[Flashback] Two days? I just got my day off, Haha! (Xalet)

[Bob Barton]

"Yes, a game" but not now when they were up a tree since the less focus he had the more prone Bob was to taking a hard fall down below. Bob would like to think that he would only need to climb once today but then who knew with Xalet? The akalak might want to do it again and again since he just so loves to increase the strain. It was too much to be optimistic about the akalak going against his nature just this once about his dangerous training methods. Bob did like the stakes which made gambling and dangerous but it was a whole lot different from what Xalet normally expected of him.

Always that simple when it comes to Xalet. Bob did not know if it was part of his nature as a knight, an akalak or whether Xalet was just that naive. "Then lets just increase the strain" so that they can go back once "we get the results quicker. They are the same no matter how we do it aren't they?" It was never that simple was it? Bob knew something simpler to what Xalet was thinking. Increase the stakes and you can increase your winnings, but do it wrong and you will find yourself in all sorts of crap. No money and a whole lot of shyke.

Worse than wildlife? That had to be akalaks, no doubt about it and one was falling down with Bob right below him. He yelped. What could be worse? A heavy backpack or a heavy akalak? No, no, Bob did not want to find out the answer to that but the only thing he could think of since he was already climbing was to clutch the tree tighter. "That was just too close" after seeing that Xalet was able to stop himself from falling.

After making sure that Xalet was making good progress and not falling on top of him, Bob continued up. Since he was keeping watch of the akalak this time Bob was able to know where he was supposed to put his feet at least. If they can support an akalak with his backpack they should be able to support someone like Bob even with a backpack which was considerably more lighter than Xalet's. Where Xalet put his hands, Bob put his feet since he'd rather keep his arms around the trunk and after more steps he was finally up the tree where Xalet was. "This is it? We came all the way up here to see the sun?" You could see that anywhere, like up a building or on a plain so why up a tree?

[Xalet]

"Don't worry, the training won't be as long as the last time. The last time we were training for muscular endurance. This training is for muscular elasticity and explosive release." Xalet said, taking a moment to sit down on the branch he was atop, his legs straddling either side of the long length of wood. Things were going to get dangerous the higher up they got, and certainly Xalet was no expert climber. It was only fortunate that the trees in the Bronze Woods were especially majestic in size and stature. They grew appropriately for proper climbing.

"There's a balance between strain and results. If you do too much to your muscles, you'll just break them down and not get anywhere. It just takes time and practice to see where your personal limits lie." he admitted. He couldn't have Bob expecting to carry the same burden he himself did, they were two different people. Their height, weight, and overall muscle mass was simply different. When it came to mass, Xalet had more of it. Realistically this meant he would never be as nimble or maneuverable as Bob, should he choose to focus on such things, but his body had more space for additional muscle mass, meaning he would always be physically stronger.

"It's not just the sun, Bob. Just a bit further, then we'll have to concentrate on getting down." he mentioned. Little did both he and Bob realize, there was more trouble waiting for them at the bottom once they did begin their descent.

Getting back up from his momentary pause, Xalet put himself inside of another wide V-shape made by the very base of the tree and a long limb that extended outward. The limb shivered slightly from his weight. It was a good thing he didn't have his armor on this day or it was possible the overall weight would have been too much. Slowly the two started to work their way up high enough to reach the rest of the tree tops.



Up there the canopy opened up, revealing the entire length and width of the great forest, along with Syliras and the plains to the south. "Whether you appreciate or not is up to you. There's something magical about the sight though. Just my opinion." The colors of Sylrias' natural landscape gleamed through the mist that touched the very tips of those tall trees, the sun wafting through, creating a glow throughout the vaporous summer fog.

[Bob Barton]

So many complicated terms. Sometimes people should just stick to the simple explanations like "what you mean is that we still getting stronger if we do this." That is the only thing which counts once you bring in muscles into the picture. He still did not quite understand how the trees came into play and factors related to climbing up, but he did know that what he wanted the most right now is to not fall down. Another thing he knew quite well was that the higher they went the more down seemed like a scary thought in his mind.

