“This is where we will begin the next part of your day’s training,” Cologne explained. “The purpose of this training is to harden your body against heavy blows, which will be accomplished by several different methods. The first of which, of course, is tying you up in a climbing harness and swinging the boulder at you.
“Now, I’m not going to lie and say that this is going to be pleasant, son, but I do consider it very necessary.
“To augment the natural hardening you will receive from this training, I will once again continue with the shiatsu and deep-tissue massage to help with the muscle you build during your morning exercises. I will also include even more shiatsu and massage techniques, most of which will help increase the flow of your body’s Chi and help you instinctively harden your body with it.
“And yes, there will still be my ‘horrible herbal remedies’ for you to drink with lunch,” Cologne chided.
Ranma’s eyes opened large in foreboding, his eyes glued on the seemingly minuscule climbing harness hanging right next to the boulder. The size difference made as if the boulder itself was as large as a house, which was not comforting at all when one thought about the fact that one would be being hit by it for hours on end every day.
Speaking of which.
“How long will this particular training last?” he asked faintly.
“Oh, until you can produce a battle aura,” Cologne said with a nod.
“Great,” he muttered to himself.
“Well, get on up there and get in the harness, we haven’t all day you know!”
With a heavy sigh, Ranma started triangle leaping from tree to tree until he got up to the boulder in question. He was slightly relieved to see that his first estimate of man-height on the boulder was correct as he strapped himself into the harness.
“Ready?” Cologne asked from atop the boulder.
Ranma considered telling her the truth.
“Yes.”
But he didn’t.
And, without any further preparation, he saw the boulder mysteriously shrink, then quickly become larger with the accompanying whoosh of displaced air.
“Oh shiiii----"
CRACK!
“Owie…”
And so it began.
* * *
Four hours later, a much more humble Ranma walked slowly back into the village, following behind a seemingly pleased Matriarch. Bruises seemed to cover every single inch of his body, making each movement he made extremely painful. Of course, he considered the fact that, after getting repeatedly bashed with a boulder, that after that most punches would seem like nothing in comparison.
Cologne smiled to herself as she led him towards the common warrior-in-training kitchen, where he would be eating his meals in the company of all those trainees who did not warrant a private meal from their family at lunchtime. The food was good there, and it would do good to get the village used to this gifted boy in their midst.
His bruised body and ego would help in making it so that they were more welcoming to his presence. It’s hard to be irritated or angry with somebody who looks like a single walking bruise.
{I see you brought your son today,} the cook said with a smirk. {I hope he brought a large appetite, it’s going to take a lot of food to heal that.}
{Oh, he should be very hungry,} Cologne replied, giving the boy a sharp glance. {And if he isn’t, he gets to go right back to… ‘training’ again.}
Ranma shivered at that thought, and grabbed the largest bowel he could find from the stack. Even though the idea of having to do more of that training was more than enough to spur him into action alone, he was indeed extremely hungry.
The two amazons laughed with each other as they saw him grab a large mixing bowl, but it was good-natured, and the cook filled it for him nonetheless. A thick beef and vegetable stew filling the bowl to within an inch of it’s large rim, a large piece of dark bread and a hunk of cheese joining it on a plate that Cologne carried to the table for him.
Dowel looked up from her own bowl as somebody sat down at the table, eyes narrowed in irritation. The irritation was quickly replaced by a rather pleased look as she saw the massive bruises on the second male that had ever managed to best her in combat.
{Hello, son,} Dowel said. {I see your training is going well so far today?}
Ranma grumbled.
{Yes, he is doing rather well, all things considered,} Cologne replied for him. {He survived four hours of durability testing today, and it’s only his first run at it. And to top it all off, he stayed conscious through the whole thing!}
{Oh, do tell,} Dowel said eagerly, leaning forward with an eager look on her face.
{Well, at first I was thinking to use the size 3 boulder, you remember the one?} Cologne asked, with a nod in reply. {But then I considered the fact that he is so eager to get better that he should be able to take the discomfort by starting with the size 6 boulder.}
Dowel gasped, looking to the bruised boy as he almost inhaled his food, half the large bowel of stew already gone by this point, the other half going.
{I’m thinking that if he can handle this one without any broken bones for the next week or two, then I might graduate him up to the size seven or even eight,} Cologne continued. {Why, by the time I’m done, you could drop a mountain on the boy and he’d say ‘gee, that’s heavy’.}
Numerous trainees broke out in laughter at that comment, and Ranma just seemed to sink further into his bowl. Moments later, he was cleaning the inside of the bowl with the last of his bread, then looking at the bowls around him with a hungry gleam in his eyes.
Thwack!
“Go back to the cook for more, son,” Cologne told him. “The last thing you want is to get beaten up for stealing somebody else’s food. And don’t forget to drink your herbal remedy.”
“Yes, mother,” Ranma said, before getting up for seconds.
* * *
After lunch had finished, Cologne had followed through with her morning promise, doing the shiatsu and deep tissue massage. All of which felt like pure torture on his bruised flesh, but did make things better afterwards when she put a cooling salve on his skin.
After that was done, they went back to her personal training hall, where she then instructed him in all things related to Chi that he had the ability to absorb at the moment, most of which was focused on the harnessing and generating of said energy.
The rest of the evening was spent meditating, and trying to find his center so that he could generate more of this energy.
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(Posted Wed, 17 Nov 2004 17:15)
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