Chapter 12: Chapter 12 – Training

Grayson felt a bead of sweat drop off his forehead, and he grumbled to himself. He had figured that in another world they would have different exercises, but it turns out you can’t escape push-ups no matter where you go.

When Trest had agreed to teach him, he had expected the man to show him how to throw a solid punch or maybe even some kind of chokehold. Though, he supposed the man probably wanted to see how committed he was to learning, with the bonus of building up Grayson’s body at the same time.

He had already gone through a thorough lower body workout, and now his upper body was being tested. Trest hadn’t seemed too impressed, but Grayson didn’t mind all that much. He knew he wasn’t fit, but that was part of why he had asked Trest to train him in the first place.

He was reaching his limit though. The last push-up he had done left his arms shaking, and he only made it halfway up this time before his arms gave out.

“That’s enough.” Trest said, clapping Grayson on the shoulder. “You have a lot to work on, but I can appreciate effort when I see it. Take some time to rest, and I’ll go over a few things with you.”

Grayson let out a breath in relief moving into a sitting position, and Trest took a seat across from him, and even though he had the same stony look he often wore, he didn’t carry that beaten down air that seemed to plague him.

They were now both sitting behind the building where they slept at night. It kept too many eyes from watching what they were doing. Because while the guards didn’t seem to care much what the prisoners were doing as long as they weren’t killing each other, it felt weird doing the training where they could be easily seen.

“The first thing you need to know is that your mind is your greatest weapon.” Trest said, “The winner of a fight is quite often the one who has trained their mind more than their body. You would not believe the number of muscle-bound fools I have seen fall to smaller opponents because they failed to train their mind. Training the body certainly has its place, but you must train both if you want to become truly dangerous.”

“What do you mean train my mind?” Grayson asked, “That sounds like it could mean just about anything.”

“Training the mind means learning to analyze the problems you face, and choosing the correct response to each of those problems. It’s learning how to think, with little time, and while under a great deal of pressure. This can include knowing when to fight, and how to fight each opponent. It can also include knowing when retreat is best. Another way to train the mind is to always be aware of your surroundings, and being prepared for, and flexible enough to deal with unexpected problems. All of this requires you to have a realistic view of your own capabilities. Furthermore, using your mind is learning how to always tilt the odds in your favor as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to be labeled as underhanded or dirty. Life and death battles are not a place for moral victories.”

Grayson’s brow furrowed as he thought it over. That was a lot more than he was expecting. It all sounded reasonable enough, even if a lot of it would be fairly instinctual.

After allowing Grayson a few moments to think over his words, Trest began speaking again. “Let’s do an exercise to help you understand what I mean. Your friend with the scar seems to be a problem. Analyze the problem, and find the best solution. Anything is on the table, even diplomacy.”

“I don’t think diplomacy is going to work.” Grayson said flatly.

The general simply gestured to continue, looking at Grayson expectantly, and Grayson put a little more thought into it so he could give a better reply.

“From what I have seen of him, he seems to be very impulsive, and prone to making mistakes when angered. He also seems to be a very direct and straightforward person.”

“Excellent.” Trest said, nodding in approval. “That was my conclusion as well. Now you need to take that information, and use it to fight your enemy.”

“I can see where you’re coming from,” Grayson said with a frown, “but isn’t this all just kind of obvious.”

“Perhaps, but developing this kind of process will keep you from becoming too reliant on a single method to solve every problem you encounter. It will also help you learn to think strategically. If you fight smart, you could even take down a wavelord if you prepare properly.”

“What’s a wavelord?” Grayson asked. He knew that he was probably showing a little too much of his ignorance, but he was getting to the point where he simply didn’t care.

General Trest gave him a long, hard look. “You are going to need to tell me just how far away you are from some day. A wavelord is a noble who has bonded with a pearl of ascension. While I said you might be able to take one down with enough preparation, it isn’t something I would suggest unless you truly have no other option. They are extremely dangerous.”

“What makes them so dangerous?” Grayson asked, just happy to finally get some easy answers to his questions.

“There are many reasons they are dangerous. They will be a noble, and that is a danger unto itself. Simply bonding with the pearl makes them faster and stronger. On top of that, they gain their powers. I once saw a wavelord shoot pressurized water strong enough to cut through an entire row of Valintian soldiers, armor and all. Which brings me to the point that nearly every single wavelord have been fighting on the front lines for years. All that practice with their abilities has made them even more fearsome.”

