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

[Bob Barton]

26th day of Summer 505 AV

And so, Bob was headed back to the gate looking out for the big purple akalak he was supposed to meet. That guy was tough. Two days and still his arms were aching when he had to pull Sandy around. That was the only difference that Bob felt and that better not be the changes Xalet promised because pain is not fun. Lets hope he was not going to meet Sandy again either. Her or Xalet's gladius. The time from two days ago made him feel that he had enough of both for now.

But at the gates Bob made sure he had his canesword and warily clutched on to it. Why? Xalet himself admitted that he liked to surprise people. Oh sureeeee he gave the excuse that it was only because he only sparred with knights but Bob was not going to take any chances. If Xalet tried to give him a surprise attack now, he was going to clobber the akalak with his canesword.

With that mindset, Bob heard a rustle behind him as he neared the gates. Quickly he spun around thinking that he was right "You won't get me this time!" and raised his weapon to strike at the source of the sound. When he did, it got stuck in a bush. Stupid bird, here he was expecting an akalak and he completely missed the bird too as it flew away. After that he struggled to pull his weapon back out. Stupid bushes, even they were better than he was in using their branches. In that time, all Bob did was try to pull, twist and move the canesword out of the bushes with no success.

[Xalet]

Xalet had been approached from the side of one of the towers. He had to get the accessories needed for their training together, after all. Interestingly Xalet wasn't wearing his traditional full plate armor, as he needed his body to have more articulation for this days event. Instead he wore the standard squire's uniform beneath, mostly a cloth gambeson, pants, and a pair of boots. Come to think of it, this was the first time Xalet had ever been out of his full plate since the two met.

But what was Bob doing striking the most royal foliage of Syliras? Maybe he had gotten gainful employment as some sort of landscape groundskeeper? It was quite the poor job he was doing. The bird thought so as well, as it fluttered away. Thinking of the first time the two met, Xalet popped the cap from his waterskin with his teeth and squeezed it in Bob's direction, splashing him from behind. "I wouldn't expect you to bring water again, so I did the honors. Enjoy."

Once Bob turned around he would find Xalet providing him not only with a waterskin, but with a backpack. Well wasn't that thoughtful. Perhaps it had some useful supplies in it? That was until Bob picked it up, when he found it had some dozens of pounds of what felt like stones, "The rocks are rounded. I thought that would be nice of me. Did you ever climb trees as a young boy, Bob?"

[Bob Barton]

Bob kept at pulling the sword. This must have been what that Artie guy felt when he was pulling his own sword only difference was that Bob was not going to get a kingdom in the end. But the sword was still his. He pulled harder, using his whole body but still with no success which was good in a way. It might have gotten loose when Xalet was behind and Bob would smash into him. Instead Bob was all wet when Xalet splashed him.

The sudden liquid getting all over him gave Bob a sudden twitch which allowed him to pull the sword free and he turned to his wicked prankster. Swinging it at Xalet but missing when the canesword rotated a round. Bob was far too short and misjudged the distance of his attack. When it pointed to the front again he got dizzy and fell on his hit butt, "Thats not how you give people water" Was that the right Xalet he was telling? There was two of them.

When the extra Xalet disappeared, Bob saw that the backpack was not gone. "No Sandy today?" he asked as he tried to receive it with open arms. It was then the whole weight of the training was on him. Literally. Bob's unprepared arms dropped like the backpack on the ground. Was Xalet keeping rocks in it? Not rocks, stones and "What about being rounded is nice? You should have warned me first!" then at least there was a chance of Bob catching the pack properly.

Climbing trees were for savages and barbarians like myrians and akalaks. Why would Bob do it unless he was forced by those same people? Not forced but advised to do in a game of tag so "I guess I did. Did you?" Was there a reason for the trees just like whether there was a reason that the backpacks were full of stones? No, but maybe together? Bob could not think of anything either. Maybe Xalet would tell him what he had planned now.

[Xalet]

"Well you should know by now I refuse to use magic." Xalet commented when Bob voiced his displeasure about being rather damp. When that sun got higher in the sky, having a bit of moisture on your skin was a good thing. It kept the fiery burn from the sun away, unless you had enough shade to practice in. On this day, they were going to have substantial shade. There was a particular place to train, away from the bustle of the city but still within the protection of the Knights. Perhaps he very well was the safest forest anywhere, the Bronze Woods.

