Chapter 2: An Ordinary Day

An ordinary day in the life of an orc child in training.

Ogrest was suddenly awoken by the loud clang of metal on metal, and quickly shot up.

"Get up! Get up! Time to get up! Get your asses out of bed!" An orc yelled as he walked between the bunk beds with a metal ladle and pot. "Come on you! Get up!" He said, smacking a boy who still lay beneath his blankets with the metal.

Ogrest's body ached and felt as if it weighed twice as much, but he didn't waste any time throwing off the covers and leaping out of bed onto the floor. Gorgaug was already standing, stretching his arms over his head before reaching down and touching his toes.

"Come on sleepyhead, wake up and wipe the sleep out of your eyes. Time to move." He said, and Ogrest said nothing, instead focusing his attention on the grey bearded, pot-bellied cook who was walking towards them with his pan and ladle.

"Come on, ya runts! Get a move on and get your breakfast! No dilly dallyin'! Let's go!" He grabbed Gorgaug by the arm, who grinned in  amusement as he was pushed forward. Ogrest snarled a bit as the man did the same to him.

The two of them headed out of the sleeping quarters and into the mess hall, wherea  good portion of the boys were already in line for breakfast, which was meat chunks and oat gruel. Not much different than the meal from the night before, but as before, the boys ate it without complaint.

After breakfast, it was time for chores. First, they all cleaned the mess hall from top to bottom, taking what little scraps there were and feeding them to the boars who were fenced in behind the barracks. Next, they cleaned their rooms and made their beds, and after all that it was time for studies.

For the blackrock clan, the studies were not extensive. Mostly they involved history of war, tactics, and the forging and shaping of steel. The boys made their way into a large empty room, the floor covered in leather skins which were sewed together in a large circular mat. A few dozen of them crammed together and sat down, some sitting cross legged and others preferring to squat.

Ogrest and Gorgaug sat next to one another, as brothers tended to do.

After everyone was settled in, a tall, frail robed man walked into the room, and the mutterings of the boys become silent. He gazed across them, his face hardened and wrinkled with age, long thin strands of silver hair neatly groomed hung beside his face, with a long white beard the match. Various scared adorned his face, and one particularly stood out which went vertically from the top of his head to the bottom of his jaw, crossing his left eye and leaving it white and without sight.

He made his way to the front of the classroom where a large wooden pedestal stood, a large dusty tome in his right hand. He slammed it down on the pedestal, looking over the boys with his lip slightly raised in a snarl. He flipped through the pages, keeping his eyes on the boys, the only sound being that of flapping pages. He looked down at the book, finally speaking in the tone of an aging scholarly man.

"Now where did we leave off yesterday? Right, here... Cavalry. Who can tell me: When being charged by cavalry, what is the best defense?"

"A spear!" A boy called out.

"Yes, spearmen are the best defense, but one spear is not enough. When holding the line, each man must be shoulder to shoulder, shields in front and spears raised. Remember! The line is only as strong as it's weakest link, so you must be strong for your brothers in arms! Stand fast, and stay tightly knit as a group!"

The boys absorbed the information, though one of them seemed to be distracted.

"You there! Wake up! Pay attention! Now, if you are the ones leading the calvarly charge and the enemy has created a spear wall, what do you do?"

Ogrest raised his hand and called out, "Engage them with infantry and send your cavalry to flank!"

The teacher smiled at Ogrest, nodding. "Good Ogrest! If only you put as much effort into your training as you did your studies, you would make a fine warrior."

Ogrest shrank a bit, looking side to side, feeling a bit embarassed from being singled out, but the teacher continued on.

"Now, the most important thing regarding orc cavalry, and the thing you will be training in a few days, is handling your warg! An unruly warg is a useless warg! So, today we will be studying the behavior of wargs, so pay attention, lest you want to get eaten!"

The teacher went on, explaining to the boys all about wargs, from their origin, history as orcish animals, all the way to their temperment and how to train them. By the end of the lesson the boy's minds were full, some of the lesser gifted ones scratching their heads in confusion.

After class, the boys were given one hour for rest and recreation before physical training. Ogrest got up quickly, eager to leave, but the teacher blocked his way.

"Ah, Ogrest. In a hurry, are we? Your father told me that you've been skipping training lately. Not planning to do it again, are you?"

"Of course not," Ogrest said, but he could not keep eye contact with his teacher as he did so.

"Ah well, I don't imagine so, since your father told me you and your brother will be skipping your recreation today and doing extra physical training." He said, smiling as he looked down on the young boy, who's eyes widened with disappointment.

"What?!" Gorgaug cried, overhearing their talk. "Why the hell do I have to skip recreation too?!"

"Watch your tone with me, boy!" The teacher snapped, glaring at Gorgaug, who kicked up dirt and muttered under his breath. The teacher returned his eyes to Ogrest, "Perhaps this will teach you not to skip out on training. Training of the body is just as important as training of the mind. One without the other is completely useless! Now go, you two. Don't make Ograr wait. You both he has little patience for tardiness."

Gorgaug growled as he walked past Ogrest, punching his brother in the arm hard enough to knock him sideways, "You're going to pay for this, brat!" With that he jogged out of the room. Ogrest, rubbing his arm, jogged after him, not wanting to be late.

