Page 31 of Saving the Alien Chieftain

He pauses for a moment in thought. “Hmm, arcweave armor is permitted for the Proving, but exoenhancer would violate the blessed tenants.” My stomach churns at his words. My armor is the only advantage I have.

Rylar continues, “But no one expects you to have it. So, if we cover you up, they won’t suspect a thing. It’s an affront to the Gods, but I believe your success is too important to not take advantage.”

Relief waves over me at his words. I barely have a moment to respond before Rylar launches into another training tirade.

“Excellent. This means we can spend more time working on skills and less on your physicality, but your endurance still needs work. You looked like you were going to pop a lung.”

“I’ve been… sprinting… for over an… hour!” I rasp in protest between breaths.

Rylar squares up to me. His face is mere inches from mine. I struggle not to recoil, feeling the weight of his intimidating presence bearing down on me.

“Do you know how long a venefex can chase down its prey?” he asks, glaring down at me.

“I… don’t know—” I attempt to answer before he interrupts me.

“Five hours,” Rylar interjects as he paces around me, “A venefex can maintain ninety percent of its maximum speed for five hours. Can you imagine it, Rocks? Running five hours at full speed, hearing the snaring beast behind you nipping at your back, knowing that if you stop or trip for one second, you’ll be eaten alive?”

Five hours!I feel my stomach churn at the thought. How does anyone ever escape one?

“I see fear in your eyes, Prospect,” Rylar scowls. “You haven’t got time to be afraid!” he shouts into my face, so close I can feelthe heat of his breath on me. The shock of it stiffens my back and snaps my attention back to the present.

My mind is in turmoil. Exhaustion and stress, compounded by Rylar screaming obscenities at me. I feel myself being pushed to the edge. A wave of tired anger floods over me and I can’t hold it back any longer. “You don’t have to shout at me!” I burst out, my voice trembling with emotion.

“I’m on a strange alien planet full of horrible monsters and the man I love is about to be executed unless I don’t get eaten doing God knows what out in some bloody terrifying wilderness. So, the last thing I need is more pressure, okay?” I exclaim, striving to control my quivering lip.

Rylar remains unmoved, as solid as rock. “This isn’t some pleasure garden. This is where we turn boys into the finest warriors in the universe.” Rylar gestures towards the forest. “Out there we can be friends, but here.” He points to the ground. “You will listen to me and follow my instructions. If you can’t handle that, Rocks, then we’ll pack up your belongings and take you back to Earth. Is that what you want?”

I will not give up!“No!” I shout, my eyes piercing into his.

Rylar smiles. “Excellent! Now sprint to that climbing wall and get your ass to the top. Go!” he roars once more.

I push back all my thoughts, all my reservations, and my anger at this situation. I need to pull myself together if I’m going to survive this Proving.

Wiping my eyes and setting my jaw, I scramble over as fast as I can towards the climbing wall. I pause only briefly to examine the different foot holds, planning my best approach. Carefully, I leap up to grab onto the lower grips. The gaps between them are large, but thanks to the increased strength of my exoenhancer armor, I’m able to leap the gaps easily.

“Faster! There’s a venefex below, hungry for a taste of tender exotic human meat!” Rylar shouts at me.

I keep climbing as best I can, envisioning a horrible alien creature with snapping jaws coming towards me. As I climb higher, the difficulty increases, the holds become smaller and less frequent. At some points, I have to use one hand or foot at a time.This is so much harder than I thought it would be—even with my armor!

The wall is huge, as tall as an apartment building. For a moment, I look down and immediately regret that decision. Never have I climbed so high, and I’m overcome with dizziness as I try to process the fact I’m suspended forty feet off the ground. I push back any thoughts of what would happen if I fell as I pause for a moment and try to steady my nerves.I can do this. I can do this.

After a moment or two, I resume my ascent. I hug the wall tightly, like I’m embracing Krogoth, never wanting to let go.

As I make the final ascent to the top, the wind whips the leaves and branches around me and carries the strange calls of alien animals in the distance. With slow and steady movements, I press on. My pulse quickens as my hand reaches over the top of the wall. I quickly hull myself onto the platform. Taking a moment, puffing from the exertion, I gasp, noticing the stunning vista before me. The colorful red trees stretch out as far as the eye can see, with the purple sun casting an ethereal glow over the landscape. Strange flying animals mingle and swoop in the distance.

I did it! I made it to the top!

Drinking in the sight for a minute, I enjoy my personal victory. Avoiding the inevitable what goes up must come down. A prospect more terrifying than the ascent. Before I’m about to descend again, I notice a rope anchored to the top dangling off the other side of the wall…

I can abseil back down or climb down backwards. Both options are frightening for different reasons.At least if I rappel down, it’ll be over quicker.

With the decision made, I take the rope in my armored hands. I test its strength with a quick tug before wrapping it around my waist and arms. Taking a deep breath and ignoring any negative thoughts about what would happen if this rope breaks or I fall off, I edge off the wall, deliberately not looking down.

Next, I kick off the wall. My heart skips a beat when my enhanced strength pushes me further from the wall than I intended. Like a swing, I come crashing towards the wall again. I brace myself, gripping the rope tighter as the force of the impact passes through me.

I’m surprised at how little I feel, the armor absorbing most of the blow. For a few moments, I wait for the swinging momentum to cease before I kick off the wall again, but this time using much less force. As I create some distance, I feed more rope through my waist, allowing me to descend further as I contact the wall again. It’s not long until I settle into a steady rhythm and make speedy progress towards the ground.

When my feet touch the ground once more, I can hardly believe it. Casting off the rope, I jump on the spot excitedly, “I did it. I actually climbed up and down this bloody thing!” I laugh uncontrollably.

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