Crimson Ring Chapter 11

The first place First Sword Abon brought Raven was the dormitory section. It comprised twelve identical personal rooms, each equipped with a bed, a desk, two wardrobes, and four storage chests. Every member, from the first sword down to Raven—the newest member of the team with the lowly rank of recruit—had the same amenities. Raven suspected that was more an indication of the first sword than what he had seen so far of the peacekeeper corps structure.

Given the number of vacant rooms, and the generous size of each, it appeared team Dark had room enough to expand to a headcount of easily fifty. That count better resembled the numbers he’d seen in the two other elite teams they passed after entering the elite forces section of the garrison. Raven had a hunch First Sword Abon was in no hurry to expand his team, given the high standard he demanded. Quality over quantity was a respected approach.

From there, the first sword led Raven to what the team called the quiet section. It was by far the smallest of the three wings of the suite and contained mostly a half dozen small study rooms, each of which were equipped with nothing but a single desk and a glowing alchemical lamp for light. The team used the space for study for the many written portions of testing required for peacekeeper advancement which, according to First Sword Abon, became more and more rigorous as the ranks increased. 

The lone standout of the wing was the only other room, an impressive alchemy lab, larger and better equipped than anything Raven had seen outside of what Coragyps enjoyed back at the Roost. Even with the lack of any knowledge of alchemy, outside of utilizing the many brews and munitions, the difference between Coragyps and Mixer’s approaches were night and day. While Coragyps maintained a sterile workspace, meticulous down to the individual placements of her exotic tools, Mixer’s lab was a thing of chaos. Various liquids and powdered substances filled numerous flasks, beakers, and bowls, which Mixer had spread across the full surfaces of two wide tables. On the floor beside the tables were individual sheets or rolls of parchment that contained barely legible notes and calculations. As jarring as the space was, it oddly matched what Raven would have expected of Mixer’s lab.

The first sword ushered them along, shaking his head at the condition of the team’s lab. On the opposite end of the size spectrum, the recreational wing was by far the largest section of the suite. It was complete with a large day room lined with more tables and chairs than even their fully occupied suite could have accommodated.

Beyond the spacious day room, there was a sparring hall large enough for the entire team to comfortably work on fighting drills and martial technique, either individually or paired off together. Mandatory guided unarmed instruction took place three times each week unless the team was out on the sands. To this point, this was the section that piqued Raven’s interest the most. 

Directly across from the sparing hall was a room of identical size labeled as the conditioning hall. Instead of the leather padded floors and open space of the sparring hall, the conditioning hall was filled with an assortment of molded iron orbs and rods of various thickness and density used for physical conditioning—by far the largest collection of physical equipment that Raven had ever seen in one place. Just like that, he stood corrected; this was a room Raven could see himself spending a considerable amount of time in.

The last area of the recreational wing, just beyond the sparring and conditioning halls, was the washrooms. This was where most of the team had gathered after the first sword dismissed them. Two large wash rooms rested on the far end of the corridor, facing one another on opposite sides of the hall. The key feature, at least on a day like the one the team had experienced, was the twin bathing basins set in both rooms. 

The entire team waited outside of the rooms while garrison staff hurried to prepare all four baths for the team just arrived from the field. Given that Raven was the newest member of the team, First Sword Abon allowed Raven to cut in front of Titan and Mixer, who stood waiting to enter. That earned a dangerous sounding grumble from Titan, who had to take up position behind Mixer after being held back by the first sword. Since there were two wash basins in each room, that made Titan the odd man out having to wait until either Mixer or Raven finished and the garrison staff had the chance to turn to room over for the next use. 

Or, at least that would have made Titan the odd man out, but the first sword pulled Mixer from the line and instructed the alchemist to head to the quartermaster and place an order for a new standard issue to replace the gear Raven had lost.

This turned Titan’s grumble of annoyance into a very similar sounding rumbling laugh. Mixer turned and craned his head up at the large man and scowled. The face Mixer made was like a feral creature. 

Attempting one last ditched effort to find an angle out of running the errand, Mixer turned to the first sword and gestured at Raven. “I don’t even know his measurements. Won’t the quartermaster need to measure him up in order to properly fit him out?”

Before Mixer even finished his sentence, Raven peeled the filthy shirt over his head, releasing a thick cloud of clay colored dust into the tight corridor, and held it out to the squad alchemist. 

Mixer gave him a dark look and grumbled something under his breath as he snatched the garment and stormed off without another word.

“Absolutely not,” Rail called out. “Mixer, you wait right there, love.”

Mixer turned to the striker with a hopeful expression. Raven turned his attention to Rail and arched a brow, and saw the woman leering at his exposed back. 

Rail waved Mixer closer, not taking her eyes from Raven as the ghost of a grin tugged at her lips. “You’ll need to take his pantaloons as well, would you? To properly fit him out, of course.”

Mixer threw up his hands as he spun back around and stomped off so quickly another cloud of dust puffed in his wake. The first sword set off after the alchemist at a much slower pace.

Raven called out to him. “Hey Sword. Aren’t you going to get yourself cleaned up?”

First Sword Abon nodded, not turning around. “I have my report to file…and your contraband to tag. I get cleaned up last after a patrol.”

It was a rather noble gesture, sure, but had Raven been the team lead, he’d have been the first one cleaned up each day. After all, rank had its privileges. But it was gestures like that, as small as it was, that reinforced the team’s loyalty. And that loyalty was palpable.

He turned back to see Rail still staring at him, now taking in his defined chest and torso. She gestured. “Well, I was only half joking. I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing if the lower half is as appetizing as the top, sunshine.”

Just in time to save Raven from trying to scramble at some type of awkward response, the garrison staff emerged from both rooms simultaneously and nodded to the team lined on both sides of the hall.

“Good,” Breach said, grabbing Rail’s arm and moving her into position ahead. “Go in ahead of me. I might go in with you and drop all the cold alchemy stones we have into your bath to cool your fires.”

“What?” Rail said in an affronted voice. “A girl has eyes.” 

She glanced at Raven and tried what he believed to be a flirtatious look. But given the amount of grime coating her clothes and face and the oppressive mix of odors choking the hall, it didn’t have the desired effect. 

Rail shrugged and turned her head up, then spun on her heels. “Your loss, recruit.”

Raven watched her prance into the washroom before he shook his head and followed the big man Titan into the opposite doorway.