Draw a Blank

9. Training

Luken is really following Nick's orders to go anywhere, but Nick didn't expect that after two months Luken wouldn't come back. There was no communication between the two during that time. Thinking of this, Nick held the handle of the glass with a displeased heart.

Damian said, "He will be back this afternoon. The price of gems is high and he is trading with foreign businessmen."

"He didn't leave just because I told him to go, did he?" Nick replied with something else.

"Something like that."

Nick sighed. Their friendship is not as long as a young corn, even if it is likened to a tree, it can be called a tree that lives for hundreds of years. Each of them knows each other's character, lifestyle and personal problems. Quarrel is normal.

But seeing Luken's attitude, Nick felt guilty.

"This is not your fault." Damian rubbed the top of Nick's head, he stirred the rosella flower tea the waiter had brought, adding a lot of granulated sugar to it. "For the time being you can think of this as your own home. Don't be hesitate about other things."

Nick snorted. Living in this terrifying mansion alone would drive one insane.

Of course Allen must have felt the same way; lonely and alone. Fortunately in these two months, he recovered well. He no longer complains about pain, especially in sensitive and vulnerable areas. Although scars and surgery can't be removed, the marks will prove to be an extraordinary history.

"Allen, do you need sugar?"

Allen flinched and went out of his mind to find Damian with a bowl of sugar.

Nick hit Damian's hand immediately. "He's not like you sugar maniac. Tea without sugar is better."

After Nick said that, he turned to look again at Allen only to sigh softly. Finally put a grain of sugar into the boy's tea.

"But one is fine," Nick said with rare patience. If you think about health, he prefers to survive without sugar, he doesn't really like sweet and even coffee tastes better bitter.

Seeing Allen not reacting, Damian patted him lightly on the shoulder. "What do you think?"

Nick also glanced at Allen, noticing that the boy looked gloomy.

"Allen, what have I told you? Don't think about anything heavy. Even if you're recovering, you should treat your body well."

Allen immediately gave an excuse, "I just feel uncomfortable that Mr. Luken left because of me."

Damian and Nick looked at each other.

"I told you earlier it wasn't Nicky's fault, of course it wasn't yours either," Damian interceded. "Luken is a Black Dragon's leader, he has a lot of business to take care of."

Allen's eyes lit up as he began to think about the possibilities. "Then when can I start working? As a personal bodyguard, I must always accompany Mr. Luken on his business, right?"

Again this made Damian and Nick look at each other, but both found it a little funny.

Four months ago, Allen came in with a thin and weak body. After recovering, the flesh grew well and covered the protruding bones of the cheeks. Currently, Allen not only has an innocent face, but is also handsome and charming. He must have been the dream of the girls in his school days.

“Working as a bodyguard is not easy,” Damian said gloomily.

Nick added a lie to the sentence, "You were seriously injured before protecting Luken. Before you fully recovered, how could Luken let you go through yet another danger?"

But Allen didn't feel that way. In his mind, he felt that Luken might not need a useless bodyguard like him.

This made Allen remember the events of that night, when Luken stripped all his clothes in a drunken state and attacked him. According to Allen, Luken looked very angry at him and it seemed Luken had been holding back that anger all along. All his treatment that night was real, he attacked Allen because he wanted to make him obedient and understanding.

Allen understood this when Luken left after the incident, without even saying anything. Go for two months.

"Why do you insist on working? Look at Damian, he's just eating and having fun, his lazy life is so natural. Why do I feel like you guys should switch bodies?"

Hearing the satire, Damian laughed. "Nicky baby, I've been working hard and hurting myself the past few months. You're not touched?"

"That's because you intentionally hurt yourself!" Nick scolded him. Subconsciously looked at Damian's wrist which had yet to recover due to his fractured bones. "Stop acting like a child!"

"I didn't mean to. They really pissed me off."

And that's true. It happened just as he was going to the Night Owl headquarters to meet their leader. Even after several guards were beaten to a pulp, no one said where their leader was.

Damian was honestly tired of dealing with the Night Owl, just like ten years ago. Also like when Falco Emerzeni Vaughan became the leader of that organization. Falco is a slippery and dangerous man who is Luken's cousin and has been feuding for a dozen years.

These five years, they are on a path of peace because both sides declared a peace treaty. Also because back then Falco was said to have disappeared without a trace. But hearing that Night Owl messed up the auction four months ago, Damian's blood was boiling.

Luken had told him that the Night Owl's name was just being dragged away. The real culprit was Falco. Damian was getting angry because of that.

This also put Damian's vigilance on fire, if at that time Falco could set a big trap without being detected, it was not impossible that Allen was also part of the gang. Damian finally glanced at Allen who was busy lecturing Nick like an obedient child, and felt that his suspicions might be right.

"... If you want to be by his side, train better. You hear me?" Nick's nagging voice came back.

"Can I start practicing?" asked Allen.

"There are lots of practice sites here. The bodyguards have a special training room, there's even a professional coach." Nick explained.

Allen was getting excited.

"If you're serious, do it right. Since Luken will see and judge you, you can't show any flaws."

Hearing this, Allen thought of his two 'substitute' bodyguards and felt that it made sense. The two of them looked very good at fighting.

"When you can match or surpass Gil and River, you can be sure that Luken will see you. Isn't that right, Damy?"

Damian gasped. "Oh, that's right."

Nick felt Damian's attitude was a little strange for a moment, but then didn't think about it. "Or you can first start fighting Damian."

"What?"

