Nebulous Emperor

Nave sat outside in the cold, away from the rest of the adults outside the bar. He sat on the curb reading a book. Every once in a while he would peek over the top.

What he saw amazed him.

"You ready, bro?"

"Fine, but it's my turn next."

The man proceeded to slap the other in the face with the back of his hand.

The man fell on the ground and said, "What's that game called again?"

"Something like backhand-fronthand."

Nave shook his head and went back to reading his book.

"You wanna play newbie?"

"I'm okay."

"Suit yourself. What's that book about anyway?"

"The difference in economic policies between the three sectors."

"Why are you interested in that stuff anyway? We make good money doing this stuff."

"You won't if a smart person decides they want that money instead."

"Whatever man."

They went back to hurting each other for fun.

After a while, they attempted to connect with Nave again.

"Hey dude, you know how to fight?"

Nave looked over his book again and shook his head.

They once again went back to hurting each other.

Nave actually serious thought about it for a second.

'The way things are going, I may or may not need to learn how to fight. It definitely could come in handy."

At multiple points in the past week, Nave had gotten into two physical altercations. One of them was his own making. But it would still be prudent to learn, especially taking into consideration his present company.

That present company was punching each other in the stomach back and forth, seeing who could take more punches.

'I thought a gang would be so much more serious than this.'

He stood up and decided to join them.

"I wanna learn."

The guys stopped hitting each other and looked at him.

"Cool, put your hands up."

Nave put his hands into the air with his palms facing toward the man.

"I thought you were supposed to be smart."

Nave tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Do it like this."

The guy adjusted Nave's hand.

"This is a fist."

Nave looked at it and memorized it.

"Why did your parents never teach you this?"

"My mom didn't want me to use violence to solve my problems."

"You think she wanted you to join a gang?"

...

"Good point." Nave agreed.

"Yeah, I know it's a good point. Now have you ever been punched in the face?"

"No." Nave confirmed with apprehension in his voice while raising his fist to cover his face.

The man nodded. "Good, being punched in the face isn't necessary at all."

Nave let his guard down and saw a fist flying toward his face. It landed right on his nose.

Nave landed on his butt and held his nose in pain.

"Oww, what's wrong with you?" Nave said while tears welled up in his eyes.

"Calm down I didn't hit you hard at all, you wuss. Every man has to be punched in the face at least once. Get up!"

Nave stood up, barely able to see anything.

"Put your fist up, boy."

Nave did just that.

"I'm gonna hit you now; stop me."

Nave saw a huge fist coming toward him; all he did in response was put his forearms in front of his face, afraid of getting hit in the nose again.

The first one made contact with his forearms, and he felt like they were going to shatter. The fist of a grown man flying at him with all the force he could muster and his shabby guard was a disaster in the making. But Nave didn't know that.

All he could focus on was the feeling of the man's knuckles digging into his muscles as he tried his best to defend his face and torso.

He came to a realization.

'I'm out of my league.'

As he felt an endless barrage of fists make contact with him, he felt bruises welling up all over his body. The pain in his abdomen started to become overwhelming. His forearms started to burn badly.

One of the fists hit him in a spot on the side of his body, and he dropped to the ground.

'I gotta stop ending up like this outside this bar.' He thought while moaning in pain.

"Get up!"

Nave stayed on the ground.

"I said get up!"

A foot arrived at Nave's already hurt enough stomach.

"Sittin around crying isn't gonna get you anywhere. Get up and fight or leave!"

He put his hands against the ground and slowly separated his body from the ground.

He stood up and weakly put his fist up the way the man taught him.

The man nodded his head and approached him again.

'He's right, something has to change.'

The man got closer, and Nave weakly circled around him.

"Running away, huh?"

He sped up and quickly arrived in front of Nave.

He saw his large fist come closer.

'Well, lets do it on purpose this time.'

Nave's body dropped, and he rolled away.

'Nice, I got a good amount of separation was made, but I need an actual plan.'

The guy was bigger and stronger than Nave.

'And obviously has been in more fights than I have.'

The man got closer once more, and Nave felt even more pressure than before.

He put his arms up again, and this time the pain was really too much. He had to do something or else he would hit the ground, and he wouldn't be awake for it this time.

Nave thought of something at that moment.

He started to retreat. Tanking the damage as best as he could. He could see the man becoming tired. He had been seriously trying to injure Nave for some time now.

His fists were dropping more and more often.

Nave once again saw a fist swing toward his left obliques again.

His other hand was lower than it should be.

At that moment, Nave tensed the muscles in his leg and lunged toward the man, appearing way closer to the man than he expected.

'Look at his face.' Nave thought as he saw a look of shock.

Nave was good at analyzing things in his environment, and that's what he had been doing this entire time.

Nave lowered his center of gravity, rotated his torso, tightened his core, and tensed the muscles in his right shoulder, using it as a spring to launch his fist straight toward his nose.

His knuckles landed upon the man's nose, feeling the crinkle and the alteration of his cartilage. The crunch sound was clear for all present to hear.

The man fell to the ground holding his nose as Nave stood over him.

"Get up!"

The man smiled even with blood leaking from his nose and water present in his eyes. He stood up and put his guard up.

Nave raised his fist and quickly launched his hand out for the man to shake.

"Thank you."

The man welcomed his hand and shook it while holding his nose with the other.

"You're welcome."

"What's your name?"

"Daniel."

"Nave."

Nave genuinely appreciated what the man did for him. He realized what the man's goal was a while ago.

Daniel had spotted Nave a while ago and discerned that he wasn't going to last as long as he was. A skinny kid who reads books in a gang wasn't the type to last long among this type of men.

Once he saw Nave show interest in fighting, he saw an opportunity to teach him something valuable.

Teaching him to fight was just an excuse.

Nave spent the rest of the night punching, slapping, farting, and laughing with a bunch of middle-aged men in front of a bar on a random corner.

~~~

Nave showed up at the mine in the morning tired out of his mind, still wearing an all-black baggy outfit.

Ciara walked in.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Nave smiled.

"I joined a gang."

She looked him up and down.

"Good for you."

She closed the door, and Nave's head hit his desk; snoring was heard shortly after.