Chapter 20: Tempest
A young boy walked through an alley with a fancy school uniform and bag as the sun started to set. He walked with a slouched back and wore a frown on his face, clearly being upset about something.
"Why won't he teach me? He didn't have a problem teaching me self-defence. Now all of a sudden I'm not allowed." He grumbled as he kicked a few rocks on the ground. As he went on, he caught a familiar person walking in the same alley.
"Isaac. How you been?" Asked a tall female with pigtails and high heels.
"Cass. I've been doing well. I was hoping to run into you." Said Isaac as he swung his bag around and opened it, bringing out a familiar red scarf.
"My scarf! Where did you find it? Did you wash it?" She asked as she inspected it.
"Yes, It was lying around on a rooftop and was… filthy." Said Isaac as stared at the scarf, his mind replaying the worst moment of his life over and over again.
"Aw, thank you!" She yelled as she hugged Isaac. Being much taller than him, Isaac was placed in an awkward position between her bosoms as he tried his best to escape from her clutches.
"No problem. Anything new going on around Ravenwood?" Asked Isaac. Ever since he had started his vigilantism, Cass had been a sort of informant for him. He didn't leave the house much, other than when he was going to school, therefore news in the neighbourhood usually never reached him. However, Cass, who was the opposite, was up to date on all the recent gossip on the streets.
"Same as always. Streets aren't that safe. Especially now. Although the last couple of weeks had been quiet because of this 'Guardian Angel' or whatever, now it's starting to return to good old Ravenwood." She said after putting the scarf around her neck.
"What do you mean?"
"Alright, you didn't hear this from me, but word is there's this new guy who's eyeing Ravenwood. A man surrounded by rumours. It's said he's strong as an Ox and one of the best fighters around." She said while leaning in.
"But these can just be rumours. Don't take my word for it." Said Cass as she walked away while waving to him. As Isaac started to walk, he thought of what Cass had said.
"Strong as an Ox? We'll see about that." Isaac walked up the stairs to his apartment complex as he went on his usual rant. After opening the door to his apartment, he was met with soft mats placed on the ground while the furniture had been moved to the corner of the room.
His Grandpa stood before the boxing bag with gloves on and his usual white tank top, striking the bag while breathing rhythmically as he turned around upon hearing the door open.
"Isaac! My boy, drop your bag and hop on the mat." Said the old man enthusiastically.
"Um, Grandpa? What's going on?" Asked Isaac with a raised eyebrow.
"You said you wanna learn how to fight, right? Hop on the mat." He repeated while pressing a white towel on his face. Isaac stared at him for a few seconds before a large grin crept up onto his face.
"HAHA, thank you, Grandpa!" Yelled Isaac as he leapt to the old man, hugging him tightly.
"Alright alright, that's enough of that. Drop your bag and slip your shoes off." Said Derek as he barely pulled the excited boy off him.
Isaac did as he was told as he stood before Derek on the soft mats. He put on a pair of gloves and waited for his first lesson.
"What you putting them things on for?" Asked the old man.
"What? You said you'd teach me to fight." Derek pulled his gloves off as he spoke.
"I will be, but we need to start at the beginning. The footwork." As he said this, they both pulled their gloves off and stood before each other.
"Firstly, you need to know what I'll be teaching you. This fighting style is called Tempest. Tempest is an aggressive and dynamic martial art that focuses on utilising speed, fluidity, and precise strikes to overwhelm opponents."
"It values adaptability, agility, and even weapon usage. Its philosophy emphasises the balance between offence and defence, encouraging practitioners to remain calm, composed, and in tune with their surroundings."
"It sounds similar to the way the Monkey King fights." Thought Isaac as his Grandfather continued.
"The name 'Tempest' captures the essence of the martial art, representing the relentless and dynamic nature of its movements, akin to a raging storm. However, before you reach that level, we'll start you off at the basics." As he said this, he walked to the corner of the room and collected a few cones that he then littered across the ground, in what seemed to be in a random order.
"We'll start with simple footwork, Galestep. Watch me." After saying this, the old man stood in a stance with his knees slightly bent, one hand in a fist and protecting the chin while the other was extended slightly with an open palm.
