GoodDoug: Enemy of the Corruptor, Act 1

[JuiceeTarget]

GoodDoug looked at the Ranger Guild Leader sheepishly. His last "mission" had been to complete Boot Camp, and he had failed at that. The mission before had been a narrow success, but not one he was proud of.

"It's time you stopped making excuses, half-ogre. I stuck my neck out for you, I think there is a ranger somewhere in that oversized body of yours," the Guild Leader paused, letting that sink in, "You need to go back to what made you successful in the first few missions."

GoodDoug nodded, his last mission had been hampered by excuses from the very beginning. He could already feel the excuses welling up for whatever was coming next... could he do it this time? Could he ignore the excuses and get this one done? Only one way to find out.

 

"What do you need me to do?"

 

The guild leader sighed, "I'd put you back in boot camp, but we have need of all of the rangers right now. There's been a huge uptick in undead activity all over the place. We've got others searching for the source, but we need you out there beating down some skeletons and zombies. Most of the activity seems to be North of here, so make your way North and help out where you can. We need you to start yesterday, if you get my meaning."

 

GoodDoug nodded again, no time for making excuses or procrastinating... just get out there and do it.

 

GoodDoug stood up and started gathering his things for the trip. The Guild Leader paused at the door, and then spoke without turning, "If you want to prove that you belong in the Rangers, now would be the time to do it." He walked out.

 

GoodDoug grimaced, "The only failure," he told himself, "is failing to try again."

 

Last challenge, I had a whole bunch of great excuses as to why I didn't do well. In fact, I had started the challenge by outlining how hard it would be... making excuses from the beginning. This time, no excuses. And I will be going back to what I made work in my Valley of the Dinosaurs challenge: specific weekly goals, unwillingness to make excuses, commitment to keeping up with the forums and a fun narrative.

 

Main quest:

Get stronger and leaner. (Save the world from the Corruptor)

This is going to be an ongoing quest, I hope to do it over 3 challenges (3 Acts)

 

Goals:

 

Lift heavy, move often. As with my dinosaurs challenge, this will be weight moved per week. I will move 7 tons per week. This will be a combination of deadlifts, squats, bench and accessory exercises. Now that I have a gym to go to with great equipment, there is no excuse. Str +3 Sta +2

 

Eat right. This will be a combination of things I've done already, but need to get back on track with. I will eat Primal 6 days a week (one day off for when I'm in the office and have access to great free food), I will consume 100+g of protein daily, I will do intermittent fasting 4 days per week. The IF will consist of stop eating at 8pm and don't start again until 12pm.  This goal will be written into the story. Con +4 Str +1

 

Sleep well. I was doing better at this, time to get back into the swing of things here. I will get at least 8 hours of sleep 6 nights a week. I'm going to let naps count for this one as well, so I don't have room to make excuses. Wis +3 Str +1 Cha +1 (More sleep should make me less of an ogre!)

 

Why am I doing this?

I want to stay healthy and feel good about myself.

[JessOfAllTrades]

Sounds like a plan! Lots of good reflection here. Best of luck!

[lilbichy]

Nice goals!  Good luck in the challenge =)

[alienjenn]

thought of you when I took this picture... it was a display at a local park  

 

my boy decided to eat the t-rex

 

[SunSeeker]

Nice write-up!  I had a bit of trouble wrapping my head around 7 tons, so I figured out I'd have to lift my backpack 400 times a week.  That is a lot of lifting.  

 

Leave no doubt in the Guild Leader's mind that you are a valuable member of the Rangers.  Keep the newbies safe from the Corrupter!

 

Good Luck on your challenge.

[JuiceeTarget]

Thanks for checking in guys, it helps. And alienjenn, that is an awesome picture! That was my best challenge and so I'm trying to go back and figure out what made it work so well.

 

I've been doing well on the eating front, Monday was my "cheat" day at work and I've done well the rest of the week, Tues, Wed and Thurs I did the IF thing, I did a short run with my wife yesterday and today I had a big lifting day at the gym and moved a total of 16,015 pounds (8 tons). Heavy squats, bench presses and then cable rows, triceps extensions and bicep curls. I'm gonna feel it later, but I'm glad I did it. I needed a big day to get me back in the swing of things. I am volunteering all weekend at a soccer tournament, and so won't have time to workout much (other than moving goals and tables and tents...)

