Steel Wolf

My Marbles are Bigger

The city still in the shadow of the mountains to the east, the Blood Shadows were doing morning calisthenics in the street just outside of their appropriated house across from the park. The soldiers of the Regular Military were treated to displays of enormous physical prowess.

Beginning with standard jumping jacks, leg lifts, squat thrusts, trunk twists, and toe touches, the group soon moved to more advanced maneuvers. Upside down, balanced solely on their hands, they did one hundred pushups. A few bets were made whether or not that one-armed guy would even be able to stand on his remaining hand. Lakish managed over seventy one-handed pushups before his arm gave way. Of course, no one wanted to make any bets concerning that large blonde woman, the queen's wife. After all, several troopers swore they had seen her throw two trolls completely over a house the night before.

Once the Blood Shadows had limbered up, they began playing tumbletoss.

One person, "the stick", would stand at attention. With the squad standing three feet apart, the tosser bodily picked them up, tossed the stick to the next person in line, then sprinted to the end of the line, leaving a four-foot interval. Once the line was completely finished with the four-foot interval, a five-foot interval was left open. If the stick was dropped, the tosser carried the catcher around the line five times, then the catcher carried the tosser around the line five times. If the stick lost their balance when they tried landing on their feet after being dropped, they carried the tosser and catcher together fives times around the line.

The mages were naturally exempt from some exercises, not having the immense physical strength needed. Instead, they exercised their mental powers by slinging low-level spells at each other or setting up personal wards against attack.

Gaspar and Nazaretta swooped in to pick up the mages, carrying them like babes, as the entire group began running in formation around the park. Occasionally, a mage would be thrown to another Blood Shadow in mid-stride. Both women delighted in the ease and care with which they were transferred.

"No spells!" Tanaya yelled when she felt an anti-fatigue spell hit her. "This is standard for us! Private Rosso! Sing out!"

Tevya Rosso began yelling out a cadence, waiting for the Blood Shadows to repeat it, then yelled out the next line.

"Run on, run on, until you crawl!" he shouted

"Run on, run on, until you crawl!" the group repeated.

"Pick yourself up and run some maw!"

"Pick yourself up and run some maw!"

"Cast your eyes up to the sky!"

"Cast your eyes up to the sky!"

"Blood Shadows are running on by!"

"Blood Shadows are running on by!"

"Remember Siari, she is dead!"

"Remember Siari, she is dead!"

"On a pike, her killer's head!"

"On a pike, her killer's head!"

"The Hand of Five now is two!"

"The Hand of Five now is two!"

"The Blood Shadows are coming for you!"

"The Blood Shadows are coming for you!"

On and on, Tevya Rosso yelled taunts in rhyme. On every other syllable, the runner's left feet hit the ground, the group running as one. As the taunts grew, so did the intensity of their voices, until it seemed they were in a blood frenzy. When the sun had completely risen over the mountain, it was late morning and all were thoroughly drenched in sweat. During this time, the mages had been set back on the ground, keeping up with the warriors as best they could. When one fell behind, she was scooped up and carried until she caught her breath, then set back on the ground to run some more.