Ch 534 – On the Eve of Battle

Clark was the leader of his own martial arts group, but he was also generous in allowing his people to join other associations. That had appealed to Alex.

Clark thought the American Martial Arts Association was just a loose organization of martial artists, similar to his own group. However, he hadn't expected their group to be so strictly structured or hierarchical.

He wanted to leave the Baltimore Martial Arts association because he was worried that, by being involved, it would make his group appear subordinate to them, when truthfully, they were far stronger, not weaker.

He also recognized Alex's skills when others did not.

Alex's ability to lead others was admirable. After essentially cleaning up the Arbitrator's office, Alex's prestige in the Baltimore Martial Arts Association had reached new heights, and he had become as powerful as his predecessors, if not stronger.

Alex had ordered hundreds of martial artists to guard the Association while he was gone, and the individual leaders he had placed in command of various groups were all young martial artists. The young fighters respected and looked up to Alex, but their weakness was that their martial arts skills were not very strong.

Alex thought that when the time was right, he would test them and make decisions based on their skills and personalities.

The Baltimore Martial Arts Association would remain a strong family of fighters.

**

When the time came, Alex began to make his preparations.

He sent the Clifton family back to the Appalachian Mountains to try to recruit more help. On the one hand, he had hoped to avoid asking for assistance. On the other hand, he hoped the martial artists in the Appalachian Mountains, and those in the Baltimore Martial Arts Association would become allies.

He also sent Debbie along to invite the maidens of the Moon Palace to join them. He had a soft spot for the Moon Maidens and hoped they could help him face the challenges ahead.

At first, Debbie didn't want to leave. When Alex insisted, she knew she had to go, but it brought tears to her eyes because she wanted to stay with Alex.

**

That night, Alex sat in the Fairfax compound, made a pot of tea, and drank it leisurely, enjoying the quiet before the war.

He knew he strongly depended on others, maybe more than he should, and he didn't even have his own home. His men were happy and wanted to support him, but Alex still felt guilty.

Jacob wasn't going to be beaten easily, and Alex didn't have the time or energy to take care of a house or land. Once he had dealt with Jacob, then perhaps he could start thinking about such things. He had plenty of money, even if it didn't seem like much, but he needed to use it to work on building up his skills.

In the future, strengthening his skills and improving his weapons would eat through his funds, but for now, he could depend on his own abilities and weapons.

He had done some research on a recipe for supplements that could help increase his strength and concentration. While he didn't have the real supplements in his possession—they were far too expensive—he did have most of the ingredients. He hoped that by mixing them together, he could at least approximate the original recipe, which could be helpful in his contest with Jacob, though he doubted it. He hoped that, in time, he could share the recipe with others, especially the Moon Goddesses, further encouraging them to join his cause.

After drinking his tea, Alex relaxed for a while and worked at refining his skills and internal focus.

During the afternoon and evening, he lost himself in his practice, refining his skills until he could perform them without even needing to concentrate. He got so lost in his work that he lost track of time.

It was not until three o'clock in the morning that he decided to take a break.

His contest with Jacob had been changed to the following afternoon by the American Martial Arts Association. But, even though it had been moved up, he wasn't worried.

He was willing and eager to fight at any time.

When he decided to call it a night, he noticed Clark and Sarah had been watching him with concern.

"Why do you look so worried?" Alex teased. "Are you concerned I'll lose tomorrow and die in the contest, so you thought you should come take one last look at me?"

"Don't say die," Sarah complained. "You'll win tomorrow. If you lose, you'll upset a lot of people."

Alex's heart softened, and he laughed kindly. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."

"According to our information, when you defeated Todd, Kenneth was livid," Clark said. "Word is, half an hour ago, a group of experts got on a plane to Baltimore to watch the battle tomorrow." He gazed hard at Alex. "Tomorrow, if Jacob beats you, Kenneth will steal Debbie away from you."

Clark paused, letting that thought sink in, and then he continued, "If you win, they will attack you on the spot. Kenneth is determined that you will not walk away unscathed. I came here to remind you to be careful."

"I have added Kenneth to my list," Alex said, smiling widely. "He, just like Jacob, will not defeat me. I won't allow him to plot against me."

"You should know," Clark said, not particularly convinced by Alex's optimism, "tomorrow, in addition to Kenneth's group, there will also be observers from other martial arts associations from around the country, including Hugo Sherridan and Seth Paxman. They, along with their companions, will be following this match with interest."

"Jacob thinks he has the advantage because he believes he will crush me easily," Alex said. "He's too overconfident." He paused, thinking on what Clark had just said, and asked, "So, who are Hugo Sherridan and Seth Paxman? Why haven't I heard of them before now?"

"Seth is the vice president of the New York Martial Arts Association. He's a seasoned martial artist and highly respected, but he's of average skill and relies heavily on his inner strength. Hugo is also a vice president, but of the American Martial Arts Association. He deals with recruitment. He doesn't have any real power, but he has a wide range of contacts, so he's a useful person to know."

"Very well," Alex said, thinking it over.

"Alex, if you win this match, I want you to become Sarah's teacher," Clark said solemnly. "She could learn so very much from you."

Alex almost choked on his tea. "With such a great father like you, what could she possibly learn from me?"

"Compared with you, my skill is but a dim light to your bright talent," Clark said frankly.

Alex reluctantly agreed to his request, but he wasn't convinced. He was not nearly skilled enough to be a true teacher, so he could only help give Sarah some pointers.

But Clark was thrilled. He had every confidence that Alex would defeat Jacob, and that boosted Alex's own confidence about the contest that would be happening far too soon.