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ToastyPigeon

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SpringDragon

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<|begin_of_text|>Chapter 1: Born to Kill

Year 0

"Is this the one?"

"Yeah I guess."

"What do you mean you guess? It either is or it isn't."

"I dunno I lost the list."

"You what? That's just great. You realize how much we're going to get our asses chewed out because of your fuck up? I'm sick of paying for your mistakes."

"Will you calm down? How the hell are they gonna know anyway? You seen one ugly little baldy, you've seen 'em all. All babies look the same."

"Not the elven ones."

"Enough with your elf fetish. These babies are all under the care of the Empire anyway, they're here for the taking.

"Yeah, the key word being the Empire. You know we need the proper paper work, which you just fucking lost!"

"So what, I can forge it. You really worry too much, there's so much red tape they ain't gonna know the difference and what does it matter? The Empire's getting a body for their purposes anyway."

"Yeah, but you know how they like the best."

"How the fuck can they really tell at this age? They do all the real testing later. Look he's got all his limbs, and he doesn't display any signs of impurity. I'd say he's a prime candidate for whatever they have in store for this poor little bastard."

"Yeah I guess…damn. I can't imagine what it's like being brought up like that."

"Me either, this program has only been going on a few years, but I've already heard some fucked up stories about it…y'know its things like this that sometimes make me question the logic of our glorious leaders."

"Shhhh! Are you mad? Don't talk like that! It's not our place to question anything, we're just supposed to do our jobs! Besides, the logic is quite obvious. If they train people from birth they'll have superior combat skills and utter loyalty to the Empire."

"That's my point though. Is it really necessary? The Empire already produces so much propaganda that it does the job pretty well in producing loyal citizens and if that doesn't work it also instills so much fear in most that even if someone wanted to start a rebellion; it's highly unlikely they would."

"Don't be so sure, it has happened in the past."

"The past? When? Like four hundred years ago when the Empire was still in its own infancy? Pfft. Wouldn't happen anymore and as for having elite combat troops, again what's the point? We've already got camps to train elite groups like the Shadow Guard who are not to be fucked with and we have more than enough resources to create an army of golems that would be just as loyal and kick the shit out of our enemies."

"Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore! Our superiors have their reasons, as does the Emperor! Let us just take this baby and be done with this task!"

The two clerks left the infirmary with you that day where upon you were accepted as a suitable candidate and put into The Eternal Program.

You don't remember too much during the time of your very young years, except that you are mostly confined to a room where all your basic needs are met. On a daily basis, a couple bigger people come in to check on you. They have you perform various physical tasks as well as spending time to teach you things like basic reading and writing. Sometimes they ask you various questions and write down your responses while other times they come in and stab you with painful needles with fluid in them. (You don't like those times)

You don't really understand it all, except that you know that the Emperor is always watching you. He is everywhere even if you don't see him. He is keeping an eye on your actions and you must always obey his will, lest you be punished. You know this to be true because you have this repeatedly told to you.

Eventually your relative isolation would come to an end.

> Years later...

Year 5

You are sitting in a gray room at a desk with several other children your age. All of you glance at each other a lot and it is obvious that there is much curiosity, but nobody speaks. This is very unusual for you, up until now, you have only had minimal contact with others. Most of them are male like you, but a few of them are female.

Soon the silence comes to an end when a dark skinned woman walks into the room. She has long hair and sharp features. One thing you notice is that despite her long hair covering her ears you can still see that the tips of them are pointed. She must be elven, but in the pictures you've seen in books, you've never seen one with dark skin before.

"Hello children, and congratulations on maintaining dignified silence during your time by yourselves. It's nice to see that your previous human minders aren't totally incompetent. Still, if you were Svelk children you would've been much better trained by now. Ah, but it is not my place to dwell on the limitations of the lesser born. I am merely here to oversee your training into proper Eternals so that you may serve the Emperor to your fullest capabilities. Now before we begin, I suggest you all ask questions now, because this will probably be the only time I will be in the mood for your ignorance."

For a moment nobody speaks, but when the elven lady insists, one brave soul raises their hand.

"Yes, you."

"Are you an elf?"

"Yes, I am. While the ignorant would use the vulgar term dark elf to describe me, my kind are more properly known as the Svelk. In fact WE are the purest of the elven race. All others you may have the misfortune of meeting are merely diluted members of our bloodline. They are truly pitiful creatures really only fit for extermination. Remember this."

"Yes, you."

"What is your name?"

"My name is unimportant, but you and the rest will always address me as Mistress. Failure to do so will earn my wrath, and more importantly the wrath of the Emperor. Remember this."

"Yes, you."

"What will you teach us?"

A second passes after the question, when a small bolt of light from the Svelk's finger tips and hits the child in the chest asking the question. He falls backwards out of his chair and on to the floor. The rest of you jump in your own chairs and look back at him. He is breathing very erratically.

"I will teach you to OBEY my commands when I give them!" Mistress shouts, she then warns the rest of you.