I've done pretty well on the sleep front, I'm a little worried about tonight, as we have to sort all the pins and medals for the tournament before tomorrow evening.

 

I'm almost in a groove with my new job, and I think it is going to be great. I'm getting work done and able to do stuff outside of work other than commuting.

 

So far, its full of win.

[alienjenn]

Thanks for checking in guys, it helps. And alienjenn, that is an awesome picture! That was my best challenge and so I'm trying to go back and figure out what made it work so well.

 

 

 

I was looking all over for your thread... and couldn't find it forevers... and I was worried that you weren't posting a challenge... but then you did and I was happy... 

 

my son was just like "oh I have no idea why but I want to eat this dino" and I was like "HEY! I have a friend who ate rexes!" he was like "that sounds like a good friend"

 

 

[MsLouise]

Whoa, seven tons!  I'm with Melyssa, that's hard to wrap my head around.  It makes more sense if I think of it in book units, which would work out to moving something like 5000 books.  That's a lot, and will surely build giant muscles.

 

I have so much sympathy for the sleep thing.  What are you struggling with that's getting in the way of getting good sleep?

 

Sounds like you're doing all the right things in going back to basics and figuring out how to keep this challenge on track.  Congrats!  I will be rooting for you.

[Dr Funkenstine]

Keep it up GoodDoug. The sleep goal in particular is something I am working on too. It is amazing how much I've felt better going to bed on time this week, even though it is just one more hour a night usually. 

[ScurvySpider]

The mission before had been a narrow success, but not one he was proud of

 

.What now?  It it OK I get proud on your behalf then? Success is a good thing

.I will move 7 tons per week.

 

A ton a day more or less.  That makes me feel faint but I'm sure *you* can do it.

[Mel The Hangry]

You have definitely have jumped into this challenge, can't wait to see your progress.

[Eirlys]

"Why am I doing this?

"I want to stay healthy and feel good about myself."

 

I can think of no better reason than this!!  Glad to see you back and ready to power back on the weights angle.  Also fun to read your latest narrative, thanks for sharing

 

p.s. 8 tons in one session?!!!  Wow.  That's impressive

[JuiceeTarget]

GoodDoug paused as he watched the zombie shuffling towards him. He was tired. Tired of swinging the sword and hacking apart the undead. He shifted the sword to his left hand. He wasn't as skilled with his left, but he thought to himself, "What skill is there in hacking apart these shamblers?"

 

He had been fighting his way North for a week now. The zombies were simple enough, lop off the hands so they couldn't grab you and lop off the head to get them to stop moving. Skeletons were just as dim, but much quicker. The sword that had served him so well before was more of a hindrance now. He finished off this last zombie with a few well placed blows. Then moved on.

 

GoodDoug heard the unmistakeable sounds of the undead ahead. He could hear the raspy moaning of zombies as well as the clickety-clack of skeletons bones. He came into a clearing and saw about ten of them surrounding a tree, all with arrows sticking out of them. Suddenly, a new arrow sprouted from one of the zombies heads, and he heard a curse from the tree, "Dammit! Why'd they send me out here with nothing but arrows?"

 

GoodDoug, sighed, hacked a large size branch from a tree to use as a club and called out, "Hold on, I'll clear them out for you!"

 

The tree branch turned out to be a better weapon against these undead than the sword, he could crush a skull, dropping them in one blow where otherwise it would have taken three or four with the sword. He finished off the ones around the tree along with a few that had been attracted to the commotion.

 

"Come on down, I'm with the Rangers."

"Oh thank the makers, I thought I was done for. I can't believe they sent me out here with just a bow." A young elf girl dropped lightly from the tree branches and stretched. "I was up there for two days. Those buggers can't climb, but they don't sleep either. And a bow just wasn't made for taking out zombies. Thank you, I'm Luna."

 

GoodDoug saw she was wearing a Scout's badge, "I'm GoodDoug. What were you doing out here?" the half-ogre asked. 

 

"They sent me out to do some scouting and see if I could find anything. Turns out there's a plague to the North. People start out fine, then get sick and become a zombie pretty quick. I've traced it to the cereal grains they ship from up North near the old Port Country." She paused, "You haven't eaten anything from up there lately, have you?" GoodDoug shook his head no. "Good, because you'd make a terrible zombie," she giggled at the thought.