"If they had edges, when you wore that pack it would dig into your back. So rounded rocks are preferable. This way I can make a fair determination on just how much weight to put upon your body." the squire said with a nod. Of course Xalet wore a backpack much in the same fashion, although his weighed substantially more due to the difference in their size and physical capacity to lift. Making the body move and perform while under the effect of weight was the very basis for strength training. If you could perform actions that worked the most amount of muscles then you had found an exercise worth attempting.

"Follow me." the Akalak said, walking out of the gates, leading the way to the north of the city. The Bronze Woods of Syliras were gorgeous in the Summer. The huge trunks of the trees and their leafy coverage brought down substantial shade. "Of course I did. I still do. When we are children our bodies are so strong. They heal and recover, they rarely tire, and they are filled with strength. As an adult you stop doing a lot of the things you did as a child, and you lose that strength. Climbing a tree is one of those things. Grip, arm strength, leg strength, abdominal strength, you need to make it all work in conjunction to climb, or you fall."

Of course Xalet wasn't about to make Bob climb a tree with the possibility of falling to his doom if he managed to reach some great height. There was at least one level of protection against that. "Inside your pack, atop the rocks is a length of rope, tie it about yourself beneath the arms. The other end we'll tie on one of those limbs, unless you trust your grip enough."

[Bob Barton]

"Magic? What is that?" Bob rolled his eyes as soon as Xalet said that. Who in their right mind would admit they used magic? So the best thing to do is deny, deny, deny. Even when they find out you deny because its their word against yours. And its you who knows yourself best. "I mean its your choice what you want to use and what you don't want to use. No one is forcing you" which was the truth. Just like Bob now is following the akalak in his own choice contrary to popular belief.

But why would Bob allow something like this on himself, following a slightly unhinged akalak. It was as if he was coming out with a new torturous regime everyday. First Sandy which Bob "killed" so he would never have to see again and now rounded rocks. Even if this strange akalak seemed to be genuine in his reasons to give rounded rocks based on his reasons, rocks are still rocks. Curved or flat they were still heavy and "in what way do they help you determine how much I can carry?" Xalet was the expert here no doubt about that but sometimes what he said is just lost on Bob.

Still no explanation of the rocks and trees yet as Bob and Xalet went to the Bronze Woods but he did talk about his childhood. It was pretty normal enough, "I didn't even know you akalaks climb trees." Oh wait, Xalet was raised in Syliras away from his people. No wonder this was so normal. "You were talking about your childhood in Syliras then?" Bob asked after remembering the fact. Come to think of it there was so much he didn't know about his akalak besides the fact that he was a Priskil lover, body training addict and had a strange sense of humor. "What else did you do besides all this physical activities?"

Then finally near the trees at the Bronze Wood, Xalet explained the whole thing. Wait, wait, wait, "you expect me to climb up a tree with these rocks in my bag?" That was suicidal. Even with a rope if Bob fell the rocks will flatten him on one side and would break his back on the other. "I pretty much don't trust anything now so there should be another way besides my grip, the rope," and even you.

[Xalet]

Xalet looked at Bob for a long moment after the had asked just how the Akalak was able to determine the burden he would have to carry. The lengthy pause and the look on the squire's face made it seem like an in-depth, completely scientific answer was coming at any time. Instead, all he did was shrug slightly and go, "Eh." Was he guessing? Was it all just some sort of hasty estimate? It seemed so.

"My childhood, and many others. Children often sneak out to the Bronze Woods. In this world filled with danger, while young it is good to believe in adventure without the possibility of death. Here, in the Bronze Woods...that is possible. It has the feel of the wild without the monstrous creatures that roam elsewhere." there was something to be said about a large group of heavily armed and armored men that would just as soon lock you up if you spoke poorly about them. They certainly did work tirelessly day and night, trying constantly to keep Syliras the safest place in Mizahar. Syliras seemed to have a monopoly on safety.

"Gardening. Something I picked up from my mother I suppose. I was never that good at it though. Seems I over-watered the plants too often, did not plant them shallow enough, or packed the topsoil too tightly. It was still rather soothing." he admitted. Back in Riverfall, most Akalak's were typically sages, smiths, or perhaps gemcutters. Xalet had a penchant for nature styled pursuits, even if he had no talent at them.