The teacher watched on as they gradually left his sight. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing in pensiveness.

---

"You're late!" Roared Ograr as the brothers arrived, panting from jogging all the way to the training field.

The field was a large open area of dirt, the barracks being a fair bit off in the distance behind them, and ahead of them a large, barren desert with large black mountains on the horizon. It consisted of what appeared to be a circular track, formed by the feet of the students who ran it's circumfrence countless times, and in the center was a sandy wrestling pit. The their left, on the far side of the track, were racks which contained wouldn't sticks and shields, similar to the one Ogrest was beaten with in their own families training tent.

Ograr looked at them. Not only was he their father, but also in charge of training the students at the Barracks, and as such, the boys were well known amongst the other trainees. Being their father meant little, except maybe that he was extra strict with them to avoid favoritism.

Ograr pointed at to large stone blocks, carved into perfect rectangles, and tied to each of them were thick leather harnesses.

"Since you decided you skip training yesterday, today you and your brother will prepare the wrestling pit and running track during your recreation. I want to see it level and clean! If it's not perfect, you'll be doing it again! Understood?"

"I don't understand why I'm being punished, since it was Ogrest who skipped training." Gorgaug protested. Ograr stepped to him and cuffed him hard upside the head, leaving the boy rubbing his scalp in pain.

"He is your younger brother, so you are just as responsible for his actions as he is! If you had set a good example, he wouldn't be so disobedient! Now go! I don't want to hear another complaint out of either of you! If you make one more sound it's a beating for both of you!" Ogrest and Gorgaug trudged over towards the tilling stones, "Hurry up!" Ograr yelled.

The boys worked tirelessly, dragging the stones through the sand and dirt until the track and wrestling pit were groomed and level, ready for the trainees to do their training. By the time they were finished, the other boys had already arrived and recreation was over.

Ograug oversaw the training. They all began running the track until exhaustion, leaving them huffing and puffing, their legs on fire and barely able to hold them up. After a short rest, it was the wrestling pit, where each boy would take turns wrestling until they won a match. If a student did not win a match, they would remain in the ring, taking turns fighting each of the boys until they won, or until the training was over.

Ogrest was a strong wrestler, though not as strong as his brother. He took out many of the other students in matches, only losing to a few of the older boys. He was smaller than most, and less muscular, but he was tactful and quick, and could use his leverage to throw and pin even students who were larger than him.  

Ograr watched closely, a stern look on his face. He let the boys punish each other for their mistakes and encouraged them to be ruthless. He stopped them many times, shouting at them when they made mistakes. However, despite his callousness, he took care to show the boys the proper techniques, taking time to explain things when necessary, but never more than once.

When it was over, the sun was beginning to set, and all the boys were covered in scrapes and bruises. Ograr stood before them, eyeing each of them.

"Well done," It was the first encouraging word he had said to them all afternoon, "No one was stuck in the ring today. However! You all have plenty to learn, and plenty to grow! Some of you haven't been eating all of your supper! If I have to, I will tie you down and force feed you gruel until you learn to love it! You won't grow strong if you do not eat, understood?!"

"Yes teacher!" The boys shouted in unison.

"Also, your technique is getting sloppy! Don't think because you have been training in wrestling for many months now that you can relax! You must always be at your best! If I see any of you slacking again, it will be the birch for you! Got it?!"

"Yes teacher!"

"Good! You're dismissed!" With that, the boys got up to leave. Ogrest and Graug did as well, but he walked over to them and put his hands on their shoulders. "You two!"

The brothers jumped, fearful of a reprimand by their father, but to their shock he did not yell.

"Tomorrow your brother will be returning home. After training, you will come home immediately. Don't be late! And be on your best behaviour. Understood?"

The boys nodded, and Ograr walked away. The two brothers looked at each other and smiled.

"Ogan is coming home." Gorgaug said, excitement in his voice.

"Do you think he'll have stories to tell us again? About the battles, and Blackhand?"

Gorgaug shrugged, "How would I know? I'm going to tell him that I've been whooping you in training, though." He grinned. Ogrest snarled.

"When he gets home, I'll whoop you in front of him!"

Gorgaug laughed. Swiftly, he put his leg in front of Ogrest and tripped him. Ogrest fell face first into the dirt, and Gorgaug ran ahead laughing.

"Race you back to the barracks!" He called, already several paces ahead. Ogrest got up quickly and chased after him.

"I'm going to break open your head!" He roared, chasing after him. Despite his anger, and despite their bickering from the night before, Ogrest couldn't stifle a smile. As the two ran swiftly, the sun set behind them, putting an end to another day of training. Tomorrow, it would begin again, but at least he had something to look forward to.

Ogan would be home, and the reason for the all the toil would become clear once again when they heard the tales of glorious battle that their brother had witnessed.

When they returned to the barracks, they wasted no time stuffing down their food and quickly went to bed, awaiting the next dawn.

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Author's Note

I kind of rushed the second half, so it may not be as good. I may re-write it later, but knowing me, I probably won't. :D Let me know what you think. I'm open to suggestions and changes, and I will rewrite if I get some of those.