Welcome to Gaia! ::

(( alright! ))

Getsukodomo sprinted the last few feet before wall number two, jumping straight up, turning her running into upward momentum to get a head start on the rope climbing. Her hands grappled with the air for the rope, at last finding it as she was at the peak of her jump. Clinging to the rope, she decided to try a different way this time, so that it would have less stress on her rope-burned hands. Wrapping her legs around the rope, she shimmied up, first her hands reaching up, then her feet pushing up against the ropeto pull herself farther up. The rope swayed with her weight, more so than the first wall because then she was braced against the wall. Her legs rubbed painfully against the bricks in the wall as she climbed up.

This way is quicker, she thought as she neared the top, but more painful... she concluded, her teeth gritted against the slow rubbing down of her legs. She had come dressed for warm weather, in shorts and a tank top, but now she made a mental note to wear more protective clothing next time. I do have a lot to learn about training to be a soldier... I didn't know it would be this painful.

She grabbed the top of the wall, pulling herself up the way she did on the first wall, dragging her belly against the brick. On top of the wall, she grapped the rope, this time at the top, she wouldn't fall purposely again. She walked down the wall, trying to go a bit faster than before. Almost finishing the decent, she jumped down a little higher than before--it hadn't hurt her then, a few extra feet wouldn't add much.

Her breath was begining to become irregular as she ran towards the third wall, jumping up once more, grabbing the rope at the height of her leap. She returned to her first way of climbing, hand over hand, the feet walking up the wall. She want faster than the first time she did this this time, confident now in her technique. She reached the top, pulling herself over in the way she had been, walking down the wall on the opposite side. Jumping off the wall from about 7 feet up, she propelled herself foreward this time, taking away seconds from her finish time. Running to the fourth wall, she switched her foot pattern before the jump.

Left, right-left! She used the footwork for a spike approach in volleyball, jumping higher this time as she used a foot pattern she knew well. Grasping the rope in both hands, she began walk-climbing up the wall, keeping her mouth closed with an effort.

Breathe through your nose... You'll get less satisfaction, per say, but you'll get more oxygen The voice of her volleyball coach swept through her head as she climbed, counting her breaths in her head, trying to keep them regular.

1, 2, 3 in... 1, 2, 3 out... She got to the top, dragging her stomach across the wall in order to get up and over. Pausing for a minuet at the top, she took a deep breath in now, letting her mouth open as she did so. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and hands onto the bottom of her shirt, and began her decent. Walking down the wall now became the easy part for her, the least strain on her tired limbs as gravity was in her favor. Leaping off the wall, she headed for the fifth wall.

Almost halfway through...

Carlos walked towards the main training facilities which included both indoor and outdoor testing and exercise equipment. He noticed other recruits heading to the CO. Each one seemed to ask to begin training and each time the Officer told them, more agitated than the previous time, to head to the track. So Carlos took the initiative to start at the track. He noticed that it was long run with a bunch of climbing. From his view point he could see about three walls but knew there would probably be more. He took one deep breath before he started to jog towards the first wall. His youthful experience on the track team made this a pretty much simple task.

Upon reaching the first wall, Carlos grabbed the rope with both hands then placed one foot against the brickwork. Instinctively he tugged the rope a couple times to test its security. Then he started his climb. Placing one foot over the other and one hand over the other. He kept his breathing constant as he reached the top of the wall. Swinging to the other side he once again grabbed the rope and looked down. With one deep breath he started to rapel down to the ground. At about two meters from the bottom he used his legs to push off the wall and used the rope as a makeshift swing. Letting go of the rope when he had the most momentum he flew about ten feet. Landing into a kneel Carlos looked up and immediately went into another jog, a little faster than the previous one. His mouth started to curve and a smug half grin could be seen.

