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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.

As he lay there, trying to catch his breath, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He looked up to see Flintmace and Vulcan approaching him. 

However, unlike before, they weren\'t brutal with their words. Heck, Vulcan even gave Ashton a pat, something he hadn\'t ever done before. 

"Well?" Flintmace asked before smiling. "How was your experience this time around?"

"As horrible as ever," Ashton replied before getting back up, putting all his weight on Balmond. "No matter what I do, those freaky bastards keep one-upping me."

Ashton felt a sense of despair creeping over him. He had no answer to Flintmace\'s question or explanation for why he was failing so miserably. 

But that moment of desperation was short-lived as he realised he could train for as long and as many times as he wanted. This meant he had endless opportunities to beat the grunts, and all he needed to do was to figure out how.

"It\'s okay, Ashton," Flintmace nodded, his eyes glinting with understanding. "We all have our weaknesses, our areas where we need to improve. That\'s why we train, so we can become stronger and better able to face our enemies."

"And you are getting better, Ashton," Vulcan chimed in. "You might not have defeated them yet, but you\'re improving with every turn. I can bet my beard you\'ll be able to defeat the grunts by tomorrow!"

Ashton looked up, feeling a glimmer of hope stirring inside him. He had been so focused on his failures, the fact that he couldn\'t defeat the grunts, and overlooked the progress he had made. But more importantly, he had something else to say. 

"You know, I just might keep losing to see you without your beard- ouch!" 

Before Ashton could put his thoughts into words, he got smacked in the head by Vulcan\'s hammer. 

"My apologies; the hammer slipped from my hands," Vulcan said while tapping on the hammer. 

"It\'s not a problem because I know one of these days, my hand might slip as well," Ashton replied, frantically rubbing the back of his head. 

"I\'ll wait for that day!" Vulcan replied before all three broke down laughing.

Once done, Ashton took a deep breath, feeling a surge of determination welling up inside him. He knew that he still had a long way to go and that he had to keep pushing himself and training harder than ever before.

But he also knew that he had the support of his comrades, the people who believed in him and were counting on him to help win the impending war against the Xyrans.

Flintmace and Vulcan watched him with approving nods, knowing they had witnessed a pivotal moment in Ashton\'s training. 

They knew that he still had a long way to go and that he still had weaknesses that needed to be addressed, but they also knew that he had the heart and determination of a true warrior.

"Let\'s go for one last time for today." Ashton got up with some newfound energy, ready to get his ass beaten by the grunts once again. 

***

Anna walked briskly into the simulation room, her eyes scanning the area for Ashton. She spotted him standing in the middle of the room, sweat glistening on his skin as he fought against a group of simulated warriors.

She hesitated for a moment, not wanting to interrupt his training, but then she reminded herself that this was important.

"Ashton!" she called out, her voice echoing across the room.

Ashton turned to look at her, his expression curious. He had already informed her he would undergo rigorous training from today onwards and wasn\'t expecting her to interrupt them. 

"What is it, Anna?" he asked, lowering his sword as the enemies disappeared. 

"It\'s Tarek," Anna said, her voice urgent. "He\'s awake, and he wants to talk to us. Now."

Ashton sheathed his sword and turned to Flintmace and Vulcan, who had been observing his training. "Can I stop here for the day?"

"Of course," Flintmace nodded. "This is important. Go see Tarek, and we\'ll resume training tomorrow."

Ashton nodded gratefully and turned to follow Anna out of the room. They walked quickly down the hallway, their footsteps echoing in the silence.

"What did Tarek say?" Ashton asked, his voice tense with anticipation.

"He didn\'t say much," Anna replied. "Just that he wanted to see us as soon as possible. He sounded urgent."

Ashton and Anna walked into the sterile hospital room where Tarek sat in bed, his eyes scanning a tablet in his hands. He looked up as they entered, setting the tablet aside with a slight smile.

"Ashton, Anna," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you for coming."

"Good to see you\'re up and about," Ashton said, moving closer to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Tarek shrugged, "Not too bad, considering the circumstances. I\'ve been through worse."

"That\'s good to hear. We\'re glad you made it out with us." Ashton nodded.

Tarek\'s expression became more serious, "Listen, there\'s something I need to tell you. Something I learned while I was with the Cult. Something I believe your people are mistake about." 

Ashton and Anna exchanged a concerned look.

"What is it?" Anna asked.

"Deacon isn\'t a person, but the lowest-ranking position among the Cult." Tarek hesitated momentarily before speaking. "You people seemed to have defeated one out of the thirty-two Deacons that exist..."