[Flashback] To Get Strong, You Need to Dig Deep

[Xalet]

Summer, 508 AVThis is mainly meant as a self-training thread, however it is open for anyone to get involved if they want.

Xalet's life within the walls of Syliras was filled with tasks. Quite some seasons past the life of the Paige, and subsequently the Squire had chosen him. Now, after interaction with several inspirational beings in his life, it was he who had chosen it. In choosing such a life and thus beginning the trials of a Squire, a new Patron Knight had accepted him under her training. A Konti Knight by the name of Irine Braklin.

Xalet quickly found Irine to be a woman that pushed hard and expected results. As a result she produced some of the best Knights. Also as a result, being under her care sometimes felt like torture. Anytime Xalet would find a letter with instructions, he knew torture was soon to follow. Open envelope, accept torture. That was his life as a Squire. Unluckily for him, it seemed a torture-gram was prepared just as the day broke. Not just one, but three individually numbered letters, along side of a shovel and a pail of water. Instinctively and apprehensively, Xalet removed the seal on the first letter and read it.

Squire Xalet, If you've opened this letter first, you've done well in following instructions. Take your supplies, go to the outside of the gates and dig a hole as deep as you are tall. After the task is completed open the letter numbered "2". Due to the heat, the bucket of water is for you. Don't die.

"Don't die", Xalet repeated to himself, how thoughtful. Reaching down he picked up the shovel and bucket of water that sat along the outer wall of his dormitory. Tucking the remaining two letters into a small pack he often had to carry around with him, filled with notes and minor supplies sometimes needed when completing Squirely tasks, he slung the weathered backpack over his shoulder and proceeded to an area just outside of the gates of Syliras.

Once he had found an unoccupied spot of dirt and foliage that seemed good enough as any to begin digging, he shrugged his pack from his shoulder and rolled up the sleeves of his tunic. His pail of water was positioned far enough away not to get tainted by wayward dirt. Xalet squinted his silvery eyes as he watched toward the horizon. Immediately he knew he had to get the hole dug quickly, before the sun rose too high in the sky. Once it had, the heat would be upon him, and he would lose his strength much more quickly than if he completed his task with the coolness of the morning still in the air. A hole began with that first push. The first sound of the shovels head impaling the dirt beneath.

[Xalet]

Down, push, bent, pull, over the shoulder. There was a benefit to getting a rhythm while digging a hole. There was also a certainly psychological effect digging a hole had. What was it's purpose? His Patron Knight wasn't planning to bury him alive or anything, was she? No, even she wouldn't go to those lengths. Would she? Perhaps it had some sort of tactical purpose and Xalet was doing Syliras a favor by digging it?

The sun was fully above the horizon now, and Xalet was only down to his knees. Already sweat was outlining most of his body. Often he had to sweep his hair back to keep it from being matted to his face. Eventually it stayed back on it's own, due to the slick moisture now molding it rearward. His arms began to burn, his chest began to burn, his shoulders began to burn, and soon enough he imagined it would feel like he was on fire. "Faster, faster..." he pushed himself, "...I've got to get this done before the sun gets too high."

His veins began to stand out on his forearms, and his tunic began to stick to his body like a second skin. For time to time he would lift the bottom portion up to wipe his face off, as that was teh driest portion. He was up to his belly-button now, half way there. The soil became easier to move once he was past the rocky, packed surface, but the task itself became more difficult as it felt like his arms were going to fall off. Feeling like his mouth was full of cotton, the Akalak slammed the head of his shovel into the ground and pulled himself up and out of the hole, taking a seat on its ledge.

With one sore arm he pulled the bucket over and slowly lifted it to his lips. The surface tension of the water shimmered as his arms shook while holding the bucket. Were his arms so tired already? The water slid down his throat and gave him some relief. Just the cool, wet texture helped him to regain some of his energy quickly. As he swallowed he paused and evaluated his current situation. He had to ration the water, he couldn't drink all of it right now even if he wanted to. "Back to work." he grumbled to himself as he slid from the ledge, his boots impacting heavily upon the soil at the bottom of his hastily dug hole.

[Xalet]

Xalet struggled to breathe appropriately. He knew proper breaths were meant to be taken in through the nose, but at this point his body struggled for the oxygen to perform in the way he forced it to. His mouth hung open as he shoveled pile after pile of dirt up over his shoulder. That large Akalak body burned in such a way that the pain wasn't even localized anymore. Instead his entire mass as a whole simply felt fairly inflamed.

