The Dragon's Master

Training

The ruffians loomed over Jaq with their intimidating height difference.

'I should probably run'

Jaq steadied himself and prepared to escape from the teens when Yon firmly held Jaq's shoulder, "are these lads bothering you?" Yon smirked and peered at the group of teens, the ferocious feeling that Jaq sensed from the teens immediately disappeared. Jaq looked at his adversaries, they no longer were threatening Jaq with sharp glares, they couldn't even meet his eyes. Jaq scoffed at the thought that he almost had to run from these cowardly people, or perhaps Yon was that terrifying. Yon's grip on Jaq's shoulder tightened as if to warn Jaq that the fleeting sense of power he felt was only thanks to Yon as if Yon could read his thoughts through his expressions.

The lengthy silence after Yon's question, came to an end when a boy from the group stepped forward, "I'm sorry sir,  didn't know he was yours" the kid bowed in Yon's direction but scowled at the humiliation as he did so.

Yon laughed, heartily, "didn't know? I find that quite hard to believe, didn't see my small scuffle with big Bur?" Jaq thought back to the large beefy man who previously confronted Yon. Yon stepped closer to the group and eyed them all with distaste and disappointment. "We're all on the same team here, remember that"

"YES SIR!" the group simultaneously replied.

Yon spun around and walked off, awkwardly leaving Jaq and the group to face each other. Any hints, however, of the animosity that Jaq previously felt, had completely disappeared. Jaq shuffled and motioned to them that he would follow Yon, they gave no response to his motions, so he left.

Jaq caught up with Yon, his small 5-year-old lungs couldn't keep up that well so he arrived next to Yon, panting. Yon crouched down next to the breathless Jaq, he pensively scanned Jaq's exterior. "You're scrawny aren't you?" Jaq looked down and analysed himself, in a way, he was scrawny, but he was also in the body of a five-year-old, so he didn't have to be anything but scrawny. "We should change that then." Yon stood up and motioned Jaq to follow him.

Yon's exit from the campsite was not smooth, every member of the mercenary group scowled at him for every proud stride he took. Jaq realised that Yon was quite high up in the mercenary ranking, hence the reason why he was able to walk through a crowd of openly aggressive people who showed him much disapproval. Jaq then thought back to the skill Yon displayed when he struck down the late innocent soldier. It seemed so long ago that Jaq was on death's doorstep, so long ago when he parted ways with Quinten, so long ago, yet only a couple of days ago. The movement of time struck Jaq heavily as he recalled memories from the last couple of days. Yon grabbed two wooden sticks from a stand and made his way to the outer circle of the campsite.

The two were now far enough from other mercenaries to do as they pleased without being judged or threatened, but Jaq thought that the meaningless glares and harmless threats paled in comparison to the power Yon held. To Jaq, Yon was an anti-hero, one who cares, not about the lives he takes, but the lives he saves. Yon stepped back away from Jaq.

"Here, catch."

Yon threw one of the wooden sticks at Jaq. The stick bounced of the unaware Jaq and hit the ground. Jaq picked it up. An embarrassing silence displayed Jaq's emotions loudly.

"Right, so, reflexes no good?" Yon sighed and pursed his lips.

Jaq furrowed his eyebrows, perhaps he was just introverted and was indeed meant to answer, but to him, it seemed Yon only spoke in rhetorical questions.

Jaq examined the stick, that caused him unyielding grief 'what am I even supposed to do with this?'

"Right then shall we start?" Yon began to ready himself in a stance worryingly similar to that of a swordfighter's.

Jaq raised an eyebrow, "for..?-"

Jaq's eyes widened as he saw Yon rushing toward him at a speed almost faster than light. In a frenzy, Jaq felt his body hit the floor, not knowing which way was up he clenched his fist around the wooden stick and struck downward.

After the excitement settled slightly, Jaq glanced upward, his world, shaken. His eyes adjusted to Yon looming over him.

Yon's wooden stick rested gently on the shoulder it struck Jaq down from. Jaq's wooden stick, however, was planted straight into the ground, a clear result of an overreaction and panicking.

"Hmm, weren't you ready? Did you get scared? Get up." Jaq involuntarily got up, following Yon's command. Still shaken and confused by what happened, whatever it was.

"What are we doing?" Jaq mustered up the courage to speak. The shock and adrenaline from the hit he received shook his mind, disabling him to think straight and figure out what was going on. He did start to realise, however, that although he had just been struck with a hard wooden stick, he wasn't hurt. He had only stung a little at the impact of the blow, but his adrenaline and Yon's skill nullified most of the pain.

"Well, by the looks of things, we're not doing anything." Yon replied, "but I'm going to strike you down, and your instincts should eventually enable you to keep upright and block me... Eventually." Yon looked at Jaq with a scrutinising gaze, "eventually" he repeated for a third time drawling the word out to emphasise the suspicion he held about Jaq's underwhelming physical abilities.

Without further warning Yon began to back up, readying himself to strike Jaq again. 

"Wait, can we not? Can't we start with something easier?" Jaq pleaded. Scared his five-year-old constitution wouldn't be able to ever keep up with Yon's speed.

"Easier? Don't you want to defend yourself, not everybody lets you off with mental or verbal bullying like the group of kids we just met. And, they only let you off because of me! Who knows how you'd have ended up if it weren't for me" Yon scoffed. Jaq sighed, he didn't try to dispute Yon's claims. He actually appreciated the thoughtfulness of Yon's actions, even though he couldn't readily comply with the process.

Jaq pulled his sword out of the ground.

"Ready?"

Jaq shook his head.

"Right then. Let's begin."