Allen glanced at Damian, who was tall and burly. The man has well-formed biceps and triceps prominent in every shirt he wears. Damian's appearance in Allen's eyes, is more suitable to be a real mafia leader. Especially with his habit of wearing floral shirts and heavy gold chain necklaces.

If Allen was asked to fight him, he would be looking to die.

***

In the end he was led to the indoor martial arts training ground. Quite far from the main residence Glourham Mansion. Since Allen lived here, it was his first time traveling around. This place is so spacious and deserves to be called a stylish modern palace.

It seems that this building was deliberately built according to the character of its owner. Due to the precarious situation at work, the owner may be forced to 'retreat' and acquire land far from the city center in order to build a beautiful artificial landscape on this land. And the peace of this neighborhood is truly priceless.

This is typical Luken.

The martial arts room there has the most absolute designation, namely, the Running Lion. Above the door, the name was carved into an oak the size of an adult's hand, anyone who visited would be able to see it.

Inside the room, there were already many people practicing. Nick said they were all Luken's men. Allen watched as they were drenched in sweat, and eager to fight each other on the mat. This looks fun.

Allen was introduced to a martial arts coach there, named Gaidon.

"Gaidon, Allen is still recovering, so don't be harsh to him," Nick told the coach at the time.

On the same day, Allen immediately started training. Gaidon is a man with a thick mustache and beard. His body was typical of Allen's height, but his muscles didn't lie to suggest that he was very well trained. Not to mention the broad shoulders and waist, hit by his fist one might faint.

Exercise begins with a warm-up. It was the first time Allen had made a move, he had been wrong and was scolded. Gaidon is very tough. But it was natural for Allen, so he continued to be obedient. Even after two hours of training, he was hit several times.

"Sir, I still can't do the backhand, can you give me a chance to do it?" Allen was panting and sweating profusely.

"You who can't do it, why should I give you a chance?" Gaidon harshly scolded him. "Is the fight in the real fight, your enemy will provide an opening?"

"But, isn't this just practice?"

"So you want to practice while playing around? Young people these days are spoiled and talk too much, it's natural that they can't make progress!" Gaidon spat in annoyance.

Allen was silent for a moment. His legs had been standing for a long time and had been tackled several times, now he was shaking and almost fell. When he received a punch on the cheek he even had a slight nosebleed.

What this old man coach said is true, in real fight, there is no discussion between two opponents, there is no gap or opportunity, unless we make the chance. Allen was trying to understand at first, but he seemed to have been made into a soft punching bag by this man.

Allen fell for the last time as his shoulder was pushed by a great force. He looked up to see his gaze dim and he was thirsty too.

"May I stop for a moment?" Allen asked.

But, he had just said that, a hand tugged hard at his clothes and he almost got hit again. Whether it was forced or the practice was successful, his head dived back, twisting beautifully as his knees bent simultaneously. Allen lowered his head as the coach's opportunity to let his guard down, and used his shoulder to push against the man's stomach.

They both fall. Allen then rolled over and lay on his back in an empty area, out of breath.

"That's enough for today." Gaidon stood, without looking at him, just walked away.

Allen's chest still hadn't improved and he was breathing roughly. Don't understand what just happened. Is this how the Black Dragon's men train? Had in the past, he also underwent this kind of training?

Just as he was about to get up, his numb legs suddenly cramped and he grimaced. There was a bruise on his wrist that turned purplish and Allen was silent for a while until the cramp was gone.

"You have done?" Nick appeared when Allen came out of the practice room and saw him stagger. "What is it?"

Allen grimaced. "I fell."

Nick saw some of the bruises on Allen's face and was shocked. "I told Gaidon not to be harsh on you. Why would he—"

"It's okay. It's my fault. I fell while practicing my mid-air kick."

Nick doesn't seem to believe the reason and is about to enter, but Allen stops him. Then they left the practice room. When Allen accidentally looked back to see the open practice room, he realized everyone inside was looking at him.

Allen actually felt weird. He thought that Gaidon was just doing the usual training, but somehow he felt that the man was deliberately giving him hard training?

Hopefully this is just a guess.

"Ah," Allen hissed as Nick fixed his dislocated ankle. The sharp pain immediately blinded his eyes for a moment and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Looks like a sprain." Nick muttered displeasedly.

Allen's face was pale and listless, when he heard that he became helpless. "But this won't interfere with my training, will it?"

Even though Gaidon's training was very hard, but he felt that it was effective. With just a few hours of practice, he has mastered the backhand and aerial kicks, he can also avoid danger in the blind spot with ease.

If because of a sprain he delays training again, he will be very upset.

"Forcing yourself will only hurt you more." Nick applied another salve to the bruises on Allen's face. "This stupid Gaidon, does he understand human language or not?!"

"Don't blame him. It's my fault—ah."

"Now you know that it hurts!" nag Nick.

This pain was actually nothing compared to the wound he had a few months ago. When Allen thought about it, he could somehow feel a hot sensation as he got stabbed several times in the stomach. It was really weird, like the pain was real and new. When he tried to dig into those memories more clearly, he would have a headache.

"Does your belly hurt?" Nick accidentally saw Allen rubbing his stomach and couldn't help but worry.

"No, I just thought of something."

Nick didn't insist on asking questions and left when he had finished administering the medicine. He told the maid to take Allen's dinner to his room because he wasn't allowed to walk anywhere.

After half an hour, Allen heard footsteps and thought it was a maid, but when he turned his head, his guess was wrong.

And standing at the door was Luken Vaughan.

tbc.