ManBeast - Book 1: A Kingdom of Predators

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Three months. Three sweaty, bloody, sometimes teary-eyed, sometimes vomit-y months. Three months of mock-up professionalism during the day, and animalistic tenacity at night. Three months of aching and exhaustion even while laying still. Three months of lying to coworkers and dodging the curious. Three months...of personal growth and development, at the cost of everything else. Jules had been given everything but the proverbial kitchen sink; the "Big Three", as he had come to classify them, had done the utmost to whip him up from physical mediocrity.

The division in responsibility was indeed a good idea on paper; everyone was assigned to tasks they had experience in. Doug introduced Jules to the fundamentals necessary to compete in such demanding athletics by drilling basics into Jules over and over again: foot work, conditioning and resistance training were huge points of emphasis. Al pushed Jules through supersets of weight lifting, targeting rapid muscle growth, strength and endurance within specific muscle groups. Frankie formulated the basis for a preliminary fighting style, one that would give Jules a framework to build from.

But such extreme divisions in teaching lead to vastly distinct pedagogies; lesson plans, obligations and expectations...none of the Big Three taught the same way procedurally, regardless of the substantive matter. When coupled with limitations in time and the inexperience of the pupil, this was the functional equivalent of a "clusterfuck." Jules greatly underestimated the benefits of singularity in education and had reaped the proverbial whirlwind in kind: Al was an energic but boundless trainer who pushed Jules to the point of collapse, each and every time a dumbbell was lifted. Frankie was a Zen master whose martial comprehension and application was bountiful but hyper-technical; Jules might as well have been in a graduate-level physics class. Doug was the only constant: a cruel, draconian task-master who seemingly delighted in seeing Jules fail again and again, coming up with new ways to succeed at that goal. Despite this, Jules' body did grow rapidly, his fundamental skillset solidified, and his strategic mind began to develop. The mental toll however, had reached its peak, only one week removed from the Gauntlet.

Jules was in the middle of doing burpees while Doug turned a huge war rope, forcing Jules to either jump as high as he could or spread out in low prone position when the rope passed under his feet or over his head. Al and Frankie stood by watching as Doug steadily increased the speed of the rope, causing Jules to exert more hustle. "Get that ass up in the air, mutt!" Doug barked. The use of the word "mutt" was the figurative straw that broke the camel's back; Jules stopped jumping a little too early, catching the full force of the rope into his legs. Doug wasted no time in chiding him: "What the hell was that?! Gauntlet's a week away and you're still distracted?? You better get your shit together, mutt; I only train winners and so far, I'm inclined to disown ya!"

Jules rose to his feet quickly and got in Doug's face, regardless of the potential consequences. "FUCK YOU DOUG, calling me "mutt", are you fucking serious?!" Jules screamed in his face. Al began to step forward to break up the incipient fight when Frankie held out his hand to stop him; Jules continued his tirade: "YOU'VE BEEN RUNNING ME RAGGED THIS ENTIRE TIME AND YET HAVE NOTHING POSITIVE TO SAY!" Doug puffed up his chest and snarled in Jules' face: "You ain't earned it, mutt; you think you can just be invited here, do some calisthenics and get an award? This is what we live for, what we bleed for, what many Brothers have died for! The Brotherhood is our history! There is no "us" without the Brotherhood, and I refuse to baby some punk-ass kid who thinks he's here to impress his new father-figure."

Those words stung Jules deeply; Frankie was indeed the closest thing to a father Jules had since his own father's passing, but as a man himself, the weight of those words had struck a chord of disrespect. Jules felt that pounding sensation in his ears slowly rise to an audible beat, as every part of his body began to ache and call out for revenge. "How dare he! Someone I'm trying to respect would treat me this way?! I'm here for him, for all of them! He thinks I'm going to just accept this??"