Solo The Answer Is... (Part 1)

[Orion Michaels]

23rd of Fall, 513 AV
Antinous Training Grounds
10th Bell

He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it. Orion Michaels was actually enjoying lifting weights. It didn't seem possible. It didn't seem like he was the type at all. Was he to go from a cerebral doctor to some big muscle bound oaf? It came as a bit of a surprise to him as it had to anyone else. The stupid exercise was actually doing his body some favors. A decrease in alcohol consumption coupled with constant training and working out led to the beginning of a transformation in a once scrawny body. He actually felt healthy.

It was so stupid.

"Let's go over this one more time," said the hulking Akalak. This purple giant had taken to teaching groups of interested squires and knights the basics and even some intermediate for those who were skilled enough. The majority of those around were other Akalak themselves. Orion was one of the only humans, and they made it clear that he was nothing compared to them. "We're starting with squats. We're planning on working arms and legs today, so keep your spirits up. You will hurt, but remember, none shall be more mighty than the Syliran Knights."

Ser Iros was a peculiar sort. Some may even call him zeallous. Regardless, he knew how to craft a strong body. 'Even a puny human like Orion here can learn to be strong,' he had said. Despite being the oldest squire participating, Orion wasn't going to be shunned out of gaining strength. "Alright squire Michaels. You are up first," he stated, motioning the blue eyed man over to the rack where the heavy bar rested. "You remember what to do, right? I'll talk you through in case you forgot." He stood behind Orion, turning his head to talk to the group. "First rule of weight lifting, always use a spotter! If you don't use one, I'll kick your ass, hear me?!"

The thread was somewhat old, but no one had tested him to see if it were true. He could most likely follow through with it, and Orion didn't want to be the person who found out how serious he was.

"You've got two hundred and five pounds on there, Orion. Should be a good challenge for someone of your weight and build. And being human and all." Always taking those shots. The squire positioned himself under the bar, rolling back his shoulders to give the metal a place to rest. Several large round weights were attached at each end.

"Now remember. Life with your legs, not your back. The reason we keep this bar a little bit lower than shoulder level is so you can get under it an and not have to stand on your tip toes. Gotta keep balanced, after all! Now lift!"

Orion took a deep breath, wrapped his fingers around the bar and pressed up with his legs. The stress on his shoulders and thighs became immediately noticeable. The weight bore down on him as he stood there, awaiting further instruction.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion took a step back away from the rack at Ser Iros' command. Squats were the bane of his existence. They weren't fun, they weren't enjoyable, but gods if they weren't effective. His legs would feel like liquid for days afterwards, but the benefits far outweighed any of that. "We're building muscle here, you weaklings! Squats are wonderful for that. Yes, your legs are the primary benefactors of this exercise, but that's not where it ends. Squats require your entire body. You've got the weight spreading throughout your entire body, and you've your abs stabilizing you the entire time. Squats are the greatest!"

There was no way to say he was anything but passionate about the art of bodybuilding.

"Now go ahead lower yourself towards the ground, almost a sitting motion. Keep your back straight, and go until your legs are parallel with the ground." Ser Iros watched the scrawny human with a smirk on his lips. He was amused by the efforts of that man. It was almost cute to watch a human trying to keep up with the mighty Akalak.

Orion took a deep breath and began to sink down, letting his knees bend as his body dropped towards the ground. His feet were about shoulder width apart and planted firmly against the floor. He could feel his legs being tested throughout their entirety, but he kept going until his legs were as Ser Iros had directed.

"Keep your head up," he commanded,"And now drive yourself back up. You'll do ten repetitions of this. Don't arch your back."

Orion listened to the instructions in earnest. There was no good in upsetting the bulky Akalak. Orion pushed himself up, his quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves screaming in disagreement with his choice.

Only nine more to go...

It didn't take long before his muscles began to fatigue. Over and over the former doctor went about lowering his body and shooting it back up to a full standing position.

Six . . . . Seven . . . . . . . . Eight . . . . . . Nine

Breathing heavily, the squire again lowered himself, the crushing weight sinking down on his shoulders. His legs trembled as he completed the last rep, sweat dripping down his face from the simple exercise. Ser Iros was insane if he thought that this was an enjoyable exercise. As he moved to set the bar back on the rack, he noticed that another knight had stepped into his place; Ser Iros had been unable to contain himself anymore and had begun to do squats himself, only with four times the weight that Orion was lifting.

"Eighteen! Nineteen! Twenty! RAAAAAAAH" The man's voice rang out throughout the training grounds as he put the bar on the rack. "Is that all you pansies have got? We're not done yet! Get ready for another set! Add more weight! Spotters, get ready!"

He wasn't ready for another set, but he didn't have much choice. The Akalak was demanding. He wasn't going to take no for an answer, especially not from someone like Orion.

"Weightlifting is life!!"

[Orion Michaels]

Once the group was done with the squats, it was time for them to move on. With a rather animated coach, they weren’t going to be wasting any of the precious ticks they had between resting and going at the workout again. ”Well, none of you have hurt yourself, but you can’t even do half as much as me! Keep pressing on, and some day you’ll get there!” Ser Iros laughed heartily as he ushered the group of knights and squire over to where rows of free weights rested on stands. ”We’re going to have fun here! You’ll respect your bodies by giving them the power!” Iros demonstrated his reality by flexing his engorged bicep for his students.

This man is out of his mind . . .