 

Luna explained that she survived by foraging and sleeping in trees. Unfortunately, she had climbed this tree late and didn't realize she had no escape route until it was morning and she was surrounded.

 

"There's a village under siege Northwest of here, if you have a moment, maybe you could go help there." She drew out a map in the dirt showing how to get there. After that, she gathered what arrows she could form the corpses and GoodDoug fashioned her a club of her own. 

"I'm not sure how effective I'll be with this," she said with some trepidation.

"Just keep moving, they're slow enough that if you don't let yourself get surrounded, you will be okay."

"Okay, and you remember to be careful what you eat and climb a tree to get some rest. And thank you, you saved my life."

 

Get strong:

I did a big lift day and moved 8 tons of weights. Mostly squats and bench press. I'm still a little sore, but it feels good. A

 

Eat well:

Most every day has been Primal, but for a couple of slip ups. I hit my goal with IF and with protein. I'm giving myself a B+ and I know what I need to do to move it to an A

 

Sleep:

Except for two days with seven and a half hours of sleep, I got the required 8+ hours every day so I'm calling this an A-

 

Overall, I'm on track and feel good about this challenge. I hope to do some lifting tomorrow and Thursday, but will go by how I feel. Food should be easy as well.

[JessOfAllTrades]

Great job with week 1!

[alienjenn]

I always love your stories and the zombie plague is traced to the grain. ... awesome

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[CB3]

That is a fabulous story!!!  Can't wait to read the rest..... 

 

What weight do you use for your squats and bench? 7 tons is a lot of weight or a lot of reps. I might get one ton with my squats this workout....7 is impressive!

 

Keep up the good work, Ranger!

[JuiceeTarget]

Hi CB3-

Last week I did 155# x10 reps for 2 sets, then knocked it down to 135# x10 for 2 more sets. That right there is 5,800#, 2 and a half tons. I was surprised at how quickly the tons come when you are really pushing yourself. 8 tons is a lot, but it is more doable than you might think.

[CB3]

Holy Cow!! Thanks Doug! 

 

You are so right. I just added up just my lying leg curls and it totals 1890 lbs.....THAT is impressive, I had no idea that I could move that much weight.  I should add up all my other sets. That is some good motivation there!  

 

Well, keep up the tonage!  Great work!

[Mel The Hangry]

Good work and your story is awesome.

[cryptomancy]

Totally digging the story! It's a fun way to translate your IRL training into the sort of fun stuff we nerds love

 

Adding up all your weight into one big total like that makes it sound so motivating and exciting. I mean, seriously. 8 tons. That's crazy, dude. In an awesome way of course. 

[JuiceeTarget]

Thanks guys!

I did the adding up thing a few challenges ago, and found it to be motivating and it makes for a great measurement. Measuring weight moved seems better than days lifted or reps done. 

 

So far this week has been okay. Eating has been a mixed bag. I did well most meals, but had a hard time Tuesday. I've decided that I need to be willing to take time to make food rather than waiting until I need to eat and trying to throw something together quickly. As an example, just now I broke my fast with a scramble of eggs, bacon, onion and kale. It didn't take much longer than grabbing a cereal bar and was much better for me.

 

My wife and I went running last night, we did a full 5k and did it at my wife's fastest pace yet (Just under 10 minutes per mile, last 5k she did was 11:30 per mile). I was supposed to go lifting yesterday, but forces conspired against me. Luckily, I have figured out how to squeeze it in tonight. I haven't done evening workouts in a while, but am glad I can fit it in.

 

Sleep has been good, but it bugs my wife sometimes. She agrees that sleep is important, but wants to stay up late.

[cryptomancy]

Not staying up late has been a huge challenge for me, I think I'm going to have to add that to my goals for the next challenge. I just have such an easier time concentrating and actually getting things done in the middle of the night. So yeah, I can relate to your wife.

 

Congrats on the stepped up pace 5k too!

[JuiceeTarget]

GoodDoug the half ogre hung back behind the wall of the village. He had fought his way through larger and larger groups of zombies and skeletons to find this village. Many undead were clustered around the village Inn. It looked barricaded and he surmised that there must be some people alive in their. The zombies would have lost interest if there was nothing alive inside.

