Celebration

The hunt had been successful and we returned with more than enough meat for all of our families. Additionally, I had gained valuable information about my fighting style and how to analyze my opponent's weaknesses. My fight with the snake was also a wake up call that I shouldn't slack off with my training as an opponent who's slightly faster than me will render my special ability nearly useless. The hunting party seemed pleased with my performance and my two new acquaintances kept praising me.

"Come on you're going to make me blush. How amazing was my fighting style again?"

"Oh it was-"

"Shut up, can't you see that he's receiving an ego boost," Jasper said while laughing.

"You're fighting style is very good if you're fighting rats or grasshoppers," he added.

"At least I'm not better at butchering than hunting," I shot back at him.

"I'll kill you, you insufferable human," he said.

"Whose turn is it to host the weekly dinner?" Andreas asked.

"I believe its Jasper's turn," Xavier said.

"Oh how great and who'll clean the mess-" he cut his reply short as he looked at me with an evil expression.

Before going back to his place, we made a quick detour to the holy lake; none of them possessed the way of the wind, so they were not aware of the hidden room underneath.

Back at the cottage, sizzling sounds reached my ears as a pleasant aroma permeated the air. Fillets were being grilled on top of a metal plate; the coal was burning at a fast pace and was constantly being replenished. All of the orcs circled the table, bar Jasper, who was flipping the steaks.

"Is little Jett going to be participating in the competition?" Andreas asked.

"Of course he is," Hunter said.

"I will even bet on him to win it all," he added.

That statement puzzled me.

"What do you mean by bet?" I asked.

"Anyone can bet on who they think is going to take first place."

"I'll bet on you at the last minute," Hunter added.

"Why?"

"The other orcs follow the bets of the upper echelon closely. If I bet on you too soon, everyone's attention will be on you and there will be a target on your back," he replied.

"You should lay low for now," he added.

"Uhm about that..."

"Don't go around beating the children of the upper echelon anymore," Jasper said.

My knife cut through the steak like it was butter; the meat was nearly flaking apart, the juices flowing onto the plate. As we were feasting, the chattering persisted and several topics were brought up, one of them being my weaknesses.

"Your striking does look refined for someone of your generation however, your footwork is not on par with the top talents," Stephen said.

"I think you should focus on it more if you want to be the best," he added.

"I agree with him. The best defense and offence is footwork. There's no point in being able to punch well if your strikes don't reach their targets," Xavier added.

After assimilating all of their criticisms and advice, I now had a good idea of what I had to work on. The night was filled with such conversations and booze, lots of booze. An hour later, the guests took their leave and I was left with Jasper.

"How am I going to improve my footwork?" I asked.

"Why are you asking me that? My footwork sucks," he replied.

"How much more useless can someone be. Fine, I'll go look for a book on footwork tomorrow," I said.

The orcs left such a mess behind and the one who had to clean it all was yours truly.

"Can't you help you fat lazy orc," I yelled.

"I'm sorry but who owns this house? You're a servant here," he jokingly said.

"You're the only person who would be proud of owning a run-down shack," I replied.

"We're doubling your training tomorrow and you can sleep outside."

"After all, I wouldn't want you dirtying your noble self by sleeping in my cottage," he added.

My body was so tired that as soon as I was done with the chores, I dropped to the ground and immediately dozed off. Even after weeks had gone by, father kept appearing in my dreams; however, this time was different.

Father and I sat face-to-face in our old home; the interior of the house brought me warmth and evoked great memories. A spoonful of hot soup coated my mouth; my dad's cooking was truly otherworldly. A smile appeared on my lips as he recounted stories about his hunting trips when he suddenly stopped. His eyes lifelessly peered at me; his hair-raising stare sent chills down my spine.

"I-Is something the issue?" I asked.

"You should be careful. Death may come knocking sooner than it should if you're not wary of the people around you," he replied in a sinister way.

An ominous grin emerged on his lips before he unsheathed a sword and slashed his neck; I woke up precipitously in a pool of my own sweat. I was desperately gasping for air as I tried looking around to see where I was. The sight of Jasper's humongous back to my left calmed me down. My eyes were shut once again as I strived to sleep some more, but all of my efforts were in vain. After witnessing such a gruesome scene, my mind was in a state of unease.

My legs moved below me as I sat cross-legged. The airflow became more and more detailed as my focus increased. It was then that I had a lightbulb moment; what if I followed the air inside someone's body! My head swiveled to face Jasper; the stream of air passed through his nostrils, then made its way down his trachea before reaching the bronchi and finally, the alveoli. My connection with the wind ended there, but I was certain that in the near future, I could understand the inner workings of someone's body.