Chapter 111 - 111. The Twelve Levels Of Hell.

The next following morning, since we do not have our domestic cooks and housekeeper, we tried not to create too much of a mess and we all had our breakfast at the cookhouse instead. Although it was quite a chore to go there to have our meals once in a while, we had no other choices because we cannot disrupt Quest Master Rebecca who would be issuing quest to the adventurers.

During the first night on our new home, I had gone to the Realm of Mind and duplicated 300 quest booklets to give out to our members soon. Then I compiled all the spellbooks according to the classes and made sure I had duplicates for them as I brought them back in my storage bag.

After I had done so, I went back to the real world after I logged off from my meditative state and went back to sleep.

After breakfast, the children excused themselves and then went about to their tasks and once they had done so, they returned to the castle and waited for me. I had changed to simple wear, and so does the children and I first checked out the obstacle course. There was a simple 100 meter run down which had some bales of hay and some crates and barrel midway for the children to PK their way before reaching the first obstacle, the low wall.

It wasn't a low wall but rather a short 3.5-meter wall that would enable 2 people to clear at once. The trick is to kick once against the wall and throwing oneself to reach the top before hoisting and clearing the top. However, in this case, it would be a test not of one's strength but coordination as well as teamwork with the others to clear first before the one who was on top of the wall finally clears over.

Next was a short run before meeting the next obstacle called the Stepping Stones. Actually, it wasn't stepping stones at all but 2 walls on both sides that were set at a 45-degree angle. In the centre of it was a wall with spaces, good enough to slip in a person through and a penalty would be imposed on those who touched the centre wall.

The two side walls were chained so in order to get to the other segment, the person needs to run at an inclined angle, run and slip between the centre partition and lands on the other side. From the start of the second obstacle, it simply looked like a "V".

A short run forward brings them to an obstacle called the Rubble. It has a one-meter wall, and then a horizontal bar and there are 4 walls and 4 of those bars. This is to train the members in learning to the vault and ducking movement.

Once they had cleared the Rubble, next is a long 10-meter tunnel and inside it was not smooth crouching either as the floor and some of the parts of the wall had those knobs that might catch your knee and elbows or sometimes the head if they aren't careful enough.

Next is the Dodging Panels where the trainers run in between the panels to train lateral dodging on confined spaces like a dungeon.

The next would be the Low Rope. A vertical single rope that is about 5 meters high to train the upper and lower limbs to jump up and club the rope and tap the metal bar at the top before sliding downwards. This is also to train those who would be using a rope and grapple to clear high walls to gain entry.

The next is called the Ditch where a trainee is required to jump over a 5-meter ditch after a short climb and landing on a low and flat surface. Failure to clear that would mean that they would fall into the water inside the ditch and have to repeat the process until they successfully cleared it.

Next after that is called a Corridor, a small tight space that requires crouching and clearing the place with some overhead obstacles shaped like open windows. A concussion is inevitable if one happen to raise their heads too early.

The Balancing Bridge is next. A zig-zagged 6-inch wide beam at a height of 3 meters was emplaced and to get to it, a trainee has to run up an incline first before walking on the zig-zagged beam 8 meters long before jumping off into a sandpit to cushion their fall.

The Suicide Window is next after a short run where a trainee simply runs and jumps through a cut out of a wall that resembles a window. Assassin Trainee except for other classes is advised not to touch the window with any parts of their bodies as it would incur a penalty.

The next would be Jacob's Ladder where 8 beams were placed horizontally and shaped like a pyramid on each side which means one has to climb up and then scale downwards without losing their balance of falling through the gaps. This is to train their balance and afraid of heights.

The last obstacle is the Ramp, where a short run up an incline and a vertical drop down below which they need to clear past a triple concertina wire which was a placed a short distance away. This trains their confidence, jumping and landing from a height. A shorter than usual leap to clear those concertina wires below would result in a nasty gash and torn tunic and pants.

"Daddy, did you design this obstacle course? It does look menacing as we walked around it right, guys? This is to build confidence in all members, is that true Daddy? So many 'to touch zones', what if a fat grubby adventurer decides to join, Daddy and he can't fit through this window or get stuck inside the tunnel?"

So many questions from all the kids as I took a can of red paint and a small brush and walked to the low wall that was painted in white. It looked too clean and virgin and I am going to deflower it with this quick-dry elastic rubber paint as I wrote these words on it. "TO LEAD, TO EXCEL, TO OVERCOME by Keating-Macleod."

After slapping the red-painted words on the virgin wall that had just been deflowered by me, I looked at it and reminiscing the time where I had to face this wall continuously for 18 months before I became an infantry officer after transitioning from an infantryman, to a guardsman and scout and then back to infantryman once more.

"Yes, Adam... Daddy is the one who designed this obstacle course. It sure looks menacing but once you clear it up to speed, it's really nothing. Looking at it from the side may seem rather intimidating, of course."

"This obstacle course is not only to build confidence, but it also enhances the upper and lower parts of the physique and at the same time to instil teamwork."

"What would you do if you find a trainee behind you who are afraid of heights and then got stuck at the top of this Jacob's ladder? Are you going to leave the trainee stuck up there the whole day long? No, right?"

"So you have to give the trainee confidence and step down the ladder one at the time. The trick is here, the groove at the bottom of your boots before the heel. Using that to scale down is easier and safer."

"If a fat grubby adventure joins in, then the first thing he needs to do is to slim down and lose that fat in 7 days diet regime that I may implement. "

"The trainee would have a high carbo and fibre breakfast, followed by high fibre mid-morning snack, low carbo high fibre lunch, high fibre mid-afternoon snack, a low carbo high fibre dinner and high fibre supper."

"In this way, the person would be able to lose at least 2 to 3 kgs a day and would be fitter and slimmer by the end of the week. I don't think a fat grubby adventurer would join us, right, Kayla?"

"Yes, Daddy there is, he is ssooooo fat that his tunic is hitched up above his big tummy that his belly button can be seen...!!! So gross you know, Daddy... And he places the earrings there on his belly button instead of his ears as he jiggles his tummy whenever he talks to us. And then his front of tunic would have crumbs from what he ate the day before and his hands... Ewww... The fingers are so grubby and short and dirty with the sauce dripping all over it until it reaches his elbows... Ewww... And his face has that permanently fixed silly grin and has smudges of food that he wipes or clean every time on his sleeves... Ewww..."

"EEEEWWWW....." chorused the children all at the same time and seeing my face grimaced at the mention of putting the earrings at the belly button made them all burst into laughter...

If their Daddy can talk and spew bullshit all day long, his children could also magically churn out birdshit in cartloads as well... Hah hah hah...

"Alright, jokes time is over. Let's all get to work... Run with Daddy in a straight line around the castle grounds for 13 rounds..." I said as I brushed my butt after picking myself up after I sat down and talk with the children. "13 rounds... That's 5 km dear... Don't you think it's a torture for them?" asked Patricia after she had returned from the town square after putting up a notice for job vacancies in the town square.

"5 km is nothing... I used to do 10 daily with the commandos and Gurkha contingents" I replied and began to jog slowly with the children in tow. "1 lap jog and then the other lap sprint. Alternate until we finish the 13 rounds and then immediately hit the obstacle course."

I told the children as we jogged alongside the course and wondered if the children would find the 13 levels of Hell too demanding and strenuous for them or not. After the 13th lap sprint, I don't think the children would have any strength to even clear the 1st obstacle... Which is the Low Wall. Hah Hah Hah...