Workng Bone (Dragons Only)

[David B.]

David stood, bare chested, as the sun beat down on his back, having barely crested over the eastern horizon. It's orange glow magnified the shadows pitched off from the buildings around him, the dirt under his bare feet seeping between his toes. Dew clung to scattered brush and windows, and the sound of deep, peaceful snoring seeped to his ears from the tents around him. He grinned. Behind him, August stood, hands clasped behind his back. He too, was bare chested, looking at the back of Davids head as the man strode forward. It was maybe five thirty, and he was wearing sweatpants and a Dragon sash, his eyes on the barracks as he took a deep breath.

"GOOD MORNING, DRAGON CORE! ASSES OUT OF BED AND LINE UP IN FRONT OF ME NOW! LETS MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"

A few cries could be heard as people jerked awake, slamming their foreheads into the bunks of the beds above them. Several of the core, whom David had woken up before hand, starting kicking in doors, shouting for men to wake up. To form rank in the front field line up. Even August was shouting at the men as they rushed outside, some in pajama bottoms, some in their skivvies, others dressed in training gear and ready to go. David strode in front of them as the lines filled up behind them. Fifty. Sixty. Seventy. One hundred men. A solid response core. He walked in front of them, a look of sheer displeasure on his face.

"Guess what, Dragons? Had this been an attack, as many in history have happened at sunrise, you would all be under fire! That response time was absolutely disrespectful. You like sleep? You like relaxation!? When did your commanders get so soft!?"

He saw the training instructors' ears turn red- perfect. They would start busting the ass of the core again. This was what he wanted.

"Unfortunately for you, they won't be running your training today. I will. August will. Your command staff will. And I promise you, we are going to fuck your world up! This camp has a two mile long perimeter. You are gonna run it until I've eaten breakfast, folded a little laundry, and scratched my balls for a few long minutes! Your gonna run it until I get tired of hearing your ragged breaths! Am I understood!?"

"Yes Sir!" they shouted as one.

Davids voice barked in response.

"I SAID, AM I UNDERSTOOD!?"

"YES SIR!"

August stepped forward.

"Thank you, Dragon Core, for the embarrassment in front of our Elder! Start your asses running! Lets Go!"

August turned, and started off jogging, the men falling in line behind him in three rows, the army rolling back like a train. David stepped aside and watched them take off, before turning around and heading inside. He had some breakfast to make, laundry to fold, and nuts to scratch.

OOC: This is a training thread for Dragon PC's and NPC's. If you are a Marshal, General, Voice or Elder- you can post as helping men to train or as training with David. If you are below that rank, you will be among the core that is training. Please post as to whether you were awoken by Davids shout, showed up and started running, or are coming in late (which will mean reprimands).

I will be submitting this to staff for EXP for our NPC's, as well as for EXP for anyone who posts here.

[Your Mom~]

Of course Olesya wouldn't pass up an opportunity to shake things up. She'd had her coffee and dressed in a pair of gray sweat pants and black sports bra (showing off her new pink scar slashed across her stomach). She'd passed up on her toe shoes for sneakers, leaving the rest of her items behind. Today was all about core, not extras. Her stark white hair was pulled back in a ponytail, messy bangs framing her face.

"LET'S GO, MAGGOTS! ON YOUR FEET!"

She kicked in the bunker door, banging two pot lids together as if they wre cymbals. She smirked at the chaos that ensued, pleased to be on this side of it for a change.

One they were all gathered, she took her place behind David next to Agust, mirroring his stance. Today was going to be fun, if by fun you meant brutal, taxing, humiliating, and thoroughly exhausting.

When they were dismissed, Les cheered, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She brought up the rear, chasing soldiers and teasing them as they fell behind. She felt like a border collie herding sheep, nipping at their heels.

"WOO! LET'S GO, LADIES!"

[Mathew Amtrum]

Mathew was already awake and ready for the drill. He wasn't part of the normal Corps and was here to help out David. Though this was David's drill so Mathew was simply here as support and another set of eyes. Which was fine with him, he just wanted to keep himself busy. He had hit a dead end when it came to locating where Bastille was being held.

Where Les was taking the rear Mathew was at the head of the line. Worn down with his armor and weighted cloak, full combat gear he still managed to keep at the front of the line by a good distance. Breathing easily as he kept up a brisk pace. Every footfall of his would cause the ground to rumble and shake as the street he had repaired began to split and crack, becoming uneven and harder to traverse.

"Is that the best you Wyrms got!?"

