Chapter 33

Flitz led Kyon down the lantern-lit path to the nearest arena. Any respected house had plenty of them. It was the place for training and sparring.

The arena was rather spacious, the size of a basketball court, bounded by a low metal fence. It was empty at the moment but the floodlights were on. There were no guards or checkpoints to be seen.

Flitz stood in the center of the arena, his hands behind his back. He said with scorn:

«Attack me.» – Flitz was going to give the boy a real bashing if he had lied. No one likes a show-off. Flitz didn’t either.

Kyon took a full breath of fresh night air, clenched his fists and made a sudden attack. He moved silently on the stone-paved floor at great speed, landing some impressive blows at Flitz’s vulnerable points.

Flitz grinned and dodged without making an effort. He might as well yawn of boredom. He wasn’t going to defeat the boy with speed or power but with his experience alone. Flitz did not even think of defending himself or attacking Kyon. But he did not expect that the boy would knock him off balance at the third blow and hit him in the hip at the fourth.

«Ugh…» – Flitz spat and put his hands to work. He rolled on the ground, too briskly for his age, just in time to dodge a heavy hook in his long nose! «You’re fucking lucky…» – Flitz grumbled after the blow he had avoided by some miracle and doubled his speed.

Kyon slowed down and said with a barely noticeable sneer in his voice:

«What’s the matter, sir? Mock combat is too boring for you?»

«Okay, little pipsqueak. You think you’re quick and agile, don’t you?! I have your kind for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!» – Flitz got in a boxing stance, his legs bent, his arms defending the face. The image of a wise man in Buddha style was completely destroyed.

Kyon marveled at the old-timer’s energy supply and prepared to defend himself.

The fight ensued. Flitz unleashed a furious attack. A kick, another kick, a 90-degree turn to make another swing… He couldn’t see Kyon counterattack – the boy had taken advantage of his blind spot – but could he feel it instinctively. Flitz recoiled at a threefold speed, and Kyon’s fist passed an inch from his cheek…

Flitz didn’t swear any more: he had to save his breath. The loud bravado at the beginning of the fight “I’ll beat you with no hands!” turned into doubt if he could actually defeat the elusive wolf cub. What a swift little brat!

Kyon giggled indecently. It wasn’t too polite to laugh in the face of this high-ranking master but he could not help it. {I’m fighting with 10 out of 10 battle fists while Flitz uses only 5 of them. It’s too bad. He makes a lot of mistakes, he has a bad stance, his defense is poor as hell and all his attacks are predictable… I’d give him 5 out of 10 but I must admit he is sharp as a tack for his age… I wonder what his real strength is.}

The battle fist is an accepted subjective assessment of skill movements and tactics in combat. The number depends on the level. The fighter without a weapon might be like a bird without a beak, but give them a sword… and the level of their battle fist rises. It could also be throwing weapons, bows, crossbows, etc.

Flitz shot a dirty look at the boy and snapped:

«Are you messing with me, son of a bitch?!» – Before Flitz finished his sentence, he sped up three times, caught up with Kyon and gave him a heavy slap that made him fall. «How do you like this? Who’s laughing here now?! Ha-ha-he!»

The slaps left red marks on Kyon’s cheeks. He seized a moment between the blows and implored:

«Please, forgive me, master! You’re stronger… You’re way stronger than I am…»

«Ha-ha-he!» – Flitz laughed and kicked the insolent boy again solely for his own pleasure. – «Say you’re dog shit and you’re forgiven.»

Kyon grimaced. For some reason, Flitz wasn’t acting like the distinguished pompous wise men from the books. Either the writers, as usual, did not spare the imagery tricks or he was dealing with an unusually unceremonious specimen.

Kyon gasped for air and said with a falter in his voice:

«I’m… dog… shit…»

Flitz laughed till he cried.

The stupid words he had to say didn’t hurt Kyon’s pride. He never cared for such trifles.

Flitz took a deep breath and pulled a pipe out of his pocket. He lit it up, giving Kyon approving glances.

«I have to admit your master wasn’t an ordinary person… Your movements, tricks, taking advantage of my spot, after all… Not bad, not bad at all.»

«Don’t… You are much stronger than my master.» – Kyon said respectfully to feed Flitz’s ego.

«Don’t flatter me… I am not taking you as a student. I don’t need you, little piece of shit. I have no time for that. But I have a job for you. You’ll be the young lady’s punching bag.»

«What an honor…» – Kyon muttered “happily,” rising to his feet. What’s all this about? What punching bag? – «Who is the lady?»

«Juno…» – Flitz said thoughtfully, puffing on his pipe.

Kyon tried to get more details about his not too distant future but to no avail. Flitz plunged deeply into his thoughts.

{When I was fighting this monkey, I didn’t even realize that he is much stronger than me… He has 6 out of 10 battle fists! Brilliant! He is one in a million. He’s just right to teach Juno fight, and his body is tough enough.}

The battle fist is a relative concept but certain standards are valid. For example, those who can make a fist correctly have one battle fist. A street fighter with the experience of a hundred battles, who understands the basics and something above them, has two battle fists. A warrior will get three battle fists after full combat training at the best school of the kingdom, graduating with 5 points out of 5. Outstanding students of respected grandmasters of martial arts have four battle fists if they have completed 3 years of training and qualified for the respected title of “four battle fists.” These very students will have five battle fists after the relevant qualification, which is impossible to achieve without outstanding talent and years of hard training. When they get qualified, they become grandmasters.

