It didn't take long for the refectory to be completely taken by hundreds of soldiers. However, much to Zaos's surprise, the number wasn't as high as he had expected. Most likely, the soldiers stationed there were lower if compared to the new recruits.
"I guess a lot of people are working outside," Zaos thought. "Commander said that we can work in several places, so the number of soldiers here must be at least ten times more."
Considering that the soldiers will have to move to other locations and it would be a waste of time to stay there only for a day or two, it wouldn't be strange if some tasks demand them to stay several weeks away from the base.
After a while, Zaos's squad members showed up and sat at the table he had chosen, probably because all the squads were together. Regardless, Zaos thought all things regarding the work in the base would be handled by soldiers. Still, much to his surprise, some non-soldiers were working in the kitchen. Considering the number of mouths they had to feed, several men and women were working there.
"In the end, this is a place to train soldiers and leaders, while that kind of skill can come in handy, it won't help us win certain battles," Zaos thought.
After a while, the chefs began to carry some big pans from the kitchen and put them on the tables. The same thing happened with the plates, cups, and other utensils. Zaos heard some stomach growling, but no one touched the food since the commander wasn't there and the veterans were waiting for something.
In the end, Commander Ruvyn showed up at the same time the last table had been served. Before he sat alongside some rough-looking soldiers, Ruvyn picked a cup and then raised it.
"Let's toast, my friends," Ruvyn said. "You already are my soldiers and your journey already started when you left your homes. So, let's toast to the future and hope that all of you here can achieve your dreams."
The commander was really weird, but it didn't look like that was an act since the veterans promptly obeyed him. After that, all the recruits began to eat. Since they could eat as much as we wanted and most of them were kids from ordinary families, the kids began to stuff their mouths. Zaos liked the rabbit soup quite a lot. He had no idea what would happen from the next day onward, so he made sure to fill his belly.
"The newcomers are free to walk around our base for today, in fact, I would recommend that you do that in order to get used to the base, just make sure not to get in the way of the work of others and don't leave the building," Commander Ruvyn said. "As for the squad leaders, I want a list with the name of your squad members in my office one hour before sunset. I also deliver the documents with your assignments for the week. Don't be late."
It looked like Zaos was wrong, and his title of squad leader wasn't just a decoration. Still, that was probably just the basics he would have to get used to in order to learn how to lead soldiers on the battlefield.
"The journey of one thousand steps starts with one…" Zaos thought. "Where did I hear that? Well, whatever…"
When Zaos felt satisfied, he decided to complete his first task, but he will have to grab some paper and ink in his room. He had those since he had been writing letters to his mother, but going alone was a bad idea. His squadmates could leave and then explore the base. Finding them will be a pain in the ass if that were to happen.
"Can you guys return with me to the fifth floor?" Zaos asked. "Once we deal with that, you are going to be free for the rest of the day, it is better to solve that question in order to prevent problems."
Zaos only noticed now, but those two guys who stayed on guard duty with him also joined his squad. Their luck was really terrible. Although they didn't want to be his friends, the other kids weren't stupid enough to think of cause problems for Zaos. Things were simple in the army. When something bad happens, a lot of people are punished for it. Besides, Zaos was a noble family member, and they had no idea who he was in reality, personality-wise.
Thanks to everyone's cooperation, Zaos quickly solved that issue. He was left alone in his room again, wondering if he should memorize the faces and names of his squad members. The chances of that coming in handy when doing some group tasks were pretty high. Then again, the chances of Zaos succeeding without talking with them on a daily basis wasn't that high.
"Oh, well… Let's wait and see how things will play out," zao6 shrugged.
Since Zaos didn't have anything better to do and exploring the base probably would take a lot more time, he decided to practice his magic and meditate for a while. He only left his room two hours before sunset. That was probably enough to look for the commander's office. Being the first would also give Zaos some time for him to ask a few things.
Much to Zaos's surprise, when he reached the first floor, he saw Ruvyn and several soldiers walking in a hurry toward the base entrance.
"Commander Ruvyn, the list of names…" Zaos said.
"I left Elius in my office to deal with that issue, you can go and talk to him," Ruvyn said and then left.
Zaos sighed after hearing that. Why Elius of all people? In the end, those thoughts disappeared from his mind when he approached some soldiers to ask for directions and then heard them whispering.
"It looks like another town was attacked and our soldiers were heavily injured when they tried to protect the place. The commander just left to check things with his own eyes."
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