Around 3:30 AM, Bradley stood on the training field of shadow mercenary guild practicing how to approach Elaine before they start their training.
" First, I think I should greet her with a smile before I ask her how her night was. She will probably look at me with a surprised gaze and wonder why I would ask such a question.
I will continue to smile at her and act like I haven't noticed her look." Bradley, who was immersed in his rehearsal didn't notice that the ice princess was standing right behind him.
"What are you doing?" Bradley was startled when he heard the voice of his prey from his back.
He slowly turned at her and smiled.
"Hi Elaine. How was your night?" He just went according to his own script. Elaine looked at him indifferently and asked "Are you here to be trained or ask about how my night was?"
An awkward smile appeared on his face when he realized that none of his predictions came true.
"Take this stick. We will be using it to train for now." Elaine tossed a stick that was about 100 cm long just like the M-K-O Cudgel.
Bradley caught the stick and nodded.
"First, I will explain some terms to you in using the cudgel and they are; stance, grips, strikes, blocks, footworks and practice drills. But before that, you need to understand the weapon. This stick is like a kali. It gives you reach, speed and control but no raw smashing power. You need to…" Elaine stopped what she was saying when she noticed that Bradley was actively staring at her in a strange manner and he wasn't actually listening to what she was saying. Initially she thought that there was something wrong with her face so she panicked a little. Girls couldn't afford to have a fault with the looks and Elaine wasn't exceptional. But after making she that everything was in order, she looked back at Bradley and saw that he was still looking at her with the same gaze and expression.
"Hey! What's wrong with you? If you think that my style is teaching is boring or funny, let's end it here and stop wasting each other's time and energy." She said with a serious tone.
Bradley snapped out of the dazed state when he heard the high tone of Elaine.
"How can the divine teaching of this heavenly beauty be boring? I just got an enlightenment right from the moment you started." He answered her with a charming smile that would steal countless of girls' hearts.
"Oh I see. So what did you learn from your enlightenment?" She asked sarcastically but deep behind her cold indifferent beautiful face, she was able to hide her blush from Bradley's words. Which girl didn't like being complimented as a beauty?
"Actually, I now have the basic knowledge of using a cudgel." Bradley said playfully.
" Oh why don't you show me what you learned from the enlightenment?." Elaine couldn't wait to see what Bradley had install for her.
" OK so you hold the stick with your right hand and with your left hand behind your back and in a professional way. You then relax your wrist and swing it according to the flow of the wind." Bradley who was drawn into his own act missed something which if he knew, he would have regretted very much. Thus, Elaine looked at his act and laughed but it lasted for a few seconds.
"Gpa!!"
" Ouch!!" Bradley held his head after Elaine hit his head with her stick.
" Do you think we have all day?
I bet that you even know the basics stance in wielding a cudgel. Pay attention to whatever I say or do or else I would hit your head with my stick again and again and again until you grasp the basics of wielding a cudgel." She said without caring what Bradley felt or had to say after she hit his head with her stick.
"We have two basic stances. The neutral guard stance and the forward guard stance. You stand in a feet shoulder-width position like this." Bradley looked at her and did same.
"Good. Now hold the stick with both hands, about 10 to 15 cm from each end. Now you make a forward angle of 45 degrees with the stick by relaxing your elbows." She looked at Bradley and was surprised by his sharp comprehension.
After seeing that Bradley could stand in the neutral stance with a stick at the right angle, she continued with the rest of the lessons.
"With the forward guard stance, your right leg which I presume is your dominant foot should be stepped forward with your lead hand near the front third of the stick like this. Your rear hand should near the end of the stick and the tip of the stick pointing at opponent's face or shoulder area for control and striking." She demonstrated the forward guard stance to him and to her surprise again, Bradley mimicked it easily.
She taught him the standard grip and the sliding grip of using a cudgel after she was convinced that Bradley could alternate the two basic stances whenever needed.
She went on and showed him the footworks involved in using the cudgel which were the step in footwork, the step out our side step footwork, the pivot footwork, and the Filipino Trianger footwork.
"I have to admit that you are kinda a fast learner, but know that it's because you are having an amazing teacher like me. Also, don't think that you are invincible after accomplishing this small feast. You still have a long way ahead. I think it's enough today so we will continue tomorrow morning," Elaine said after she saw that Bradley had mastered the basics stances, grips, and the footworks.
"Indeed, you deserve all the credit for my achievements today." Elaine proudly nodded to Bradley's words.
"I'm divinely blessed to have such a brilliant and otherworldly beautiful Ice Princess as my mentor." Elaine who was initially enjoying Bradley's compliments frowned when she heard the latter part where he call her Ice Princess.
"What did you call me?" She asked with her stick in position to deliver and attack.
"Ice Princess?" He foolishly asked back.
The beautiful face of Elaine distorted when she heard Bradley.
"I will see what you would call me after this lesson I'm going to teach you." After saying that, she swung the stick downward like chopping a wood, targeting the shoulder and padded chest area of Bradley.
Bradley who wasn't taught how to strike or block attack with his stick felt a burning sensation on his chest.
"Ahhh!!!" He screamed out in pain. Although he was a Level 2 Body Refiner but since he was caught off guard and hadn't activated his internal energy to strengthen his body, he suffered a loose.
"What's with this?" Bradley who was in pain couldn't help but to ask.
"What did you call me just now?" Elaine asked again.
"Ice Princess?" Right after saying that, another attack was sent towards him but this time, he noticed the incoming attack so he turned around to run. Elaine who saw that Bradley was able to evade her attack angrily shot after him and would hit him with the stick whenever she got the chance. Unknowingly to them, it was already 4 am and the novices and the Corporal along with his Elite Squad had arrived and was looking at them.