“If wavelords are that powerful, why hasn’t the league won the war?” Grayson knew he was treading dangerous territory with the question, but he wanted to know.

“Because the first engagements of the war were so terribly mismanaged, it’s a miracle that the league is still fighting at all.” General Trest nearly spat the words out.

Grayson was surprised. He had expected the general to fall into his apathetic state, but the way he had just spoken was venomous. With all that had happened to him, Grayson hadn’t given too much thought as to why the general sent to the proving grounds. The warden at the prison had called him a traitor, and some of the few things that the general had told him seemed to support that, except that Trest believed he should be punished.

Did he betray the league, and then regret it later?

Grayson had a feeling there was more to the story, but he wasn’t going to push it. He had finally found someone willing to help him, and he wasn’t going to risk that by being too nosey. He had probably gone too far already. Instead, he decided to try and learn more about wavelords.

“What’s the best way to defeat a wavelord?

“Taking the least direct approach possible.” Trest responded, “Poison is a preferable method, though some wavelords have resistance to the stuff from their powers. If the indirect approach doesn’t work, then the best way is to take them by surprise. If you beat them before they can bring their powers to bear, that is acceptable. The Valintians have developed tactics against the wavelords as well. The water shields they create are normally almost impossible to get through, but the Valintians developed some spear thrower contraptions that shoot with such force they can simply push through the shield. I have also seen the Valintians throw buckets of sand at a wavelord while shooting arrows. The sand absorbs the water, creating holes in the shield for the arrows to pass through. With all that said, none of these methods are foolproof, and the best way to deal with a wavelord is to simply not get into a fight with one in the first place.”

“Wait.” Grayson said, something suddenly occurring to him. “If these wavelords are really that capable, why not have them go into the aquadome and find the ascension pearls. Wouldn’t that be faster and waste less life?”

“Yes.” The general said, “Except wavelords cannot enter the proving grounds. No one knows why.”

Grayson was going to ask another question, but Trest held out a hand to stop him.

“That’s enough talking for now. Let’s work on your stance and footwork.”

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The rest of the day was actually quite interesting for Grayson. He was shown how to stand so that he could remain balanced, even when Trest would push him from different angles unexpectedly. After that, the general showed him how to move while maintaining his balance. It felt unnatural at first, and Trest kept making tisking sounds as he tried to follow instructions, but he felt like he was making good progress. By the time they finished, the general actually looked quite pleased despite all the tisking.

He seemed much more in his element now that he was teaching Grayson. He still occasionally looked tired and worn, but he didn’t look lost anymore.

Their fellow prisoners had seen the training, and most of them seemed content to laugh it off. Probably thinking it was crazy to bother doing any training when he would die eventually anyway. Grayson didn’t really blame them for the thought. They spent most of their time playing dice games. The guards had allowed the prisoners to borrow several sets of dice, and they happily spent hours in rolling them. Every once in a while, laughter would break out in their groups when some unlikely outcome appeared.

Things were really starting to look up for Grayson, if you ignore the fact he was forced to enter the proving grounds every other day. He was starting to learn more about the world, and he was being trained on how to defend himself. On top of that, the meals here were much better than everything else he had on this world. It looked like they would get two meals each day, and it wasn’t even the same slop every meal. Earlier in the day, they had eaten seasoned rice with what seemed like dried pork. In the evening, they had been served some kind of fish stew. Seafood wasn’t his favorite thing to eat, but compared to the oatmeal mush he had been fed for most of his time on the world, it was delicious.

Grayson saw the guards eating the same things in larger portions, so it truly seemed they were going out of their way to make life comfortable for the prisoners. Apparently during the last entry into the proving grounds, not enough people had lived to get the extra food, but not enough people had died to be punished, which was the usual outcome. And even if they gave him less food than what he wanted, Grayson was just happy that he didn’t feel like he was starving anymore.

Grayson spent the evening brainstorming ways to escape the Island. He had a few ideas he thought might work, but he wanted to run them by Brother Capso before trying anything. He was hoping that the priest might be able to tell whether they are good ideas or not.

The next day, Grayson woke up with his entire body feeling sore from the previous day’s exertion. Trest decided to forgo another workout, wanting to make sure that Grayson was in as good of shape as possible for the proving grounds the following morning.

