Unfriendly Faces Need Slapping

The one to speak up was a rather ugly young fellow. He had long ginger hair tied up in an oversized bun which was frankly ridiculous. His facial features were roundish, his nose crooked from what seemed to be an old injury, and his body was lanky. He looked to be around thirteen years old.

His name was Kerio Calles, and it wasn't the first time he and Jack crossed paths. In fact, the first time they met was when Jack had finally broken through the last stage of body cultivation and had reforged his meridians successfully, which was the nght he playfully pushed Kerio to the ground whilst he was taking a late-night trip to the outdoor chamber pot of his mother's home.

Kerio and Jack hadn't crossed paths for a great many years since then, but had somehow managed to coincide a few months earlier when Redris Calles had wanted to bring his family to the Mischievous Hare as a birthday celebration for Kerio. From the moment that Kerio crossed gazes with Jack, he had loathed Ichabod's son; not for any other reason than Jack's eyes reminding him of his extremely embarrassing accident that fateful night.

The truth was, Redris had been exceedingly disappointed with his son's reactions towards the entire event. The young Kerio at the time had insisted that he'd been attacked by a vicious imp that had tried to kidnap him into the night. Later investigations found no trace of any such creature, nor were any tracks found which showed that anyone, besides Kerio, had ever been there that night; the adults concluding that Kerio had merely suffered from a vivid nightmare. As such, Kerio was ridiculed extensively in the Calles family, especially by his older brothers.

It was only after a great many years of constantly proving himself in martial talent and intellectual development that he'd managed to regain favour in his father's eyes. And when he finally succeeded in doing so, he met Jack.

The hate and loathing Kerio felt for those blue eyes of his were more than enough justification in his immature mind to constantly make things difficult for Jack. Whenever they met, conflict was sure to happen.

"Didn't you hear me, cripple?" Said Kerio venomously. "Or has your crippleness extended to your ears and made you deaf?"

Jack sighed and turned to face the young Calles family member directly. He then noticed that Kerio was flanked by a trio of angry-looking guards that glared threateningly at him. 'This isn't going to be fun', he thought.

"My good Kerio, 'crippleness' isn't a word." Jack said as he nonchalantly took a few steps back and placed his arm in a gesture of letting the entourage pass first. "The correct terminology for hearing impairment is 'deaf'."

"I know that already!"

"Well, forgive me for judging you on your words." Jack said in a puzzling manner whilst grinning inconspicuously. "I thought you were a man."

"Do you want a beating, kid?" One of the guards took a step forward but was halted by Kerio who had fire burning in his eyes as he looked at Jack.

"It's all right. He didn't mean it." Kerio smiled insidiously as he double checked to see if Jack was accompanied by any form of protection. His smile grew wider when he saw there wasn't. "But he still must compensate me for the insult. Therefore, kneel down, beg for forgiveness and slap yourself twice, cripple, and we will leave it at that."

It was only in the early afternoon, so there was a large number of people still walking around the streets; some of whom turned to look at the ongoing show with evident voyeurism, the others shook their heads at Jack's misfortune and continued on with their routines. Even if they secretly cursed Kerio for his actions, they would never dare to publicly criticise a potential heir of the Calles family.

"It seems you are not really a man." Sighed Jack as if he truly regretted Kerio's inadequate masculinity. His words intensified the three guard's glares. "A man's word's weight is in gold; and the value of a man is measured by the value of his words. I respected you by respecting your words and giving them value. It was my mistake to do so. By beating me you're proving to the whole world that your words, your value, are non-existent." Jack finished his rant by heavily pointing a finger at Kerio. "You tarnish your family name!"

This time, it was Kerio's turn to stumble mentally and find himself at a loss from Jack's mind games. The three guards, feeling that they couldn't rightly strike at Jack, turned to look at their young master. Even they felt that what Jack was saying was correct. The random passersby on the street and the curious onlookers alike nodded discreetly at Jack's statement.

"My words are trustworthy." Truth be told, Kerio didn't fully understand how him making a simple grammar mistake had suddenly become a questioning of the integrity of his words, but he needed to defend himself. "I will not be questioned by a cripple who knows nothing of honour!"

"And yet you make me want to apologise to you and slap myself for respecting them?" Jack's eyes widened in confusion as he asked in a tone which gave others the impression he was talking to himself rather than to Kerio. "What have I done to offend you? How dare you question my honour when you show none to begin with!"

"Well… This…" Kerio felt awkward. From the way Jack had presented the facts, he couldn't justify having Jack slap himself without inviting public scorn upon his persona.

"Or is the Calles family teaching their young to shamelessly chastise others even when they have done no wrong, mocking the basic principles of human society?" Added Jack in a still innocent tone which went counter to the venom in his line of questioning. "Is the Calles family turning their back on humanity and returning to live like beasts?"