((I hope this is acceptable))

Reaching the other wall, Carlos continued the same process, one foot after the other, one hand after the other. Upon reaching the top he swung himself over and rapelled down the side. Again at about two meters from the bottom he jumped off and continued his run to the next wall. Upon reaching this one however, Carlos' breathing was a little heavier and the fatigue in his arms and legs was a little more cumbersome. Taking a deep breath Carlos ascended the third wall, slower than the previous ones and a lot more tired. When he reached the top he swung himself over and sat up there just for moment. The sun was slowly going down, but it would still be a while before he could feel the cool of the dusk. Hopefully, he'll be finished by then.

Regaining his smug half grin, Carlos turned himself around, making himself fall a short distance for that extra couple of feet. Catching the rope with both his hands and legs he didn't recieve too much of a rope burn. Granted it still stings. Gritting his teeth, he continued to rapel down the rope. He went to the bottom this time, legs a still tired from the previous walls. When he reached the ground he started to jog to the next wall. En route he wiped the sweat from his head using his arm.

Again another wall and again more repition of hand over hand and foot over foot. Carlos continued the slow pace which didn't seem to falter too much, past this wall and the next and the next. He counted eight wall behind him and he was certainly starting to feel it. His arms and legs burned with fatigue and as he continued to the next wall wondered if he could make and how much more he could do. When he reached his ninth wall Carlos grabbed the rope with his right hand and used it to stable himself as he leaned forward, not falling simply because he had hold of the rope, and started to catch his breath. After a couple seconds he looked up at the wall and his shoulders dropped. With deep breaths he thought, Only one thing to do. He grabbed the rope with his other hand and firmly placed one foot against the wall and started his climb. Right foot, left hand, left foot, right hand and the cycle continued until he reached the top. Carlos again sat at the top of the wall to catch his breath and watched as the sun just hit the peak of the horizon.

Carlos let himself self off the edge slowly and grabbed the rope with one hand. Before he grabbed it with his second hand he started to rapel and instead decided to go into a plummeting fall. Not much deciding as it happened anyway. Disoriented in his falling, Carlos reached out to grab anything. He reached the wall but there was no grip and all he did was burn his fingertips. About halfway down, Carlos finally grabbed the rope and squeezed his fist as hard as he could. Then he used his other hand and his legs. Letting out a small moan of pain as the rope tore some of the skin off his hands. He held on for as long as he could and let go, falling about three meters onto his back knocking the wind out of him.

Carlos started to gasp for breath as his body seemed to reject all notions of breathing. After a couple seconds he could breathe again and started to do so in huge amounts. With deep breaths Carlos continued to lay there on his back cursing himself. He then looked at his hands and noticed that they were badly injured. He cursed himself again as he looked up, more along the ground, at the final stretch to his disappointment another wall.

Carlos sat himself up, wincing a little when he used his hands to do so. He began to move his fingers in and out trying to get the pain to subside. Getting to his feet, he started to jog/walk to the next wall. How many more? he thought. This has to be the last one. Ten is such a round number. He gave a small, very small, smile at his own humor. His hands stopped hurting upon reaching the wall. However, as soon as he tried to grip the rope the stinging came back ten fold. The last one, I know it, he thought disappointed banging a slightly closed fist against the wall.

Carlos grabbed one end of the rope lightly and started to spin in a circle. When the rope was tight against his waist he started to spin slower until the rope held him up sideways with his feet against the wall. With as tight of a grip as his pain would allow, Carlos held the one end as he slowly started to spin up the wall. Being careful to place his foot down before continuing. Using the upper part of his other arm to count as a stop for each time the rope came around, since he couldn't grab the rope effectively. He slowly but surely was starting to ascend in a most interesting way. Upon reaching the top Carlos used his arms to climb on top of it. He stabled himself on top and slid the rope down his legs and off the side for other recruits to get.

Yes, he thought not only at his accomplishment with this wall but the fact that there wasn't any other walls after this. He was now eager to make it down the last wall. The final stretch. He took off the belt around his waist and wrapped it tight, not enough to be excrutiatingly painful but enough that he could use that hand effectively. He then wrapped his legs around the rope and the rope once around his arm. Gripping the rope with the belted hand he released his feet slightly and started a slow descent, the belt keeping his hand from being torn up again. His other hand was close to the rope in case something went wrong. When he reached the ground he let out a sigh of relief and collapsed backwards until he was sitting on the ground. He then leaned back against the wall. "I did it," he said softly as he stared at the sunset.

