Chapter 7 – Combat

 

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Absent minded, it caught Jed unaware when somebody rammed into him. He stepped back and felt a slight pain on his side.

“How sturdy!” He thought he rammed into a wall. He peeked behind him; it was Ben smiling while scratching his head. Jed saw a vague figure flickered behind Ben. Light flashed in his eyes before vanishing almost immediate.

“I’m sorry. Hehehe.” Ben chuckled.

Jed let out a thin smiled in response. Jigen, who almost stumbled too, gave Ben one eye. “Hey Big Oaf! Can’t you see in front of you?” He thought. “This pig doesn’t have eyes.”

“But you are chubbier than me. Call me Small Loaf then.” Ben pouted, not wanting to be outdone.

“Whoa. Are you deaf? I said Oaf! Not Loaf! Let’s teach this guy a lesson.” Jigen puffed and pulled up his sleeves. He glanced at Jed, only to see that latter covering his laughter.

“Hey dude.” Jigen elbowed Jed. “Support me.” The latter made a wry smile.

Jed bowed but peered upward to Ben. “Why don’t you come with us? We will also be on our way to school after buying something.”

“That’s great.” The Smaller Loaf beamed. “It was boring walking alone. So, the more the merrier.”

Jigen rolled his eyes. He felt his teammate was a wuss. “Hmph. I won’t quarrel with you. Its beneath me anyway.” Big Loaf clicked his tongue.

“Don’t worry, Brother, I won’t bother you.” Ben slapped Jigen’s shoulder hard. This almost made Jigen tumble.

“You!”

“Oh. I bought a rare one.” Interrupted by Jed. Jigen became horrified. It was hard to pull a rare card because buying CM cards depended on luck.

He had forgotten the earlier squabble. The only thing in his mind was to buy cards. Clouds of dust and smoke appeared behind his rushing figure. “Although there was luck played when buying CM cards, but when you buy all the stocks, then you didn’t need luck anymore.” He licked his lips.

“Whoa. Brother, you are so fast.” Shocked, Ben stared not on the running Jigen but on Jed. He was wide eye. He didn’t even see him disappear before appearing in front of them with fresh hot fish cake and a card. The boy was sure that Jed carried nothing earlier. He couldn’t believe how fast someone slicked through the huge traffic and went back without them noticing.

“I am just a little faster.” Jed avoided his eyes.

“I can’t compare to you in running, but I am a little sturdy. I am proficient on lifting things.” Ben patted his growing biceps, then postured with both arms.

Jed grinned. Strange, but he felt at ease with this guy. The two waited on the corner.

“I’m Ben. What is your name, Bro?” The boy fixed his sack on his back. He leaned on a wall of a store. Beside it was trailing vines and pot plans.

“Jed.” Jed stood on the other side; the leaves were the only separating them.

“Where are you from?” Ben tilted his head and peered at him. He saw how the other guy always bowing his head.

Jed smiled from his consideration. He answered. “County of Mountains.”

They began speaking about random things. It was mostly Ben talking while Jed responding with brief words or a smile. A while later, Jigen arrived with three sacks full. It seemed his loot was exceptional because he was grinning ear to ear.

“Oh, Brother. It must be tough on you. Let me carry it for you.” Ben’s eyes squinted. He licked his lips and rubbed his two palms.

Jigen blew his cheeks. “Go away, Oaf.” He swung the sacks on his shoulder. The bags were heavy and scanning at it, he filled it to the brim.

“Don’t worry, brother, I am strong!” The other boy said. Pa! His lips smacked against each other.

“I am worried that you might run instead.” It displeased Jigen. He crossed his arms and stared down at Ben.

“Let’s go.” Jed interrupted. “We have thirty minutes left.”

Jigen glanced between Jed and Ben. “Well, there was more crony, so it’s not bad giving it to him.” He threw the sacks to Ben. “Hey, lift it for me.”

“Bro, you can also act as a kind brother. Buy me something to eat.” Ben slung the sacks behind him before rubbing his palms.

“What act as a kind brother! I am really kind, you know.” Jigen clicked his tongue before buying three barbeques. “Think of it as my payment for slavery!”

“Hmm. Delicious.” His tongue wiggled around the meat. It was rich in flavor, tender, and the soy sauce used to marinate it was delightful. Ben’s hazel hair shook, and he had a face of satisfaction.

Before Jigen knew it, Ben began acting chummy with him. The trio walk from the market towards the school. The duo asked Ben why he was in the market, so Ben said he lost track of his thoughts. Hearing it, Jigen clicked his tongue once again.