 

Normally, he would have run up and started swinging. The slow moving zombies and dimwitted skeletons would have been easy work for him. But there was the big one. It was a zombie, that much was obvious, but it's body was swollen with muscles, making it much larger than it had been in life. Now in unlife it was a caricature of strength... large bones, huge muscles topped with a normal sized head. That would have been unnerving enough, but this zombie moved with a bit more intelligence than the normal zombies. It wielded a large hammer and was circling the Inn, testing it with it's hammer. GoodDoug realized time was short for the occupants unless he did something quickly.

 

The half ogre grabbed the thick branch he was using as a club in one hand and drew his shiny sword with the other. He waited until the large brute was around the corner before sliding out to attack, he hoped to take out most of the normal undead before having to deal with the brute. The first few zombies fell to his practiced blows. He concentrated on dispatching the undead with brutal efficiency. The sounds of his work must have reached the brute, he heard a loud bellow from the other side of the Inn. He heard the brute coming counter-clockwise around the building and worked to keep destroying the undead while staying ahead of the large brute.

 

GoodDoug had made one full circuit around the building, destroying zombies and skeletons as he went, timing it to stay ahead of the bellows of the brute. He had to admire his efficiency, many of the undead attacking the Inn now lay scattered and unmoving. He listened for the brute and realized it had gone silent, that realization made him wary enough to not get completely surprised when he rounded the corner to see the large brute swinging his hammer at the half ogre's head.

 

GoodDoug ducked and rolled to get some space so he could think. The brute was quicker than the other zombies, and had proven it was smarter. It looked strong and tough. GoodDoug realized he had a real fight on his hands.GoodDoug grinned, "Finally! Lets dance, big guy." The two traded blows, the brute trying to smash the half ogre with strength while GoodDoug parried and thrust. The brute was doing a good job protecting it's head, probably the only vulnerable spot. It also seemed to never tire, smashing the hammer with practiced strength repeatedly. GoodDoug changed tactics slightly, rather than aiming for the head, he aimed to cut tendons and muscles with his sword while using the quickly disintegrating club to deflect the brute's blows.

 

After a few minutes, GoodDoug was slicked with sweat and smelly ichor form the brute's many wounds. The brute was moving much more slowly, having been cut in many places. The half ogre was tiring, and only managed to half block a swing of the brute's hammer. The glancing blow caught him in the chest, he spun with the hit, and brought the branch up to block the follow through. The hammer splintered the makeshift club, making it useless. GoodDoug dropped what was left of it and leapt forward, trusting his instinct and passion to carry him on.

 

GoodDoug's sword sliced through the brute's wrist, severing the hand wielding the hammer. The brute staggered back, unsure of what to do next. GoodDoug took that moment to pick up the hammer and attack. Using the last of his strength, he hit the brute's remaining hand out of the way and leapt up, spinning to deliver the final blow to it's tiny head. 

 

Tired and covered in undead gore, GoodDoug dispatched the few remaining undead with the new hammer and knocked on the Inn's door. "They're all gone now, it is safe to come out."

 

==

Get strong:

This week I did squats and deadlifts. I didn't lift quite as much as I wanted, only 5.5 tons, but it was not a bad effort. I'm still sore from it. B+

 

Eat well:

This is the one I really struggled with. Had a couple of days off the wagon, but finished pretty strong. B

 

Sleep:

I had one day that I didn't get adequate sleep, but the rest of the days I did well. Calling it an A

 

Did a good run this week and feel pretty good about this coming week. Week 3 is always the tough one, so I just need to double down this week and do better than last week. I hope to get two days of lifting in and I think I have my food pretty dialed in.

 

And big thanks to everyone that is dropping in with kind words on my thread. I appreciate it, it makes a big difference.

[Eirlys]

Ooooh nice story update.  It's not often you get to read the word 'ichor'... in fact, I think I recall it last from a drow book where a spider was squashed and exploded!!  

 

Well done to your wife for massively increasing her speed for the 5k! (I can't work out the miles per minute thing but anyway that's a sizeable increase!)

 

Your grades for this week look pretty good.  And sending you positive strong thoughts for the tricky week 3... you can do this!!!

[SunSeeker]

Great story.  I have to admit I had to go look up ichor.    

 

Sleep has been good, but it bugs my wife sometimes. She agrees that sleep is important, but wants to stay up late.

It has taken many years, but my husband finally realizes that I just need more sleep then he does.  He used to give me a hard time about going to bed early, but now knows that I just function better if I've had my sleep.  

 

Rock week 3!!!!  Stay focused!!!