“Do not trust anything you receive without putting in effort to get it.” - Old mercenary saying.

“Come on, another ten repetitions, then you can take a break!” yelled Ylisera from the side as she watched Astrid and Alycea go through the workout routine laid out for them. The two of them had just ran several laps around the mercenary encampment – which accounted for a good ten kilometers or so of running – and right as they finished, they were made to train their upper body before they could rest to catch their breath.

Both Astrid and Alycea hung from the branches of a tree just outside the encampment. The branches they used to exercise were small enough that either of them could get a good grip on it with just their hands, but also sturdy enough to bear their full weight. Said branches were also situated a good two and a half meters above ground level, so when the two hung from it with their hands holding the branch, their feet wouldn’t be able to touch the ground.

What they did was to raise their body until their chin peaked higher than the branch’s level, using only the muscles of their arms and upper body to do so. It was a strenuous exercise to say the least, and Astrid, even with how much fitter she had become after nearly half a year of training with the mercenaries, was gasping for breath after a mere fifteen repetitions.

Alycea on the other hand, did not seem that winded and continued repeating the motions with relative ease, quickly finishing her twenty-five repetitions before Astrid could manage twenty and releasing her grip, landing lightly on her feet. The girl then caught a thrown waterskin and sat with her back leaning against the tree to rest for a bit while she cheered Astrid on.

Astrid only managed her twenty-fifth repetition some minutes later, as she had to hang by her arms and gather her strength for the last few repetitions. After she pulled it off, she just let go and dropped unceremoniously to the ground below, where she lay on her back as she panted for breath, too tired to even sit properly.

She looked to the side where she saw Alycea relaxedly seated with her back against the tree, not even breathing all that hard, and Astrid started to question just how bad her own physical condition was. The two of them went through the same exact routine, but the girl a decade her junior took it all with ease and aplomb whereas Astrid felt as if all the strength had left her body already.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

And they were just at the first part of the day’s planned training, too.

After a rest period that felt far too short, Ylisera urged her to get up once more, and Astrid did so despite how her limbs were screaming in protest against more exertion. Fortunately, she was made to stand up to fill her stomach a bit so she’d have the energy to exercise some more after a while.

Astrid pretty much gulped down the large bowl of porridge – made with plenty of meat in it – set before her in a few short moments despite it being served hot, and washed it down with a couple mugs of sweet mead, after which she gave a sigh of satisfaction. She already ate some breakfast as normal before she went to the training, but all that exertion made her feel hungry once more.

“Sit down and rest for a bit to let your body digest the food,” said Ylisera with a satisfied nod. “You have to keep yourself well-fed when you train this hard, as otherwise your body would not have enough energy to go through the training. I’d suggest getting a heavier breakfast from tomorrow onwards as well,” added the elven woman, to which Astrid could only nod.

Thankfully she was allowed to rest for a good hour and a half or so, which gave her the time to regain some energy in her limbs. By the time the rest period was over, though, Valeria tossed a training spear and shield that matched the size of the ones Astrid usually used to her, before beckoning for her to come at her for a spar.

Alycea was not spared from the sparring either, as Astrid saw the girl energetically walk over to stand opposite of her mother a bit further away. Erycea had already left earlier since she was not part of the training, while Ylisera stood on the side to watch.

“We both use spears and shields, so we’ll have a spar first to see how much of my style you might be able to use,” said Valeria as she explained to Astrid. “Miss Ylisera will also watch us from the side and make her own conclusions. She’s probably the best in the company when it comes to explaining the more technical parts of fighting, honestly.”

“Understood,” said Astrid with a nod. “So we just give it our all, then?”

“Yep! Hold nothing back! Don’t worry about me, I’m about as tough as I look!” replied Valeria with a wide, toothy grin. What the girl said at the end was something that was really driven home given how the girl was nearly half a head taller than Astrid herself and nearly half again as broad, with a strong, muscled physique that made her orcish heritage clear. “Here I come!”

The next thing Astrid knew, she was almost bowled over as she blocked a very heavy strike with her shield at the last moment. Even then, she had to take a couple steps back from the force of the blow before she could regain her balance, only to see another swing of her opponent’s wooden training spear come at her from the side.

This time she braced herself properly and took it on her shield once more, the power behind the blow a surprising one, to the point that Astrid wondered how the training spear even stayed intact through all that. It was then that she realized that it was not just the other platoon leaders who were monstrous in their abilities, but the people under them were not far off as well.