Scouting For Romance

Entry 14

Day 4, Month 15, Year 572

Peldak biology.

If you break a bone, it'll grow back stronger.

If you tear your muscles, they'll grow back tougher.

If you drain your endurance, you're body will become more resilient.

This is common knowledge.

That's why Jovaisa, who's 2,000 years old, is such a monster. He's fought time after time, broke bone after bone, and is basically superhuman. Not only is he more experienced than us by thousands of years, he's flat out superior in terms of physicality.

The scout corp. needs superhumans, not regular soldiers, but there's only so much time before we deploy. Ergo, the training must be hellish.

We went to the sandy field on another yard of the barracks, then took turns throwing each other around. Zemsta, the peldak martial arts, was originally designed to help keep you alive if you lost your sword while fighting a horde of barbarians.

Unarmed, isolated, and an enemy trying to rip you apart. Your chances of survival are slim, so your best option is to move in, grapple the barbarian, position yourself right, then throw the savage onto the ground so you can run back to your allies. It was just a tool to give you a slightly better chance of making it out alive.

While zemsta has lost some of its use due to changes in how wars are fought, it's still great for exercise.

The field was massive, more than enough room for 50 pairs. The ground was a deep layer of sand, the rim was lined with wood, and high torches kept everyone well lit. We took our boots and socks off before we walked in, and Tytus led me to a nice spot far away from all the others. The sand was cool as it squished between my toes.

"You remember how zemsta works?" He asked as he began to roll his shoulders.

"Yes." Taking a class or two every week was how I stayed fit.

My right hand gripped his left forearm, and he did the same. We pushed and struggled against each other, constantly trying to get into a better position so we could force the other down. I knew how to keep Tytus from overpowering me, which turned it into a war of attrition. I hadn't eaten a real meal in days though, and Tytus threw me against the sand before long.

The fact that we hadn't showered in days was only a secondary reason for my continued losses. Tytus's... 'natural scent' overwhelmed my senses, true, but it was the physical toll which led to me being thrown again and again. I managed to throw him on his back once, and I was really proud about that.

But then we were told to switch partners. I wandered aimlessly until some guy approached me. He was so sweaty and gross and he had a beard! Disgusting. I didn't have a choice though, so I threw him a lot. I think I was so determined to not let him grapple me that it spurred me into preforming well.

Then I moved to another guy, then another, it went on like that all day. Sadly, I never got partnered with Ludwik. I would have done everything in my power to throw that man hard enough to break his neck. I guess it's good I didn't get partnered with Marian.

But as we were being passed around, Anita, Teodor's wife, approached to be my next partner.

We had been going for hours at that point, soaked with sweat, and covered with sand... but it was more like she was glistening. That sounds disgusting, but it's true. My hair was tangled and clumped together, and it looked awful. Her's was just as bad, but it seemed to compliment her face. I hadn't bathed or used deodorant in three days and I smelled like a rotted, sour sandwich. She smelled like flowers.