The war cry filled the valley for a moment, then died just as fast. These were elite soldiers, one burst of noise to get the blood pumping was all they needed to hold their edge. No reason to keep screaming. They went in silence.
Rookie soldier Roben was visibly on edge, but he had several veteran soldiers flanking him. One of those veterans spotted Roben's breathing going haywire even before they were inside, grabbed him by the shoulder, and gave him a hard shake.
"Ugh."
"Get it together. If your breathing falls apart, you won't last. And if you fall behind, someone has to stay back to cover you: that means less fighting power."
Being a soldier meant killing people up close and personal. That wasn't something you could just muscle through on attitude alone. Sure, people had more psychos in them than you'd think, but also way more people who genuinely struggled to take a life.
