It was now the last day of the third week of their boot camp, and the squad was closer to each other than before, even considering themselves friends. Zuno and his squad were standing outside in the field with the rest of the group as they did every day before. Michael was standing before them with his hands behind his back, while the platoon, including Zuno, was at ease, with each arm lying by their sides.
The atmosphere was completely different than the day they arrived. They were no longer civilians but were on their way to becoming full-fledged soldiers. The first couple of weeks were entirely strength, endurance, and marksmenship based with some other things trained between them. The product of all that hard work was perceptible.
Zuno was no longer thin and frail; he was bulkier than before and had defined muscles. Compared to the others there, he was one of the fittest. It seemed that his body evolved faster and adapted to intense training faster than the average human., It was something that his body had never done before; it was peculiar. Before Zuno could put too much thought into it, Michael started to speak to his platoon.
" The past two weeks have finally shown results, and now we have only one final week ahead of us. Today and the next will be the most important days of your training and probably your lives. "
Michael cleared his throat before looking towards the platoon, his gaze as fierce as it always was, but more delicate than the others around his rank and above. His speech continued shortly after.
" Since you all are already sorted into groups, it makes everything easier on my part. Today, I will teach you how to defend yourself if hand-to-hand combat ever occurs, so why don't we start with an example? Each member of your squad will fight one another, as if your lives depend on it... But please don't actually kill each other? "
Michael paused with a sigh.
" I don't feel like filing any paperwork if that does happen. So if your opponent yields or I deem the fight is over, the squabble is over, and you move on to the next. Now, let's start, shall we? Deem who you will fight against amongst yourselves. "
A couple of minutes passed and Zunos squad choose to start by fighting each other by gender, So for his first fight, Zuno had to face Derrick, who was supposedly the strongest in his squad, This annoyed Zuno but he couldn't just give up, he didn't know if Micheal would realize he didn't try or what would happen to the loser.
Zuno sighed as he and Derrick got in position to face each other. They were friends, so Derrick probably is gonna go easy on him, right?...
" Since we're buds... you're gonna go easy on me? "
Derrick just stared at him with stone-cold eyes, not even giving Zuno a reply. A couple of seconds passed as they circled each other, looking for an opening. Undoubtedly, Derrick was the first to find one, quickly sending his fist forward, striking Zuno in the nose and causing his head to fly back with the force behind it.
'What the hell.. I guess he's not going easy on me. Ouch, did he break my nose?'
Although it felt like Derrick did indeed break Zuno's nose, no blood came coursing out of it, and the pain quickly diminished. Zuno, knowing that he couldn't take the hits head-on, reflexively put his hands up in a defensive position as Derrick sent another blow towards him, pushing Zuno backwards with each hit. He couldn't play defensively the entire time, as each hit was chipping him away, like glass slowly cracking before shattering.
As the next punch came, Zuno turned into it, using his arms to lighten the blow as his body slid between Derrick's arms, and he slammed his shoulder into his chest. Ultimately causing Derrick to lose his balance and stumble sideways, as he did so, Zuno slipped his leg between Derrick's, tripping him and forcing him to fall on his side.
Knowing that this was his chance to win, Zuno swiftly got on top of him and raised his fist, readying himself to strike Derrick's jaw with force, but a mere few seconds before he did so. Derrick raised his hands in a surrendering position.
" I yield. "
Zuno quickly got off of Derrick and reached out his hand to help Derrick get up, which Derrick accepted and patted Zuno on the back as he stood.
" Good Job. "
The fight with Claire and Sarah was finished as they were. Resulting in Claire winning, shortly after, the whole platoon had finished and was back in their at ease formation, their clothes covered in sand and dirt, while their faces were roughed up.
Michael stood there silently, with a hint of satisfaction on his face as his gaze passed over them. For a moment, it seemed like he was thinking about what to say, but he eventually cleared his throat once more as his stony gaze returned.
" Now that we are all warmed up, let me tell you about the enemy. Although they are humanoid, they are all but human. These Arachtoids are far stronger, faster, and more dangerous than you can comprehend. One second... No, one millisecond of hesitation will be the cause of your death. Their skin is tough, so regular ammunition will be like shooting a bear with an airgun. It would only piss them off and make your death certain. "
Michael released his hand from his back and gripped the pistol that was attached to his hip, and unholstered it.
" Thankfully, our government has been working hard to find a way to kill these bastards, and this right here is that way. "
Michael raised his hand with the pistol towards the sky and wiggled it. It was easy to tell that it wasn't a regular pistol; it was bulkier and had weird curves and symbols engraved into it. He then lowered his hand and aimed it towards the dirt behind him, his body turning to face that direction as he did, before gripping the trigger tightly.
The noise that came from it was loud, almost deafening for the unadjusted ear. As the bullet hit the sand, a large mist of dust and dirt surrounded the area it landed, and as the dust lessened, a small crater could be seen from where the bullet penetrated.
" And this puppy right here is one of the smaller calibers. This should tell you how dangerous these things are. Weapons like these are the ones you'll be using to defend yourselves on the frontlines. It's a different world out there, I can promise you that. So, for the last week while you're here, we will be teaching you how to use these accordingly and how to survive if you lose yours, which I wouldn't recommend. "
Michael blew the smoke still steaming out of the tip of the pistol before reholstering it to his hip and turning back towards the group. He returned to his original position and glared at them while a smirk slowly formed on his face.
" So now, shall we get started? "