Andre and Jake stood a ways away from Hirez, Theo and Jamie who were spectating with great interest.
Andre looked Jake up and down nodding at something but he also had a frown on his face.
" You're build is rather... lean to be a fighter." Andre said.
" Doesn't that mean I just need to be fast?" Jake inquired.
Andre stroked his chin in thought. " speed will help but it will mean nothing if you can't take a hit or two."
"So what should I do then?"
" Focus on weak areas of the body... In the ring only fists were law." Andre said chillingly. " The throat, the area were stomach meets chest, and the crotch are fleshy areas that if you hit hard will almost guarantee someone goes down. Of course that's not always the case." He said matter of factly.
" What do you mean?" Jake asked. He had been hit in some of those areas before and they took him down without a fight and left him gasping for breath.
Theo chuckled from the sideline. " Its a natural drug the body produces. An eastern tribe in a distant land called it a miracle. Beastkin release such an exorbitant amount of it that it secretes through their skin like sweat in high stress situations. There are many names and ways to describe it, but it makes people of all races ignore pain and perform extreme feats of strength."
Jake nodded. He was describing what people in his village had called a fear rush. Your heart beats fast and suddenly you can run faster and farther than anyone.
Andre seemed to agree as well. " When I fought a wolfkin from the northern provinces he was especially quick and had sharp claws but he wasn't strong. I banged him around a bit like my manager had said; making a show of it and then when I went for a final shot he was somehow as strong as me and wrestled me to the floor. I still won but I was black and blue and got long cuts down my chest." Andre chuckled darkly.
" Still though its hard to imagine hitting someone like that and them still standing." Jake said still trying to wrap his head around such a concept.
"Believe me it's plenty real. You will know when it comes to you. You will feel like the world is an open book perhaps or your skin will began to itch and then before you know it the opponents on the ground with their brains on your fists." Andre said softly.
Suddenly there was a small chill in the air. Theo and Hirez glanced at each other while Andre stared intently at Jake.
"Ah... uh yeah" Jake said tentatively. " I think I know what you mean."
"Do you?" Andre asked quietly.
Andre showed Jake the stance he used in the ring. It was stable and sturdy good for powerful punches but also allowed him to move with explosive power.
Jake of course had a degree of knowledge about this granted to him by the Abyss but that was more like imprinted pictures and motions. Like watching a movie clip with no context or sound. Sure he could see what they were doing and try and replicate it but he had no idea why they moved like that.
As Jake tried to imitate Andre's stance he caught a frown forming on the giant man's face. "what is it?"
Andre said nothing but his frown deepened and a low rumbling flowed from his throat that seemed to echo a little frustration and curiosity.
" You are much too small to be an effective fighter in that stance, but I think I can help you out a bit."
Jake's head tilted a bit but he nodded.
" Remember that wolf kin I was talking about. Well I remember the stance he used very well."
Soon enough Andre was grabbing Jake's arms and adjusting them slightly. At the end of it all Jake was crouched down low like a wolf ready to spring forward towards its prey.
"How's this?" Andre asked.
"Not bad" Jake said taking a nice easy step forward.
Andre then proceeded to have him and Jake fight each other which of course led to a brutal pummeling for Jake. After an hour or so Jake and Andre rejoined Hirez and Theo.
"Have a good time kid?" Hirez asked with a chuckle.
" Please captain, don't tease him too much he did his best." Theo said while doing his best to cover a smirk.
Jake could take a lot of things, but being openly mocked wasn't one of them, even if it was in good nature.
" You try sparing with that giant then." Jake said his tone sharp.
This proceeded to send Hirez and Theo into loud chuckles. " Ah the punk butler has pride then does he?" Hirez said.
Once again Jake's blood boiled but he let it go a deep sigh releasing from his body. He wasn't a hot head even if his mouth got the better of him sometimes and they had been kind to him even though he was a stranger.
As their laughing fits died down Andre spoke gently. " You were a butler?"
" Ah yes. Me and the young mistress of house Carlise were childhood friends."
" How did that happen?" Hirez asked his tone slightly sour. " A butler and a noble. Friends"
Jake hesitated. He had known these people for less than 15 hours and he was just expected to spill his guts. still they had all shared their own stories so it was only fair.
" I was six years old when my Mother and sister contracted the Blue flue."
Suddenly the atmosphere grew somber. The Blue flue was a plague that had spread throughout half the western part of Bracan, the kingdom Jake was native to. The Blue flue was extremely hard to find a cure for it because most of the ingredients were hard to come by and terribly expensive.
" That's horrible" Jamie whispered. " My father died of the same. It turns your skin blue and makes your blood slowly freeze inside you all the while you feel like you're burning alive. Worst part is it's slow like it's mocking you the whole time while you watch your friends and family slowly burn and freeze to death." Jamie's eyes were sad and somber.
Jake nodded. " A legendary healer was passing through the Carlise household. At the time nobody knew but it turned out that the count's daughter had contracted the Blue flue too. Anyway I knew my family wouldn't survive without the cure so... I tried to sneak in and failed miserably." Jake ended with a sigh.
" When the count's guards found me they took me to the count. He just so happened to be in his daughter's room as she was recovering as was the healer. I begged and pleaded for mercy and help as is natural. " Jake took a breath. " The count didn't care and wanted to chop off my right hand thinking I was a thief. He was less than pleased I was interrupting his daughter's recovery. " Jake swallowed, his breath catching. " Then she awoke from the bed. She was breath taking. She calmed her father and had the healer and guards take a look to see if I told the truth. " Jake could feel tears beginning to form. " She had my mother and sister saved and in return she said my debt was only the cost of the ingredients for the potion. Two lives. Two lives she saved. The two most important to me she saved and only asked for a couple of meager coins in return."
