okay.”
Peter approached the podium , tapped on the microphone a few times to make sure the signal was fine, and cleared his throat to gather everyone’s attention.
“ Members of my esteemed Garrison, welcome all for this momentous occasion.” Peter smiled. Nick had never seen the old man bare so many teeth before in his life. “Last year was an exceptional year for us all, and once again our city is kept liberated of demons, in part due to the combined efforts of you all. I wish to extend a thank you to each and every one of you for all your skills and services.”
Applause erupted and cheers from the troops echoed throughout the room.
Peter waited a few moments for them to settle down before he continued. “However, the New Year would not be new without a few changes, now would it? I want to present to you all, the two new arrivals from our brothers from Fyria. The first, being Daniel Swift!”
A small boy stepped from the Brave Unit section of knights and walked to the platform. He had curly, sandy blond hair and a baby face that supported big, round cheeks. Across the bridge of his nose was a group of tiny freckles. Nick couldn’t believe it, this kid was a knight! His cheerful demeanor and dimpled smile suggested he was untarnished by the perils of war. He gave a friendly wave at the crowd, before taking one of the two vacant seats next to the archangels.
“ He has been chosen by one of our resident archangels, Sir Lucius Crescent, to be his new apprentice!” Peter said. “The first apprentice chosen in over a decade!”
The applause was scattered this time around, many of the soldiers were bitter by his selection.
Sir Lucius Crescent smiled broadly and his blue eyes gleamed with pride in the lights overhead. With his cropped spiked, white blond hair and perfect tan, the man clapped approvingly. Though he was sitting at the moment, it was clear Lucius was a tall and very handsome man. No wonder he was a popular topic among the female knights. Nick had never personally spoken a word to him, but from what Joni had told him, Lucius was a charismatic and charming person who was head of the Wisdom Unit. Not only that, but his uniform was decorated with a multitude of medals, signifying his position as an archangel was well deserved.
“ Are you serious? I should be apprentice before that guy!” Matt muttered loudly. A few other groans echoed his same sentiments throughout the hall, and soon spurred the room into an angry mob.
“ That little runt can’t be the next apprentice!”
“ He’s not even old enough to drive!”
“ He hasn’t even gone through puberty yet!”
The disgruntled crowd was not very subtle with their displeasure, but they had every right to act unruly. This entire ceremony was an unorthodox and unnecessary way to gather knights who had dreamed of being an apprentice and effectively slapping them in the face with rejection.
Apprenticeship was a selective honor bestowed by an archange l of a Garrison to a knight who had shown great promise as both a disciple and on the battlefield. The archangel would mentor them personally, molding them into their future replacements. Judging by his first impression, Daniel had no special qualities; in fact, he seemed much too timid to take on such a role. To the other knights he was the stranger from a different Garrison who usurped their chances at glory. Maybe he had some hidden talents that only the archangels knew about.
“ QUIET!” a booming voice commanded and the clamoring room became silent.
Nick glanced at the archangel called Sir Bartholomew “The Fist” Irons, whose intimidating visage and powerful voice quelled the knights in one word. He was known as “The Fist” because his weapon of choice was a giant silver gauntlet made of Thornish steel, which was grafted onto his arm and also functioned as a prosthetic right hand. Like Nick, he was a master of hand-to-hand combat and was said to have crushed the skulls of a thousand
Peter approached the podium , tapped on the microphone a few times to make sure the signal was fine, and cleared his throat to gather everyone’s attention.
“ Members of my esteemed Garrison, welcome all for this momentous occasion.” Peter smiled. Nick had never seen the old man bare so many teeth before in his life. “Last year was an exceptional year for us all, and once again our city is kept liberated of demons, in part due to the combined efforts of you all. I wish to extend a thank you to each and every one of you for all your skills and services.”
Applause erupted and cheers from the troops echoed throughout the room.
Peter waited a few moments for them to settle down before he continued. “However, the New Year would not be new without a few changes, now would it? I want to present to you all, the two new arrivals from our brothers from Fyria. The first, being Daniel Swift!”
A small boy stepped from the Brave Unit section of knights and walked to the platform. He had curly, sandy blond hair and a baby face that supported big, round cheeks. Across the bridge of his nose was a group of tiny freckles. Nick couldn’t believe it, this kid was a knight! His cheerful demeanor and dimpled smile suggested he was untarnished by the perils of war. He gave a friendly wave at the crowd, before taking one of the two vacant seats next to the archangels.
“ He has been chosen by one of our resident archangels, Sir Lucius Crescent, to be his new apprentice!” Peter said. “The first apprentice chosen in over a decade!”
The applause was scattered this time around, many of the soldiers were bitter by his selection.
Sir Lucius Crescent smiled broadly and his blue eyes gleamed with pride in the lights overhead. With his cropped spiked, white blond hair and perfect tan, the man clapped approvingly. Though he was sitting at the moment, it was clear Lucius was a tall and very handsome man. No wonder he was a popular topic among the female knights. Nick had never personally spoken a word to him, but from what Joni had told him, Lucius was a charismatic and charming person who was head of the Wisdom Unit. Not only that, but his uniform was decorated with a multitude of medals, signifying his position as an archangel was well deserved.
“ Are you serious? I should be apprentice before that guy!” Matt muttered loudly. A few other groans echoed his same sentiments throughout the hall, and soon spurred the room into an angry mob.
“ That little runt can’t be the next apprentice!”
“ He’s not even old enough to drive!”
“ He hasn’t even gone through puberty yet!”
The disgruntled crowd was not very subtle with their displeasure, but they had every right to act unruly. This entire ceremony was an unorthodox and unnecessary way to gather knights who had dreamed of being an apprentice and effectively slapping them in the face with rejection.
Apprenticeship was a selective honor bestowed by an archange l of a Garrison to a knight who had shown great promise as both a disciple and on the battlefield. The archangel would mentor them personally, molding them into their future replacements. Judging by his first impression, Daniel had no special qualities; in fact, he seemed much too timid to take on such a role. To the other knights he was the stranger from a different Garrison who usurped their chances at glory. Maybe he had some hidden talents that only the archangels knew about.
“ QUIET!” a booming voice commanded and the clamoring room became silent.
Nick glanced at the archangel called Sir Bartholomew “The Fist” Irons, whose intimidating visage and powerful voice quelled the knights in one word. He was known as “The Fist” because his weapon of choice was a giant silver gauntlet made of Thornish steel, which was grafted onto his arm and also functioned as a prosthetic right hand. Like Nick, he was a master of hand-to-hand combat and was said to have crushed the skulls of a thousand
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