Combat Basics

It was a normal night as it had been for the past three years and Amon was just heading home after all day long work inside the mine.

As expected, however, he was again greeted by the familiar faces of some of the village children.

"Ah, there you finally are long ear. Have you missed us already? You know how it works, put the bread on the floor and don't resist so we can beat you up nice and slow." said one of the kids who has a huge pimple on his face as he looked at Amon with a wide grin.

Amon, on the other hand, did not react to the provocation and simply stood still in front of the group.

"Hahahah, he is so terrified that he can't even move, that's new. Normally he runs away like a coward, but today he just seems to have completely panicked hahaahah that bastard." said the kid with the pimple afterwards and all the other kids started laughing while walking around Amon.

"And what's the point of that stick in your hand anyway, do you want to fight us with it pphahaahahahaaha" said another child as he tried to grab the stick.

But before the boy could grab the stick, Amon responded and used the stick to smash the boy's palm away and then smack the boy's face with the other side of the stick.

The blow was so hard that a few teeth fell out of the boy's face and he fell to the ground.

But Amon didn't leave it alone by this and after that he attacked the boy who was standing behind him and hit him directly in the stomach with the stick and then pulled the stick back.

The boy gave a short yelp as he grabbed his stomach and looked straight up when Amon hit him again but this time in his face and he also fell down.

With two attackers down, two more remained.

The boy with the pimple on his face reacted quickly to Amon's attacks on his friends and kicked in the direction of Amon's leg.

However, Amon has had more than three years of experience of these idiots beating him up together, therefore anticipating the kick of the boy with the pimple was more than easy for him. Amon just jumped to the side and dodged the kick.

But instead of just dodging the attack, Amon went straight into the next attack and hit the other boy who was until now standing beside the fight.

However, the boy was able to block Amon's attack, giving the other boy with the pimple time to counterattack.

With a clenched fist, the boy with the big pimple on his face then punched Amon in the stomach, who was still holding his stick.

But before the fist could hit Amon, Amon let go of the stick and took a few steps backwards. But to Amon's bad luck there was a small stone on the ground which he didn't pay attention to and over which he stumbled lightly and fell backwards a few steps more than planned.

However, Amon didn't let this deter him for long and tried to regain his balance and managed to catch his movements again.

Unfortunately for him, the time it took him to regain his balance was enough for the boy with the pimple on his face to attack again, hitting Amon in the face with another fist.

Amon couldn't dodge or block the punch and ended up being hit by the attack.

Meanwhile, the other boy who had previously blocked the stick, was then able to help his friend with a few more attacks on Amon.

With one holding him and the other attacking him again and again, Amon couldn't fight his way free and ended up being beaten up by the four boys like never before.

Amon ended up with some broken ribs, a dislocated jaw and arm, and a few bruises here and there.

Afterwards, the boys disappeared when the work was done, leaving only the wounded Amon and his broken branch lying in the dirt next to him.

However, what Amon and the other boys didn't realize at the time was that their little fight had an observer in the shadows.

A man in dark clothes watched the match from start to finish, keeping his eyes on Amon for the entire time.

"His technique is rough and stiff, his fighting style is based solely on attacking and countering. Overall, his current fighting style is not good and he is also using the wrong weapon for it." said the observer in black.

"At the same time, some of the movements were fluid and even fast at times, he always found the right moment to attack and counterattack, if it wasn't for that little flaw in not having a full view of his surroundings, he might have lasted longer. " the observer in black added afterwards.

"Never mind, the boy is going to be broken by now anyway. His confidence should be at its lowest level ever. He faced his demons and was defeated by them, nobody would get over it like that, especially when he's so young. Despite everything, he should do well as a watchman for the village in the future. Maybe I should talk to the old man about it and see if he wouldn't be interested." said the observer in black as he was about to turn around and leave.

However suddenly Amon, who had only been lying on the floor so far, opened his eyes and slowly stood up.

"Eh?" made the observer as he watched what Amon was doing.