[Kazuya Hikari]

Even though his personal army were used to waking up early in the morning for training, even they didn't expect to be woken up like this. Shirtless and dressed in a pair of grey Karate pants tucked inside black instep foot guards, a white Karate belt tied around his waist, a red headband tied around his head, and black arm guards and fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back of each hand, he'd kick the barrack door open with a loud slam before swiftly slamming his fist into the ground, sending a jolt through the ground to shake them all up and awake.

"TIME TO GET UP BOYS AND GIRLS! ON YOUR FEET NOW!"

A slight smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as everyone scrambled to get out of bed, some ending up tangled in their sheets in panic, others literally falling out of bed trying to get up quickly, dull thumps heard all around. Once everyone was gathered, he'd take his place behind David, next to Olesya, his hands clasped behind his back.

Once everyone had been dismissed, he would head into the training ring he had set up, as he stood in the middle of it, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders and neck. Despite having just returned from Barker's Territory after completing Mathew's test and going to the Dragon Bank, only to not report to him because he wouldn't hand the Dragon Orbs over to a Dragon recruit, Kazuya had passed out immediately upon returning home and crawled into bed. He wasn't at 100%, but he was well enough for training. Before the morning was over, many a body would be tossed aside and sent flying out of the ring.

[Kyrie Blaze]

As Field Marshal - regardless of her injuries she had incurred only three or so days prior - Kyrie was present. Ready and waiting in her sports bra and long shorts and completely ignoring the pain she was currently in and the dark, ugly bruises that spanned the left side of her rib cage and eking towards the center. She flicked the long plait of her blonde braid behind her back.

She took a patient breath, measured but deep, and surged towards one of the bunker houses as David began his wake up call; trails of shadow flickered in her wake. With a grunt that was much from effort as pain, she slammed her toe-shoed foot against the door, moved in...

...and her qi exploded outwards, plunging the bunker to darkness. A shocked cry or two sounded as she wedged herself against the wall, the door at her side. She took a breath and shouted, using the pain to bolster her volume and shift her voice to a harsh, no-I'm-not-bullshitting tone.

"YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO GET OUT OR YOU ARE AS GOOD AS DEAD TO ME. TEN, NINE..!" With her aura cloaking the room, there were sounds of panicked scramble before the first few Core members began bursting out in various states of disarray--only one lucky member was actually dressed for training out of the fifteen or twenty that stumbled and rushed passed her. She kept counting down without slowing--actually even speeding the tempo and the final occupant skittered out as she reached her final count. Was it harsh? ...maybe, but not really. If this were real, the ones that had cried out in surprise would already be dead. Was it unusual for her to be shouting? Certainly. But it seemed to light the fire under their feet.

She took her place amongst David, Mathew, Olesya, Kazuya, and the others, her breathing even and deep. The last thing she needed was to take short, shallow breaths--that would only lead to her lungs collapsing. The call to run came up and the blonde lit and found her stride, impact minimized by the way she ran. It was still painful, and fine lines creased her forehead slightly as she flanked the army's ranks. While Olesya urged them faster and Mathew simply ran, Kyrie's sharp eyes focused on hard technique--and she already saw something that set her teeth on edge. It wasn't long before she glowered, displeased with the amount of the Core that were landing on their heels.

"Not only can your enemy hear you from a distance if you were decked out in battle gear, but you would exhaust and injure yourselves on the march to them! Strain and wear from improper running leads to injuries...injuries lead to your deaths and our quick defeat! Congrats, at least a third of you would be dead or so injured you would be USELESS! If I see ANY more heel-striking from you lot, you can come and TRY to keep up to me--" The ground was splitting from Mathew; she grinned to herself, just a quick flash of pearly whites with her eyes sharp and bright. Traversing over the obstacles was fairly easy, so far. She leaped lightly and easily kept pace with her flanking position. "--and I will see to it you would rather come back to the Earth Dragon's little cement cracks!"

Broken ribs or not.

She didn't bother to call attention to her injuries. The bruising was likely enough to show the severity of them as it was.

[Your Mom~]

"C'MON YOU WIMPS, LET'S GO! MOVE IT!"

From the canteen at her side, she withdrew a handful of water, stringing it out and using it as a whip against the lagging soldiers ankles...literally nipping at their heels like the bobcat Marcus has once named her for.

"GO! FASTER! DEATH IS AT YOUR HEELS, ARE YOU GONNA HALF-ASS IT? YOU'RE DEAD, YOU'RE DEAD, YOU'RE DEAD!"

She hollered, snapping at them with each declaration of 'dead.' This was going to be unlike any other training they've ever had before. Sure they had won the battle, but at a loss. And it wasn't the worst to come. They needed to be at the absolute peak of their abilities if they wanted to secure freedom from the newly unveiled threat: John Strike.

