1 Chapter 1: War Dogs

The dark starry night envelopes the sky, no sound can be heard the night is in complete silence, the land enjoys a rare moment of peace.

" Here take this" an old man in his fifties with a beard handed a mug of beer to the young man sitting in front of a fire, as the old man sit beside him.

" thank you," said the young man as he take the mug of beer from the old man.

" hahahahahaha no need to say thank you we are all in the same boat, such formality is unnecessary" the old man laughed loudly and took a big gulp from the mug of beer in his hand.

The young man also took a sip, and he looked at his surrounding he saw other people doing the same thing as them, in front of a fire drinking beer, eating, and laughing. They just won a huge fight against a neighbouring kingdom that tried to invade them and they are having a big banquet to celebrate their victory.

The young man is a "war dog" a term used for those who fight in a war in exchange for money or other rewards, war dogs are employed by the army to make up for their lack of soldiers or as cannon fodder, despite the danger that comes with being a war dog, many young and hot-blooded men still dare to do this kind of job.

The others became war dogs to make a name for themselves and eventually be recognized by the kingdom and receive great wealth and fame.

But for the young man wealth and fame is nothing to him, not because he's from a rich and prominent family but because he has no direction in life and he does not know where to go, and since he has some knowledge in using a sword it is easy for him to become a war dog, he's been doing this job for five years and he is now twenty years old meaning he started when he was just fifteen years old, other kids are still having fun and playing around at that age while the young man is in the battlefield shedding blood and treading a path of no return.

," hey Gael! Drink some more, you killed an enemy captain so we should celebrate hahahahahaha "the middle-aged man shouted while holding a mug of beer, his face is red and his body is swaying a little as he stood up, it is clear that he's already drunk.

Gael is the name of the young man, he is also the youngest of the war dogs in his squad, and he's the most skilled when it comes to swords, killing an enemy squad captain is a great feat for Gael at his age that is why the squad he's in is incredibly happy.

" he's right you should at least put on a happy face you, bastard, " another man said from not far away he appears to be in his mid-twenties, and he is slowly walking towards Gael and the others, he's wearing a steel armor, and also holding a drink just like the others.

" Captain!" Gael and the others stood up and greeted the man, it is the captain of their squad, he is also a war dog but he came from a prominent family he's just here to train and gain experience.

" captain aren't you in a meeting with the other captains and commanders?" Gael asked as he took a seat, their captain also took a seat as well.

" there is nothing more to talk about since we already won, it is just about the rewards, oh right! You will receive a reward for killing one of the enemy captain" Captain said while he was eating a piece of meat and drinking with the others, although he came from a prominent family he treats everyone as his equal since according to him 'in a battlefield we are all soldiers' he is also quite close with Gael since they are the youngest in their squad.

"What kind of reward will Gael receive captain? " one of their squad members drinking with them asked when he heard the word 'reward'

Who doesn't like a reward?

" I also don't know but it should be great since this is a war between another kingdom and the Crown Prince himself picked out the rewards this time" Captain said emotionlessly as he continue to eat.

But the others stopped moving and stared at their captain, they are still comprehending their captain's words.

" th-the-the-the crown prince himself picked out the reward?" one of their squad members asked in shock.

Though it may appear simple the Crown Prince is the next in line for the throne, meaning he will be the next king of their kingdom, and being rewarded by the future king is a great honor, especially for commoners like them.

" yes the crown prince, it normal for him to reward those who contributed greatly since other than being a crown prince this place is also his territory, " said their captain.

The man who will receive a reward from the crown prince, Gael is just listening to their conversation as drinks his beer, he is not really excited about tomorrow's awarding ceremony since he is not here fighting a bloody war to gain rewards or anything, he is more concerned about where will he go next since the war here is over.

They continue to drink and celebrate until every one of them passed out from drinking except Gael and their captain.

" Gael where are you planning to go after tomorrows awarding ceremony?" the captain asked as he stare at Gael.

" honestly I don't know" Gael answered, he doesn't have a place he can call home anymore since his hometown was destroyed when he was young because of an invasion from their neighbouring kingdom.

" you can come with me and become one of my family's retainers" their captain offered with a smile on his face, he wants to recruit Gael into his family because he recognized Gael's skill and talent when it comes to swords, it will not be hard for Gael to reach greater height if he's given an opportunity.

" I appreciate your offer but I don't want to be tied in a single place for the rest of my life " Gael respectfully declined his captain's offer.

*sigh

His captain sighed because he thinks it is a shame that Gael declined his offer but he cannot force Gael into following him.

" I understand, and I hope that one day you realize what you want to do and find your purpose in life my friend" the captain said, he tapped Gael's shoulder then he walked away towards his tent to take a rest.

Gael smiled at his captain's words and gesture, he nodded towards his captain.

" I hope so too my friend " Gael said, then he looked up and stared at the starry night.

…

Morning came and everyone started to get ready but not for battle but for the arrival of the Crown Prince and the award ceremony, soldiers and war dogs clean up their tents and wore their newly cleaned armors and weapons.

Gael also dressed nicely since he is one of the people who will receive a reward from the crown prince, he should look presentable, he is dressed in black colored clothes and his newly cleaned leather armor, he is also wearing a black cloak, he is wearing the clothes he wears in the battlefield since the soldiers are wearing their shiny armors, the war dogs are also wearing the outfits they use in battle, but Gael's captain is not wearing any armor on his body instead he is wearing a blue colored formal suit, when he came out of his tent Gael and the others are shocked at first then they remembered that their captain despite being a war dog is from a prominent family.

" is everyone ready?" their captain asked.

" yes sir! " Gael and the others answered in unison as they salute their captain.

" then let's head out!" the captain shouted and he then took the lead, Gael and the others followed their captain, they marched towards the open square at the center of the military camp.

Even though Gael and the others are war dogs and are not formal soldiers they still follow the hierarchy and obey the commands of their captain they also exhibit discipline like other soldiers.

After a few minutes of marching, they arrived at the wide and spacious square filled with soldiers and other war dogs that are lined up properly with their respective captains in front, they are all facing a wooden stage.

When everyone arrived the commander appeared on top of the stage.

When they saw the commander they simultaneously saluted.

*ahem * ahem

The commander cleared his throat.

" first of all I would like to congratulate everyone for successfully defending our land our home, though we lost some of our comrades and brothers, their deaths are not in vain, today we are greatly honored since the crown prince has come here today"

" whoa!"

"whoa!"

After the commander finished his short speech the soldiers and war dogs cheered.

The commander then took a step back and a good-looking young man stepped forward, the good-looking young man has blonde hair and is wearing a white and gold-coloured suit, it is the crown prince.

When the Crown Prince stepped forward the soldiers cheered again.

" long live the prince"

"long live the prince"

"long live the prince"

The Crown Prince smiled and he put his hand up telling the soldiers to stop.

" I am Damien Nubis the crown prince of Nubis kingdom, I am here today to congratulate you all for your efforts to defend our land, and also I want to say thank you, not just for protecting our land but also for the people, you didn't just protect our territory but also our future, and for that, I thank you all, I will make sure that the sacrifices you guys made will not be in vain"

The word of the crown prince carries great sincerity and conviction, his words warmed everyone's heart, for their sacrifice to be acknowledged, and even Gael is slightly moved.