His trusty bucket of water was down to just slightly more than half, but the hole was basically complete. Sitting at the bottom of the hole, Xalet took some shelter in the shade of the walls surrounding him. As he caught his breath he noticed the root systems about him, disturbed by his own two hands. A few loose bits of dirt tumbled down to the bottom now and again. Still, the task was done, and once he was significantly rested he pulled himself up to the surface, tossing his shovel up before heaving his body back onto the ground.

From his knees he pulled his pack over and pulled out the second letter. He stared at it, hoping it would somehow disintegrate from his fingers. Nope, still there. With a sigh he peeled the seal apart and took out the second letter of the day. Hopefully the task would involve reading or meditation. Pulling the body of the letter within out, he read it.

Squire Xalet, You have now created your own training ground. Drop down, and then climb out of the hole five hundred times. I wrote out the number 'five hundred' because I would hate for you to misinterpret the amount of zeros and think I meant 'fifty'. Once completed move on to the third letter. Remember, five hundred, your Priskil is watching.

She had to write it out, didn't she? Not that Xalet was lazy, but five hundred!? Quickly he was beginning to realize that his haste in digging the hole was going to cost him. The sun was out in full force now, those rays touching down mercilessly against the Akalak's skin. Xalet would never completely understand Irine's methods, but they were fairly brilliant. A total body workout. By forcing Xalet toward exhaustion she knew he would begin to use different muscles for different tasks. As his arms began to give out, he would focus on his legs to climb out. As his legs tired, he would pull harder with his arms and chest.

Taking a moment, he looked down toward one of his palms. The same dark colored vortex awaited him. Clenching his fist, he hopped down into the hole, "One..."

[Xalet]

The one saving grace in this task of ridiculousness was that his Patron did not specify a time. That at least gave Xalet instances where he could catch his breath and stretch his limbs out before they cramped up too much. The water within the bucket was disappearing more quickly now, as was typical when the sun was at it's highest point in the sky. The Akalak tried to remind himself that things would only get easier as the evening came onward, but he had to be back in the dormitory before his curfew.

"Fifty three..." he grunted. His breaths were totally wasted now, there was no more attempting to breathe properly, now he was just trying to stay conscious. He could feel his body weakening, trying to shut itself down so it could rest. Knights didn't always have time to rest though. Sometimes you were sick, or tired, or both, and you still needed to perform. Anyone could battle when they were at their best, but it took a trained professional to do so when they were at their worst.

Time passed, the sun began to lower slightly. Xalet took breaks when needed, but he had to push hard if he wanted to get done before dark, "Two...hundred and fifteen..." Pulling himself out of the hole was like trying to scale an eighty foot wall. His toes dug into the sides, looking to catch rocks or roots to ease their positioning. Sometimes he would swing a leg upward, stretching the boundaries of his own flexibility.

Halfway he thought after a time. Halfway there. All he had to accomplish was what he had just accomplished a second time. He felt a muscle scream in his abdomen, unsure of how exactly he pulled it. The pale was becoming light, and what water was left he knew he had to savor as best he could before he ran out of fuel for his body. The pangs of hunger were replaced by his body focusing on simply completing what was such a typically mundane task. "Three hundred and ninty nine..."

[Xalet]

The sun had followed him all day long. By now it was starting to wane in the sky, moving slowly toward the horizon once more. Instead of conquering, it was retreating, and for that Xalet was somewhat thankful. Somewhere between exhaustion and agony, Xalet had received his second wind. Of course, he almost wished he hadn't. If he could just collapse into unconsciousness that would be a welcome rest. However, such a result reeked of 'giving up', which the Akalak was not about to do.

The concentration he set aside for keeping count did aid in keeping him focused. His focus was such that he continued his task with the goal of just doing 'one more'. Such a triumph was repeated to the tune of four hundred and fifty times. He was almost there. A strange taste on his tongue told him that, but he was unsure if it was victory or reserved stores of adrenaline trying to keep his body moving.

In truth, Sergeant Irine was something of a physical health genius. Often Xalet did not train in normal ways, but due to these unusual methods he worked muscles that would be otherwise neglected simply doing push-ups or lifting something heavy. His grip improved each time he struggled to climb. The explosive strength in his quadriceps and glutes was increased as he attempted to jump as high as possible to make the ascent easier. His fingers and toes dug into the dirt, and grip was important for a great many things, not only armed combat, but Xalet's unarmed fighting style as well. Understanding exhaustion was also imperative as it taught the person to go beyond their limits so they held back less.

