The joke was a poor one, but given Alex's state, she supposed any joke told by her would be a bad one. "It is painful because this is the fast way. In Shoalin, it took six months total to build up our strength, and that was one muscle group at a time."

Her own body was feeling the strain, but having trained for years and in much rougher conditions, she was still better off than Alex. Knowing her friend was in no real condition to take the needed steps for herself. Elizabeth took her water bottle from its place and set it in her hand. "The body must suffer before it could become stronger."