NOVEL WEB Chapter 4 – Training grounds
The ambassador and his assistant keep following the royal advisor through the busy streets of the city, the intimidating pair of bodyguards assuring a clear route around them.
"Hey! What's that?" Orok suddenly stops moving as the group gets closer to the castle's entrance, looking at some sort of open grassy area by the side, filled to the brim with many different types of soldiers, all of them doing intense exercises together.
"Uh?" Olivia turns around yet again, following the orc's gaze. "Oh! Those are the training grounds. Our soldiers are doing their daily exercises right now. They are fierce and brave fighters."
"Can I take a look? I love fighting too, Gahaha!" The orc excitedly says.
"Well, I don't think it would be a problem if you take a quick look, ambassador." Olivia keeps politely smiling, gesturing the duo to keep following her as she walks towards the entrance of the training grounds. "I suppose you are a diplomat, yet a man of action at the same time, then?"
"Yeah! Exactly that! Finally, someone gets it." Orok proudly smirks, Nova facepalms for the millionth time of the day.
The group stands at a prudent distance from the sweaty, training soldiers. Some shoot arrows into targets, some run laps around the area, some lift big buckets of water they use as weights, some strike training dummies with their weapons...
"And who's that cutie?" Orok suddenly points at a tall, muscular blonde woman sparring with a much smaller soldier in the distance.
Olivia notices the woman, deeply sighing. "That's Captain Juliette Shaw, she is in charge of our military forces..." The mature woman makes a small pause, her serene expression slightly quivering for the first time since the ambassador arrived. "...And she should be filling very important paperwork right now... yet, she is here... training."
Juliette is six foot five, exactly as tall as the orc perversely leering on her. Amazonian body firm and well-built from a life of training, yet with an extremely feminine outline. She has messy unkept light-blonde hair that flows down to her shoulders, pale blue eyes, and an old healed scar by the side of her left cheek. The captain wears a sleeveless dark leather gambeson, long dark purple pants, and high leather boots, preferring practicality over elegance.
Olivia rubs her forehead with a soft groan. "I must talk to her later... But that's nothing you should worry about, ambassador, why don't we-" The royal advisor looks back towards the spot the orc was in, just to find it empty. "Huh?"
Nova sighs, pointing at an eager Orok quickly walking towards Juliette...
The tall woman savagely swings her wooden sword against the poor soldier in front of him. The scrawny man half her size, simply reduced to having to block her powerful attacks with his weapon as best as possible. "W-wait! Time out!" He yelps, suddenly stumbling back and landing on his butt, helmet falling from his head.
Juliette sighs, one hand resting on her hips and the other holding her sword over her shoulder. "You need to keep training. That was unacceptable... I was going easy on you." The blonde speaks with a slight lisp, adding some adorable dorkiness to her personality. "Malena's defenders must be in top shape!"
"Hello, I'm Orok!" The orc ambassador suddenly speaks, standing next to her. "You are pretty cool, you remind me of the orc girls back home."
The captain surprisedly jumps a bit in place, turning around to face him. "W-wha? Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" She firmly grips her practice sword as she instantly points it at the orc, frowning and notably weirded out to find someone as tall as her. "These are private grounds! State your business!"
Olivia and Nova dumbfoundedly look at the situation, then at each other, then at the situation again.
"Oh, I'm just taking a look around." The orc casually says. "Hey, you are pretty good, but you have too many openings! You need to be more careful when you swing your sword. Gahaha, I can give you some fighting tips if you ask nicely!"
"Tips? Pfft, don't make me laugh, orc." She says, huffing in indignation. "There is nothing that someone like you could teach me. Absolutely nothing. N-O-T-I-N-G." Juliette crudely misspells the word...
"Show me your abs." Orok suddenly says.
"W-WHAT?!" The captain loudly gasps, a deep blush appearing on her cheeks. The soldier on the ground awkwardly clears his throat, quickly fleeing the scene and leaving his gear behind. "I-I should execute you for t-that!"
"Okay! Let's fight, if I win you show me your abs, if you win I'll let you execute me!" The orc excitedly exclaims, grabbing the wooden sword the soldier left behind and getting in position in front of Juliette. "Let's go!"
"Y-you think I could ever lose to you?! Me?! Ugh! Take this, foul beast!" Juliette can't keep herself from fuming in utter anger, holding her sword up in the air and furiously striking down at the orc... Who easily steps to the side, avoiding the blow... He then swiftly sweeps his blade by the woman's feet, skillfully making her fall on her back over the grass.
"Gahahaha, I win! Now show me your abs!" The ambassador happily celebrates, bouncing up and down.
Juliette seems in a state of shock, on the verge of tears as she defeatedly lies on the ground. "I-impossible..." She talks to herself, grunting in anger as she quickly bounces back on her feet, her whole uniform covered in dirt and squished grass. "I demand a rematch! That wasn't fair, I wasn't ready!"
"Having fun?" Olivia calmly talks, interrupting Juliette, stepping between her and the orc. A severe expression on her motherly face as she glares at her...
The captain's enraged expression instantly turns into a nervous, fearful one. "O-Olivia... I'm, uh..." Juliette stumbles over her words, hunching her shoulders, avoiding the woman's piercing eyes like a scolded child. "W-we have an... intruder..." She points towards the smug orc still doing a victory dance, with Nova behind him fruitlessly trying to make him stop.
"That 'intruder' is the ambassador of Garro... Does it sound familiar? It's the country that supplies us with all the materials to make those weapons you love so much."
"Oh..." Juliette embarrassedly pouts. "I-I see..."
"Uh-huh." The royal advisor lets a few seconds of silence pass. If looks could kill... Olivia's crimson eyes pierce straight into Juliette's soul. "Weren't you supposed to be doing something right now, captain?"
"Y-yeah... I-I need to complete some documents..."
"What are you doing here, then? Hurry up. We'll continue this talk later."
Juliette vigorously nods her head, quickly scurrying away in the castle's direction with her tail between her legs.
"Hey! Where is she going?! She still has to show me her cool sexy abs..." Orok disappointedly speaks as he notices the tall blonde running away.
Olivia's polite, gentle smile returns to her lips as she faces the orc yet again, keeping her usual formal posture. "I'm sure you'll see her again later, ambassador. Let's enter the castle, shall we? His Majesty must be eager to meet you."