It’s hard to say for sure what happens after reaching the level of five battle fists. According to the books, six battle fists are for geniuses among geniuses who had the chance to train for many years with the great master, found enlightenment and their unique fighting technique. As for seven battle fists… Only celestial geniuses can be at that level but they happen once in a lifetime in each empire. Eight and more battle fists belong to speculations and figments of imagination.

{I’d make him my student, but he is only at the 2nd stage. I don’t need a piece of gutter trash. And yet it’s a pity to lose him. Taking into account her villain nature, she’ll quickly break his thin chicken neck.} – When Flitz finished smoking, he gave Kyon some high-quality ointment. Juno might favor the boy and won’t kill him on the very first day.

After a long pause, Flitz finally spoke:

«Do you like girls, Kyon?»

The unexpected question took Kyon aback and he couldn’t come up with anything better than:

«No, not at all… I like only boys.»

«H-ha-he! Good toilet joke! Do you want me to tell you a scary story about an ordinary slave with lascivious eyes who dared to touch the lady and lost his balls at once, and then his annoying squeak, and then his head as well?» – Flitz said quietly.

Kyon imagined himself in the place of the poor fellow and swallowed hard:

«I don’t think so.»

Flitz smiled innocently and spread his hands:

«I am sorry that’s the whole story Ha-ha-he!» – Flitz decided he had made quite an impact on the boy and spoke more seriously: – «Unfortunately for you, our lady is too beautiful. I guess it makes no difference if you like boys or girls.»

Kyon got a bad feeling, his groin tightened in response…

«Don’t worry. I’m not that cruel to make you a eunuch! I have to admit, though… I’ve been thinking of that. But I’m no monster, right?» – Flitz hurried to reassure Kyon as if reading his thoughts. – «We have recently developed a drug that removes any thoughts about the opposite sex for a year or two. We’ve had some incidents… Anyway, it doesn’t matter. You will lose attraction to the opposite sex completely for five years and after that, you’ll recover… Maybe.»

Kyon exclaimed indignantly:

«Maybe? Why maybe?!» – It doesn’t sound very encouraging, does it? Then he recalled Synergy properties and the tension in his whole body and the lower chakras, in particular, subsided a bit.

«Get it out of your head! Everything is going to be alright… Maybe.» – Who is he trying to convince? Kyon or himself?

«Thank you, I guess…» – Kyon sighed and hung down his head for the sake of appearances.

Flitz shook off the ashes, and the two of them went back to his office.

«You know, Kyon, you’re luckier than the rest of the slaves! Do you really think life is better here than in the mine? Come on… It’s nothing but bullying all around. They beat the hell out of new slaves. The ranking system is the same, the food is not much better… Besides, there’s a chance to get eaten by the beasts if you anger them or just look them in the eyes. But the air is more clear here, that’s for sure.» – He breathed in the fresh night air as if setting an example. – «But you are going to be above all that. Serving Juno herself means a lot… They will heal you, provide you with food and clothes, heal you…

Kyon squinted suspiciously. {Did he say it twice on purpose?}

«Moreover, you’ll have a chance to admire the cutie during the fight… But… No, check it off your list. Why would you look at a yummy piece of chicken if you have no teeth, no tongue, and no appetite… Just forget about it, ha-ha-he! Cheer up! Big deal if you won’t touch your little snake for another ten years! It’s totally worth it!» – Flitz seemed to get a kind of sadistic pleasure intimidating Kyon in his “funny” way.

«First you said a year or two, then five years, and now ten?» – Kyon was outraged at this geometric progression.

Flitz patted him on the back to cheer him up:

«Five years, ten years, who cares?! Instead, you will see the symbol of our family! Well… After the elder sister had escaped…» – He gave a sudden nervous chuckle: – «If Juno finds out I compared her with a piece of chicken… She will run to complain to her grandfather Bai, and he will make mincemeat of me… Ha-ha-he!»

Kyon raised one eyebrow:

«Mr. Bai is the patriarch, isn’t he?»

«That’s right… And my friend!» – Flitz bragged. – «Wait, you don’t know the family history?! Oh my god… Don’t tell anyone! You’ll get a thrashing for your ignorance and lack of erudition. Well, I won’t judge you, I am an outsider, but lady Juno… Boy, I advise you to learn to keep your mouth shut.»

Kyon smiled to himself at his manner of talking. «Are you indeed the patriarch’s friend? How did it happen?»

Flitz burst with laughter and looked up as if remembering things. – «Our friendship started off the wrong foot… Once upon a time, I fell in love with his daughter, and he tried to kill me… And now I belong to his family as the most important formacist! Ha-ha-he!»

«Is the patriarch’s daughter your…?»

Flitz waved his hand – «Of course not…» – He thought of another girl who looked just the same. Kyon and his annoying questions didn’t exist for him anymore.

Kyon got lost in his thoughts. There must be a long way from the desire to kill to being friends. The patriarch and Flitz’s young days must have been fun. Anyway, Kyon was glad that Flitz did not mind sharing private information, even if it was something to brag about. Kyon was also surprised that the patriarch’s granddaughter had become his lady. He heard all about her in the mine and was making plans to seduce her on his way to the estate! What good luck! As if heaven had decided to pave the way for his domination! No less!