Lunch ended sooner than Ling would have liked.
Naguri gave him a short while to rest before picking up his hammer-headed staff and heading back toward the open part of the cove. Ling followed, still feeling the morning's Fluidity training in his shoulders and legs.
He understood what Naguri wanted now. Actually doing it consistently was another matter.
Naguri stopped and turned toward him.
"Next is Control, noshi."
Ling nodded.
"How much force I use."
"Exactly."
Naguri held out one hand.
"Hit my palm."
Ling stepped forward and punched. His fist struck Naguri's palm with a sharp smack, but the old man's arm barely moved.
"Too much."
Ling looked at his hand.
"I didn't hit that hard."
"You didn't need to."
Naguri held his palm out again.
"Try it."
Ling adjusted and struck more lightly.
"Too little."
Ling frowned.
"I thought that would be enough."
"That's why we're practicing, noshi."
He tried again, and this time Naguri gave a small nod.
"Closer."
They continued from there, with Naguri changing how much force he wanted from one attempt to the next. Sometimes Ling only needed to make firm contact. Other times Naguri asked for a heavier strike, then immediately demanded something lighter.
The idea was simple. Matching it consistently wasn't.
Naguri eventually lowered his hand.
"Strength isn't something you only use or don't use, noshi. There's everything in between."
He raised his palm again.
"If a little is enough, use a little. If you need more, use more."
"So I need to choose exactly how much."
"And eventually do it without thinking about every strike."
Ling looked at Naguri's palm.
'Easy to say.'
Naguri smiled.
"Doing it is the hard part, noshi."
Ling stepped forward again.
The lesson soon moved beyond standing strikes. Naguri began mixing Control with the Fluidity exercises from the morning, making Ling pay attention to how much force he used when stepping, stopping, or changing direction.
Ling shifted away from Naguri's staff and pushed off the ground to circle around him, only to travel farther than he intended.
"Too much."
He returned and tried again. This time he reduced the force so much that his movement slowed and the transition broke apart.
Naguri shook his head.
"Don't throw away Fluidity while you're learning Control."
Ling straightened.
"So I have to do both at once."
"They're supposed to work together, noshi."
Ling settled himself again.
On the next attempt, he slipped aside, turned with the movement, and changed direction without throwing his entire body into the push.
Naguri didn't stop him.
Ling took that as a win.
The afternoon continued in much the same way. Sometimes a turn carried him too far or a strike left him slightly off balance. Other times Ling caught himself using more effort to stop than the movement had required in the first place.
Naguri corrected him when necessary, but little by little, Ling began noticing some of the mistakes on his own.
After one turn carried him farther than intended, Ling stopped before Naguri could say anything.
"Too much."
Naguri smiled.
"Good."
Ling looked over.
"I still messed up."
"But you noticed, noshi."
Naguri tapped the ground with his staff.
"Again."
They continued until Ling could at least feel the difference between controlling a movement and simply holding himself back.
Eventually, Naguri lowered the staff.
"That's enough for Control."
Ling released a breath and glanced toward the sun. A good portion of the afternoon had already disappeared.
"Precision?"
Naguri nodded.
He walked toward one of the smaller sections of ironwood and crouched beside it. Using a piece of charcoal, he drew several circles across its surface before standing again.
Ling looked at the marks.
"Targets."
Naguri tapped one of them.
"Hit this one."
Ling stepped forward.
"How hard?"
"Enough to leave a mark."
Ling punched.
His knuckles landed partly inside the circle.
Naguri looked at the mark.
"Again."
The next attempt landed closer to the center. Naguri pointed toward another circle, and this time Ling struck it cleanly.
"Good. Again, but lighter."
Ling repeated the strike.
The target was right, but the impact was heavier than Naguri had asked for.
"Too much force."
Ling looked at the mark.
"So hitting the right place isn't enough."
"That's why I taught you Control first, noshi."
Naguri tapped another circle.
"Precision tells you where to put the force. It doesn't decide how much."
'Right place. Right amount.'
Ling tried again.
Standing still and striking a marked target wasn't particularly difficult, so Naguri soon began making him move first. Sometimes Ling had to step around him before striking. Other times Naguri called a different target while Ling was already in motion.
"Upper right."
Ling turned and punched.
Too low.
"Again."
Naguri changed his starting position.
"Center."
Ling moved in and struck the correct spot, but the impact was harder than intended.
He pulled his hand back.
'Too much.'
Naguri gave a small nod.
The exercises continued until Ling started hitting the right marks more consistently, even when he had to move first.
By late afternoon, his arms felt heavy, and the charcoal circles across the ironwood were surrounded by marks from his repeated attempts.
Naguri finally stepped away.
"Enough."
Ling lowered his hands.
"For Precision?"
"For now."
Naguri sat on a nearby piece of timber and took out his pipe. After a moment, his eyes moved toward Ling's hands.
"What do you plan to fight with, noshi?"
Ling glanced down.
"What do you mean?"
"A weapon."
Naguri gestured toward his own staff.
"Sword, spear, staff, axe. There are plenty of choices."
Ling considered it.
Weapons made sense. He knew exactly how dangerous skilled swordsmen and other weapon users could become in this world.
Still, when Ling imagined the way he wanted to fight, none of them felt right.
He raised one hand and closed it into a fist.
"I'll use these."
Naguri raised an eyebrow.
"Your fists?"
Ling nodded.
"My fists are enough."
Naguri studied him for a few seconds before smiling.
"Then we'll train your fists, noshi."
Ling smiled back.
Naguri stood and picked up his staff.
Ling's smile faded.
"We're not done."
"Almost."
Ling sighed and followed him back into the clearing.
Naguri turned to face him.
"One last exercise."
"What am I doing?"
"All three."
Ling raised his hands.
Naguri tapped his left shoulder.
"Touch here."
Ling looked at the spot.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
Naguri lowered his hand.
Ling moved first.
His opening punch missed when Naguri stepped aside, but instead of pulling himself back out of habit, Ling let the motion carry into his next step.
Naguri moved again.
Ling followed, only to push too hard when he changed direction and travel farther than he wanted.
Naguri tapped his staff against the ground.
Ling steadied himself.
'Too much.'
He approached again.
This time his movements connected more smoothly. Naguri shifted at the last moment, and Ling adjusted with him, but his fist still passed beside the shoulder.
'Missed.'
Ling backed away and raised his hands again.
There was no point trying to hold all three words in his head at once.
He moved.
When Naguri stepped aside, Ling turned with the missed attack instead of resetting and followed without putting too much force into the change of direction. Naguri shifted again, and Ling adjusted from where he already stood.
The shoulder came within reach.
Ling punched.
Naguri caught his wrist just before contact.
For a moment, the old pirate looked at Ling's fist before releasing it.
"Better, noshi."
Ling lowered his arm.
"I still didn't touch you."
"You've been learning for one day."
Naguri rested the staff against his shoulder.
"Give it time."
Ling glanced toward the marked ironwood.
Naguri turned toward the cave.
"That's enough for today, noshi."
Ling followed him.
This time, he didn't argue.