Amon walked back to where the fight initially started and holds his hands the way he held them as he used his stick as a weapon.

After that, Amon closed his eyes again and began to imitate the movements he performed in the fight.

He did it over and over again, jumping backwards and imitating himself slipping on the rock and regaining his balance.

With each repetition of the fight, Amon began to speed up his reactions as he understood were his earlier problems were. His attacks became even faster and he achieved the right timing for every attack even more precisely.

With every step he took, he always paid attention to where he was moving in order to anticipate any possibilities he might have afterwards.

In the end, therefore Amon was able to execute the fight with eyes closed with perfectly fluid movements and ended up winning hands down against his imaginary attackers.

At the end of his practice, Amon began to breathe in and out deeply and stood with his eyes closed in the deep night on a path covered in mud and dirt and was only illuminated by the bright moon in the sky.

"Even Faster. Even Stronger. Even Deadlier!"

"Even Faster. Even Stronger. Even Deadlier!"

"Even Faster. Even Stronger. Even Deadlier!"

Amon said afterwards and his breathing quickened every time he said it.

"Wow. Just wow, kid." suddenly said a voice that was strange to Amon.

Therefore Amon turned around quickly and looked into the darkness where the voice was coming from.

'This gaze. Just like he did then. The glance of a Predator that has found its Prey.' the man in black thought to himself as he looked at Amon.

Amon's silver eyes practically shone in the scarce moonlight, looking cold and determined.

"If gazes could kill I'd already be dead, wouldn't I?" the man in black asked as he looked at Amon with a smile.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Amon just asked as he stared at the strange man in black.

"Me? don't you know me? Well I shouldn't be that surprised considering your reputation, I'm sure no one will talk to you, right? It doesn't matter. My name is Tamea and I'm the old blacksmith in this godforsaken village, nice to make acquaintance with you, Amon? right?" asked Tamea.

However, Amon did not answer Tamea and remained silent and only continued to stare at him.

"Oh come on. I'm not a bad person, so please don't treat me so cold hearted. It's not like I'm up to anything bad." said Tamea when he didn't get an answer from Amon.

"Why does a blacksmith sneak around the side streets in the dark of night if he's not up to something evil? Why does he sneak up on a small child from behind if he's not chasing something wicked? So answer me nice blacksmith, what should I think of you ?" Amon asked as he didn't take an eye from Tamea.

"... ehh ... wow I wouldn't have expected that. Hmmm, is true, maybe the first impression of talking to you here at night wasn't so well chosen. But it's also partly your fault that this happened!" said Tamea afterwards.

"Excuse me? It's my fault that you're after children at night?" Amon asked after that as he raised an eyebrow.

"What? No, I mean your fighting style. It's so...so... completely wrong!" said Tamea as he looked at Amon.

"First of all, the choice of your weapon is wrong. Instead of using a stick like a sword, you should rather use something that suits your speed. Something like a dagger would be perfect. However, the important thing is that your weapon needs to be short and fast, not long and heavy. As I watched you analyze your mistakes well but at the same time continue to develop in a wrong direction that you still haven't seem to notice. I just couldn't help but point it out to you." Tamea explained afterwards.

Amon then looked at Tamea in confusion.

"Sigh, I mean that although your movements got faster, your attacks lost power and left too many open spaces. The problem lies in your foundations. First, your footwork is way too sloppy, it's a wonder you can stand and walk at all. Secondly, your type of attacking is wrong. Instead of just attacking with the power of your forearms, use the full power of your shoulder and upper arm. And in the future you also have to be able to use your entire body as a power source. The more muscle you use, the stronger your attacks get. Oh and while we're at it, what's wrong with your body? no muscles at all and just skin and bones! How are you going to use it for powerful attacks huh? Damn boy, why are the talented geniuses always the ones with the most problems too!" cursed Tamea after he long and in detail explained Amons weaknesses.

Amon listened carefully to the man, but could only really understand half of what he was saying.

"Smith Tamea, if I may ask, what are the foundations your were talking about and where is my footwork sloppy. Please can you explain a little more?" Amon asked as he looked at Tamea.

