Chapter 9: Martial arts
His words cut my soul, but deep down, I knew that he was right. I kept reliving the scene at the cabin to give me motivation. I bit my lip and changed my whole demeanor. I straightened my posture and gave it my all. I ran like my life depended on it. I ran like a horse for what felt like an eternity. My mind did not focus on running, instead, it was hell-bent on revenge. My brain did not listen to my body's cries and pain. I just pushed myself until my body shut down and I fell out of exhaustion.
Grald looked at me with a satisfied expression and simply turned my body around to lay me on my back. I passed out for about an hour. When I came to, I was disoriented and nervously looked around until I saw the orc sitting down. Grald had conjured up a bonfire and was grilling some meat.
"Luke, come sit here, you must be starving," he said.
I sat next to him and began devouring the succulent food. My energy had been completely depleted because of the run earlier. Even though juices spread around hand, I was not thinking about cleanliness.
"How did I do?" I asked.
"You did really well. Even I was surprised by your determination," he replied.
"Your body is also quite weak, so you will need strength training. You'll be doing push-ups, squats and pull-ups to failure," he added.
I dropped to the ground and repped out the push-ups. Every fiber of my triceps began tensing up as soon as I started. Sweat that slid off of my face, dripped onto the grass. The sun was beaming down on my back and warmed my entire body. The aching only made me push myself harder. I was usually only able to perform five, but today, I was able to do fifteen which was a massive improvement. Grald nodded in approval after each repetition. Afterwards, I completed the other two exercises and all of my muscles were cramping up as I had gone to complete failure. I felt that if I continued this routine, I would see noticeable progress.
"Good job! Get some more rest. In an hour, We'll start the martial arts training," he said.
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We were once again standing in front of each other. Even though, I had eaten and rested well, I was still not at my best. However, I was not going to let that affect my training.
"I have thought of a few minor tweaks to your techniques to make them more suitable for your body. Get into your guard and I will show you what to adjust."
While in my stance, Grald just twisted my torso slightly and readjusted my legs minutely. Each of his changes was subtle but I instantly felt the difference. My body was more stable and I felt as if I was in a stronger position. The orc's intelligence greatly surprised me, he managed to find the weaknesses in my form and improved them. Grald then explained the mechanics behind what he did and why he changed it. The explanation was detailed and was so fascinating. I got a glimpse into his brilliant mind.
"Now begin striking from that stance," he said.
My punches and kicks sliced through the air like a hot knife through butter. There was a loud snap at the end of each strike. The power had drastically increased. My face wore a wide grin as I witnessed my improvement.
"Continue like this for thirty minutes," Grald said.
As time went on, my limbs felt heavier, but I pushed through the pain and persisted. I got more and more comfortable with striking from long and short range. Grald kept giving me pointers and general advice. With the improved techniques, my body became more efficient and I wasted less energy.
"Stop!" he shouted.
"Punch this tree," he said while pointing to a large bark.
I paid heed to what he said and my fist cut through the air towards the tree. My fist landing flush against the bark. A sharp pain shot through my fist into the rest of my body. A shout of pain was let out.
"Now you see, your punches looked good, but when you struck a solid object, its totally different. Firstly, your knuckles are not conditioned. You need to strike hard surfaces to improve on that. Secondly, your wrist positioning is wrong. Your knuckles, wrist and elbow should always be aligned. By doing that, the force will de distributed throughout your body and you will feel less pain."
"Try again," he added.
I punched the tree again, but this time, I put his advice into practice. Even though it still hurt, the pain was much more tolerable than before. With each strike, I felt the pain decrease as if my nerves were now used to it. The skin on my hand was tearing and my knuckles were a bloodied mess. Even after seeing the injuries, I was smiling like a maniac and punched with more force. I was in a frenzy. My eyes were like those of a wild animal. I kept striking until Grald told me to stop. The spot where I was punching was concave and was dyed red from my blood.
"That's enough for today. We will continue this training for a week then we can begin hunting. That will be a true test of your skills."
"Will I be hunting with a weapon?" I asked out of curiosity.
"No. A weapon is merely an extension of your body. For now, you will be doing everything with your bare hands as you will need to learn about yourself
When we returned home, I could only eat to recuperate before going to bed. I did not even have the time or willingness to talk to the the orcs. In my mind, training was going to be a chore, but instead, this was fun and I laughed myself to sleep.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone