The Surprise

The list contained exactly 13 names from slaves that had approached Edgar. The search for them took several days, but finally, Sturm could pair a face to each name. Now the only thing he could do was be on the lookout for them. Fights between slaves outside the arena were forbidden and would be punished with the pole.

That was also the reason why sabotaging became the primary tool for the inevitable disputes between slaves. Yes, most slaves were too tired and occupied by their own problems to seek further trouble with others, but conflict is an inherent part of human nature. Where people gather, there will be disputes.

And why would someone dirty his hands if he can make the slavers do the work? It may be risky, and only a few slaves had the resolve to use sabotage, but as long as they were not directly caught, the slavers wouldn't care about it. Not even if other slaves reported them due to suspicions. Who would trust the word of mere objects, after all?

As the merchant's slave and helper, Sturm's life seemed like heaven for the poor souls who had to work towards their death on a daily basis inside the quarry. Getting taught how to write and receive extra food and water was something even a few commoners would be jealous of. It was a wonder only 13 people had tried to get bought by Edgar.

It had not been easy to find and identify the slaves. Sturm had to proceed with utmost caution to get information out of the slavers and guards. There were seven children, four teenagers, and two adults in total on the list. The most surprising one was the unpleasant tentmate he had met in front of his tent two months ago. His number was 2048, and as most slaves, he had no name. Other slaves just called him Mudo.

As his roommate, Mudo was the easiest to monitor, but he didn't show any suspicious behavior at all. The other adult was discarded as well, as he literally worked on the other side of the quarry and would have no time frame to sabotage anything.

This left eleven suspects, which worked all close enough to the area he had to carry away the debris.

<<No matter. I'll just be careful and eventually, find out who the little rat is. For now, it's time to see what Edgar's surprise for me>>

He had already finished his morning routine and was on his way to the merchant. The sun had not risen yet, but torches illuminated the way. Edgar was sitting at his table, organizing the food and general goods he would sell to the slavers and guards over the day.

<<Who is that?>>

Behind Edgar stood an almost two-meter tall warrior. The two short axes on his hips were shining and visibly well maintained. An armor made of thick leather covered every single inch of his body, and a cloak made of wolf fur covered his shoulders and back. His combed back hair was raven black, and he sported an impressive full beard.

"There you are, Sturm! I knew you would get here before dawn. You could not wait for your surprise, could you? Ha! You are a child, after all."

"Good morning, Sir. May I ask who this is?" Sturm greeted.

The tall, middle-aged warrior stepped forward and held out his hand.

"Greetings. I'm Reinhardt, your new chief of security and a former mercenary."

<<He wants to shake hands with a slave? I didn't think there was anyone else except Marcus and Edgar that would do something like that. He seems ni… OUCH!>>

This couldn't be called a handshake. Sturm felt like his hand was going to get crushed. Luckily the mercenary noticed and let go of his hand.

"Oh, sorry. My bad, boy. My father taught me that a firm handshake is necessary for a good first impression. You may be a slave, but Boss said you were his future right man, so I wanted to leave a good impression. Could not have known you were so fragile!"

"Reinhardt. He is eight years old. I hired you to protect me and teach him. Not to break his hand on the first day."

With an innocent smile, Reinhardt bowed towards Edgar and took out two wooden sticks.

"If your hand is feeling right, we will start with your training right now. There have been wolf attacks on the path between the slave camp and the town lately, so if you are to accompany us in the future, you will have to learn how to defend yourself."

"You once told me you wanted to join the fighting pit, right? I do not really have a problem with that as long it does not interfere with your merchant duties. The sooner you begin, the better, so Reinhardt will start teaching you from now on. Like the surprise? Ain't I the best master in the world?" Edgar added.

It definitely was a pleasant surprise, and Sturm could not help but smile. Edgar felt very proud of himself when he saw that. His jokes were not effective anymore, but he still made the boy smile again. What Edgar didn't know was that Sturm could already easily beat up Reinhardt if he had similar strength and was just a little bit taller. It was mainly the gesture and not the present itself that made Sturm happy.

<<With this, my chapters will finally be able to make better progress. Learning through combat has always been the most effective way for me. But swords? I don't care about those. There is nothing than feeling your knuckles smashing someone's face in.>>

"Excuse me, Sir, but the combat slaves in the pit fight barehanded, right? Why do you want me to practice with the sword?"

The question astonished Reinhardt. He thought every young boy dreamed of fighting with the sword. His specialty was dual-axes and not sword fighting, but he had wanted to make an effort to at least show Sturm the basics of swordsmanship.

"And how do you suppose you will defend yourself against wolves? Hit them in the face? You're a slave already, and you can't take any celestial steps. The moment a wolf reaches you is the moment you will die."

The merchant was listening attentively while stroking his beard.

<<He does have a point, but if my caravan needs protection, I could just hire another mercenary. The boy should do whatever he wants.>>

"Reinhardt. It's fine. He can still learn weapon arts in the future, and I indeed said you would prepare him for the Pit. So just teach him martial arts for now."

The mercenary just nodded and reluctantly put the wooden swords down. He had worked all night to carve them himself. With a sigh, Reinhardt took off his cloak and upper armor and assumed a fighting stance.

"I'm a fifth step commoner and a third stage warrior due to my Double Axe Beheading weapon art, which barely manages to qualify as an early-third level. The stance I'm showing you is from my mid-second stage martial art <<Steady Mountain Fist>>. Place your feet in a line shoulder wide apart. Place your fists facing upwards on your hips. When you punch, you throw one fist out and keep the other on the hip."

<<Isn't this the karate stance many karatekas use when performing punches?>>

Doing this almost mentally hurt Sturm, but he still imitated Reinhardt's stance. He had studied Karate already when he integrated it into his Fourth Chapter. His balance was firm and without flaw. The punches were executed perfectly as if they came straight out of a martial arts manual.

"You're a natural talent. This is incredible. It seems like we can try some more advanced moves."

"Mr. Reinhardt, before that, could you teach me how to block?"

"Oh, that's very easy. It's a similar principle to the punches, but instead of making a fist, you open your hand and just grab the opponent's fist and pull it towards your hip. At the same time, you extend your other arm and deliver the punch, simple isn't it?"

<<What! How is that supposed to work in reality?>>

"I don't think I can catch punches, Sir. Even if I could see the punch quickly enough and then have the reflex to catch it… how is my hand supposed to grab a fist?"

As to make a point, Sturm held his little hand with five short fingers up. These little hands could barely fit around a peach. A fist was much bigger than that, even that of a child. Reinhardt had never taught a child, so he didn't account for something like this.

"Hm, you're actually right young fella. I admit I got impatient with your previous display. We will start from the basics. First, we condition your body for a few months to years before advancing to the more advanced techniques. As for defense, for now, you will just practice dodging. You can't handle a commoner's strength anyways."

<<He is smarter than he looks. This will help my Four Chapters more that other ridiculous technique.>>

For a start, the mercenary made Sturm throw a thousand punches in the mountain stance. Afterward, he told him to run for two hours. Luckily the last days at the quarry were not as difficult anymore since Sturm had gotten used to it. Simple cardio was no problem as long as he had sufficient stambread.

The two-hour run was soon over, and Reinhardt picked up the wooden swords in front of a panting Sturm. Suddenly one of the swords buzzed through the air towards the boy. Sturm avoided the swing with a side step combined with a hip turn towards the sword. He then jumped back and instinctively assumed a boxing stance to facilitate dodging.

"Oh? You seem used to this. Hey Edgar, you told me to teach him, so why is it that he looks experienced?" Reinhardt asked.

"What do you mean experienced? He's eight. Where would he get experience from?"

The mercenary turned guard captain may have been new to teaching children, but for a moment when he executed the swing, he felt Sturm give off the pressure of a seasoned veteran. Reinhardt had been through many battles during his life, so he trusted his instincts. He felt there was something strange going on.

<<Fuck. I didn't mean to do that. Well, at least my fighting instincts seem intact. Let's just some damage control for now.>>

"Um… Edgar gave me some martial arts manuals during the last few weeks, so I studied them on my own. I also watched the combat slaves fight in the pit."

It did not sound too realistic, but this was the best that he could come up with at the moment. Edgar seemed convinced as he had a similar experience regarding Sturm's education, but the experienced mercenary knew this was impossible. No matter how talented someone was and no matter which bloodline one came from, it was impossible to achieve such a martial aura without training.

<<No matter. This child belongs to the boss, so let's just leave it be and assume he's an incredible genius.>>

"Very well, boy, this makes me happy. We can increase the training intensity then."

Suddenly Reinhardt opened his eyes wide.

"Hey, you! Who are you? Can't you see we're busy?"

Sturm turned around and only saw an empty area all the way to the tents. He immediately dropped to the ground and felt something grazing his hair.

"Hahaha, very good, boy! Let's see how long you can keep up."

*Slash* *Stab* *Swing*

Two wooden swords were playing the song of bees, buzzing through the air without rest. They were slowly speeding up until they were barely visible anymore. To outsiders, it would look like a dance. A eight-year-old stepping, turning and ducking nonstop with as little movement as possible and a two-meter giant swinging his arms around.

Had Sturm not practiced with the shadows in his mind, he would've been hit hundreds of times already, but it was apparent Reinhardt was still holding back. The speed and ability started to approach the shadows the boy fought on a daily basis.

<<How is this possible? He already slowly surpassing the elite of my whole planet, and he obviously isn't serious right now. If keeps up…>>

*Whack*

*Ding*

*Dong*

*Pow*

*Thump*

They had reached the point where Sturm's body couldn't keep up anymore. Edgar turned his head and sucked air through his teeth while Reinhardt stood there with a dumb expression. He rubbed the back of his head while looking at Sturm lying on the ground.

"Oops, it seems like I got a little bit too into it again, hehe. Is he unconscious? Ouch!"

The mercenary received a slap on his head. The atmosphere suddenly turned chilly, and the brave warrior suddenly felt afraid to turn around.

"Eh, boss, I can explain! He was dodging so well, so I thought he…"

"No! You didn't think at all. He is eight! EIGHT! What the hell do you think you were doing? He may be a slave, but he is also going to be my right hand. Have I not told you so? I asked you to teach him and not beat him up like one of your little mercenary friends! The medicine for his recovery will come out of your salary, understood?"

*Nod nod*

Instead of arguing or trying to justify himself again, Reinhardt went towards Sturm and started performing first aid on the child. Thus concluded the first day of martial instruction. Neither Reinhardt nor Edgar noticed the pair of eyes that had been observing the whole spectacle from afar.