Expected him to climb a tree with a bag full of rocks? Of course Xalet did, otherwise they wouldn't have been out there. "You'll dive at an Akalak in plate armor, but not climb a tree? You must trust yourself. If you are afraid to fall, then we will stay close to the ground." Xalet mentioned, moving his foot upward into a V-shaped intrusion where a low laying branch met the trees trunk. Finding a good climbing tree in the Bronze Woods was about as hard as finding a Knight in Syliras. Moving his hand upward he gripped a secondary branch further up and began to pull himself upward, swinging one leg up and over the branch he was on before resting atop the wide base with a knee. Moving to put his chest against the branch and reach downward, he extended his hand to Bob, "If you trust nothing, learn to trust your body. If you understand it's capabilities it will not fail you. As it's capabilities rise you will perhaps put more faith into it. Come, there is much to see if you get high enough."

[Bob Barton]

Eh? "Eh?" That was not the answer Bob was looking for. No wonder the bag felt so heavy to walk in. Xalet was just guessing the weight. Yes of course. He did not even do anything with Bob when filling up the bag. He kind of just did and handed over the bag and now where was Bob? Of course struggling to keep his balance to walk while carrying a heavy bag. Each step was a chore. Once which he had to try and guess whether he should lean forward or lean backwards to balance the bag with his own weight. Talk about "squires being responsible" just like the knights they were supposed to be. Lies!

In the end, Bob was able to carry the heavy bag all the way to the Bronze Woods without falling. Possibly with some help by Xalet too. "Monstrous creatures? Really?" Bob asked. Kind of true. Bob has been camping outside Syliras a lot in the past to save him money especially when he had not make his living busking. The only monsters he would know are the "knights." Those guys made you think you were living in some concentration camp. "They always have their eyes out for danger" or potential danger which means no one is free from their scrutinizing eyes. The price for wanting to live in safety Bob supposes. "Good for the children then" Bob replied though unknown if he meant it sarcastically or honestly since they had to grow up in an enviroment like this.

Bob tried his best to hold back his laughter which spluttered out causing him to fall forward. Stupid bag. It almost would have crushed him if he had not held out his hands on time. But gods it was heavy. If he was strong enough he would have done push ups with it just to show that Xalet should stop "eh"-ing more but today he will just have to be happy with getting back up despite having it on his back. Bob bent his arms slightly and then pushed himself to launch himself backwards using his feet as a fulcrum point and "Whoop!" he was falling again after a few seconds. "Lets try that again..." Bob said doing the same thing but launching himself to the side this time and looking like an upside down turtle and struggling to get up.

A very funny scene. It could probably make even the stoic akalak laugh. But before Xalet would have a chance, Bob burst out laughing as soon as his eyes caught him being reminded of "gardening? You akalaks?" Forget the fact that Xalet normally failed. Just imagining Xalet wearing the goofy hat and tending to the plants instead of being fully armored and playing with his gladius was something Bob really wanted to see.

"Diving at an Akalak in plate armor and climbing a tree are two different things entirely" especially when said akalak was waving a weapon right at you. The bully. All Bob did was help cool him off from a hot summer day when Xalet would be soooooo hot in that armor. "One is do or die and another is do and die" very different indeed. Bob just watched as Xalet started climbing the tree taking note of where he saw the hands and feet being place. The akalak really just made it look that easy. Instead of watching and waiting for the inevitable, Bob could just take this chance to run. Xalet would be too high up and have a bag full of rocks to chase him in time.

That sounded really good at the time. Bob took his eyes of Xalet to look for an escape route. Even still in the day the multitude of trees in the Bronze Wood made shadows all over the place. Bob tried to look into the darkness and saw rustling and moving leaves. Was that glowing eyes? "No roaming monstrous creatures?" What a lie. Bob was not going to take any chances. They even looked like they were coming closer to him or that could be what the fear was showing him.

"Wait for meeeee!" he shouted after Xalet and pulled at his extended hand. Xalet won't be the only one monopolizing the safety of the trees. Making use of Xalet's pull, Bob only had to worry about one hand and two legs. Placing his hand on the highest branch he could, Bob started climbing upwards. Slippery trees since his feet nearly dropped but with the combined efforts of Bob and Xalet, finally he reached high enough. "What do you see Xalet?" Trees? Monsters? Trees and monsters? But all Bob could see up there were trees. Big, green and boring trees.

[Xalet]

"Hmph. I know very little of other Akalaks, as the only one I've ever met that wasn't a Knight was my father. I find gardening quite soothing. You should have a hobby that calms your mind." Xalet responded. He wasn't alone when it came to Knights having various hobbies that didn't involve combat. Some enjoyed drawing, or writing poetry. Some simply enjoyed fashion and jewelry shopping. He didn't have that kind of money. Xalet didn't have much money at all, aside from a small allowance that he had built up over time from his mother. "Besides, what did a man like you do in your youth, hm?"