Kerio felt a fury rising within him. He wouldn't allow his reputation to be tarnished like this by a cripple, much less his family's name. "I just feel like slapping you. Do I need any more of a reason? In the world, might makes right, and I'm stronger than you, so I get to choose." He said as he turned to face to the side. "Men, make him kneel for this daddy."

Everyone felt a little disgusted at Kerio's shameless words, but no one felt like they could interject in Jack's favour or speak up to defend him. After all, whoever spoke up now would be the target of young Kerio's hate. No one would put themselves in that position for a cripple.

The three guards looked at each other and they could all see the hesitation in each other's eyes, wondering whether they should obey their young master's orders.

Finally, one of the three sighed and grabbed Jack's arm.

The moment he did, Jack felt a sensation swell up inside of him that he thought he'd put far behind himself. It was killing intent. Raw and unadulterated murderous instinct tantamount to a primordial beast bearing its fangs to an intruder. Jack spoke up without even noticing it. "Do not touch me."

His voice was quiet, soft as a whisper, only audible to the guard that had him held by the arm. The guard, however, suddenly felt a shiver go up his spine with such ferocity, that he immediately let go of Jack and jumped back a step. In that brief moment before he let go, the guard felt every instinct he had screaming at him that he was in mortal peril.

The other two guards and Kerio alike stared at their companion quizzically. Why had he suddenly retreated like that? The guard, though, couldn't rightly tell them that he'd felt fear from Jack. He couldn't admit that he'd backed away from a cripple!

"Why you little…!" The guard pounced forward once more as he extended his arms to grab Jack again and hopefully wash away the shame of having been frightened by an eleven-year-old boy.

This time, Jack was prepared.

He raised his arms and covered his face as he clumsily ducked under the guard's reach and ran forward a few steps while screaming.

"Help! The Calles family wants to murder me!" He shouted out, stunning the people around him. "Murder! Bloody murder!" Jack continued shouting without any indication that he was going to stop. "They want to kill me! Help!"

Kerio was left stunted. In just a split second, the matter had gone from a simple argument between children to a fully blown criminal act. He turned to look at the people around them and he saw the suspicion within their gazes. If Kerio and his entourage didn't put a stop to Jack's crazed rambling, there was a serious chance that the purported crime would blow up in their faces and reach unbearable proportions.

"Catch him! Catch him now!" He ordered his guards, inviting the scorn of the people who had been all but completely convinced that Jack was right. In fact, one person had even discreetly left to look for the city's security corps.

Kerio's three guards acted instantly, placing themselves in a triangular formation surrounding Jack without, what they thought, was any chance of escape.

They thought wrong.

Jack visibly closed his eyes and covered up his face as he ran forward towards one of the three guards, refusing to stop chanting his cries for help. The guard smiled bitterly as he grabbed at the boy, somewhat lamenting that Jack was so inexperienced. However, his hands only grabbed at the empty air.

Jack suddenly tripped just before the guard managed to touch him and miraculously dodged his extended arms. The guard clicked his tongue and reached down to pick Jack up. As he leaned over, though, he felt a flash of pain on his lower back as his muscles cramped up suddenly, freezing him in that awkward position. The guard exclaimed, paused, and gave Jack enough time to lift himself back up and head towards a nearby alley.

"What's the matter with you?!" Angrily exclaimed one of the guard's companions. Kerio was staring at him hatefully; his gaze promising that there would be severe consequences for this oversight.

"I… I…" How could the guard know that in that moment that Jack was 'falling', he'd struck out at the tianshu acupoint, forcing the guard's muscles to contract painfully. Jack had been incredibly quick and no one had seen his strike.

"After him!" Without waiting for an explanation, the other two ran into the same alleyway closely followed by Kerio.

The three turned the corner just in time to see a large pile of crates falling on top of them. These crates belonged to a nearby corner shop and were full of various forms of produce which were pending cataloguing. Jack had chosen this particular alleyway to flee to because of this pile of crates and its ambush potential.

The three from the Calles family were caught completely unawares and froze as the crates fell on them, breaking apart and covering them in various vegetables, most of which burst and sullied their clothes.

Jack chuckled, jumped down from the side he was hiding in, and ran past his three chasers; not before loudly slapping Kerio in the face as he ran past him. "Unfriendly faces need a good slapping!" He shouted as he darted down the street and eventually lost himself amidst the crowd.

Kerio and his three guards knew there was no way they would be able to catch him now. They all looked at each other and shame clouded their expressions; particularly Kerio, whose face now had a large imprint of a small hand on its side.

To make matters worse, the city guards clad in leather armour appeared at this very moment demanding an explanation. How could Kerio and his guards admit that they had been defeated by a martial cripple when they sought trouble with him in the first place? The three were fined for causing a public disturbance and forced to pay the damages for the corner shop's wasted produce.

Kerio had been utterly humiliated.