((Saw Jackie Chan or Jet Li do it in a movie once xd ))

After having been told several times by numerous people, Crie hesitently headed for the track. It was exactly as she had been told: a short 100 meter dash - that she could cover no sweat - and 50 foot walls. She might have a challenge with those things. . .
She glanced around the training grounds, looking for someone she might inquire about the obstacle course. Seeing no one, she shrugged her shoulders and stepped onto the starting line of the track. Taking a few deep breaths before beginning, Crie experienced that flutter in her chest that came with every challenge she faced. Forcing the feeling completely from her mind, she picked a pewter chain out from under her shirt, gently kissed the pendant dangling from it, and began to jog to the first wall.
It was taller than she had expected. Nonetheless, Crie didn't hesitate to grasp one of the ropes dangling from it. Tugging once to check its resistance, twice for good measure, she dug the heel of one boot into the brick and pushed herself upward. The other foot left the ground as she reached higher on the rope, and soon her entire body weight was resting entirely on the rope. It was this way, hand over aching hand, foot over foot, that Crie reached the top of the wall. She reached up, grabbed the top, and swung herself up and over so she was straddling it.
It was still taller than she had expected. The tallest thing she had ever scaled being a wire fence, Crie sat there for a moment, totally confused on how to get down. Suddenly, an idea struck her.
If it works in video games, she told herself, taking hold of the rope once more, it should work now. She swung her left leg over the top of the wall, still gripping the rope, and used her arms to hold herself up as if she were dismounting a horse. Then, she used herself as leverage, her feet as an anchor against the brick, and let up some slack on the rope. Her upper body was at an about 45 degree angle to the wall - an angle that required muscle strength she didn't have. Crie hesistated, praying for the best, and then loosened her grip so that she slid down the wall, the rope's slack being the leverage that kept her at an angle.
Note to self, she thought icily, glaring at her hands once she had hit the ground, Video games aren't real. The friction from the rope had bitten right through her fingerless cotton gloves and her palms were slashed and burned something fierce. Crie bitterly wiped the blood from her hands and turned to run for the next wall.
((I'll have to continue later. . .I hope that's acceptable.))

He sits on the top of the fifth wall thinking simply that he still has about half of the course left. "Great better finish this off now...." His voice trails off as he focuses all of his energy into the task at hand. He stands up and walks off the edge of the wall without a single care. The sound of the land itself was horrible....but it looked tremendously painful as his feet had dug a few inches into the ground. All this ceased to phase him as he takes off toward the sixth wall. His eyes are focused on the rope as he leaps off his left leg and digs his right into the wall with a forceful kick creating a foothold for him to leap again. He never grasps the rope on this wall as his left foot careens into the creating another foothold for another jump, and then another for a fourth jump that takes him over the wall.

He lands with another hard thud and the ground gives again. He repeats this action on the next wall taking five jumps to get over. He reaches the eighth wall and cuts it close with five jumps. He reaches the ninth and takes six jumps and clears the wall cleanly. Upon landing he rubs his shins and runs past the finish line.

He sits down and then lays down on the grass looking up at the sky. ".....my shins hurt....."

-walks in the trainning ground headquaters with a black leather bag and walk to the wall. She then lean against it and cross only her arms. Putting her left foot on the wall, her dark hazel eyes glance at everyone and closed her eyes-"..."-Once more, she didn't speak to anyone and the top of her black leather bag opened. A black cat's head popped out and looks around. He then tilt his head as he stared at the trainning ground-

-As she continue to close her eyes, she then began to jog her way throught the track breathing through the nose. The black cat looked at her and then return back inside the bag. The girl continue through the track and then touch the wall without breaking a sweat. Then return back to the other wall. She continue to jog of what the commander commanded us to do and then she stop after hitting the track exit. The girl looks around and did the other obstacles if there's any as the general commanded us to do-