And they still had to go "Further?" Xalet, enough is enough. This bag was very heavy and it was just so tiring for Bob. Not to mention the fact that climbing up this tree has jerked and moved around rocks and bag so much that it was beginning to get tough to keep on the accursed thing and concentrate on climbing the tree at the same time. The weight pulling him down made him feel like he was already falling and so he squeezed himself tighter to the tree to try and support him against the weight of the bag. Shivering, he asked "can't we go down now?" before they fell. If there were trouble down there, he wouldn't mind taking his chances with those at this point.

Bob shimmied up the tree somemore, crawling like a caterpillar. Only he wont be turning into a butterfly and easily flying away. The more he felt his body on the tree, the safer he felt. He would feel a lot more safer just dropping the bag now but he knew Xalet. The akalak might force him to climb up again just like what happened when he did something similar to Sandy. Xalet probably had to wait for quite a while because despite Bob putting his feet the same places Xalet did, grabbing on the tree slowed him down immensely.

Finally he reached the top. But still clinging on to the trunk he got a different view entirely from Xalet. One of the Cobalt Mountains. Not that he didn't appreciate the view but it made him feel very small and looking at the Cobalt Mountain "can be seen from any point in Syliras" so was it really worth it to do this exhausting climb up? And there is also the equally exhausting climb down which they should be getting to soon.

[Xalet]

"I can think of no different of men than you and I, Bob." Xalet grumbled at the short man's lack of environmental appreciation. Ah well, the important part of the exercise was finished. Climbing up was a challenge in muscular strength, learning to generate enough force to push the body and added weight up an incline. The trip down was more for muscular endurance.

The Akalak was genuinely happy they didn't face any particular hardships in their climb. Certainly climbing a tree with all of it's limbs and branches was much more simplistic than scaling a wall or mountain side, but when you consider the amount of things that could have gone wrong, an exercise with no injuries was a blessing. "Alright, breathing time is over. Back down and that will be it for today." he mentioned, perhaps the vertically challenged gambler would be happy to hear that.

Xalet climbed down further and further, keeping a careful eye upon the branches beneath him. He often tested them with a foot, unable to remember if they were integral to their ascension and thus, appropriate for bearing their weight. Eventually with enough careful planning the Akalak brought himself down upon the lower levels of the limbs, close enough to the ground to rest his shoulder against the large trunk comfortable and begin to remove the pack from his shoulders. "Dismount your pack, it won't strain your back when we hop down the rest of the way."

Dropping that satchel full of rocks onto the ground made a terrific thud, followed by the two large leather boots of an Akalak right behind it. "Not a bad exercise." Xalet decreed, rolling his right shoulder a bit, the joint making a few popping noises that were painful to hear, but comfortable to experience. Just as Xalet was about to wave Bob down he caught something hot and wide within the bottom most portion of his infravision. Lowering his head it was already too late, the loud ruckus of his pack and himself had driven a wild male boar into a furious charge spurred by fear.

Almost two hundred and fifty pounds of feral pig meat slammed into Xalet's legs, those tusks raising up after doing so in typical goring fashion. His hands lowered to defend himself just as this occurred, scoring one of the tusks across his palm and sending him sprawling backward. If Bob looked down the boar was now in the place where Xalet previously was, eying it's next charge.

[Bob Barton]

Xalet could lead the way just like he has always been doing. Bob was just going to catch his breath up at the tree for a while, ignoring the comment Xalet made. No one needs to do much thinking to see that a big purple akalak is a lot different from a small human midget. The size difference was what made it easy for Xalet to climb the tree compared to Bob or that was Bob's excuse for taking his time in climbing down.

Getting down was a lot more easier than getting up. All Bob needed to do was to allow the bag to do what it was supposed to and that was pull him down. It was like he...kept bouncing back to let the bag gather some momentum before starting to move down which worked a little until he felt some rocks falling. "Are you alright down there?" because if Bob didn't hear anything he would take that as a no and run away from Syliras because he might have just accidentally killed a squire. They were not knights but they might be just as equally valuable compared to someone like Bob.