”We’re gonna start the arm work out fairly simple. Dumbbell curls!” Orion recoiled as two heavy dumbbells were thrust into his hands. The Akalak was carrying an armful of free weights for the human participants. He liked to show off his superior strength at every turn.  ”Three reps, ten cycles! That means you’ll do ten with your left arm, ten with your right arm, then ten at the same time. Complete it a total of three times! Now stop wasting my time and lift!”

Orion got right into the thick of things. Taking a deep breath, he started by bringing the left arm towards his chest. It was immediately apparent that the Akalak had overestimated Orion’s strength. Exhaling as he lowered his left arm, Orion started into his right arm. The tension built throughout its entirety. His bicep flexed in response to the heavy weight, and he could feel the strain on his tendons and elbow. There were so many different ways to work out the body, and every time that he trained, he discovered a new muscle to hurt.

”Don’t you slow down, Squire Michaels! Keep pushing! Keep breathing! You have to push through the wall, and you better not even be close to hitting it yet!”

Orion was convinced that the Akalak only had one volume. Extreme yelling. The blue eyed squire kept the weights moving, but by the time he got to the double curls, he was rapidly running out of steam.  There was extreme difficulty in keeping his arms steady, and sweat was dripping profusely from his brow. Each movement of the dumbbells brought forth a grunt as he forced himself to keep going, but he wasn’t going to be able to go on much longer. He got to the ninth rep, tried to pull them to the top, but the weights only got about halfway up before his arms gave up.

”What did I say, Michaels!?”

Orion gritted his teeth and tried to dig deep and those last two reps in, but he could feel the weight engaging his muscles and the muscles weren’t going anywhere. His arms remained limp at his side. Ser Iros shook his head, giving the squire a disappointed look, but when he spotted another student struggling, he set off to explain the wonders of bodybuilding and the squire’s failure with glee.

[Orion Michaels]

Having freed himself of the obnoxious and overly weighty dumbells, Orion could get to work on doing something that was actually beneficial to him. Sure, it was more curls. That was the exercise of the bell. Using weights that weren’t appropriate to his strength, however, was not beneficial to his overall growth. There was a difference between pushing himself and overexerting, even if it was a fine line to walk.

Orion stood with a dumbbell in each hand, his feet about shoulder width apart. Form was important with any exercise, and both Ser Iros and Sera Lorene had emphasized this point with him continuously, though the former seemed to let it slide a bit more when he was feeling exceptionally passionate about his craft.

Though his arms felt like gelatin, Orion was going to get through these sets if it was the last thing he did. Well . . maybe not that extreme . . . Both of the weights hung at his side, facing front and back just as his body was. His fingers and thumbs both were curled around the handles to ensure there would be no slippage as he attempted to bring both weights towards his chest.

”The key in curls is to do them evenly and with correct form. Make sure your wrist doesn’t shoot out to either side when you lift. Additionally, make sure that you keep your elbows by your body. I don’t want to see anyone poking them out to the side like you’re some stupid petching chicken, do you hear me?!” The booming voice Ser Iros rang out once more. He was utterly relentless. ”Hey you! Don’t arch your back!”

The blue eyed man tried to push Ser Iros from his mind and focus on the task at hand. Inhaling deeply as he did so, Orion brought his right arm up towards his chest; all of his stabilizing muscles in his arm fired off as he did so, still weary from his previous attempt. Still, it was much more manageable than what he’d faced prior. In keeping with the form he’d been taught, the dumbbells were slowly lowered, a controlled pace, rather than just letting them fall. Dinah had claimed this would keep your muscles engaged longer and thus give you more results for your efforts. Exhaling as he finished the repetition, Orion rested at the base position or only a tick before starting with the left in the same path.

It proved to be much easier to do it this way, but he was still feeling the aftereffects of Ser Iros’ weight suggestion. Ten repetitions with his left arm. Ten repetitions with his right arm. He alternated with each one of them until he got through his individual arm sets, huffing and wheezing as he completed them. Finally, it was time for him to do his double arm curls. These required him to maintain his form even more than the alternating curls due to the increased weight he would be moving at once. It was much easier to accidentally arch one’s back or throw an elbow out too far. Alright Orion, let’s do this.

He gritted his teeth together and started, pulling both of the dumbbells up, bending his arms slowly until the weights were near his chest. Exhaling, he lowered them back down. His arms began to shake on the way down, as it was becoming more and more difficult to remain stable. It only became more apparent as he brought them back up.

”. . . Five . . . six . . . “

Seven . . . Seven . . . Seven?

Orion’s arms stopped moving despite him ordering his body to do so. He couldn’t will them to continue at all.

”Is that all you’ve got, Michaels?” How was it that Ser Iros only seemed to notice Orion when he was struggling? It was ridiculous.

”N-n-no!” He couldn’t bring himself to frown because he was putting everything unto a futile struggle. Those weights weren’t moving. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Orion lowered the dumbbells to the ground and looked up at Ser Iros, only he wasn’t there. Someone else had made an error and was getting an earful.

”Thank goodnesss,” Orion muttered, rotating his arms to try and stretch them out and shake off the painful workout. He would enjoy the exercises considerably more if they weren’t accompanied by the loud cries of a passionate Akalak. Still, when he wasn’t going on about how weak Orion was, it was something he could lose himself in.

[Taylani]

Orion Michaels

Skill	Award	Notes
Body Building	5	-

Lores

• Body Building: Always use a Spotter
• Body Building: Squats are the greatest
• Body Building: Key to Curls is correct form.

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