[David B.]

August started singing as they ran. Every time he did a line, the men sang it after.

"I don't know, but I been told!"

"I don't know, but I been told!"

"Dragon backs are getting bold!"

"Dragon backs are getting bold!"

"The good news is that we live free!"

"The good news is that we live free!"

"The bad news is we run like puss-ies!"

"The bad news is we run like puss-ies!"

"Sound off!"

"One-two!"

"Sound off!"

"Three-Four!"

All yelled: "ONE TWO THREE FOUR- COME ON BOYS, LETS RUN!"

They jogged for a while, then sang for a while, some of the men shaking their heads at the words, others just doing what they had to.

David stepped outside, finishing up his ball scratch as the men and women ran by on their 6th mile, breathless. He didn't give a shit- he let them see. David was in phenomenal shape. His muscles were tight, corded, and perfect for action. The point was- theirs needed work. And while he got to sit around and eat, scratch his nuts, and drink some water on the sidelines, they had to run. He set his canteen down as one of the soldiers fell in front of him, hitting the dirt hard, exhausted, on his hands and knees. He walked over as everyone ran by, ignoring them as he crouched beside the man.

"Guess what, Mike? You just died. Now, You'll find a toothbrush and soap in the disciplinary office of your barracks. You get to clean toilets."

He grabbed the man by the back of the neck and lifted him to his feet with one arm, shoving him off in the direction of his housing. The man took off at a jog, knowing that David would really bust his ass if they weren't clean in an hour. He walked back over and grabbed his water, taking another long drink before flying up into the air, watching the men still running. Mathew was making the ground uneven with his Qi- good. Throw some obstacles at their asses. Kiyr was in the middle, shouting instructions at them while Olesya whipped the men at the back into shape. Kazuya was there, in the training circles, waiting. David slowly lowered himself as the men got close again, holding up a hand for them to slow to a stop.

August took deep, smooth breaths, tired, sweaty, but still ready to go, slowing the column down as he brought things to a close. David walked out to the side, in front of the army, taking a nice long drink from his water carton in full view of everyone watching. He let out an "Ahh!" when he was done, some of the water dribbling off his chin.

"You thirsty!?"

"NO SIR!" they shouted- good, they were remembering how he worked, and the day hadn't even gotten warmed up yet.

"Good! I hope you all enjoyed your eight mile alarm clock! Now! Behind be you will see ten circles! In groups of two, you will step forward into them! Kazuya, if you could help me demonstrate-"

David stepped into the circle with Kaz, and turned toward the men. The circles were ten feet in a perfect diameter, made out of lashed together wood. David spoke, hands behind his back.

"Fifty of you will be stepping into these rings to train with Kazuya and Olesya watching over you. The point is simple- get your opponent out of the circle. It can be something as easy as pushing them out-"

He would turn and place one hand on Kazuyas chest, slowly pushing and walking him out of the ring so the men could see. This wasn't a fight between him and Kaz- David was just demonstrating.

"-Or by throwing them out."

He would step back and wave Kaz forward before grabbing him, turning and throwing- not hard, just hard enough for him to land outside, and Kaz should easily be able to roll out of it. He would turn back to the men.

"You are NOT fighting. You are not to break bone or shed a bunch of blood. Use your muscles, speed, and ability to wrestle to get their asses outta here! The one who wins gets to take three gulps of water- the loser gets to run around the perimeter again and do it over! Got it!?"

Once they shouted they did, he would call out.

"Groups Three, Five, Nine, Ten and Thirteen- you get to stay here! Follow any modifications or orders made by General Kazuya and Voice Olesya. The rest of you, On me!"

Each of the groups held ten men- they were the training groups generally used. Fifty were here- Mathew and Kiyr would get the rest. David started off at a jog, moving right along the wall to the gate, and out the gate into the perimeter, which was surrounded by a massive wall. They would run along the wall, still jogging lightly, David taking cool, even breaths as they ran another few miles. They would reach LAX in short order, jogging in through the manned gate and toward a warehouse, where planes used to be stored. He would jog through the massive garage door, and into a flat area. The smapce was massive, and he'd turn back, some of the men doubled over as they waited.

"Guess what you sorry little shits- you get the fun part! The Earth Dragon will be making obstacles for you to climb over, and The Marshal will add degrees of difficulty over time. You will make it over those walls until they get tired of fucking you up! If you fail - and you WILL fail - they will decide your punishment- and trust me when I say it will be MUCH worse than mine are. Now get to it ladies!"

He'd turn and jog back outside, ignoring the exhausted looks on mens faces.

And today was just day one. Time to get this shit in order.

