Chapter 121: I Need Men Part 1

Words : 1046 Updated : Oct 6th, 2025

"You said you needed men," Thorne repeated, stroking his beard. "What for exactly? Another incursion? Another Rift operation? Because if that’s the case, we’ll need weeks to find talent again. We’ve only just patched up from the last—" "No," Inigo interrupted. "Not a raid. Not yet." Thorne narrowed his eyes. "Then for what purpose?" "To train them." Thorne raised a brow. "Train them? You mean combat drills? Sparring? Swordplay?" Inigo gave a small smile. "No. I’ll show you." The Guildmaster leaned back slowly, his arms crossing. "You’ve got me curious now, boy. But if you’re asking for men from my ranks, you’ll need more than mystery to convince me." "I don’t need veterans. I don’t even need adventurers. I need anyone willing to learn. Men who can follow orders and aim straight." "And that’s it?" "For now." Thorne chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re the strangest lad I’ve ever met, Inigo. But after what you’ve done... you’ll get your men." Seven days later, under the open blue sky at the edge of Elandra, a wide forest clearing had been cordoned off by ropes and makeshift barricades. A wooden platform overlooked the field, where stacked crates of military hardware stood like a mismatched fortress—each one a sealed promise of modern warfare in a medieval world. Inigo stood before twenty volunteers—men and women from various walks of life. Some were young, barely out of their teens. Others were burly carpenters, farmers, or washed-up mercenaries hoping for a second chance. A few held wooden swords. Most looked skeptical. Guildmaster Thorne watched from a shaded chair beside the platform, arms folded, flanked by two senior adventurers. "All right," Inigo called out. "I won’t waste your time. I know some of you think this is a joke. Maybe you’re waiting for me to hand you a sword or start a chant. But that’s not why you’re here." He walked to a crate, undid the latches, and opened the lid. Inside gleamed rows of sleek, dark gray pistols. Real steel. Modern. He pulled one free—a M1911, fully loaded—and held it up for all to see. "This," Inigo said, "is your sword." A murmur spread across the clearing. "It’s called an M1911. Semi-automatic. .45 caliber. Seven-round magazine. Single-action. Recoil-operated. Simple to maintain. Simple to kill with." One of the men in the back, a tall blond with a crooked nose, raised a hand. "You’re saying that thing’s better than a crossbow?" "I’m saying you could shoot through a man’s armor before he gets close enough to breathe on you," Inigo replied. "And reload in three seconds flat." He tossed the pistol to the ground in front of them. "Come pick it up." No one moved at first. Then a stout woman stepped forward. She wore a blacksmith’s apron and had short, oily hair tied back. "Name’s Brenna," she said. "I’ll try it." She walked up, picked up the pistol, and looked at it uncertainly. "Good. Now watch me." Inigo retrieved another M1911 and, with practiced ease, ejected the magazine, locked the slide, and showed the chamber. "Safety is here," he pointed. "You flick it down to fire. Squeeze the trigger slow—don’t yank it. You’ll pull your shot off target. Brace your arms, keep your feet planted, and always treat it like it’s loaded." He handed her an empty mag. "Load it." She fumbled a bit, her fingers stiff, but managed to slide the mag into the grip. "Good. Now, take a deep breath, aim at that barrel over there—see it? Twenty meters. Hit it." Brenna nodded, lifted the pistol with both hands, and fired. The crack echoed through the trees. The shot hit low, kicking up dirt a foot from the barrel. "Better than I expected," Inigo said with a smile. "Again." She fired again. This time it clipped the rim. The others began to step forward now—curiosity overriding doubt. "Form a line!" Inigo barked. "One at a time. You’ll each take five shots. I’ll watch every stance, every shot. Don’t be cocky." One by one, they stepped up. Some missed every shot. Some grazed targets. A few surprised even themselves. Inigo made notes on a small pad, his mind already categorizing who had potential and who needed heavy supervision. An hour later, he switched crates. This time he opened one filled with M4 Carbines—modern assault rifles, clean and freshly oiled. "Phase two," he said. "Now we learn how to kill from a distance." Gasps and whispers spread among the group. "These are your main weapons. Modular, dependable, and deadly," Inigo explained, holding one up. "30-round mags. 5.56 NATO. Effective range up to 500 meters for trained shooters. You’ll learn to maintain them, load them, and fire them accurately under pressure." "Where’d all this come from?" one of the older men asked. "Let’s just say," Inigo replied dryly, "I brought it from somewhere far away." He spent the next two hours walking them through field-stripping, magazine swapping, aiming, and burst control. Then came live fire practice—short, controlled bursts at designated targets. A few were naturals. Brenna turned out to have deadly instincts. A young man named Feron had steady hands and unnerving patience. An ex-guard named Hal took notes obsessively and asked about sight calibration. Thorne watched from the sidelines, eyes narrowing. At one point, he whispered to his aide, "He’s building something. Not just a squad—he’s building an army." By midday, Inigo called for a rest. They sat beneath the shade, drinking from water canteens and wiping sweat from their brows. A few were already talking shop—comparing recoil, bragging about shot placement. Inigo stood in front of them again. "You all did well today. You’re not soldiers yet. But you will be. If you stay." Someone raised a hand. "What’s this all for? The demons?" "No," Inigo said, voice steady. "This is for us. For the kingdom. For every person who can’t fight back when the demons come knocking." "And they will come," Thorne added, stepping forward. "Make no mistake." Inigo nodded. "We’ll be ready." Behind him, the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the clearing. But even in the gathering dark, those twenty trainees looked more alive than they had in years. And Inigo—once an outsider, once alone—felt something stirring in his chest. He was building something real.

Chapter 121: I Need Men Part 1

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