"What? You want to hear more after the entire monologue I've already held? You don't want no explanation like the others and even want more detailed information? I didn't hear you wrong, did I?" Tamea asked as he looked at Amon in amazement.

"The others? Anyway, yes, I'd like to get more detailed information so I can improve my fighting style. I'm open to any suggestion or criticism as long as I can understand it." Amon answered with a straight face.

"Hahaha kid, you're not serious, are you? He really wants more, alright, but prepare to suffer all night, because you'll practice them until you get the basics I'm going to teach you." Tamea said afterwards as he looked at Amon with a strange smile.

Amon just nodded and then started with what Tamea was teaching him.

...

In the end, the training lasted all night and the exercises were only over in the early hours of the morning.

Amon was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor, breathing in and out evenly in a slow rhythm. This technique is one that Tamea taught him in the night, among other basics which Amon already mastered before sunrise.

"What is it with these insane geniuses who after a few hours already learn the basics that others need several months for. What an insane and unfair world we live in." Tamea said as he looked at the little half Dark Elf who was meditating on the ground.

'And I thought at the beginning that he could only serve as a guard in the future. What a fool I was. This is not a simple bird in front of me gliding across the sky on its little wings, but an eagle soaring high in the air searching for greater heights to climb.' thought Tamea as he looked at Amon with a smile.

'If it weren't for the ears, the two would have a certain resemblance. He also has that certain something inside of him that sets him apart from others. What did he call it again?'

"Sigh, I just can't think of it anymore. Well, it doesn't matter. How is he doing right now? He's probably slaughtering some monsters as I know him." Tamea murmured to himself.

"Smith Tamea, who are you talking to?" Amon asked when he heard Tamea's voice and opened his eyes.

"Ehh. Oh, don't listen to the ramblings that an old man like me was saying. What's more important is that you keep repeating the fundamentals you learned today so you can get a better feel for them. Don't rest on your old achievements. You were successful in training today, but you could need the techniques in a fight against a real opponent tomorrow. Then you have to master them naturally, like a movement of your arm. Do you understand what I mean?" Tamea asked when he looked at Amon.

"Yes, I understand, blacksmith Tamea. Only through practice does mastering come and only with experience does improvement come. I will take your words to heart and will remember them." said Amon afterwards as he got up.

"Hmph little rascal you seem to be thinking really quick. Hmmm well then that should be it for today. Go home and get some rest. See you in exactly 5 hours at the forge in the village, your training will continue there." said Tamea as he looked at Amon.

"What? You're going to train me? Why are you doing something like that?" Amon asked as he looked at the old man who had a long white beard and hair.

"Why do you think I, a old man, spent the whole night teaching you the foundations of combat?" asked Tamea as he looked at Amon.

"They're called foundations because after them the real work only begins. Everything you've been taught so far is nothing more than the basics and of course the right techniques follow the basics. So don't you dare get tired of it now, rascal." said Tamea afterwards when he looked seriously at Amon.

"But I'm just a slave and moreover not a human being. Do you not care at all about all of this?" Amon asked as he looked confused at Tamea.

"Slave or not. Elf or Human, damn even if you were a dog, who cares? Can't you bleed just like I do? Don't you suffer just as much as the others? Are your efforts and actions lesser just because you have a different skin color or hooves instead of legs? NO DAMN IT!!! Those miserable rascals in the village just want to tell you that so they can manipulate you more easily and play with you more easily. Stand above the insults and bullies, let them say what they want. Because in the end only your deeds count. Even a Slave can become a King, take these words to Heart!" Tamea spoke passionately as he looked at Amon.

"All right, if that's your decision, then I'll make mine and I'll let you train me. Be assured I'll try to internalize everything you teach me with determination and with full concentration." Amon said as he looked at Tamea.

"That's what I wanted to hear! Come on, forget the break. My tired bones are crying out for some exercise, I want to start right away." Tamea said afterwards as he took Amon's hand and ran towards the village...