Waging War | The Amber Duology #1

41 | A Hop, Skip, and A Pile of Mud Away

The one thing Kai Smith had been preparing his trainees for was now looking at him right in the eye.

War may have been the reason why he was expected to train them in the first place, a bet may have been the reason he placed enough effort, and a higher position may have been his motivation for getting up every morning, but nothing could compare to the thrill and pressure that crept up his spine as he eyed the course.

It all comes down to this. He thought, taking in a deep breath and letting it leave through his mouth.

It was the first time the General of the Army would witness what the new recruits was capable of, and the first time he would get to assess the progress Kai had made in training them.

He wanted to say they were ready. That he had done all he could to make sure a new generation of fighters wouldn't die at the hands of the enemy.

But now that he was watching his fellow soldiers set up the challenges for the Placement Test, Kai wanted to call the whole thing off.

No matter how much he wanted to take credit for every success that came from his trainees or how much improvement they made everyday, none of it would matter when the General strived for perfection.

They were to be assessed in all aspects of military requirements. From speed and agility to weapon handling to dragon flying. Everything he had trained them for came down to the one test that would decide their fate in Ninjago's Army.

The mere sight of the climbing wall was enough to bring back memories of his own.

"You nervous, Smith?" Morro had asked, a smirk forming on his lips as he brushed away the black locks that had clouded his vision.

It was the first bet he had ever made with the boy—the first one to make it to the end of the test would earn a large helping of coin that was guaranteed to get them anything they wanted. Kai had staked all his savings in the bet, and he wasn't going to lose it now.

He turned his head, an identical smirk was plastered on his face. "Not as much as you, Hiroto."

Kai trained his vision forward, ignoring the way the boy's face fell as he positioned himself by the starting line. His fate in the army rested in his own hands.

Kai shook his head now, pivoting in his step to move away from the wooden structure. He got up at dawn for the preparations that were necessary for today's challenge—alongside the fact that he couldn't sleep from all the nervous energy that bugged him all night.

Because for the first time since he agreed to do this, Kai was starting to question his own abilities. His feet started pacing around the sands, his hand shot up to run through his hair.

Did I do this right? Are they ready? Had I trained them enough? No. No, I need more time!

He had to make sure that everything was perfect and well fitted to the General's liking as well as the safety of the recruits. He gave Jay the extra time of rest as a way of thanking him for filling in Lloyd's spot after the boy left in the middle of training.

There were dozens of soldiers working on the obstacles that each trainee would be facing that afternoon, a series of clunks and knocks from hammers pounding against wood flowed into his ears, followed by the sounds of a saw and the scent of freshly cut lumber.

Zane was wide awake too, testing out the compatibility of the vehicles that were part of the test while Kataru worked on the cameras that would record everything that was happening for further review later on.

Kai paced in front of everyone, letting his own thoughts consume him as he waited.

Why did it have to be today? He groaned internally, already dreading the events that hadn't even happened yet. His mind pictured his trainees falling face first in the mud course or accidentally shooting an arrow in the General's direction or worse, his hair.