The old man led Kyon through the lantern-lit path to the nearest arena. Any respected house had plenty of them. In this world, it was the place for training and sparring.

The arena was rather spacious, the size of a basketball court, bounded by a low metal fence. It was empty at the moment but the floodlights were on. There were no guards or checkpoints to be seen.

Flitz stood in the center of the arena, his hands behind his back. He said with scorn:

«Attack me.» - The old man was going to give the boy a real bashing if he had lied. No one likes a show-off. Flitz didn’t either.

Kyon took a full breath of fresh night air, clenched his fists and rushed into battle. He moved silently on the stone-paved floor at great speed, landing some impressive blows at the old man’s vulnerable points.

Flitz grinned and dodged without making an effort, he might as well yawn of boredom. He wasn’t going to defeat the boy with speed or power but with his experience alone. He did not even think of defending himself or attacking. However, he clearly did not expect that the boy would knock him off balance at the third blow, and that at the fourth, he would hit him in the hip.

«Ugh...» - The old man spat and put into use his hands. He rolled on the ground, too briskly for his age, just in time to dodge a heavy hook in his long nose! «You’re fucking lucky...» - He complained about the blow he’d missed by some miracle and doubled his speed.

Kyon slowed down and said with a barely noticeable sneer in his voice:

«What’s the matter, sir? Mock combat is too boring for you?»

«Okay, little pipsqueak. You think you're quick and agile, don’t you?! I have your kind for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!» - Flitz got in a boxing stance, his legs bent, his arms defending the face, his image of a wise man in Buddha style completely destroyed.

Kyon marveled at the local old-timer’s energy supply and prepared to defend himself.

The fight ensued. The old man rushed headlong into the attack. A kick, another kick, a 90-degree turn to make another swing... He couldn’t see Kyon attack – the boy took advantage of his blind spot – he felt it instinctively. Flitz recoiled at a threefold speed and Kyon’s fist passed an inch from his cheek…

Flitz didn't swear any more: he had to save his breath. The loud bravado at the beginning of the fight “I'll beat you with no hands!" turned into doubt if he could actually defeat the elusive wolf cub. What a swift little brat!

Kyon giggled indecently. It wasn’t too polite to laugh in the face of such a high-ranking master but he could not help it. {I’m fighting with 10 out of 10 battle fists while Flitz uses only 5 of them. He is too bad. He makes a lot of mistakes, he has a bad stance, his defense is poor as hell and all his attacks are predictable... I’d give him 5 out of 10 but I must admit he is sharp as a tack for his age... I wonder what his real strength is.}

The battle fist is an accepted subjective assessment of skill movements and tactics in combat. The higher the assessment, the higher the level. The fighter without a weapon could be like a bird without a beak but give them a sword... and the level of their battle fist rises. That could also be throwing weapons, bows, crossbows, etc.

Flitz shot a dirty look at the boy and snapped:

«Are you messing with me, son of a bitch?!» - Hardly had Flitz finished his sentence when he sped up three times, caught up with the boy and gave him a heavy slap which made him fall. «How do you like that?! Who's laughing here now?! Ha-ha-he!»

The slaps left red marks on Kyon's cheeks. He seized a moment between the blows and implored:

«Please, forgive me, master! You’re stronger… You’re way stronger than I am…»

«Ha-ha-he!» - The old man laughed and kicked the insolent boy again solely for his own pleasure. - «Say you’re dog shit and you’re forgiven.»

Kyon grimaced. For some reason, the old man wasn’t acting like the distinguished pompous wise men from the books. Either the writers, as usual, did not spare the imagery tricks or he was dealing with an unusually unceremonious specimen.

The boy gasped for air and answered with a falter in his voice:

«I’m… dog… shit…»

The old man laughed till he cried.

The stupid words he had to say didn’t hurt Kyon’s pride. He never cared for such trifles.

The old man took a deep breath and pulled a pipe out of his pocket. He lit it up and smoked giving the boy approving glances.

«I have to admit your master wasn’t an ordinary person... Your movements, tricks, taking advantage of my spot, after all... Not bad, not bad at all.»

«Don’t… You are much stronger than my master.» - Kyon said respectfully to feed the old man’s ego.

«Don’t flatter me… I am not taking you on as a student. I don’t need you, a little piece of shit. I have no time for that. Besides, I have a job for you. You'll be my lady's punching bag.»

«What an honor…» - Kyon muttered “happily,” rising to his feet. What’s all this about? What punching bag? - «Who is your lady?»

«Juno…» - Flitz said thoughtfully, puffing on his pipe.

Kyon tried to get more details about his not too distant future but to no avail. The gray-haired man plunged deeply into his thoughts.

{When I was fighting the monkey, I didn’t even realize that he was much stronger than me... He has 6l out of 10 battle fists! That’s brilliant! He is one in a million. He’s just right to teach Juno fight, and his body is tough enough.}

The battle fist is a relative concept but certain standards are already in existence. For example, those who can make a fist correctly have one battle fist. A street fighter with the experience of a hundred battles, who understands the basics and something above them, has two battle fists. A warrior with full combat training at the best school of the kingdom, graduating with 5 points out of 5 has three battle fists. Outstanding students of respected grandmasters of martial arts have four battle fists if they have completed 3 years of training and qualified for the title of the respected owner of “four battle fists.” These very students have five battle fists after they are qualified for five battle fists which is impossible to achieve without outstanding talent and years of hard training. When they get qualified they become new grandmasters.