OOC:

Kazuya and Olesya take command of 50 men and begin training on the Sumo Circles!

Mathew and Kiyr take command of 50 men and begin training on an obstacle course!

Davids balls itch again, so he scratches them!

[Your Mom~]

[OOC: Better get that jock itch looked at ]

Olesya grinned like a Cheshire cat, sizing up the men while rubbing her hands together. She wanted to look a little off-kilter, it would help keep them in line. She looked from left to right....then right to left.

"Alright ladies, you heard the man. Wrestling, not fighting. If I see any blood, you will be running laps until your feet bleed. Understood?!"

SIR YES SIR.

Yeah that's right, sir. There was no room for 'ma'ams' around here.

"Blondey, Fabio, ring one. Four eyes, block nose, ring two. Pipsqueak, Buckteeth, ring three. Mr Universe, Gigantor, ring four. Malibu Ken, Spray Tan, ring five."

She went down the line, picking out blemishes or obvious traits to name the soldiers by. There were no names today, today they were all maggots. She'd leave the last five rings to Kazuya, though she was certain they'd weave in and out of all ten as time progressed.

"And YOU lot, you don't get to just stand around and look pretty. You're going to be doing burpees. Mostly cuz I like the name, but also because they kick your ass. I want ten burpees then a lap around the rings. Lather, rinse, repeat until it's your turn in the ring. No one stops moving for longer than ten seconds, or I kick your ass myself. Do I make myself clear?!"

SIR YES SIR.

[Hone]

Zax was only there to make Rai proud. Rai had kind of turned into Zax's father. So he did all he could to make his 'father' proud.

And when David called out, Zax was the first one there smiling and saluting (though he was doing it wrong). He looked around. Zax smirked a little when he saw some of the hotties lined up with only there sports bras and sweat pants.

When they started running he was out of breath by half of the first lap. He had to admit, he didn't have much endurance. He had always been a gamer, and when the power went out, he slept for laziness. If he wanted to read a book, but the book was a yard away from him, he wouldn't get up and do it.

And now here he was, running with everybody else, running out of breath. He tried to remember all the fifty states and capitals to take his mind off of that. But who cared about that now-a-days. So then he just started counting every footstep. One, two, three... an hour went by and he kept going... hundred'n five, hundred'n six... And he was officially bored.

Then finally they were told to stop. Zax's side hurt because he was so exhausted. When David offered water, Zax almost held a hand out, then everyone else said "No sir!" So Zax just jerked his hand back and yelled with them.

He went over to the fighting rings because he was in that group. He wondered who he'd be paired up with...

[Kazuya Hikari]

Giving a slight nod of his head as David stepped into the ring, he would allow himself to be slowly pushed and walked out of the ring, and would step back into the ring before darting forward at David before being grabbed and thrown hard enough to land outside. Curling his body into a ball easily enough, he'd come out of the throw with a roll and end up back on his feet, before turning to the men gathered.

A smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth, while Olesya dealt with half of the group, Kazuya would deal with the rest.

"Alright ladies, I hope that run woke up you all up nice and good, because if you thought that was grueling, you haven't seen anything yet! Mr. Big, Beach Boy! Ring six! Casanova, Muscle Man! Ring seven! Freckle-face, Shortie! Ring eight! King Kong, Beanpole! Ring nine! Godzilla, Peeping Tom! Ring ten!"

The last name was obviously directed at Zax. Unlike Olesya, Kazuya had given the rest random names, some drawn from their physical traits, others because it was damn amusing to him. He wasn't here to be their friend today, today, he was here to whip them all into shape.

"Don't just stand there with your mouths open! Get going! Or do you WANT to run another eight miles!?"

"SIR NO SIR!"

"Then move it! Move it! MOVE IT! No blood or broken bones, or you'll be the ones tossed out of the ring... BY ME!"

[Mathew Amtrum]

Mathew clapped both of his hands together as David informed the group him and Kiyr had what fun times they were going to share together. Oh and it would be fun, his lips twitched up into a sadistic smile, these men were going to be sore by the time that the day was over. They would see to that.

"Well won't you look at that Kiyr. We get a bowl full of Wyrms for breakfast to you. What do you think? Think we can find a handful of guts between the lot of them? Because from what I'm seeing we got a bunch of children playing soldier." He scoffed.

"ARE YOU MEN OR ARE YOU CHILDREN!?"

"Men Sir!"

Mathew tsked at them.

"Wrong answer boys. You're Dragons now let's toughen up those scales."

Mathew dropped to his knees slamming both his hands into the ground. The stone arm melding with the floor of the hanger as a ten foot high wall formed in the center with small hand holds thrown about it. A bit widening in front of it with a very narrow strip of stone to cross it.