In the next second, he started to move slowly around the cones, rotating around the first one and sliding his feet in a circular motion, moving in what seemed to be a random pattern, yet still dodging the cones.
"The footwork of Galestep involves dynamic weight shifting to maintain balance and agility. You must stay light on your feet, ready to swiftly shift your weight from one foot to the other, enabling quick changes in direction and evasive manoeuvres." He said as he continued clearing the cones.
After a few minutes, he finished as he continued to talk.
"Circular steps are a fundamental component of the Galestep footwork. You use small circular steps to pivot and rotate, creating angles and opening up new defensive positions. These circular steps enable smooth transitions and help you maintain fluidity and mobility while staying in control." After Derek was done, he stared at Isaac who wore a sour face.
"That's cool and all, Grandpa, but it looks kind of slow and mechanical. Is this really practical?" Asked Isaac with a face of dissatisfaction.
"Ah, you impatient child." After saying this, Derek stood in the same stance and positioned himself before the cones.
In a blurring moment, Derek kicked off the ground as he began speeding through the cones. Isaac widened his eyes at the sudden speed of the old man. Right, left and centre. His unpredictable movements and erratic switches to his position made it impossible for Isaac to tell where he was moving. In a matter of seconds, the old man cleared the cones, leaving Isaac dumbfounded.
"Holy crap!" Yelled Isaac after finally regaining some of his composure.
"Now do you see? If I had shown it to you like that the first time, would you have learnt anything?"
"No. Definitely not. I apologise for my impatience, oh great master." Said Isaac as he bowed slightly.
"Alright, now you try." Instructed Derek after enjoying the compliments.
Isaac walked towards the cones and stood in the same stance as the old man.
"He didn't even use Qi and was still moving that fast." He thought, as in the next second, he leapt off the ground and approached the first cone. He quickly moved his foot in a circular position, preparing to do the same with his other. He rotated his body around the first cone only to find his legs had tangled together, causing him to fall on his face.
"You rushed. Impatience won't get you anywhere. Do it again and take it slowly this time." Said Derek after taking a seat and pouring himself a cup of tea.
As Isaac laid on the floor, he felt a searing pain in his chest, one that made him want to dig his heart out. It had been a while since he last felt this pain. Ever since he figured out Qi, he was used to strengthening his heart to not only make it normal but a hundred times better.
He couldn't use immense amounts of Qi before his Grandpa and he also couldn't keep going like this since the old man would figure out he was lying about the VitaFlow Capsule. Therefore, he thought and came up with a solution. He sneakily used a minuscule amount of Qi that would pass as just being the same amount he naturally had in his body, and infused it into his heart, allowing it to become somewhat usable, but still not good. He couldn't oversell his lie, that would only lead to his downfall.
After this was done, Isaac did as he was told after rubbing his face and standing before the cones. He jumped off the floor once again as he moved his legs at a rapid speed, only to succumb to his previous fate.
"Again!"
***
In a dark, dirty and shady alleyway where nothing pleasant would be found, where even the very brick walls looked to be trapping you, attempting to suffocate you and forcefully take your last breath, resounding strikes could be heard connecting onto flesh. The sound echoed through the alley as a dark figure could be seen.
A giant of a human whose muscles and bulky frame put any respectable bodybuilder to shame, and who exuded an aura similar to that of a wild grizzly bear, could be seen holding a person by the throat as he repeatedly smashed his fist into the man. Although the man looked to be dead, it didn't stop him from reducing him to an unrecognisable corpse.
Countless lifeless bodies littered the ground around the man as the metallic smell of blood and the sight of the massacre were enough to shock any normal person.
The sound of footsteps disrupted the beatdown as a man stood behind the beast.
"Our men are ready, Ursus." The man was not answered as the beast dropped the corpse and turned around.
"They speak of this Guardian Angel in Ravenwood who is changing the streets." The man spoke with a voice that was enough to cause tremors in the ground below.
"Let's see if it's true."
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PoWeRsToNeS...
I nEeD PoWeRsToNeS...
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