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Chapter 4 - Master Goba teaches

When I wake up I can already see light shining through the cracks in the walls, it has been a long time since I've slept until the sun was fully up. What I don't see is Goba on his hay bed, so I quickly jump up and go outside, there I see Goba swinging his scythe. All his swings are powerful and fast, but it doesn't look like a movement to cut down grain.

The movement that spoke to me the most is him going in a quick dash, the blade of his scythe pointing outward with the sharp edge forward. He pushes the staff upward as if reflecting an incoming strike, and just as the blade came at the place where the imaginary strike was it shot forward, cutting anything in its path.

There was nothing in its path now, but that was the idea.

"Brother, try?"

I've only seen it once, and I don't even know if I can properly lift that thing. But the look in Goba's eyes tells me that it wasn't really a question. So I walk towards him and I hold the scythe with one hand. But he doesn't let go. I look at him questionly.

"Both."

He put both his hands on the scythe to show, and do do I. Only then he let's go.

"Lower."

He bends his knees and leans forward slightly, ready for a dash on any given moment, I follow his movements. I keep the blade horizontal on the same hight as my hips, and I dash forward. Using weight of the blade to move the staff higher to deflect an imaginary strike, and soon after I use the blade to cut the enemy.

I don't know what happened, but I felt pain in my leg, I fall face first on the ground, and before I get a moment to snap out of my disorientation I hear the blade sinking into the earth just inches away from my head.

"Not stable, strong no need stable, Brother weak, brother need stable. Stable mountain no harm in push."

I stand up from the ground, barely realising that this probably is the longest Goba has ever talked on end until now. When I stand and look at him I realise what happened. He's tossing a rock in his hand, he must have thrown it at me when I was on my weakest. And it worked, I was on the ground and disorientated for such a long time, with the blade so close to my face that if an enemy throws me off balance with this move he might not even have to finish me himself with enough luck.

"But Goba, how do I become more stable? The biggest thing I've wielded before was a thrown out kitchen knife. And I know I'm more of a fast person than a strong person, shouldn't I have a small quick weapon to make my speed even better?"

Even though I don't know much about fighting, you can't help picking things up on the streets, from own experience to things drunken adventures say.

"Brother quick and weak. Good hide. Small weapon quick and weak, brother and small weapon weak. Big sword heavy, brother no big sword. Staff good shield, hard kill, brother no staff. Scythe good shield, good kill, no heavy, Brother scythe. Come."

When he finishes talking he waves me into the shed, he sits on one side of the chest and points for me to sit on the other. He puts his elbow on the chest with his hand open, he points at his hand.

I sit and put my hand in his, I feel him pushing a little in the direction of my hand, as to push me over. I think I've seen people do this in the inn to show how strong they are. So I nod at him that I understand.

He hold up 3 fingers and that slowly becomes 2, then 1, I'm ready to hold him back. I'll lose, but not without a fight.

When his last finger disappears river of power flows, a river I can't fight, and I lose within a breath.

"Much strong, small weapon no work."

After saying this he puts his hand back, and so do I. The fingers count down again and I hold out longer this time, about 3 breaths. X

"Little strong, small weapon, scythe work."

He holds out his hand again, and so do I, this time I smile as I think I know what will happen. And this time I win.

"Brother strong, no need scythe. Come."

And we go outside again he draws a line in the dirt.

"Wait."

He runs a bit, draws another line and comes back. He stands ready at the first line and waves at me, and so I join besides him. When I'm ready he counts down with his fingers again.

My start is great, I'm fast, I'm completely focused on running.

"Stop."

When I hear this I almost stumble and look up. I see he's finished already, and I was only halfway when he called stop. This makes me feel way worse than the strength test just now, my speed is all I got. All that saved me from the bigger boys that are stronger than me.

"Much fast, scythe no work."

He stands on the line again, I walk over dejectedly and stand ready again. When his last finger disappears I run again, just as fast as before, and it's almost close, there's just a few meter in between.

"Little fast, small weapon, scythe work."

We do it one more time, and this time I finish first, as I don't want to call it winning.

"Brother fast, small weapon no need."

I understand what he means, if I'm fast enough I don't need an even faster weapon, but when the opponent is way faster a slow weapon will only weigh me down. And when an opponent is way stronger small weapons don't do much. But a scythe can still inflict a heavy strike. And if I'm stronger, why would I need a heavy weapon, the small weapons will be at least as deadly. But there's one thing I'm wondering about..

"But Goba, how do I know if someone is faster or stronger? I can't get someone to sprint against me in the middle of a fight?"

He points to my head and says

"See, think,"

His finger lowers and points to my belly.

"Feel."

It's kind of logical to observe and act accordingly, and trust your instincts when something doesn't feel right, I just hoped for something more special, something more reliable.

"Now practice."

He throws the scythe at me and stands there with another stone in his hand.

~~~~~~~~~

I don't remember that much what happened after that, only a lot of pain, falling and trying again. By now I'm feeling broken, my body feels broken and my mind is heavy.

"Come."

Goba walks into the shed and I follow, he sits on his hay pile with his legs crossed and points to my hay pile, and so I sit there and I also cross my legs.

"Training too. First pose."

He closes his eyes, puts his right with his wrist on his knee and his palm facing the sky, and puts his left hand with his palm om the ground right next to his leg. And so I mimic him.

"Second think flow."

I open my eyes to look at Goba, he lifts his left hand and with a finger wiggles through the air like a whisp of smoke, then he points to his right palm, then his finger traces a line from his palm down the bottom side of his wrist, to the inner side of his elbow, the upper side of his shoulders, a straight line down his side to the bottom of his feet, back up again through the middle of his body but going a little to his right when at the hight of his heart, up to his head, there it goes for two circles and goes down again, still missing his heart but now the line goes to his left a little, making a vertical eye shaped empty space, the line comes back in the middle of his torso and goes down the other leg and back up again, after going 2 circles through his heart it goes out his palm facing the ground.

"While think flow, also think scythe training."

And then he left, letting me sit here full of pain and with a tired mind as I begin the hardest thing in my entire life, thinking about two things at the same time.