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"All right you lot, listen up!" I say. "You've been training for a month, but haven't seen any real reason why. That changes today."
They'd just finished their after-breakfast run, and some of them look queasy. So damn soft. But at least none of them pukes anymore. Number Sixteen must've gotten sick of having to eat it again.
They all quiet down when I talk now. Jump when I say jump, run when I say run. Catch when I say catch, dodge when I say dodge. We haven't used live rounds yet, just pulsers like I first used on Seven. But they all know what that feels like now. And none of them likes it. They're improving. It's a start.
"Today, I'm back in the Game." They look confused, so I explain. "You fools are all training, and I was given a month free just to deal with you. Now I get to go back out and show you why you're here.
"They think that since I'm here training you worthless turds, I may have forgotten how to do what I do. They think I shouldn't be Marcius. They think you all might need a new Faramond.
"I'm planning to prove them wrong. I've got a party of five Martials telling me I'm not worth the food I eat. I think the fools forgot that they're not up for the shit I dish out. They're rushing to hell, and I plan to make asses of them for it."
I pause, and the others seem confused. "What those five have forgotten is that my name isn't just Faramond Jivanta Eddy Marcius. It's Faramond Jivanta Eddy Marcius Ozul Warner Alasdair Cadeyrn. They may be Gemmels, but they're still Martials. And I don't take well to posing. So I'm gonna teach them how to play the Game right."
They still look confused. I don't know why. "What? Is all you sorry lot are good for running? What're you confused about?"
It's Seven who speaks up first. It's always Seven. "We know Faramond, and we know Eddy. And we know Nil's what you have us call you. But the rest doesn't mean anything to us. Unlike you, we weren't born here. Remember?"
I'm surprised I'd forgotten that. But none of them notice. They don't have to know I should have started teaching them that stuff already. At least, I think I should have. There aren't really any rules about how you train Newlins and Genesia, so long as most of them live to see their first Game.
"All right then, I'll explain. I've still got an hour, and I don't need to plan my weapons out. Sit down and listen up." I start to pace as they sit, then decide I might as well sit too. This is a time for thinking. No reason to be any more intimidating than I already am.
"Now as you all know, everyone here's given a name and a number. Those of us born into the Camp are given a long number and their first name. Mine was Eddy. When we start training, we get the name Nova, and that's the first addition of many as long as we stay active. As long as we live, our names change and grow with us.
"Some names change. Nova becomes Sarid, for example. Then Sarid becomes Jivanta, then Gemmel. Or for girls, Sarid becomes Priscilla and Gamble. Some names, like Faramond, get tacked on for doing something new. Some of the names go before your first name, and some of them go after. And the more names you have, the more you've done. That's just how it is.
"Now, I'm not gonna go into detail about all of it right now. We don't have time. I should start explaining the rest soon. But for today, I'll stick with my name.
"Faramond: travel protection. It means I now have or have had a group of Outsiders under me. It means that while you lot are in training under me, I'm your protector. It means I'm supposed to do everything in my power to keep you alive. It doesn't mean I have to like you, though. Don't expect me to be nice.
"Jivanta: long-lived. It means I've been playing the Game for five years now. That's right. Since I was eight. It means that since I was five, I was doing what you do now. It also means now that I'm the only one left out of my first party. Three of us got to Jivanta or Priscilla. And the other two just barely made it. At one point, I was Nova Eddy, short number Thirteen. Now my short number's Nil, and that suits me just fine.
"Eddy's my first name. It means unresting, and I can only assume my Elder named me that 'cause I don't sleep. There's always so much else to do.
"Marcius is the sixth rank of skill for a warrior, and means belonging to Mars. Mars is apparently some god who rules over war. If I ever meet him, I'm slitting his throat. I suggest you plan the same. Those of you who survive your first Game will get the name Kamper. I don't have to, but I hope all of you get that far. Not everyone does. If you prove yourselves enough, you'll eventually get to Marcius. Although most people who get Marcius are Gemmel or Gamble, which is the age I'll be in two years. Most of them don't get that far either, though.
"Ozul: shadow. It's the second rank for assassinations. That's killing the leader of a party up close and getting back out without getting yourself dead. I've done that twenty times. The last ten, the party didn't even know I'd killed him until I was well enough away that I didn't even hear their first sighting of their dead boss."
"Warner: protecting warrior. It means I've guarded wounded allies until it was safe to take care of them. Until it was safe enough to drag them off the field. I've done this not once, but dozens of times. Often enough that it sticks. I've kept them alive long enough that they could play again. Not all the time, but often enough.
"Cadeyrn means battle king, and it says I'm the leader of at least a dozen warriors. That name's in question now, since you lot aren't really up for playing yet, but there are still a few others who've worked at times under me.
"Those of you who're paying attention might have noticed I skipped a name: Alasdair. It's my favorite after Eddy, and so I saved it for last. Alasdair means avenger. You get it when you've mastered any weapon you use on the field. It means if you're not the best with that weapon, there aren't many better than you. I was the second youngest person to ever get the title, and I'm the only one to ever get it for the weapon I chose.
"Most people get the title for some pistol or other. For quick firing and accurate shooting. Some people master types of traps or rifles. A couple are considered masters of knives. Most of them are Ozul or Ozella at least. Me, I went another way."
I stand up, pat myself off, and turn for the training-room doors. "And now it's time we get to the Field. You all aren't going on it, but you'll need seats to watch. I want you all up front so you can see what's going on on the screens. You should all know what you're getting into."
"What did you get Alasdair for?" Seven asks as everyone files out.
"You'll see when we get there. It's the weapon I'll be using today. It should suffice for that lot. Don't get excited, though. It's nothing special."

