The guards banged on the bars at first light. Louder than usual. Metal on metal. Echoed through the block like thunder.
"Up! Fitness day! Move!"
Kael was already on her feet. Stretching her arms. Lira stood slow. Yawned. I rolled off the cot. Back stiff. Cock soft for once. Thank fuck.
Scar-face appeared at the end of the corridor. Keys in hand.
"All three of you. Yard time. Full circuit. No slacking."
She unlocked the cells one by one. Kael first. Then Lira. Then me.
We stepped out. Chains on our wrists. Light ones. Just enough to remind us we weren't free.
The prison was bigger than I thought. Rusty iron everywhere. Walls pitted with age. Floors cracked stone. Halls stretched long. Side corridors led to who-knows-where. Smell of damp metal and old sweat. Torches burned low in sconces. Flickered shadows on the rust stains.
We walked single file. Guards in front and behind. Through a heavy gate. Into the yard.
Open air hit me hard. Sky gray. Wind cold. The yard was massive. Dirt-packed ground. High walls topped with spikes. Training posts driven into the earth. Wooden dummies scarred from years of hits. A dirt track circled the perimeter. Maybe half a mile.
Other prisoners already out. Women. Some human. Some elf-looking. All muscled or lean. All watching us.
Scar-face barked.
"Warm-up lap! Full circuit! No walking!"
Kael took off first. Smooth stride. Lira followed. Graceful. I jogged behind. Legs heavy. Breath short quick.
The track was uneven. Potholes. Loose stones. I tripped once. Caught myself. Kept going.
One lap. Two. Sweat started fast. Tunic stuck to my hairy chest. Pants chafed my thighs.
Kael lapped me on the third. Didn't say anything. Just passed. Breathing steady.
Lira stayed close. Matched my pace.
"You're slow."
"No shit. I was a college kid. Not a soldier."
She smiled.
"You'll get better. Or we'll carry you."
I laughed. Gasped.
After five laps the guards yelled stop.
We gathered in the center. Guards handed out wooden training swords. Blunt. Heavy.
"Pairs! Spar! No killing!"
Kael paired with a tall human prisoner. Red hair. Scars. They circled. Swords clacked. Fast. Kael moved like water. Dodged. Countered. Knocked the woman down in under a minute.
Lira paired with an elf girl. Same silver hair. They moved like dance. Graceful. Almost beautiful. Swords met soft. No real force. More form than fight.
I got paired with a short, stocky woman. Brown hair. Freckles. Grin like she wanted to eat me.
"Hero boy. Let's see what you got."
She swung first. Hard.
I blocked. Arms jarred. Stumbled back.
She laughed.
"Weak."
Swing again. I ducked. Swung back. Clumsy. Missed.
She tapped my ribs. Light. Stung.
"Dead."
Another swing. I blocked. Barely.
She swept my legs. I hit the dirt. Wind knocked out.
She stood over me. Sword tip at my throat.
"Yield?"
I nodded. Gasped.
"Yeah."
She helped me up. Grinned.
"Not bad for a soft one."
Training went on. Push-ups. Squats. Pull-ups on rusted bars. I struggled. Arms burned. Legs shook. Sweat poured. Hairy chest glistened. Pants soaked.
Kael crushed everything. Lira flowed through it. I survived.
Midway, guards called water break. Buckets. Tin cups. I drank fast. Water cold. Tasted like iron.
Kael walked over. Wiped her face.
"You didn't quit."
"Didn't have a choice."
She nodded.
"That's something."
Lira joined us. Breathing even.
"You moved better by the end."
"Thanks."
She leaned close. Whispered.
"Tonight. After lights out. I'll show you how elves stretch properly."
My cock twitched.
Kael snorted.
"Keep it quiet. Guards patrol."
I nodded.
The whistle blew. Back to drills.
More laps. More sparring. More pain.
By the end I was wrecked. Legs jelly. Arms rubber. Sweat stung my eyes.
Guards marched us back to the block. Locked us in.
I collapsed on the cot. Breathing hard.
Kael sat across. Watched me.
"You held up."
"Barely."
Lira smiled from her cell.
"Tomorrow we do it again."
I groaned.
"Great."
But in my head the system pinged quiet.
[Endurance +3% from sustained physical exertion.]
Small win.
Prison yard. Rusty bars. Sweat. Pain.
And two women who didn't hate me yet.
I closed my eyes.
One day down.
More coming.