It’s hard to say for sure what happens after you get five battle fists. According to the books, six battle fists are for geniuses among geniuses who had the chance to train for many years with the great master, found enlightenment and a unique fighting technique. As for seven battle fists... Only celestial geniuses can be at that level but they happen once in a lifetime in each Empire. Eight and more battle fists belong to speculations and figments of imagination.

{I’d take him on a student but he is only at the 2nd stage. I don't need a piece of gutter trash. And yet it’s a pity to lose him. Taking into account her villain nature, she'll quickly break his thin chicken neck.} When he finished smoking, Flitz decided to give him some medical ointment of high quality. Perhaps, the boy would get into her favor and the lady won’t kill him on the very first day.

After a long pause, the old man finally spoke:

«Do you like girls, Kyon?»

The unexpected question took the boy aback and he couldn't come up with anything better than:

«No, not at all… I like only boys.»

«H-ha-he! Good toilet joke! Do you want me to tell you a scary story about an ordinary slave with lascivious eyes who dared to touch the lady and lost his balls at once; and how some moments later, he was deprived of his annoying squeak and then his head as well?» - Flitz said quietly.

The young man imagined himself in the place of the poor fellow and swallowed in fear:

«I don’t think so.»

The old man smiled innocently and spread his hands:

«I am sorry that’s the whole story Ha-ha-he!» - Flitz decided he’d made quite an impact on the boy and spoke more seriously: - «Unfortunately for you, our lady is too beautiful. I guess it makes no difference if you like boys or girls.»

Kyon got a bad feeling, his groin tightened in response...

«Don't worry. I'm not that cruel to make you a eunuch! I have to admit, though... I’ve been thinking of that. But I'm no beast, right?» - Flitz hurried to reassure Kyon as if he could read his thoughts. - «We have recently developed a drug that removes any thoughts about the opposite sex for a year or two. We’ve had some incidents... Anyway, it doesn't matter. You will lose attraction to the opposite sex completely for five years and after that, you’ll recover... Maybe.»

Kyon exclaimed indignantly:

«Maybe? Why maybe?!» - It doesn’t sound very encouraging, does it? Then he recalled Synergy properties and the tension in his whole body and the lower chakras, in particular, subsided a bit.

«Get it out of your head! Everything is going to be alright… Maybe.» - Who is he trying to convince? Kyon or himself?

«Thank you, I guess…» - Kyon sighed and hung down his head for the sake of appearances.

Flitz shook off the ashes, and the two of them went back to his office.

«You know, Kyon, you're luckier than the rest of the slaves! Do you think it’s better here than in the mine? Come on... It’s nothing but bullying all around. They beat the hell out of new slaves. The ranking system is the same, the food is not much better... Besides, there’s a chance to get eaten by the beasts if you anger them or just look them in the eyes. But the air is clear here, that’s for sure.» - He breathed in the fresh night air as if giving an example to the boy. - «But you are going to be above all that. Serving Juno herself means a lot... They will heal you, provide you with food and clothes, heal you…

Kyon squinted suspiciously. {Was it unintentional that he said it twice?}

«Moreover, you’ll have a chance to admire the cutie during the fight... Although... You can check it off your list. Why look at a yummy piece of chicken if you have no teeth, no tongue and no appetite... Just forget about it, ha-ha-he! Cheer up! Big deal if you won’t touch your little snake for another ten years! It's worth it!» - Flitz seemed to get a kind of sadistic pleasure intimidating the boy in his “funny” way.

«First you said a year or two, then five years, and now ten?» - Kyon was outraged at that geometric progression.

The old man patted him on the back to cheer him up:

«Five years, ten years, who cares?! Instead, you will see the symbol of our family! Well... After the other one escaped…» - he gave a sudden nervous chuckle: - «If the lady found out I compared her with a piece of chicken... She’d run to complain to her grandfather, Bai, and they will make mincemeat of me... Ha-ha-he!»

Kyon raised one eyebrow:

«Mr. Bai is the Patriarch, isn’t he?»

«That's right... And my friend!» - bragged Flitz - «Wait, you don't know the family history?! Oh my god... You’d better keep it to yourself! You’ll get a thrashing for your ignorance and lack of erudition. To the hell with me, I’ve been attached, so I will not judge you, but Juno... Boy, I advise you to learn to keep your mouth shut.»

Kyon smiled to himself at the old man’s manner of talking. «Sir, are you indeed a friend of the Patriarch himself? How did it happen?»

The old man burst with laughter and looked up - «Our friendship started off the wrong foot... Once upon a time, I fell in love with his daughter, and he tried to kill me... And now I belong to his family as the most important formacist! Ha-ha-he!»

«Is the Patriarch’s daughter your…?»

Flitz waved his hand – «Of course not...» - The silhouette of another girl who looked just the same appeared before his eyes. The boy with his questions wasn’t there any more.

Kyon got lost in his thoughts. There’s a long way from the desire to kill to being friends. The Patriarch and Flitz’s young days must have been fun. He was glad that the old man did not mind sharing private information with him even if he was only bragging. Kyon was also surprised that the Patriarch’s granddaughter had become his lady. He’d heard about her more than once in the mine, he planned to seduce her on his way to the estate, he’d been contemplating how to get closer to her! What good luck! As if heaven had decided to pave the way for his domination! No less!