Watching Bob flop around on the ground was something else. Xalet couldn't do much beside shake his head while chortling slightly. "You're a strange man, Bob. You complain a lot, but you've got plenty of energy. You need to stress your muscles, after all. That's how you get stronger."

Gripping Bob's arm the Akalak yanked him upward, latching one of his hands to the tree trunk for support. With a slight grunt he helped the man up onto the branch which he stood upon, showcasing the tensile strength of these large trees. "See? Nothing yet, we're not high enough yet. I suppose there might be some wildlife. Just a boar, or perhaps a bear. Nothing to be afraid of, right?" he replied, completely ignoring any type of rustling in the trees, which Bob could have swore he heard again.

"Stay close to the trunk." Xalet mentioned, reaching up to grip another limb, pulling on it momentarily to ensure it was strong enough to hold. From his kneeling position he moved up into a slight crouch and pulled up high enough to swing another foot across the bark coated limb to aid in pulling himself up completely. "I think climbing works well with strength training, and it is a good skill to have. You never know when you might need to climb something, especially someone of your...size. If the backpack gets too heavy, let it drop."

[Bob Barton]

"Oh, I got a hobby of my own and don't you worry" and that hobby was gambling. In fact, "you and I should have a game sometime" and that way Bob could finally show how much superior he was compared to the akalak. "We could even do it now to determine just how many rocks each of us should carry." As for what Bob did in his youth it was more or less the same with what he does now and "it was not too different from any other youth my age then" like tag, treasure hunts and haunted houses.

After all the strenuous exercise Bob was already in the mood for pouting. "I don't see how carrying heavy rocks on my back like this works..." He could even do something like this and get paid for it as well if he bothered to find the correct job. And he just found out they were not high enough yet? "Just how high do you want to go? I'll have you know some of us are already used to living low all our lives." Bob may not like being reminded about his height but sometimes he doesn't mind reminding others about it just to get what he needed.

But going higher would be good. At least then they would be further from "whats down there?" Xalet made the wildlife sound so safe but bears and boars can still kill people. While Xalet could fight Bob hardly felt that he would survive if he did. Following Xalet's advice, Bob quickly hug on the tree and looked up not wanting to find whatever it was that he thought he saw at the bottom. If he did die right now, better to not know how. Getting eaten was bad but falling to his death would be embarrassing.

Bob slowly fastened his feet into position before gathering the courage to push himself up. How was he going to drop the backpack when his arms were already stuck to the trunk so he won't fall off? "No, I'd rather keep the backpack on me" and his body on the tree. Once he positioned his body high enough he moved his feet upwards again and then pushed his body upwards one more time. Continuing until he reached wherever Xalet was leading him to.

[Xalet]

"A game? Hm, ok." Xalet decided. Where could the downside to a game be? Of course Xalet was fairly ignorant to gambling, and exactly what sort of important things could be lost through it. Akalaks were a competitive bunch, having been born that way, but gambling was something he had never done. Of course he had flipped coins and rolled dice, but there were never any real stakes. Stakes were what made gambling real, and dangerous. Just how much did someone like Xalet have to lose?

There was a certain gamble he was always taking, even without knowing. That was the effort to repress his dark-side, less it tarnish his image. A squire's image was everything. When you couldn't own any real property, gain a title, or even keep the things you used on a day to day basis, it was your character that separated you from the others.

"It's actually quite simple. By increasing the strain on your body, you will gain quicker results." the squire replied. He left out quite the important part of that equation. The more you fight for your physical goals, the greater the possibility of injury. That was the price for success. You could gain strength, balance, and endurance safely, but it would take great lengths of time and dedication. You needed to move just beyond your limit, break down your muscular barriers, and allow them to rebuild themselves stronger than before. Go too far and you'll burn yourself out, and go even further than that and you'll self-destruct.

"The Bronze Woods are filled with wildlife, but I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about. You've been through worse I'm sure." said the squire, trying to keep Bob's spirits up. Of course he couldn't say much more as his hand slipped from a branch as he attempted to pull himself up it. Falling back downward onto the branch he was crouched atop, his body naturally moved against the trunk, barely keeping him from tumbling to the ground. It wouldn't have been the first time, but how embarrassing that would have been. "Tsk...that was close..." he breathed before reaching back up and finding a more significant handle upon the limb. "Can...you see it?" he grunted, once again yanking himself up higher, "The sun is becoming clearer now."