"Don't you dare touch him, let alone help him! (Sigh) And here I thought you lot had been trained better! It occurs to me that I will have to be extra strict in my discipline. As to the question about what I will teach you… I will teach you to be warriors. I will teach you to be wizards if you display the talent. I will teach you to shed yourselves of weakness. I will teach you to serve the Emperor without question and kill without mercy and you will always obey for you will find strength in obedience. You will find joy in order. You will find love in murder. You shall be instruments of terror and genocide if he so wishes it. You will be Eternals…or you will die. Remember this."

After Mistress' speech, the child she struck down eventually struggles back up and gets back in his seat, clutching his chest and still wheezing.

"I trust you have learned your lesson?"

"Y…yes…Mistress…" he gasps.

"Good, now one more question before we begin…you there. What is your question? Speak up!" Mistress demands while pointing at you, though you have not raised your hand.

You don't wish to disagree with Mistress, so you stumble and try to think up a question.

"Uh…er…I was just wondering when will you teach us to fight Mistress?"

Mistress raises an eyebrow and gives a smirk as she approaches you.

"Fight? And what makes you think that YOU are even ready to learn yet? Do you have even the slightest knowledge of combat tactics?"

"No, Mis…" before you can even complete the sentence Mistress knocks you out of your chair with a quick jab with her hand, the pain from your face spreads to your chest when Mistress steps on it with her boot. She digs it into you and presses all her weight on it, while the rest of your class looks on.

"Damn right, no you don't. You weren't even alert enough to anticipate my attack. You let me get in close and now look at you, you're completely at my mercy. I am in a position to do whatever I like with you, while you are only in a position to beg or die. So what will it be worm? Are you going to beg for your miserable life, or should I save the Empire's time and money by killing you now?"

> You beg

The pain is great and you want it to be over with as quickly as possible so you cry out and scream for mercy to Mistress. To this, she merely laughs cruelly and continues to step on your chest.

"Ha ha ha ha! If this was a real fight do you think an enemy would should you mercy? You truly are pathetic, how did the Empire ever decide that YOU would be a worthy candidate to be an Eternal? Begging for your wretched life as if it was important. It isn't. Your life is nothing! ALL of your lives are nothing! Your lives will never be anything more than warm bodies to serve the Emperor! The question is, will you even be able to live up to that honored status? The answer is no, if you do not learn mercy is for the weak. Remember this."

At this point Mistress finally takes her foot off of you and much like your other classmate hit by her magic bolt, you slowly get up and back in your seat, clutching your chest. You sniffle and try to keep yourself from crying, but the tears are still there. A glare from Mistress causes you to quickly wipe your eyes and try to compose yourself the best you can.

Time passes by under the harsh guidance of Mistress. She teaches you all that she promised she would and then some. Your lessons are not only that of a combat nature, but of an academic one as well. You wouldn't be aware of it, but you and your classmates are probably much better educated than other children your age.

As for you, Mistress never lets you forget of how you begged for your life in front of everyone. While it is true that she sadistically taunts everyone at one time or another, it doesn't make your emotional and psychological scars go away.

This shame you experience causes you to become more insecure and you constantly feel the need to prove to everyone that you aren't weak. When you are called upon to spar with your fellow classmates, you always fight aggressively. For the most part you usually win, and you typically break a few bones of some of your fellow classmates. The lessons of being humiliated by Mistress have not been forgotten. You can't ever let yourself be put in a vulnerable position again and you must be brutal, it's the only way you'll be able to please the Emperor.

Your personality doesn't go unnoticed by your instructor and watchers, they make note of it and decide how you should be handled in the next step of your training.

Year 12

You are in a room with a few of your fellow classmates standing in a row. Most of your class has been separated for reasons unknown to you. All you know right now is there is a scarred orc in worn battle armor arguing with a well dressed man who is human. They are speaking about you, but not actually speaking TO you…

"What? I thought the whole point of this program was to create an elite fighting group like the Shadow Guard, why are you splitting them up and intending to put some of them in regular military units?" the orc questions.

"Things have changed since the program's inception. Besides, if the latest military reports are any indication I'd say you could use a better quality of recruits, or at least I hope that's the problem and it isn't due to a lack of proper training." the man dressed in black formal wear calmly retorts.

"Hey! I train every grunt I get to be the best killer they can be! I've conquered more territory for the Empire than anyone! My record speaks for itself and I could do a hell of a lot more if you put me on the front lines again, so don't try to tell me I'm not doing my fucking job!"

"Be that as it may, I'd say you still could benefit by having a few Eternals in your ranks, if nothing else than to be a good example."

"Good example? HAH! We haven't even seen one of these so-called Eternals in action yet! It's all been just speculation, and a waste of time and money if you ask me! The Empire should be providing better equipment and more of it, for soldiers on the Rask Frontier, it's a fucking meat grinder out there and we're constantly having to put down rebellions by the natives."

"Well nobody ASKED you, captain and your problems are not mine to deal with. This is the Emperor's project and he has his reasons. If I were you I'd watch your tone. Victories or not, you are a servant of the Emperor and you will obey orders or you will be replaced."