

"Three seconds? I can't count seconds while I’m dying!" Marcus barked back, parrying a stone blade with his own. The impact sent sparks flying, and Marcus was forced back, his arms trembling from the vibration.

"You don't have to count!" Raka reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of loose iron he’d scavenged from the floor earlier. "Just watch the hum! They vibrate before they swing! When they vibrate, they’re open!"

"Are you sure, Raka?" Sofia shouted. She was breathing hard, her hair wild, but her eyes were locked on the golem currently stalking her.

"I’m the strategist, right?" Raka yelled, his voice cracking with a mix of fear and adrenaline. "Trust me! Sofia, bait the one on the left! It’s got a limp in its left leg—the core is lagging behind the others!"

Sofia didn't hesitate. She darted out from behind the pillar, a blur of motion. She danced around the golem’s sweeping arm, her daggers flashing like silver needles. She taunted it, spinning just out of reach, forcing the creature to overextend.

"Now, Marcus! The chest!" Raka screamed.

Marcus roared and lunged, thrusting his blade with every ounce of strength he possessed. He caught the golem mid-vibration. The steel sank deep into the glowing blue core, and with a sound like shattering glass, the construct exploded into a cloud of useless dust and gravel.

"One down!" Marcus cheered, his face flushed with triumph. "That was... that was actually easy!"

"Don't celebrate yet!" Raka commanded, his eyes shifting to the remaining three. "Leo, quit cowering! The one on the right is tracking your shield. Sofia, you’re the lure. Keep them bunched up. If they’re standing too close, they’ll trip over each other when one falls."

"You’re actually good at this," Sofia said, her voice breathless as she swerved around a massive stone boot.

"I’m just good at noticing when things are about to break," Raka muttered. He wasn't watching them anymore; he was watching the ceiling. He felt as if someone was watching them.

"Okay, the final two are shielding each other," Raka directed, his voice steadying. "Leo, slam your shield into the floor—not the golem. Create a vibration wave to disrupt their balance. Marcus, as soon as they stumble, hit the core of the one on the right!"

Leo slammed his shield down. A ripple of holy light surged through the stone floor. The golems teetered, their massive, heavy frames struggling to adjust to the shifting ground.

"Now!" Raka shouted.

Marcus and Sofia moved in perfect synchronization, two strikes landing simultaneously on the exposed, pulsing blue lights. The remaining golems groaned, their forms crumbling into piles of inert stone.

Silence descended on the pit, punctuated only by the heavy, ragged breathing of the students.

"We... we actually did it," Leo whispered, looking down at his trembling hands.

"Without a single scratch," Marcus added, looking toward Raka with a newfound, albeit grudging, respect.

Raka walked out onto the center of the floor, his sneakers crunching against the debris. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, his heart slowly returning to a normal rhythm. "Good work. Everyone, regroup. We aren't done until I see the exit."

"You did alright, Commander," Sofia said, walking over to him. She wiped a smear of dust from her cheek. "I guess the 'Ordinary Human' isn't as useless as the King thought."

"Don't get used to it," Raka replied, though he couldn't help the small, weary smile that tugged at his lips. "I just wanted to make sure we didn't get turned into floor decorations."

"Wait," Leo said, pointing upward.

High above them, on a balcony that overlooked the entire training pit, a shadow detached itself from the gloom. It was a man in full ceremonial plate, his cape flowing like a dark tide. He stood perfectly still, his eyes fixed on Raka.

The General.

He didn't applaud. He didn't signal the guards. He simply watched, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his expression unreadable and cold.

"Is that the guy in charge?" Marcus asked, his voice suddenly small.

"That’s the General," Raka whispered, a chill running down his spine that had nothing to do with the damp air. "And by the look on his face, I don't think he was expecting us to survive."

The General turned and walked away, his heavy boots echoing like a death knell through the silent chamber.

"Raka?" Sofia nudged him, her voice low. "What happens if we keep winning?"

Raka looked at the empty balcony, then back at his classmates—his unit. "Then we stop being a test, Sofia. We start being a threat."

"A threat to whom?" Leo asked.

Raka tightened his grip on his bag strap, his gaze narrowing. "To whoever thought they could control us."