The general training grounds buzzed with the sound of motion—boots crunching over gravel, barked commands, the occasional clatter of training gear being adjusted. It was a vast open space bordered by moss-covered stone walls, with clear zones marked for different routines.
Kael stood alongside his group—Soren, Elowen, Caelindra, and Rorek—under the clear gaze of Maren, who stood at the front, arms crossed and voice clipped.
"Welcome to your first official Tower training session," she called out. "Your bodies will either adapt… or break. Let's see which."
She gestured behind her where a few Aegis instructors were waiting. "Phase one: Physical Conditioning. This isn't about style or technique. It's about whether your body has what it takes to keep moving when your heart begs you to stop."
Maren's whistle sliced the morning air, and the six of them surged forward onto the looping gravel track.
---
Cardio Conditioning
Three Laps Around the Grounds
First Lap:
The path wound between low stone pillars and raised wooden platforms. Kael kept pace with Rorek—each stride eating up ground—but Rorek spoke only once: "Keep breathing."
Elowen jogged beside Caelindra. "Nice steady pace," Elowen nodded. Cael offered a tired grin. "Thanks… I'm trying not to die."
Second Lap:
A sudden puff of artificial wind howled through a gap in the trees—an added challenge from the Aegis instructors. Gravel sprayed underfoot; Kael slipped, nearly catching himself on Soren's shoulder. Soren shot him a quick, wordless "You good?" before turning back to Rorek, leaving Kael to scramble upright.
Third Lap:
The final circuit was punctuated by Maren's pacing steps and clipped, encouraging shouts: "Push! One more!" Allen's lungs burned; his vision blurred at the edge. He felt Elowen's hand briefly squeeze his arm. "Almost there," she whispered. That—more than any drill—kept him moving.
When the whistle blew, they collapsed in a heap by the track's edge, chests heaving.
---
Strength Drills
Log Carries, Weighted Squats, Push‑ups
Log Carries:
Massive cedar logs lay in a row, each one sopping with morning mist. Soldiers barked "Go!" and the six staggered under the weight. Kael grunted as he lifted; Elowen steadied his other end. "Lean in," she coached, and together they moved the log a dozen paces before setting it down.
Weighted Squats:
Backpacks filled with sandbags were strapped tight. Every squat was a battle of quivering quads. Cael counted off reps: "One… two… three…" Soren's voice joined for the second half: "…four… five!" Allen's legs shook so hard he thought he might collapse—Rorek caught the pack's straps to steady him. "Keep it tight," Rorek grunted, and Allen found the strength for five more.
Push‑ups:
On rough stone, hands scraped as they lowered their bodies inch by inch. Maren watched closely. At Kael's tenth, his arms wobbled dangerously—Elowen dropped down parallel, matching push‑ups rep for rep. Cai panted, "I can't… but I—" and with Elowen's steady rhythm, managed two more of her own.
By the end, muscles trembled, knuckles skinned, and breath came in sharp bursts.
---
Speed & Reflex Course
Swinging Dummies and Sprint Flags
Dummy Dodges:
Wooden arms whipped from padded posts without warning. Allen ducked low, grit in his teeth, narrowly avoiding a glancing blow. Kael sidestepped, then jabbed at the dummy's midsection with practiced precision—an imitation of actual combat. Soren watched from the sidelines, marking the pattern, whispering cues: "Left… right… back."
Target Sprints:
Colored flags sprung up randomly across the field. At Maren's horn, they sprinted for the red banner at the far end, then reversed to the green, then the blue—eight laps of unpredictability. Allen felt Rorek's deliberate pace beside him, the two overtaking Cael and Elowen in an unexpected burst. "Never thought I'd be racing a ranger," Allen gasped. Rorek just grunted once—"Keep up"—and they both pushed harder.
Maren's final whistle cut them off mid‑stride.
---
They collapsed against the low stone wall, blankets of exhaustion settling over them.
Kael sat cross‑legged, head bowed. "I think my lungs just filed a formal complaint," he gasped.
Allen handed him a water skin. "Here. You earned it."
Elowen knelt to inspect Kael's scraped knuckles. "Let me see." She dabbed a bit of herbal salve from her satchel—a small act that made Kael's jaw relax.
Caelindra leaned back on her hands, studying the sky. "First day, and I already found more ways to hit my face against things than I could count." She laughed softly.
Soren sat a few feet away, quietly untangling a strip of rope from his pack. Allen watched him, curious. "You've done this before?"
Soren's gaze flicked up. "Not here. But on patrols back home. Knots saved my life once."