Much of the day was spent reviewing his stance, and practicing his footwork once again. It was starting to feel much more natural now. Grayson wouldn’t say that he was getting good at it yet, but he really felt like good progress was being made. The general had even started to work a little grappling into his instruction.

They took breaks during meal times, and for a short while when a new group of prisoners arrived. The new prisoners had the same hard looks that Grayson had grown accustomed to from everyone else in the compound except Brother Capso and General Trest. Several of them looked surprised to see him. He paid them little mind when those looks of surprise turned dark. He was getting used to the hate.

After finishing up training with General Trest, Grayson decided it was time for a chat with Brother Capso. He was curious about where the new prisoners had come from, and the priest seemed to be a good source of information. Grayson walked over to where Brother Capso was sitting in his customary place.

“Hey,” Grayson called out, continuing once the priest had turned to look at him. “Where are the new prisoners from? Is it another one of the great cities?”

Capso nodded. “Yes, this group should be from Matrill. Each of the cities in the league takes turns sending prisoners every two days.”

This new group of prisoners had the same caramel skin and black hair as everyone else he had seen so far, on Selenya. He was starting to think it was likely everyone in the league had the same look.

Grayson looked around to make sure no one was listening, then moved in closer to Capso.

“So, I’ve been thinking of ways to escape, and I think I came up with a promising idea.”

“I don’t think you will have thought of anything that hasn’t been tried before, but I will let you know what I think.”

“Alright,” Grayson said, rubbing his hands together. “I know trying to escape from this compound is impossible, with all the guards patrolling around the area, it would never work. So, any attempt to escape would have to come when we are being transported to and from the proving grounds, or after entering the aquadome.”

Brother Capso nodded along to that, so Grayson continued.

“While in the proving grounds, the entire wall is manned by guards, so trying to climb it would only end poorly. But how about hiding inside the aquadome until night. The guards would assume that I had died, and I could escape when they can’t see in the dark. That would leave me with the perfect opportunity to sneak onto one of the ships, or make my own raft if necessary.”

Brother Capso nodded when Grayson had finished explaining his plan. “Others have come up with the same plan before, but as far as I know, no one has tried it.”

“Why not?”

“Because to succeed you would need to spend an entire day within the proving grounds when a couple of hours every two days is dangerous enough to get most people killed within a week or two. Not only that, but the aquadome gets more dangerous during the day. There is a reason why we enter the proving grounds before the heat of the sun sets in. That’s when all the snakes come out. Finally, you would have to survive long enough into the night that your vision would be severely hampered. All that considered, is enough to scare even the desperate from trying.”

Grayson sighed. He knew it wasn’t a great plan, but everything else he had come up with was worse, even with this new information from Capso. Well, there was one other he had thought up, but it wasn’t worth running by the priest because it would require an explanation he didn’t want to give the man, and he didn’t think it was realistic anyway.

“How long have you been here?” Grayson asked. He had been curious about this for a while now. The priest seemed to know a lot about the proving grounds, at least he knew more than someone who had only been here a couple of weeks should.

“I’ve been here for a few months now. I believe I’m the prisoner with the most experience in the proving grounds.”

“Really?” Grayson asked, “Is there some kind of trick you learned to help you survive.”

“No. Nothing out of the ordinary at least. I have nearly died many times, but I was fortunate enough to find the ascension pearl twice. Velos must have some purpose for me to complete before I die.”

Grayson’s thoughts darkened at that. Brother Capso seemed like a good person despite his claim that he had killed someone. From what Grayson had seen, Velos wasn’t worthy of anyone’s faith, let alone the faith of someone like the kindly priest.

Capso must have noticed something because he spoke up, a smile on his lips. “I can see your experience with the effigy and the archbishop have not endeared you to our order.”

“You could say that again.” Grayson said. That wasn’t the whole of it, but it was certainly enough. Despite it all, he sat down next to the priest. Neither of them spoke until the sky began to darken. Grayson cleared his mind, and took some time to enjoy the quiet peace. The island was truly a beautiful place despite the horrors he had witnessed. It was also nice to sit without dwelling on his situation.

Eventually, Brother Capso stood and gave Grayson a dip of the head before leaving to get some sleep, and Grayson followed a few minutes later. Tomorrow would be his second foray into the proving grounds.

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