The Revenant

Training

ESKARINA

The next few hours came and went like a few seconds. After being selected to be in Nova's unit,we were all set out on a small obstacle course within the confines of the barracks.

It was here when I realised how vast the barracks actually were. Not only could they fit an auditorium, an entire building with just classrooms,another building with only beds and individual rooms,an armoury, but an entire obstacle course as well.

The three of us sprinted through the obstacle course as fast as we could. We crawled underneath netting in mud so wretched I wanted to puke from the smell,leaped over a gaping hole which led to a small pit where we would be stuck in if we fell in.

Amaani fell in once,and we needed to pull her out a few times.

We leaped over logs,slid beneath logs,slid down ropes,climbed ropes,but one obstacle came that I simply couldn't conquer.

It was a large wall,about fifteen feet high,and for the life of me I couldn't run up this damn wall.

Amaani would barely make it,while Tyrese would conquer it rather easy,as a matter of fact he run through the obstacle course as if it were almost nothing.

Not suprising...he was part monkey.

Short she was but Amaani had the agility down,she ran at incredibly fast speeds,and her elven heritage helped her a bit when crossing obstacles. She did grow up learning how to scale rooftops instead of tree's. I had heard that was how all elves were brought up. Before they learned how to crawl they were forced to learn how to climb and run.

The shit part was,while everyone crossed this wall fairly easily,I couldn't get over the top. And whenever I tried,I wouldn't even be able to make it to three feet before falling back down to the floor.

Nova watched me from the top. When the other two had reached the end and returned to his side to watch me,Nova looked at them,then back at me.

"Go back to the start. All of you. You'll run it again"

And so we did,we returned to the start and ran again, once more,I couldn't make it past the wall.

"Again,back to the start." Nova said.

So the cycle continued. We would run until I reached that wall and I would be unable to make it.

Then Nova would tell us to return to the beginning.

Hours had passed. The seconds ticked by slowly,drawing out the agony. The ache in my bones had become unbearable and my body felt ready to collapse.

But try as I might,I could not make it up the wall.

"Fucking come on! Jump up the damn wall Eskarina!" Amaani yelled.

"I'm trying!" I yelled back.

I could tell she was getting frustrated. Every time I failed,they would need to suffer again. I tried. Over and over I would try but fail. Unable to scale the wall.

So Nova made us repeat it once again.
My clothes stuck to my skin from sweat,my face was dirty with mud and my body was drenched in dirty water and sweat.

The day dragged on. No matter how tired we were,no matter how exhausted,Nova forced us to go on.

"On the battlefield you will have no break. On the battlefield your stamina will decide whether you live or die. You get tired on the battlefield? You die. You get thirsty while you're behind enemy lines and are trying to escape,you bitch about it,you die. This is war. This is what you signed up for. So until all of you make it,You run again. "

Nova's eye's whipped to the side,locking on to Amaani and Tyrese. "Stop whining,get back to the start. And you farm girl. Get up. Back to the start. Run it again."

So we did. Again.
And again.
And again.

But time and time again that fucking wall would stop me. Finally,Nova decided it was enough.

I was on the floor,huffing and puffing,while the three of them stood above me.

"All of you let's go. Get up farm girl. We're going to the mess hall. You get something to eat,then you get to bed. We'll continue tomorrow."

I couldn't move. Never in my life had I felt so utterly defeated. Suprisingly enough I felt arms scoop me up from the ground. When I looked up,I saw Nova as he set me back up onto my feet.

When he let me go I immiediatley began to fall to the earth. Amaani caught me and slung my arm round her neck,keeping me up.

"You know for a skinny girl,you're pretty fucking heavy" she said as she supported my weight.

I gave her a weak smile and we all followed Nova out of the Obstacle Course room,stumbling as we each struggled to stay on our feet on our way to the mess hall.