"For every man that does not make it across I make it harder. If you take to long I make it harder. If I get bored I make it harder. And if I so much as think that you are thinking I'm an asshole. I'm gonna make it that much fucking harder for the lot of you."

He was going to need to focus on this and leave the incentives to Kiyr. Because as the first man to climb the wall would find out, Mathew wasn't just leaving it at this as handholds started to vanish and reappear, moving randomly through the wall. First man attempting to go over the wall fell and the next one would find the handholds also closing on his hands if he took to long.

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE YOU WYRMS!"

[Kyrie Blaze]

By the time they finished running laps and running to get to LAX, Kyrie had broken into a sweat--a mixture of workout and cold from pushing herself when she was so injured. But she wasn't about to stop. She only demanded what she was willing to give, herself. And that was her all and beyond that, even. Her ribs and lungs were on fire--burning in pain. The pain she blocked out. She had no time to succumb to weakness in front of the Core. Not as Field Marshall. Not as an Apprentice. Not as a fellow Core member.

Upon entering the hanger, the blonde swept herself to the side and tilted her head as though considering. Her arms slipped behind her back, crossing. Her gaze quickly snapped to Mathew and she called out her response.

"I think they are too fresh, sir! We all know that the best steaks are aged before being served up! My gut aches just looking at them!"

Ah, and here her dry wit shone through for the first time in a long while. Some of them seemed surprised. Some - to their credit - were unfazed. Some - not many, though - blanched.

She watched, eyes bright, as Mathew formed the wall. Her stomach churned in - not dread - excitement. Though she wanted to be first, she let the men try it. One two three...finally she called out, disgust heavy in her voice.

"Field Marshall, coming through!"

She didn't wait for them to back off. Ignoring the protest in her ribs, she took off in a sprint towards the wall, having used those that went before her to gauge how many strides she would need. She came close and ran a step up the wall. Her second step had her foot hitting one of the handholds and she pushed up on a diagonal, sure that Mathew would show her no quarter. So she tried to preemptively dodge a surprise pillar. She lost a little bit of the distance she would have gained with running and jumping straight up, but figured it was worth it. She stretched up to clasp a handhold about eight feet up and drew her feet up beneath her, resting on a hold that was shrinking for just a moment before using the muscles in her legs - her core muscles keeping her close to the wall - to help propel herself up faster. Hopefully it would enable her to push hard the last foot or so to swing up onto the top.

If she made it she would crouch and then push up to a standing position, glare down that ten feet, and shout.

"DRAGONS. ARE YOU GOING TO LET ME BEAT YOU ALL DAY WITH MY BROKEN RIBS? GET MOVING! 'CAUSE IF I CAN CLEAR TEN FEET THAT MEANS YOU ARE NOT. TRYING. HARD ENOUGH!"

She glanced at Mathew. It also meant that the wall would be going up. To their credit, some of the Core took initiative and rushed the wall, trying to copy what she had just done...

Right now there would be no rewards. Just taunts. If Kiyr, tiny at 5'4" and with broken ribs flew up that wall...they were being showed up. Their pride was on the line.

[Hone]

Zax's face looked both confused and surprised. "Peeping Tom? That's my nickname?" Then he remembered what happened when he got up. "Oh, yeah, that suits me perfectly!" he thought.

Then he got in the ring. He got into a fighting stance. "Let's see what you got, punk." Zax smirked as he taunted.

[Yachiru]

Yachiru finally showed up, though she did not sleep in the tents she did hear that there was training going on and while Rai-Rai was away, it was her responsibility to make sure she had adequate training. So out she went in search of david's group.

Seeing clearly that she had arrived late she had only heard "something...something...various curse words...something...dragons...something something." Not too much to go off from, BUT i t was a start. Her eyes still bleary from the pervious night's effect on her she stumbled onto the training grounds holding her head.

ugh...what did i do last night? various pictures of assorted candies and choclates pagued her mind as she pieced together the story that was. Oh yeah! I remember now... She smiled to herself slightly as she was attepmting to shake off how tired she was...

[Kazuya Hikari]

Zax's opponent was nicknamed "Godzilla" for a reason. He would find himself facing off against a rather tall but muscular man, who was clearly not impressed nor unfazed by Zax's taunting. Instead of taunting Zax back however, he would wordlessly and without warning, dash straight up to Zax and attempt to push him out of the ring.

"Lesson... number one kid! Never give your opponent... a chance to attack while you're... trying to act cool and run your mouth!"

He'd grunt out while trying to push Zax out of the ring. If that didn't work, he'd then try to pick Zax up and toss him out of the ring.