Too many comparisons running through his mind and eventually instead of the rocks falling, it was Bob who nearly fell. His foot stepped on a branch which went into a "SNAP!" and made him dangle hanging on the other branches he had his hands on. Yes, climbing down now was a lot more difficult since he did not have a proper view to follow Xalet's descent. "HELP!" he yelled hanging on while struggling to regain a proper footing on the tree. Eventually he done it and then started climbing down again. More carefully this time so that he won't risk falling again and this meant more time wasted in testing the branches he had to rely on before actually following through.

A delay which could not have happened at a better time. Bob stopped and took a look at how Xalet was doing only to see that the akalak was in a fight with a boar? Bob knew that there was something watching him in the woods and it was about to strike Xalet with another charge. Bob can't have that, as much as he can't have the heavy bag anymore. Still clinging on the branch Bob wiggled his arm to shake the strap until it was off. Then he did the same with the other arm until it was hanging right above the boar. Once it stopped swinging and the bag looked like it was right on the middle, Bob released it and it fell on the boar.

Now free from the heavy bag, it was easier for Bob to to join Xalet. Wait, wait, what? "Are we really righting a boar Xalet?" he asked putting his foot on a lower branch. "Alright..." seeing that he won't have another chance like this. Bob kept one foot and one hand on the branch and reached out with the others until he felt it was enough and took a short leap on to the boar which was already stopped by the rock attacks. Bob landed, grabbed on the tusks and held on as it bucked wildly around. "Anymore bright ideas Xalet?" and Bob because fighting a boar wasn't one of their better ones.

OOCLazy...tired...and this has been on the browser for hours so if you can't understand it tell me and I will try and make changes. But its pretty much what we discussed on chat

[Xalet]

Sometimes you regained your senses and you saw something that one would have considered interesting. Like a midget riding a boar. A midget riding a boar?

A MIDGET RIDING A BOAR!?

Yes, Bob had surely enough taken the initiative and went about riding a boar. More than likely that would be the topic of discussion later. For the moment, Xalet had to think of exactly how to deal with a boar, ridden by a midget. He didn't have his sword or shield with him, thinking perhaps they wouldn't have been needed on a day like today. Oh how wrong he was. But that was what unarmed combat was for.

"Hang on Bob!" Xalet said with a raised voice, something that did not happen often. Of course the one phrase he finally exclaimed was one that hardly needed stating. He'd better hang on. As blood dribbled from Xalet's palm he rushed forward and gripped the boar by the tusks, earning himself another abrasion against the inside of his left forearm. With his strength against the boars he did the only thing he could think of, and drilled his knee upward to strike it in the face. Xalet was using hand-to-hand martial arts against a boar.

It wasn't working. Apparently a boars skull was more solid than say, a Human's. Xalet felt like his arms were almost wrenched out of their arms as he attempted to keep the boar in one place. Next he dropped an elbow onto the thing, and then another. Boars were tough! "Hhhrrggg...!" Xalet growled as he tried to take the creature down to the ground, but the four legs vs. two of the typical people he fought was becoming quite the problem.

Two hundred and fifty pounds of pig vs. over two hundred and fifty pounds of Akalak, and the pig wasn't doing half bad. "Bob! Can you get your sword!?" Xalet shouted, feet digging into the ground as he twisted the boars head in an attempt to get it down on it's side. He really didn't want to have to kill the thing, but it certainly wasn't taking the time to give the animal version of an 'I submit'. The Akalak thought of running, but the possibility of it charging Bob or he from behind lingered in his mind.

[Bob Barton]

It was all nice and good that Xalet was being entertained with the idea of a midget riding a boar, but how does the midget feel about finding himself riding one? Not amused. He was actually confused with why did he even went through with this. Bob could see from up there that even the boar was barely stunned when he dropped the bag on it which should have discouraged him from proceeding any further. But nooooooo, he just had to have that foolish act of bravado which meant that Xalet's training was working very well to make him tired to the point he relied on his muscles more than his brains.