Rorek stood off to one side, stretching his arms. He caught Allen's eye and offered a small nod. "Not bad for beginners."
Maren swept back into view as the five‑minute mark ticked over. "All right. That was just the start. If you think that was tough, wait until you see the next drill."
They rose together, shoulders straightening, the bonds of sweat and shared struggle already knitting something unspoken between them. The rest was over. Training resumed—and with it, the real test of their new alliance.
The training ground's ceiling loomed high above, disappearing into faint golden haze. Strange vine-like filaments clung to the distant metal rafters, glowing faintly with the energy that pulsed in rhythm with the rune tiles below.
Cool, recycled air moved subtly through vents along the walls, carrying the faint scent of ozone and worn metal. The tile grid shimmered beneath dim arc-lamps shaped like inverted flowers—Tower-grown, Maren had called them. The floor tiles clicked and hummed like clockwork when they shifted, their magic engineered into rhythm.
The group stood before the cipher grid in a loose formation.
She folded her arms behind her back, eyes scanning them with quiet precision.
> "This is a cipher floor. The tiles will shift their symbols every ten seconds. Your objective is to step on the correct sequence of tiles to spell out a specific phrase. Step in the wrong order—or miss your timing—and the floor resets. Your time is limited. You must succeed together, or you fail together."
Soren Ashvale glanced at the others, then down at the patternless tiles. "So we're playing Tower hopscotch with ancient runes. Not exactly what I expected."
Rorek Blackthorn snorted, arms folded. "Better than running laps. I'll take mental puzzles over burpees any day."
Caelindra Stormglade tucked a loose braid behind her ear. "They're teaching us coordination. This isn't just about brains. It's about whether we can think together." She caught Kael's eye briefly. "Or trust each other's judgment."
Then Maren continued:
> "The phrase is: Climb beyond the known. It's written using Tower Runes—a script you don't need to read. The symbols are tied to specific positions. Watch the patterns. Observe. Coordinate."
She turned, walking to the edge of the course. "Begin."
---
The tiles flared brighter. The first set of symbols settled into place.
Kael stepped forward instinctively, eyes flitting across the grid. "Okay… they just changed. Let's look for repeating shapes."
Allen knelt beside the floor's edge, muttering, "Each rune looks unique, but their borders—some have double lines. That might help track them when they shift."
Caelindra joined him. "Veteran told me this sort of test uses symmetry. Corners and center tiles repeat most often. We should find 'anchor' positions."
Soren observed quietly, sharp eyes noting the faint flicker in the lower left. "That tile—far end, left corner. It hasn't changed since the start. That might be our first character."
The tiles shifted again—runes blinking out, replaced by new ones in a soft hum.
Elowen flinched slightly. "We've only got a few seconds between shifts. We should map one tile each and track it."
Rorek, arms crossed, scanned the field. "I'll take the center row. I've got a sharp eye for movement."
The group spread out, assigning sections. They counted down aloud as the symbols flickered in sync again.
> "Three… two… shift."
Allen's eyes narrowed. "Top right corner symbol repeated. That's the third character—same visual shape."
Kael raised a hand. "Let's get a sequence before we move. We mess this up, it resets the entire floor."
They waited, watching through two more shifts. Then Allen called out, voice low and certain, "I've got four characters. That's half the phrase."
Caelindra added, "I've tracked the middle pair. Probably beyond."
Kael stood over the first tile. "On my mark, we walk it through, one at a time. Allen, call out the next symbol's location."
Allen nodded. "Left corner. Then center-right. Then second from the top. Then bottom-center…"
One by one, they stepped across the tiles with precision. Elowen kept time softly under her breath. Rorek's steps were deliberate, not a single falter. The final tile pulsed under Kael's boot—
The symbols flared gold. A warm hum rolled through the booth, and the floor held steady.
Maren spoke from the sidelines, her tone still cool, but there was the faintest upturn at the edge of her voice. "That was smoother than most first-timers."
Kael exhaled and glanced around. "Not bad for strangers."
Caelindra gave a subtle nod. "Trust starts somewhere."
Rorek, surprisingly, smirked. "I didn't think half of you had it in you."
Elowen, brushing dust from her glove, replied without looking at him, "You didn't think you had it in you."
Allen's gaze lingered on the last symbol as it dimmed. His voice was low. "The Tower teaches fast. One mistake, and it reminds you."
Kael looked at him. "You alright?"
Allen's lips twitched upward, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah. Just… remembering how much I don't know."
Soren clapped him on the back. "Then it's a good thing we've got five others to fill in the gaps."