Description
"All right you lot, listen up!" I say. "You've been training for a month, but haven't seen any real reason why. That changes today."
They'd just finished their after-breakfast run, and some of them look queasy. So damn soft. But at least none of them pukes anymore. Number Sixteen must've gotten sick of having to eat it again.
They all quiet down when I talk now. Jump when I say jump, run when I say run. Catch when I say catch, dodge when I say dodge. We haven't used live rounds yet, just pulsers like I first used on Seven. But they all know what that feels like now. And none of them likes it. They're improving. It's a start.
"Today, I'm back in the Game." They look confused, so I explain. "You fools are all training, and I was given a month free just to deal with you. Now I get to go back out and show you why you're here.
"They think that since I'm here training you worthless turds, I may have forgotten how to do what I do. They think I shouldn't be Marcius. They think you all might need a new Faramond.
"I'm planning to prove them wrong. I've got a party of five Martials telling me I'm not worth the food I eat. I think the fools forgot that they're not up for the shit I dish out. They're rushing to hell, and I plan to make asses of them for it."
I pause, and the others seem confused. "What those five have forgotten is that my name isn't just Faramond Jivanta Eddy Marcius. It's Faramond Jivanta Eddy Marcius Ozul Warner Alasdair Cadeyrn. They may be Gemmels, but they're still Martials. And I don't take well to posing. So I'm gonna teach them how to play the Game right."
They still look confused. I don't know why. "What? Is all you sorry lot are good for running? What're you confused about?"
It's Seven who speaks up first. It's always Seven. "We know Faramond, and we know Eddy. And we know Nil's what you have us call you. But the rest doesn't mean anything to us. Unlike you, we weren't born here. Remember?"
I'm surprised I'd forgotten that. But none of them notice. They don't have to know I should have started teaching them that stuff already. At least, I think I should have. There aren't really any rules about how you train Newlins and Genesia, so long as most of them live to see their first Game.
"All right then, I'll explain. I've still got an hour, and I don't need to plan my weapons out. Sit down and listen up." I start to pace as they sit, then decide I might as well sit too. This is a time for thinking. No reason to be any more intimidating than I already am.
"Now as you all know, everyone here's given a name and a number. Those of us born into the Camp are given a long number and their first name. Mine was Eddy. When we start training, we get the name Nova, and that's the first addition of many as long as we stay active. As long as we live, our names change and grow with us.
"Some names change. Nova becomes Sarid, for example. Then Sarid becomes Jivanta, then Gemmel. Or for girls, Sarid becomes Priscilla and Gamble. Some names, like Faramond, get tacked on for doing something new. Some of the names go before your first name, and some of them go after. And the more names you have, the more you've done. That's just how it is.
"Now, I'm not gonna go into detail about all of it right now. We don't have time. I should start explaining the rest soon. But for today, I'll stick with my name.
"Faramond: travel protection. It means I now have or have had a group of Outsiders under me. It means that while you lot are in training under me, I'm your protector. It means I'm supposed to do everything in my power to keep you alive. It doesn't mean I have to like you, though. Don't expect me to be nice.
"Jivanta: long-lived. It means I've been playing the Game for five years now. That's right. Since I was eight. It means that since I was five, I was doing what you do now. It also means now that I'm the only one left out of my first party. Three of us got to Jivanta or Priscilla. And the other two just barely made it. At one point, I was Nova Eddy, short number Thirteen. Now my short number's Nil, and that suits me just fine.
"Eddy's my first name. It means unresting, and I can only assume my Elder named me that 'cause I don't sleep. There's always so much else to do.
"Marcius is the sixth rank of skill for a warrior, and means belonging to Mars. Mars is apparently some god who rules over war. If I ever meet him, I'm slitting his throat. I suggest you plan the same. Those of you who survive your first Game will get the name Kamper. I don't have to, but I hope all of you get that far. Not everyone does. If you prove yourselves enough, you'll eventually get to Marcius. Although most people who get Marcius are Gemmel or Gamble, which is the age I'll be in two years. Most of them don't get that far either, though.
"Ozul: shadow. It's the second rank for assassinations. That's killing the leader of a party up close and getting back out without getting yourself dead. I've done that twenty times. The last ten, the party didn't even know I'd killed him until I was well enough away that I didn't even hear their first sighting of their dead boss."
"Warner: protecting warrior. It means I've guarded wounded allies until it was safe to take care of them. Until it was safe enough to drag them off the field. I've done this not once, but dozens of times. Often enough that it sticks. I've kept them alive long enough that they could play again. Not all the time, but often enough.
"Cadeyrn means battle king, and it says I'm the leader of at least a dozen warriors. That name's in question now, since you lot aren't really up for playing yet, but there are still a few others who've worked at times under me.
"Those of you who're paying attention might have noticed I skipped a name: Alasdair. It's my favorite after Eddy, and so I saved it for last. Alasdair means avenger. You get it when you've mastered any weapon you use on the field. It means if you're not the best with that weapon, there aren't many better than you. I was the second youngest person to ever get the title, and I'm the only one to ever get it for the weapon I chose.
"Most people get the title for some pistol or other. For quick firing and accurate shooting. Some people master types of traps or rifles. A couple are considered masters of knives. Most of them are Ozul or Ozella at least. Me, I went another way."
I stand up, pat myself off, and turn for the training-room doors. "And now it's time we get to the Field. You all aren't going on it, but you'll need seats to watch. I want you all up front so you can see what's going on on the screens. You should all know what you're getting into."
"What did you get Alasdair for?" Seven asks as everyone files out.
"You'll see when we get there. It's the weapon I'll be using today. It should suffice for that lot. Don't get excited, though. It's nothing special."