"Alright, listen up. From today onward, we are the Dragon Army. We will serve Hallowed Marsh to our graves, but to do that effectively, we must be able to fight. Xavier and Jonathon, come here," you say after Moss is out of sight.
Xavier walks forth, his temple bruised and swollen. He glares at you. Jonathon follows, a confused look on his face.
"You two are my lieutenants," you declare, "and as such, you will each command eight men. Take turns choosing from the pool. After the selection has been decided, you will choose two of your eight and declare them captains, and they will take turns to select three of the remaining six to form their squad."
Jon seems surprised by your organization, but he goes along with it. Xavier seems really angry, though. He obviously thinks you robbed him of his position as leader. Regardless, the draft proceeds uneventfully.
After 20 minutes, you've instated a proper hierarchy and command structure. Time to get them training. Some of them still have injuries they're nursing, but frankly, they need as much fighting experience as they can get. The 'trial by fire' is two weeks away, and it doesn't take a military genius to note that the forces you have now are pitiful.
"Grab some training swords from the armory and find yourselves sparring partners. Don't hold back and don't stop for anything. There will be no breaks. If you need to take a breather, you can take it while running laps around the field. If I see anyone slacking off, you'll be assigned a new partner. Me."
You think that worked -- your forces scatter and head immediately for the armory. Xavier spits at the field, glares at you again, and struts off. Jon comes up beside you.
"I-I'm really happy you think I'm good enough to be lieutenant, but, I'm younger than most of the others here. I don't think they'll listen to me if push comes to shove."
Jonathon has a point. 13 is the minimum age at which one could join the militia, 16 is the oldest, and most boys seem to be somewhere in between. You haven't even seen him fight, but if he got to the semifinals he has to have been doing something right. Xavier on the other hand seems like trouble -- you haven't fought him on even ground yet, and you're not honestly sure if you could beat him again. It also occurs to you that you completely lost track of the main reason you joined the militia: to earn enough gold to buy a llama. You've gotten yourself into a rather ridiculous predicament. You don't even know how much you'll be paid.
You have one battle to your name. You're probably greener than most of your men. Given that there are 19 members of Dragon Army, if everyone pairs up, one will be left over. You had planned on being that one, but given your abject lack of fighting experience and the fact that Xavier seems like he's got something in mind for you, maybe a change of plans would be best. You said you'd fight whoever slacked off, but the entire group seems determined. Lazing about is hardly something a newly appointed leader should do, too.
>...
Status: At the training field with Jonathon. The rest of Dragon Army has gone to fetch weapons.
Inventory: Hallowed Marsh uniform and leader armband.
Skills: Novice unarmed combatant.
Sanguine,
Melancholic,
Phlegmatic Rank 0.
Choleric Rank 1.
At this rank you:
- can command a squad of five or fewer extremely well
- can inspire or frighten small groups of people
- can detect disloyalty in weak-willed individuals
Force level: 18/18 (100%)
Lieutenants: Jonathon Miles, Xavier ??
Morale: Good.
Equipment: Training weapons.
Experience: Completely green.
Discipline: Average.