“Hey Brothers, let me ask you. You two seem well-off than me, so you might know this already. How do you practice your Foundation Arts?” After arriving in the school, Ben stopped at the entrance. It kept bugging him, so he asked the two.

With both hands in his pocket, Jigen shrugged. “You only need to imagine the image, isn’t it?” Continued, he pushed the door open.

“But it’s hard.” Ben scratched his head. He followed the duo.

Jed put his hand on his face where his index finger on top of his lips while his thumb under his chin. He kept tracing his lips.

Jigen noticed this after a few moments. “What are you thinking, Jed?”

“Then draw it.” Jed interjected.

“Eh?”

Both youths stared at Jed. Jigen sweated. “Beat me, my friend. Just imagining it would be hard, drawing it would be twice harder. If you have to imagine a chicken, the first question will pop up is what it looks like? What its gender? Next, how many feathers it had? There are endless questions.”

The shy boy rummage through his head. It wasn’t before long when he spoke again.

“Make some sketch. Though it won’t be good in the beginning, having an outline would help. And the more you meditate, the more experience you get, anyway.” He enunciated.

Jigen mused. It was a different thinking. There were different kinds of trainings, so this one might not be incorrect either. “Hm. Possible. After all, with constant practice, the image will show itself. I’ll ask my mom about it later.”

Ben clasped his hands.

Jigen looked back at Ben. “Hey, there’s description in your Foundation Arts, isn’t it? The first try you train in Foundation Arts won’t go exactly like in the description.”

“The image is different for one another. So, no one can help you with that. But the more you meditate, the more visible it gets. Eventually, it became easy as breathing. The only thing you need to do is to keep practicing.”

“That’s the magic of Foundation Arts, anyway.”

“By always picturing the description, the Foundation Art and yourself will help create an image in your head.”

“It is after all an invention created to help people to become strong.”

“So, you don’t need to worry. There are some that took longer before they had gotten the picture.”

Ben proclaimed. “Thank you, Brothers! Just call me and I will be there for you.”

Jed was awkward while Jigen waved his hand. “It’s alright.”

Ben kept asking more questions. Jigen answered everything he knew. Jed seldom answered, and most of the time he was only listening. It was only until when Ben mentioned he was working in the market that Jed broke his silence. He took initiative to ask.

“Well, I am only a cargador, so I know little about how much businesses earn. But I know which products are cheaper and better.”

“As for the supermarkets, the price is higher, but their quality is definitely better. I think you know it better than me.” Ben chuckled to Jigen. He uncovered Jigen’s identity, making the latter rolled his eyes.

Because of that, the former became chummier to him.

“I don’t do the grocery for my clan, for Pete’s sake.” He rubbed his chin. “Hm. But it will be great if we understand it. Maybe I’ll ask my mom later.”

“I often heard you talking your mom.” Jed asked. His black clothing became clear when he entered the simple white walls of the classroom.

“Maybe because he is a mommy’s boy.” Ben was giving weird face. He followed the two to where they sat.

“Heck, you don’t know what’s good for you.” Jigen’s face was ugly and raised his two fists.

“Bro, don’t sweat the small stuff.” Ben pretended not to see anything. Jigen rolled his eye and kept his mum.

Jed smiled and poked Ben’s shoulder. “What’s the current money exchange?”

“Ah, I think it’s one hundred and forty bronze coins is equivalent to one silver coin. And one hundred and ten silver coins is one gold coin.”

“It is quite high.” Jed steepled his fingers. This made him relax. His brows smoothened, and the awkwardness had vanished.

“Yep, I heard from some elder brother that there’s shortage of silver and gold. Some village where we got our coins have deficient produce this year around. A cave collapsed, so the mining business is sure unlucky.”

Jed looked at Ben. “How about getting from others?”

“But the county and its surroundings aren’t rich with gold and silver deposit. So, we depend on that village.” The two local boys nodded.

“What the village called?”

“Hm. What is it called again?” Ben scratched his head. His sky-blue collar creased, affected by the motion.

…

Bang.

A punch shot the moment he parried with his left arm. However, the nimble figure in front of him weaved around him. The man glimpsed at his opponent from his peripheral vision.

Sarah saw how tight the man’s defense but she didn’t mind it and counterattacked. She attacked wildly to catch the man off guard. She weaved in right and kicked towards the crotch, but she quickly stopped when the man blocked with his foot. Once again, she weaved and kicked again. The man defended with ease. Sarah would not yield because of that. She attacked in frenzy and kept on attacking the crotch, making the man’s strict face faltered.

A petite hand snaked towards his arm. Sarah constricted her opponent’s arm with her entire body. However, her opponent wasn’t thrown. He was like a reef, not caring the great waves. Though Sarah expected it. She used all of her weight but noticed the lack of change mid second so she made it as a cover for the next move. She adjusted her body weight, relaxed her gravity and kicked towards the ground. Using that as driving force, she aimed to twist the arm off!