Muscles that he had to rely even more to stay where he was. More than once he was nearly thrown on by the bucking boar. Whatever you are doing Xalet, you better "H-Hur-Hurry u-u-up!" or Bob would end up like the bag which was already thrown off the boar. Its stones scattered on the ground once it slammed on to a tree just like Bob's insides would be. He very much did not want to end up like that so clinging on tightly to the tusks, Bob tried his best to at least keep his arms on the boar even if his legs felt like flying everytime the boar bounced around.

So Xalet did not even have to tell his midget friend to hang on for him to do it. Instead of wasting time he should have laid the beatdown on the boar which he was doing now. Bob helped for sure. Gritting his teeth so that he won't accidentally bite his tongue off he pulled himself closer to the boar's body. With Xalet holding the boar in place it was a lot easier for Bob to force his fatigue away to give a few attacks. Attacks which saw him driving his knees into the boar which did more harm than good. While each blow saw the boar stopping it was actually gathering strength until Bob finally gave it one last kick. Last because it kicked up its hind legs and threw Bob over the side.

"Good job keeping the boar busy!" Bob yelled to Xalet as he got back up. Busy enough to run away because "I did not bring my sword either!" and off he went stepping away from the boar trying not to draw its attention away from Xalet. "Why don't you use your light powers?" the one you got from your goddess? No? Anyway Bob was off and getting off into a run. He did not have the same ideas of loyalty as the akalak did.

What else could Bob do? They did not have any weapons to fight with so "your sacrifice will not be in vain Xalet!" Yes, things would have been a lot more different if they had weapons, or something they could use weapons. Sharp things...heavy things...wait. Heavy things? Bob knew of one, or two and then he ran back to help Xalet like the hero he was. Taking the akalak's heavier bag from the tree. No use, the akalak was really serious when he did the weights proportionate with their sizes. "Don't worry Xalet, don't die" until Bob can drag the sack straight to him.

[Xalet]

Xalet was impressed, Bob was quite the courageous Human. In these dark times within Mizahar, it was refreshing to see such a brilliant speck of honor and virtue. Xalet felt to himself, he was not alone. All was right in the world, for if nothing else he had taught a man how to live. What inner glory. What personal accomplishment. Wait...

...his accomplishment was running away. What happened to honor!? Where did the virtue go!? "Bob? Bob!" Xalet yelled as he watched the man high tale it in the opposite direction. Meanwhile the Akalak was left testing his strength against the feral tenacity of a boar. This wasn't how he had planned to spend his afternoon. Things would have most likely gone even worse if he wasn't wearing his gambeson. The failing creature had managed to get one of it's tusks imbedded into the tough cloth of Xalet's outer jacket, meanwhile his hands fought to maintain their grip upon the most deadly part of the creature. He removed his grip a time or two to deliver an elbow strike, but without much effect.

Xalet though about his 'light' powers, but sadly they didn't do much besides glow quite nicely in the evening, or enhance the glow of whatever was around him. Or did they? They granted hope. Hope that there was something better than a bitter end, full of the lamination of a life ill lived. Or the lamination of your training partner kicking up dirt as he ran the opposite direction from your struggles. Thanks Bob. But wait, what was this!? As the luminescent aura surrounding Xalet's hand something miraculous happened. Could it be that the light of Priskil had touched the weary soul of a man less than average height? Could it be that...Bob was coming back?!

Sweat was pouring down Xalet's face as all of his strength went into shoving the boars head down to the ground, his own knees nearly touching the space just before the beasts large snout. He dared not get any closer to the things face, not wanting to find out if a boar could bite. "Good...thinking...Bob...I'm running...out of wind..." he gasped, the veins on his neck bulging out as his large arms burned from their struggle with their most difficult contest.

[Bob Barton]

Xalet has every reason to be impressed because Bob was courageous indeed. It took a big man like Bob to know when to admit that he needed to run away. Run away from a lost cause like Xalet who was fighting a boar which would be able to overpower him even if he was a big and strong akalak. Exemplary honor and virtue so that his friend's sacrifice will never be wasted or forgotten...until the next season. To Bob, living and surviving for another day was accomplishment enough and those who knew him well would agree with that notion.

