54 chapter 54

The giant yelled out,"My dropkick is better than yours!"

Before the giant could react, all sorts of bladed weapons were thrust into his back.

The giant did not react to the sudden surge in pain but just fell forward a mere two inches. He flexed and the wounds close up after themselves, as if they were never there.

Rin knew that this giant was no joke and that he was not to be fooled with. The swordsman had to up his game or he would be dead meat sooner rather than later.

The large foe only laughed at Rin for his folly for trying to hurt or maybe even attempt to

murder him. All the blades that Rin had used in the past to destroyed countless targets, both inanimate and living all so many times before.

Yet, he still failed. The swordsman was at impasse, just pure and simple.

#

Rin's memory flashed backed to several years ago, when he was just a young lad under the tutelage of his grandfather, Bines.

The lad was getting beaten down by the humble master in a test of hand to hand combat. Rin was getting covered by sweat and bruises. The boy was suffering under this training but the old master was careful to not critical wound the boy.

Bines was not even breaking a sweat in the hot desert heat that soared over 200 °F all year long. This was drastic comparison to Rin who was just struggling to even breath.

Bines spoke,"Boy, do not give up yet! The fight is far from over! Do not give up, yet!"

Rin looked at his grandfather in disbelief or maybe yet, even disdain.

Bines smiled at the boy with a grandfather's love, so he knew that the boy had finally had enough.

Grandpa spoke,"Let's call it quits for today! Go to the shower and I will finish up supper for you and Lin."

Rin did not argue and obeyed his grandpa.

The trio was sitting at the stone kitchen table with various dishes that caused the twins' bellies to rumble.

Bines spoke,"You two are progressing nicely and I am proud of you all."

Rin paused eating as if he was troubled by something. He opened his mouth to say something

but stopped himself at the last second.

Lin did not pick up on her brother's confusion but Bines picked up on it all too well.

Bines asked,"What is wrong, Rin? What is the source of your bewilderment?"

Lin spoke,"Rin did something happen today, while grandpa was giving you one on one training?"

Rin spoke,"No it is nothing."

Bines spoke,"Let us leave the matter lay, until he is ready to speak about."

#

The next day Rin and Lin were trained by the Grandfather, when gave them both some water to drink out of a cloth jug.

The twins were siting on a hard stone bench that Bines had made centuries ago, while the old man sat upon a chipped marble chair.

Bines spoke,"There will be a day, where you must fight a foe that is better than you. You must not give into despair!"

Lin spoke,"How do you do that Grandpa?"

Bines smiled and said,"That is for you to find out!"

Rin spoke,"What kind of answer is that? Quit playing with us!"

Lin and Rin knew that their Grandpa only gave as much information when the duo had hit a wall of opposition. He wanted the younglings to not be robbed of much needed growth."

The twins were puzzled by the old man's response.

Bines showed them a picture of a butterfly and said,"Is this bug pretty?"

The twins nodded in agreement.

Bines spoke,"But, what does it look like when it is young?"

Lin bursts out,"It is a caterpillar!"

Bines spoke,"The girl has won the prize. But that is not an easy process for the bug to go

through. It struggles while in the cocoon, so that it can be strong enough to escape. If someone opens

up the cocoon before it is ready it will die."

Rin spoke,"Why is that?"

Bines spoke,"Because, it's wings would not be strong enough to fly if it does not break free of

his prison on it's own power.

Lin spoke,"That is why you won't baby us in our training and other lessons!"

Bines spoke,"You finally get it. You will someday be on your one day and will have to fend for yourselves. I am a very old man and if you are to live in this hellish desert, then you must fight those that are better than you in possibly ever considerable way."

Rin spoke with excitement,"You want us to be strong like you are Grandpa!"

Bines only shook his head in disapproval as if the boy had said something wrong.

Lin asked,"What is the problem with what Rin had said?"

Bines looked up at his grandchildren and spoke,"I am just a weak old man compared to those who are at the top the fighting world. I once fought the Butcher and lived to tell the tale!"

Rin and Lin spoke in accord,"You fought that monster?"

Bines spoke,"Yes, I did when he was still relatively young! He was still beatable back in those days."

#

Bines was just a meager one hundred years old when he was still new at the famous battle

academy in the north east the land of whores.

He had been sent as a representative of the Socanas desert. The invisible hand was not in power

of the hot desert at this time but just an urban legend. It was widely believed to just be another boogie man story to scare children. (Boy, if they only knew the truth, at that time, things might had turned out differently).

The battle academy there was the best in the entire continent by a long shot.

Bines had trained under several different masters at that time and he was head of his fellow students at a similar age. He found himself to be the target of jealous rage of those that did not like the sudden advancement that Bines was getting. They blamed their fellow student for their own lack of ability/or passion.

#

More than one hundred years had went by and Bines had become a top class warrior. He was never bigger than 5'9" and one hundred and ninety pounds. But, he was under two percent body fat no matter what he would eat. He was just too active and having a good metabolism did not hurt ether.

He was on a rare day off from training when he hears some yells coming from afar off. He runs from out his meager home when he sees flames coming from the academy's famous canyon.

Bines thought,"A fearsome battle has just ended and one Ki has totally vanished deep into the canyon! This has to be more than a simple challenge, since such wanton destruction of the academy is stricly forbidden by the academy's elders. Who could behind all this?"