Tarek's Revelation (1)

Ashton lay on the floor of the training room, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as he tried to catch his breath. He was drenched in sweat, his muscles trembling with exhaustion as he stared up at the ceiling, feeling utterly defeated.

He had just completed his sixty-ninth attempt at defeating the simulated Xyran grunts, and once again, he had failed. He had come close a few times, taking down a handful of the grunts before they overwhelmed him, but he just couldn't get the upper hand.

He knew that he was supposed to be one to take down the Xyrans. But these grunts, even with their simple weapons and basic tactics, seemed to have him wholly outmatched.

He couldn't understand why he was having such a hard time defeating the grunts. They were supposed to be a relatively easy opponent, one he could take down without breaking a sweat. But for some reason, he just couldn't seem to get the upper hand.