Today, Bob learnt a new thing besides how to train his body according to strange akalak methods. He learned that without his weapons or armor, Xalet was just as vulnerable as he was. But who is vulnerable now? Not Bob because now he had a weapon in the form of Xalet's heavy bag, if he only got to use it. Right now it was hard to even drag it with him on the ground, from the tree, to the boar... Not that heavy for Xalet but very heavy for Bob if walking slowly dragging the bag with that deep trail behind him shows anything.

By the time Bob reached the contest, he was tired. Who wouldn't be after trekking through a forest and climbing a tree both ways with a bag full of rocks as well as having to run from a raging boar and dragging back another heavier bag to it? So Bob won't be the one who will strike the killing blow. The one who will do it is Xalet who the strap is pushed towards now. Wait..."you're hands are full aren't they?" Curses. If this attack failed then whoever did it will be attacked by the boar which was why Bob did not want to do it.

But everyone knows that knights, and their squires are all useless. Which was why it now came all down to Bob while Xalet played with his new friend. Strangely enough he felt like he and Xalet could be able to take down this boar. Just like when he decided to come back to help Xalet earlier. This was completely not like him and he asked aloud while he struggled to lift up his bag "why the hell do I even bother to do this?" Bob pulled and tugged on the rock laden bag to try and swing it at the boar but...it didn't even budge.

"Just hold on a little bit longer" since he already had the boar for so long. Bob put on the bag and started climbing the tree. He was just taking too many risks. The boar, climbing again, the heavy bag, the stones...normally he would be a lot more afraid now but it felt like the more he should be afraid the more courageous he felt that he should be acting. But it allowed him to grab firmly on the branches without hesitation to get himself up. Bob took a few steps. Enough to get him slightly above the boar's head and then he just took off the bag just like earlier, only it was bigger and heavier for Xalet...

[Xalet]

"MMhhmm..." Xalet groaned as he was doing his best not to get impaled by tusks. The squire never would have guessed that today's training would end with an attempt a becoming a matador. The dirt beneath him was pushed behind him, a huge rut in the ground where his feet dragged as he tried to push all of his weight back upon the boar, leaving large scores upon the forest floor and a growing pile of earth just behind him. His teeth grit tightly together, revealing the brilliant white of those choppers compared to the dark purple of the skin that surrounded it. His hair hung down covered it sweat, obscuring his vision somewhat. He could hear Bob's voice, but without being able to see him that well he couldn't picture what the man had in mind.

Then, for the first time, Bob would get to stand from a height looking down upon the man two and a half feet his senior. There was something to be said about simply being large as, if Xalet was a smaller man, he probably would have been grievously wounded or dead by now. With his weight nearly matching the boar, Xalet was not simply just some piece of meat to be pushed around, but he also did not possess the feral rage of such a wild beast. Or rather, he wouldn't allow that type of rage to surface, that was what all of hiis discipline and training was for. That was a side that Bob was never allowed to see, Xalet had lost too much every time that bastard came out.

With a great heave Xalet filled his hair back, eyes looking up toward the sky where he noticed the distinctive profile of Bob. Xalet couldn't help but think the exact same thing Bob was thinking, "That isn't like him." As he recognized what Bob was doing Xalet dropped one knee to the ground to further lower his center of gravity and keep the boar right where it was, and finally...

Thwap. It was raining, but instead of water it was a bag filled with some seventy five pounds of rocks. All gravity had to do was just keep right on being its good old self. Xalet felt a slackening of the boars movements, and with a twist of the tusks the boar went down upon it's side, huffing. It was still alive, but out for the count. Xalet released those long bony protrusions, one of them covered in smeared blood from Xalet's own hand, allow him to fall rearwards onto his backside. He spat some of the sweat from his mouth that had dribbled down from his forehead an looked up at Bob. "You've got some heart in there, Bob." he mentioned, finally catching enough breath to pick himself up from the ground. He looked at the holes in his gambeson, that was a bit too close for casual training. Flexing his hand slightly, he called back to Bob, "Thanks. Lets get back."