Slave Girl 2: Chapter 83 (Patreon)

I lead the group back to my land.  Before we reach the villa I cut off into the woods and wave for them to follow.  We weave through the trees across the soft, mossy earth until we arrive at the ancient platform.

“What is this?”  Asks Julian.

“Originally?  I have no idea.”  I reply.  “Now?  This is where we train.”

Toke nods as his eyes scan across it.  “This will do.”

We sit down and eat our supper as Toke runs through the basic ground rules of the next several weeks.

“Each of you are here because you wish to be.  If you do not wish to be, leave.  Once you leave you will not come back.”  He says in a firm, authoritative tone.  “I will have no complaining or whining.  We are warriors, not whelps.  If you are injured beyond the expected bruises and strains you will say so.  A mended blade is more useful than a broken one.  Ask the questions you must and no more.  Listen to the reply and reflect upon it.  Answers are better learned through sweat than ears.”

In a circle around our elder we nod our understanding.

“Ego, anger, rivalry, doubts, station, class, leave these things out there.”  With his chin he motions to the area beyond the platform.  “On here we are brothers.  We are here to learn from each other and build each other.  In sharing strengths and identifying and buttressing weaknesses we shall be more than we are now when our time together is over.”

“Brothers.”  Lucas looks around at us as he slowly nods.

“Eat and we will begin.”

Our spirits fired up by Toke’s bold words the group of us gobble down our meal in no time at all.  We pile the plates and mugs to one corner and begin to clear the moss away from the floor.  During this time Toke takes me aside.

“We will need fresh water here.”  He says.  “Cloth wrapping to support and bandage.  Lanterns or torches for when the light fails.  And weapons with which to train.”

“Weapons?”

“Training weapons.  Staves, sticks, whatever you farmers might have on hand.”

“I thought this would be strictly unarmed.  Pankration.”

“You were wrong.”  He slaps my shoulder.  “Have them here tomorrow Master Quintus.”

“You can call me Quin.”

“I cannot.”

“What happened to no class or station?”

“Hrm.”  He grunts and looks to the edge of the platform, which we stood only a short step away from.

I sigh.  “I will have these things here tomorrow.”

“Good.”

“Woah!”  Quique exclaims.  “Look at this.”

He was in the center and had just revealed the copper plaque of the monster.  The men all gather around to stare at the fearsome visage.

“It is a sign!”  Lucas says excitedly.  “The mighty Minotaur will inspire strength and ferocity in us!”

“I’m not so sure Lucas.”  Julian says.  “Was this a sacred place?”

“If it was it was a long time ago.”  I say.  “The house has a Labyrinth design running through it.  I think the original builder just had an interest in the Cretan myth.”

Despite Julian’s misgivings the platform is quickly cleared and before long Toke has us around him in a circle.  He removes his sandals and tunic and tosses them to beyond the platform.  We see his lean torso, especially his back, criss-crossed with scars both old and new.  We follow his lead until the group of us stand in just our underbreeches.  To my right I catch Oeneus whisper to Gyasi.  “The Cassias exaggerate.”  I blush a bit as I realize that the tales of my manhood had just been undermined.  Ah well, better to have the truth out there.  Toke runs us through a few limbering up exercises then delves straight into it.

He holds up a fist.  “This is your first weapon.  Your swiftest weapon.  Always at your side.  A battle can be over in the beat of a sparrow's wing if you know how to use this.”  He steps back.  “Oeneus.  Come forward.”  Oeneus, nervous yet excited, moves to stand in front of Toke.  “Punch me.”

“Um…punch you?”

“No hesitation!”  Toke barks and we all startle.  “Punch!”

Oeneus lurches forward with a sloppy jab, which is easily sidestepped.  “Good.”  Toke catches his arm and holds it at full extension.  He has Oeneus stand still as he begins to turn and shift his body into a better position.  At the end he brings Oeneus’ opposite arm to protect his head.  He then pats his shoulder.  “Feel this?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“End like this.”  He pushes the student back to where he started.  “Try again.”

Oeneus looks to us then down to his body.  Trying to imagine how he was going to go from here to the correct position he shifts his posture around a few times then strikes out with another punch toward Toke.  It misses by just as much as the first one but it certainly looked better.  This time Toke returns the Hispanian to the starting position before making corrections.  A twist of the hips, a widening of the stance, a change in the angle of the feet, and then they do it again.  And again.  And again.  Each punch getting progressively better.

“Slow down.”  Toke says after the latest one.  “Less strength, for now.  Easier to learn it correctly the first time than correct it later.”

