Travis had distinguished himself during the battle at Hollow Ridge and was promoted to centurion, giving him command over one hundred men.
He made a request to be allowed to choose soldiers from the fresh recruits and train them himself. At first, Otis refused, noting that the brave and bold Travis was an ideal man to lead elite soldiers at the front lines.
But Travis insisted that, as a man of the martial arts world, he had his own way of training troops. He claimed his methods would best suit the new recruits, and promised he could turn them into fine soldiers, even offering to sign a formal pledge.
Otis waved it off, having no real intention of forcing such a promise. Rare as such talent was, he intended to keep Travis close and train him well. If Travis wished to take on the new recruits, so be it. If it proved too much, he could always return.
Travis happily left for the new recruit camp and began selecting his soldiers. Carissa, Bun, Violet, and Cynthia were chosen right away