Most individuals inherently held back, it was a part of survival. The fear of pushing the body too far. Still, the body was an amazing thing, and once those boundaries had been broken, pushing them further was not something to be feared, but something to strive for. Boundaries like five hundred climbs out of a hole. Finally successful, Xalet rolled onto the ground with his last effort. Completely horizontal upon the ground, he dragged his bucket over to him, finding only the least bit of sweet, refreshing liquid at the bottom. He forced his way into a sitting position, not wanting to spill such refreshment, and took a drink. Warily he began thinking of the third letter. What could possibly be left?

[Xalet]

The final letter tormented him. It felt like holding one's own death warrant. Finally he tore the envelope apart and read.

Squire Xalet, Good job. However we don't leave holes laying about on Syliran lands. Fill it back in, you are then dismissed and may have the remainder of the day to yourself.

Looking up at the sky, Xalet watched streamers of colorful darkness beginning to creep up. "The remainder...of what day?" he thought to himself, "I should have known." he then turned to look at the enormous pile of dirt he had evacuated from the ground. His expression was every bit of sour. Tired, thirsty, and unable to feel what he considered to be various important parts of his body. He rolled up onto his feet and looked over at the shovel he had brought with him.

As he opened his hand he noticed that marking, his connection to Priskil. Slowly it illuminated, leaving both his palms radiating with a warm glow. The sun brought with it a light, but the glow of Priskil was something different. There was a level of inspiration behind it. "I can do it faster...without the shovel." he decided as he walked over toward the massive mound. Reeling back, he suddenly struck his leg outward in a forward thrust kick. It was once of the kicks of the Syliran Knights. Wearing heavy armor was restrictive, as such the feet rarely came above the hip in order to keep ones balance. Normally meant to strike the legs of an opponent, it was now instead meant to start moving the dirt back down into the hole.

Xalet growled as his passion, that darkness started to show through. His lips curled back to reveal his teeth. The resounding strikes of his foot impacting the dirt sent great avalanches downward into the depths. Taking a few steps back he lowered his body and charged sending an elbow forward, causing yet more to fill in the hole below with a running elbow strike reminiscent to a siheld charge. Step and strike, step and strike, the battle with the dirt was turning into his favor. It was easier to fill the hole than to dig it, something was finally going his way. The short reminder of Priskil was enough to get him moving. Anger mixed with determination to overcome the acidity flooding his muscles from their work.

[Xalet]

Slowly the landscape began to regain it's original shape. The crater left in the ground was becoming more and more shallow with each kick from the Akalak. Those big boots made quite an impact each time they came around, either with a thrust, or with a low round kick and swept through the resistance of the dirt before them. Xalet didn't even wear his tunic anymore, it was discarded as extra weight, soaked through completely with the sweat of his efforts.

"Almost there...almost there..." he thought to himself as his breaths began more and more ragged. He was burning through what energy he had left quickly now, as well as becoming more dehydrated. What was left of the dirt wasn't long for this world however, as with a speed far superior to that of which it was removed from the ground at, it took it's resting place back where it started. The disturbance of the dirt was apparent, but at the very least a deep hole was no longer present.

Gasping, the Akalak dragged the shovel over to spread out the last remnants of debris and flatten what looked like a hastily dug grave. His booted feet came down, smacking and packing the area below him. Finally he looked around and felt a small sense of accomplishment. At the very least he didn't die, just like Sergeant Irine had asked of him. Falling forward onto his knees, he rested there for a moment, hunched forward. After adequately regaining his wind, he gripped his bucket and his shovel and made his way back to the gates.

[Archon]

As Xalet approached the Main Gate his eyes came upon a sight that he most likely did not expect. There, approaching from along the wall on the other side of the gate, stood Sergeant Knight Irine, and she looked nearly as exhausted as he. Wearing her full suit of light armor, dirty as it was, most of her soft features were obscured with dirt and dry mud. Still, she held herself tall as she walked towards her Squire with a gentle and faintly proud smile. "Well done Xalet," she said warmly as the two met, and she held out towards the Akalak a bucket of water on an arm that wobbled with hard work, "I wasn't needed on patrol today, and so I came to join you in your exercise," she brushed a hand lightly against Xalet's arm, and he could feel much of the pain of his worn muscles relieved thanks to Irine's gift from Rak'keli, "Come, let's go have dinner at the Rearing Stallion. My treat."

Illumination of Development Xalet +5 Bodybuilding +5 Climbing +3 Unarmed Combat Lores: Digging a deep hole, Unusual exercises, Drawing hope from Priskil Care to see more? : Pretty much straightforward, you got what you used. Notes: A great training thread. I really enjoyed your descriptions, and seeing things from Xalet's perspective. I'm looking forward to Irine and Xalet spending more time together.