With ever building confidence Oeneus nods and tries again.  And again.  And again.  He laughs and looks at his friend Quique, who gives him a supportive pump of his fist.

“Good. Good.”  Toke slaps Oeneus’ shoulder.  “Gyasi.  Step forward.”  Oeneus steps back as the small African takes his place.

One by one he brings us up to learn a simple punch.  There were endless corrections and adjustments.  Never did I realize how complex a basic punch could be.  My turn comes and goes no different than the others.  I may have been the ‘boss’ of this crew, this might have been my land, and I was the guy who Toke had fought for real and would again, but on this platform I was just another student.  I liked that.  We all liked that.

Once he has gone through each of us he makes a few brief remarks about things to look out for and how the punch could be adapted based on circumstance he has us pair up and begin to practice with each other.  I square off against Quique, who was closest to my height, while Julian is paired with Oeneus and Lucas and Gyasi as the two shortest are matched up.  With a half a step of extra space between us and moving at half speed the groups start to drill as Toke moves between us and makes corrections, more often with his strong hands than his words.

It is at this point that we find ourselves with an audience.

“What do we have here!?”  Comes a female hoot.  “WhoooOOO!  Now this is a sight.”

Walking from the direction of the house comes Cassie with Rosa at her side.  Their appearance brightens the mood of all of the men but two, Lucas and Toke.  The rest of us suck in our guts and suddenly have some extra zip in our punches and blocks.

“Get outta here!”  Lucas barks at his sister.  “This is secret knowledge.”

“Pfff, secret?  I can throw a better punch than that.”

“You wouldn’t understand wom…GAH!”  Cassie’s distraction left Lucas flat-footed as Gyasi’s next punch clips off his ear.  “OW!”  He rubs his sore ear as his sister laughs.

Toke shakes his head.  “Focus Lucas.”

“But…”

“Focus!”

Lucas nods, shoots his smiling sister a brotherly glare, then returns to the drills.

“We thought you men might need some refreshment?” Rosa says in the direction of Toke as she lifts the stoppered jug in her hands.

“Mmm.”  Toke replies.  “That would be appreciated.  You may leave it by the platform.”

“Platform?”

Cassie whispers to Rosa, describing the scene, even as her wide eyes continue to scan across all of the sweaty man flesh on display, her gaze lingering extra long on mine.  I shoot her a wink…then nearly succumb the same fate as Lucas as Quique’s fist whizzes just past my nose.  I force myself to concentrate lest I get a smack in the jaw.

As the women come to leave the jug Toke meets them at the edge of our training area.  Standing over them, hands on hips, he asks.  “Do you wish to join us?”

The question stops all of us on the spot.

“Me?  Us?”  Cassie looks around as if there might be somebody besides them in the area.  “What!?”

“You.”  He speaks directly to Cassie.  “With no offense, I have no experience with the blind nor have we the time for me to learn.”

“Oh!”  Rosa’s eyes widen.  “You want…Cassie to train with you?”

“I want nothing.  I ask a question.”

“Toke!”  Lucas storms over.  “What are you doing?  That’s my sister. She doesn’t belong here.”

With that rock steady calm I’d come to expect from him he looks down at Lucas.  “Where does she belong?”

“Not here.  Not among brothers.  She’s…she’s…a woman!”

“You Romans do not let your women fight.  But that is not the only way.  Where I come from our maidens stain the fields with enemy blood at the shoulders of their men.  Their weapons and style differ but their fury burns just as hot.”

“She has no…fury!”

“If you cannot see her fighting spirit then you are either blind or ignorant.”  Toke says.  Through his stoicism I swear I see a little glimmer of amusement peeking through.  I realize that while the offer was genuine it was also a quiet act of defiance against his captors.  Cassie’s shock and Lucas’ angry response was exactly what he had been hoping for.  “Valkyrie, Boudicca, Artemesia, the Amazon, warriors all.”

“Those are NOT Roman women.”  He spits to the side.  “Certainly not the Amazon.  They’re barely women at all.”

Rosa’s head dips, just a little.  My eyes narrow, my fists clench.  I liked Lucas but that comment, as widely held as that opinion was, disappointed me deeply.

“Lucas!”  Cassie snaps.  “You are embarrassing yourself again.”

“Toke.  Send them away. This is ridiculous.”

Toke stares at him a moment then says.  “Are you so threatened by a woman that you would not train with one?”

“Threatened!?  Me!?”  He looks around at the other men.  “Never!”

Toke looks back to Cassie.  “I will have your answer by tomorrow.  No later.”

Chapter 84