The birth of a hero

Welcome to the Fatui

When they arrived in the capital, it was already night. Accordingly, Ajax could not see so much of the city, but already noticed that it was very large. The many lights and the snow... it was just wonderful. As they got out in front of Fatui's headquarters, Pulcinella patted Ajax on the shoulder.

"My recruits will show you your future room. Please don't beat them up this time," he said with a grin. Then he drove off in his sleigh. As a fatui boss, he probably had better accommodations. The barracks here were probably for the common Fatui. They were huge elongated buildings of gray concrete with windows that stood side by side and all looked the same. He walked silently behind the recruits. Then he was taken to a small room. But there everything was in place, a small bathroom and a stove with a cooking area. Ajax had never imagined living alone before. Especially not in just one room. But it was certainly okay... better than being punished. Finished from the day, he snuggled down on the mattress and fell asleep immediately.

The next morning at 6 AM the alarm went off, as well as the recruits getting ready for duty. Ajax thought about staying in bed instead. But then he decided to jump in the shower and get dressed. He was about to put on his clothes when a key moved in the door and Pulcinella came into his room unbidden.

"You better be faster tomorrow. You've got the baby bonus, but not for too long. Also, here, your uniform," he said, tossing it at him. Ajax stared at him wide-eyed - after all, he was standing in front of him almost naked right now, and he was holding the towel in front of him, startled, while still trying to catch the uniform. And now this Pulcinella guy was laughing, too.

"Yeah yeah. Thanks," he muttered and went back into the bathroom. He didn't care if he could see his butt now. Defiantly, he put on his new clothes as quickly as possible anyway and came out. It was a red uniform with a dark gray jacket.

"Good, when you're ready, we'll go to the practice field. I want to see your fighting style" Pulcinella said.

"My fighting style? I thought you didn't want to train me?" he asked, surprised.

"That's for me to decide. So don't disappoint me like you disappointed your little village," Pulcinella said sternly. Ajax looked down at the ground in dismay. For whatever reason, these words hit him. The Fatui general was crazy and certainly cruel to the fatui underlings but that kind of authority impressed Ajax and so he had no choice but to prove his skills to him. Besides, no one had ever wanted to see him fighting before. No, it had always been seen as something bad. He could at least show him, once....

So he went along with him. Various contraptions had been set up in the training area, suitable for training. Pulcinella explained to him how they worked and put a sword in his hand.

"Let's see what you've got, then," he said challengingly. Ajax nodded.

"You won't be disappointed, Pulcinella," he said, deliberately mispronouncing his name. Then he drew his sword and made his way through the training devices with incredible speed. He slashed at the dummies and reached his target in no time. As he came to a stop, he noticed Pulcinella's mouth halfway open.

"You're amazed, huh?" asked Ajax, grinning cheekily.

"Well...you were...not bad, yeah," Pulcinella downplayed it. The truth, however, was that he was unmatched. None of the new recruits, or even existing ones, had ever managed anything like this. And there was also something more to it...

"All right? „Not bad"? That's all?" asked Ajax in surprise.

"Just wondering where you learned to fight like that at your tender age," Pulcinella replied, grinning wryly.