But what she wanted didn’t happen. Sarah could feel the man’s arm bulged. It was like an unbending steel. Within that second, she let go before the man could swing his arm down.

Bam.

Her pupils constricted. Current technology designed the ground, but it wasn’t able to contain the force and cracked.

The girl retreated, but the man soon followed. He resembled a tiger lunging to his prey. His ferocity made Sarah scrambled, but she soon recovered.

Alas, it was enough for the man. In that fraction of a second, the man unleashed interlocked punches. It was so tight that Sarah felt her lungs constricted. As if air was being squeezed out.

Peng. Sarah managed to put her two arms in front of her. She flew for a few meters before coming to stop.

Sarah’s face warped. She felt angry. Not because she’d lost. But because her opponent went easy in the last moment.

“You should be able to punch faster! I don’t have the time to put that defense! Are you mocking me?”

The man maintained its strict face. As if nothing could change it, even it was her daughter before him. But unlike what his daughter imagined; he didn’t think he went easy. He made leeway for himself for potential counterattack.

“Victory and defeat last for only a moment. I might be stronger and faster, but the battlefield wasn’t all about that.”

“A single carelessness may help your foe to bite, even on the verge of death.”

“Thus, no matter how sure you are, always think safety first.” These thoughts ran through his mind.

Ryan would not explain it to her, no matter how angry she was. If she comprehended it, then it’s good. If not, they just need to duke it many times as needed.

He is Ryan Pendragon, the son of the County Lord and the current head of Pendragon Clan. Before the man called the Meteor was born, they considered him the prodigy in the younger generation. Of course, right now he wasn’t young anymore. He was already in his hundreds, though, for the common people of Mortal Lands, he had only passed his prime.

The prime age of an individual was between age of eighty and forty.

Under that was the young generation, and above was the older generation.

The average age of people of Mortal Lands was quite high–one hundred and twenty years old.

In addition, they were training and absorbing the World’s Energy, their lifespan could last up to several thousand years.

There were a time people devalued life. It was abundant and could squandered it. But people learned only by valuing their lives they could live a happy life.

As for Ryan, he could live longer for how high his training was. Even though he was already far from his prime, he was still far from reaching his peak because of his talents.

Ryan was a proud a man. He was very talented and a successor of the clan, a fact that solidified his belief with himself. Also, they prided because they owned the bloodlines of dragons. A normal person could not handle a single dragon bloodline for how rich and potent it was.

Yet, his clan controlled five.

These made him haughty and arrogant. He was just like Sarah in his younger years. He challenged stronger foes. Winning boosted his confidence. And losing didn’t discourage him at all. It only ignited his fighting spirit to get stronger and stronger. And reached the peak.

Transcendence.

A word that enthralled everyone. And yet, even with all the gifts, he was far, far from that level.

He is Ryan, a Pendragon.

A genius who had lose his qualifications.

There many geniuses who had reached his level. But to go beyond was similar to a jump from a cliff, let alone becoming Transcendent.

He didn’t want to retreat from this challenge. But fate was just too elusive. He gripped his fist until it turned white.

Sighing, he looked at his daughter who was shooting flames with her eyes.

“Let’s stop this. You need to prepare to go to your school.” Trying to be gentle as possible, he patted his dirty clothes. It was training suit and all black. The linings fitted on his muscular body, his jaw chiseled in a perfect curve, and his handsome thick brows arched in a great angle. He was nothing but handsome for his age.

“No.” Sarah shook her head and stared at her father. “I won’t go.”

“You have to go.” His peaceful voice raised. He walked closer.

“No!” The girl jumped like a cat when its tail was hit.

“Now!” $#@^&%&, a series of terms flashed through his mind. The surroundings became intense and Sarah experienced firsthand how fiery his aura was.

But she didn’t back down. She bared her teeth and her bare feet readied. “I tell you. I won’t go!”

“Tell me why you don’t want to go.” Steam accumulated on his face. One second and it would ready to erupt.

“I already told you. You don’t listen.” Sarah made a fierce face and snorted.

A vein appeared on his forehead, but he was still trying to calm his nerves. “Please…” But it only looked like a suppressed volcano at this point.

“Duh.” Sarah didn’t let him finished his sentence before rolling her eyes and walked out from the courtyard. She was fast and by the next second, she was already skipping past a door.

Seeing her like that, two more veins popped out on his face. Right now, Ryan was the one shooting flames with his eyes.

“SARAH!”

“COME BACK HERE!”

…