Jake wiped his eyes and let out a shaky breath. " I served as her butler since. It was the simplest way to repay her."
" So that's why you're so well spoken and clear minded hm. But that still doesn't explain how your so intelligent." Hirez said.
" A butler is needed at all times. It wasn't clear then but I later learned that she was having me trained to be the chief attendant and advisor for when she took over. To do that I needed to be able to read and count as well as be generally knowledgeable on the kingdoms affairs."
The group seemed stunned. " Really all that for a commoner?" Theo asked incredulously.
Jake smiled lightly. " Lady Alicia had an eye for people and valued loyalty above all. status or wealth mattered not, only if you were loyal. That's why she chose me for the chief attendant position."
" And how did you figure all this out?" Jamie asked.
" I had 10 years for her to teach it to me. Now that belief is mine."
Andre smiled. " That's a good belief. You had a worthy master it seems."
" Of course I did. Lady Alicia is the best thing that happened to house Carlise in 300 years." Jake said, pride echoing in every word a smile on his face.
Hirez chuckled. " Nobles are still nobles no matter how noble they are" He said his voice like poison.
Jake narrowed his eyes at Hirez. " I understand you may have a different perspective on nobles due to circumstances unknown to me but." Jake's eyes were like flames dancing with fury. " Do not insult the Young Lady of house Carlise in front of me again Hirez."
Hirez looked surprised at Jake's words before his eyes narrowed. " And what will you do if I call the young lady a spoiled bitch who profits off the suffering of her subjects like the rest of the filthy nobles in that damned world."
Jake's hand drifted to where his sword lay in front of him. " I suppose I would need to find you a doctor soon after."
Hirez stood up a snarl forming on his face. " There is no doctor in this world who would be able to help you when I'm finished."
" Good thing I won't need one." Jake said coolly despite how his hand curled around the hilt of his sword.
"Enough!" Jamie spoke while rising sword in hand. " Enough with this bickering the both of you."
Hirez's gaze drifted from Jake to Jamie twice his fist clenching before he sat down again in a huff. Slowly his hands unclenched before one slowly drifted up to rub the tips of one of his ears.
Suddenly something clicked in Jake's mind. "Half-elf" he whispered nearly quieter than the dead themselves.
Hirez's head snapped towards him and he stared silently before looking away.
Andre and Jamie looked at Jake confused.
" What do you half-elf. What are you talking about." Jamie asked.
Jake hesitated for a moment. It wasn't his secret to tell. Jake's eyes met Hirez's which seemed to say it was fine.
Jake took a deep breath. " The punishment for captured half-elves is an eternity as a combat slave."
" What does that have to do with anything" Jamie asked again.
" The defining characteristic of an elf is their pointed and thin ears. Humans have big rounded ears. Half elves have a mix between almost like a leaf." Jake said quietly
" Again this has to do with what exactly." Jamie said a hint of annoyance creeping into his tone.
" The human kingdoms typically cut the tips of a half elve's ears when they are captured forever humiliating them. Its..." Jake paused the words choking his throat.
" Say it." Hirez said his voice like Ice.
" It is also seen as a right of passage for young noble's to capture a Half-e-"
" That isn't what they call them." Hirez snarled.
" Leaf ears... It is a right of passage to cut off the tips of a leaf ear. It is also seen as an appropriate gift to try and win a Lady's hand in marriage... Even some royal marriages have been decided by the amount of leaf ear tips given." Jake whispered.
Andre looked confused while Jamie seemed to be getting more annoyed by the second.
" Get to the point please." Jamie said.
" Oh come on! I understand Andre but even you aren't this slow Jamie. Captain Hirez has had his ears snipped you simpleton." Theo said rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Jamie's mouth hung agape for a moment before he slowly closed it and leaned back deep in thought.
Jake looked at the group. Andre seemed to be considering something as was Jamie, Theo didn't seem to care much but Jake could tell the group as a whole had fractured and was on the verge of breaking.
Jamie stood up and went to grab his sword from the ground and began to walk away a scowl on his face.
Jake stood as well. " Where are you going Jamie." Jake said his voice stern his eyes narrowed.
Jamie turned around and looked from Jake to the group as a whole to Hirez incredulously.
" I'm not going to be led by a leaf eared bastard." Jamie said spitting venom his eyes narrowed in a scowl.
" You never said what you did as a profession but allow me to make some guesses." Jake said coolly. " You rescued a Noble and seem quite proud of that in addition the way you Cary your sword and your body speaks of proper training. This rules out a common mercenary and soldier. Squire is possible but you have too much confidence to be a normal squire. In other words you seem to be a knight." With each word Jake spoke Jamie's scowl seemed to deepen.
" Your point is." Jamie said.
" My point is lets have a duel." Jake said stealing himself. He knew this would be no easy fight by any means.
" Why?" Jamie said confusion lacing his voice.
" Because if I win you stay if you win you leave."
" And how would you enforce that hm."
Jake smirked. He knew he couldn't force Jamie to stay or leave but even so he knew how to push buttons. " Is the knight scared he'll lose to a 16 year old with barely a day's worth of training."
Jamie's eye twitched and slowly a dark grin. " You know what? Fine by me." He said as he got into a stance with his sword.