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Soul Between Lives - Chapter 35

Published at 20th of March 2019 11:08:58 AM


Chapter 35

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Persephone stopped Alex in front of a broad single story building that had large bold letters across its front above the large double doors.

["It says gymnasium."] Angel translated for Alex.

"This is where you'll go for your training. I'll introduce you to Lucius and see that everything is set up for you." Persephone said before she pulled him along, up the stone stairs and through wide double doors.

Inside was a hallway that stretched left and right and another set of open double doors directly in front of them that led out into a clearing with a thick layer of sand over the ground. There were other doors that opened off from the clearing that Alex could hear various shouts and sounds of exertion coming from.

Persephone took and closed the umbrella and walked over to a man sitting outside a room on the right.

"Where can I find Lucius?"

"Ah, he's in the third room over there." The man said while pointing to one of the rooms down the right side of the building.

Along the way, they passed rooms where people were doing various activities such as wrestling, sparring with different weapons and even some that were lifting weights. In the room they were heading to, they found groups of people practicing basic formations and drills while in different stages of dress. Some were in normal clothes and held simple staffs. Others were in armor and carried shields and spears as they moved together. This was a very large room compared to the others Alex passed on the way.

Persephone skirted around the edges of the room, staying under the roof. Like the clearing of the central courtyard, this room had a floor covered in what looked like fine grains of sand. The ground was a few steps down from the stone floor that surrounded it on all sides.

Persephone craned her neck this way and that looking for someone. She then smiled and called out to one of the people yelling at a group drilling in full Greco-Roman armor.

"Lucius! I have a new student for you!" She waved her hands and drew the attention of everyone in the area.

Alex thought he faintly heard someone give their condolences from the side. The big man Persephone was waving at looked over and grinned. He yelled back to the men he was drilling to do laps around the room while he was away. Oddly, the sand wasn't getting muddy from all the rain and traffic and it crunched loudly as Lucius walked over.

["The ground isn't actually sand. Its crushed seashells that won't turn into mud."] Angel informed Alex since he was wondering about it.

"I'm at your service my lady Persephone." Lucius bowed his head forward slightly while keeping eye contact.

Alex felt like a frog that being stared at by a snake even though Lucius wasn't looking directly at him.

Persephone gestured to Alex beside her, "This is Alex, he's a new demigod serving as Zeus's attendant. He's going to be sent on missions to the lower realms and needs to learn how to use his power without harming mortals around him or exhausting himself."

Lucius finally looked over at Alex, appraising him from head to toe before making eye contact.

"How much experience do you have fighting?" Lucius asked Alex.

"Ah... fighting?" Alex was taken aback, it was obvious that he'd be fighting later but it was still strange to be asked that question so seriously.

"Yes, fighting and killing men and beasts. You have done so before right?" Lucius glared at Alex with a growing scowl. He wouldn't be happy if he was being forced to train up another meek rabbit.

Alex became defensive when he saw the scorn he was being looked at with. "I have killed a few goblins before. And I used to get into fights with my siblings all the time."

Persephone saw how Lucius was getting angry and intervened.

"Alex is just recently into his godhood and came from a peaceful place on Earth. He naturally has a lot to learn, and Zeus wants you to start his education."

Lucius frowned further but didn't argue.

"I understand. Come with me, Alex."

Lucius started away, walking quickly toward another side room. Alex went down the steps and did his best to keep up as the gritty ground crunched under his feet. He looked back at Persephone and saw her waving at him.

"I'll be around and will wait for your training session to be over to guide you back." She called after him.

Alex felt relieved and remembered how nervous he was when he was first going to a new school. For some reason, Persephone's words reminded him of his mother waving at him when she dropped him off at the start of a new school year in elementary school.

Alex had to really put in effort to catch up to Lucius. In the small room, Lucius had Alex strip naked so he could inspect how his muscles and bones sat on his frame. Another man in a loincloth walked up from the side holding a small pot of oil.

"Do you have any lasting injuries or health conditions?" Lucius asked.

"None that I know of. Ah, I did injure my back once when I was a kid but I think that might have been solved recently." Alex trailed off when he realized he was still thinking about his old mortal body back on Earth.

"Lay down on one of the benches and this attendant will give you a massage and oil your skin before we start your training." Lucius nodded to the attendant in the loincloth.

As Alex sprawled across the bench he had to ask, "How much does all of this cost?"

The attendant and Lucius exchanged a look.

"This is a service provided by the state. It doesn't cost you anything but your time and effort. Now, tell me truthfully, do you have any experience with weapons and fighting? Your body looks physically fit, so what kind of exercise have you done in the past?"

Lucius was trying to understand Alex's condition so he could better tailor a training regimen for him. As he asked his questions, the attendant dabbed and spread oil over Alex's skin and began his massage work.

"I've swung a sword before but have never seriously fought to kill with it. Um... as for exercise, I used to run around the field at school during gym class and played a few different sports from time to time." Alex had been living a pretty sedentary lifestyle before his death. It was actually a little embarrassing to say how little he did to these professionals.

"When was the last time you did any serious exercise then?"

"A couple years ago."

Lucius wiped his hand down his face. [A complete beginner then.]

As Alex was getting worked on, Lucius was forming plans in his head.

[Bow's would be too advanced to start with. Maybe a sling or javelins. I'll have to test his reactions before I let him spar with anyone. Hmm, I'll just test his core condition by having him run and do a little bit of wrestling first.]

When Alex was prepared and wearing a loincloth of his own, Lucius led him to another smaller field that was currently empty save for an attendant with a rake.

"Go collect Haruka for me." Lucius said to the attendant that was busy smoothing out the seashell gravel.

"Alright, start jogging laps around the room and listen for my instructions."

Alex felt weird being stared at by men while he wore only a loincloth. To deal with the embarrassment he felt, he focused on his running. It was harder work to move forward on the gravel than he thought it would be. It was like trying to run on a loose sandy beach. He could do it but it was slow and fatigued his calf muscles and knees.

"Faster! I want to see how fast you can move!" Lucius barked out his command which got Alex to put in more effort with an added boost of adrenaline from being yelled at.

It wasn't too long before the previous attendant came back with a beautiful black-haired catgirl. Alex tripped and fell face first into the sand when he caught sight of her. Not only was the sight of a real living breathing catgirl still shocking for Alex, but seeing her so skimpily dressed and oiled was shocking in other ways. Her muscles were well toned but not bulky. They were lean and only added to her attractiveness in Alex's opinion. If he wasn't careful, the loincloth wouldn't be enough to hide his dignity. She really was attractive in a f*ckable kind of way.

When he finally cleared the dirt from his face, the attendant helped him up before he started smoothing out the pothole Alex had made with his nosedive. The catgirl was grinning at him but Lucius had a vein popping out on his forehead as he scowled at Alex.

"This is Haruka." Lucius said as he gestured toward the beautiful catgirl.

"We're short-handed at the moment and the other men are busy with their own tasks so she'll be your partner today." Lucius told Alex before he turned to Haruka and instructed her to run Alex through some further warm-up exercises and then to wrestle with him.

She was to start off with lighter work and let Alex take short rest breaks when he needed them. Lucius would return later after setting the militia squad from earlier on a new set of tasks. Haruka's soft looking tail swayed gently from side to side as she was given her instructions.

When Lucius left, she turned so her back faced Alex and the attendant before taking her top off, holding it in her mouth. She then gathered and lifted her long black hair, revealing her well-toned back and the nape of her neck. Then she tied her hair back with her top and unwound the cloth that was around her forearm. Finally, she wrapped the cloth around her chest to better secure her modest bust, before turning to face Alex with a friendly smile.




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