5 Chapter 234: Containing Rage

Joe turned toward Caesar, who was radiating an immense amount of bloodthirst. Ever since he had first gone berserk, he felt a little bit of fear for his best friend, who was capable of stopping his rampage. Naturally, Joe was imprisoned for a good portion of his life and wasn't exactly trained in any way shape or form, so his strength was severely lacking in comparison to the berserkers of legend.

Both reluctance and hesitation struck the poor Joe, causing his bones to chatter ever so slightly. If it were before, he would immediately deny his crazy friend due to obvious reasons, but now, there was a good reason for him to gain strength. He released a heavy breath, determination gleaming within his eyes as he gazed forward.

The dwarf's fists hooked together, digging deeply into the palms of his hands. The axe that he had generally carried with him was an arm's length away, and it took Joe an entire breath to mentally prepare himself. It wasn't until a nearby bird chirped that he finally gained the courage to reach out and grab his somewhat large axe by the handle. "very well, but you must agree to make me stronger in the process," he said with a twitching smile.

Caesar briefly surveyed the surroundings and pat Joe on the shoulder, ruffling the dwarf's loose clothes. "I'm not in the mood to fight on this wonderful evening, let's reserve that for tomorrow morning… besides, it would be better if we gained a bit more distance from Limbo kingdom, lest we want the nearby guards to interrupt our battle."

Joe was at first shocked, but then exasperated. It had taken all of the courage within his bones to begrudgingly agree to a duel, but now, he had to do it again in the morning. He sat his axe back down on the carriage and grumbled his way back to sleep. It didn't take too long for Joe to fall asleep, releasing snores into the wind.

Caesar's lips curled as he calmed the swift stallions, easing the carriage. He didn't want Joe, nor the kitten, to awake. He leaned his back onto the carriage and decided to practice his ice-magic in his left hand while driving with his right. After meeting Ibrahim, Caesar had once again reawakened his desire for power.

Like this, the night gradually passed, Caesar drifting off to sleep, along with the horses taking a short break. They traveled along an off-road, resulting in the lack of traffic and noise, so the journey was relatively peaceful. The wild animals ran amok in the nearby Savannah, while the birds chirped from the towering trees.

The blazing sun illuminated the surroundings with its blinding light, gleaming brightly onto the sleeping horses, causing them to neigh with an irritated tone. This, in turn, awoke both Caesar and Joe. They rubbed their fatigued eyes and stretched their exhausted bodies in unison, creating a rather strange scene.

A lazy yawn escaped from Caesar's lips as he stood up from the carriage, scratching the back of his head in the process. The cool breeze fluttered his long hair and eyelashes, greeting his placid face with a relaxing sensation. He appreciated the lush blades of grass and the lively surroundings, smiling in gratification.

Likewise, Joe also admired the nearby terrain, taking a sip of morning ale. They sat there in silence before Caesar broke the ice, feeding the tired horses. After which, he retrieved his scythe from the storage ring, twirling it around the palms of his hands. He adorned casual attire, fit for exercising, and battle.

"Alright, Joe, this morning is perfect for sparring, shall we dance?" Caesar asked with a chuckle, glancing at Joe's axe. His main goal was to practice by himself, but helping Joe was an added feature. Musashi had only trained him for a month. He could still be considered an amateur when it came to combat.

On the other hand, Joe was a complete novice. Caesar wanted to use this time to train him so that Joe could become a competent sparring partner in the future. It was either that, or he could practice with Ahri, which was a less than desirable development. Instead, he was curious as to whether or not Joe could possibly control his rage.

With this in mind, Joe hesitantly leaped off of the carriage, axe in hand. His eyes darted around as he approached Caesar, "I warn you, I'm not as powerful when I'm not angry… go easy on me," Joe commented with a wry smile.

Caesar's eyes flashed as he scrutinized Joe's figure, displaying all sorts of red lines and dots, some much more concentrated than others. "Don't worry, we won't start with a spar, we'll just practice a little bit," Caesar said with a soothing smile and tapped Joe on the shoulder, a small smile playing on his lips.

Joe breathed out a sigh of relief, chuckling in delight. However, his happy smile disappeared with a strike to his stomach, blasting him back a few meters. Saliva flew out the dwarf's mouth as he fell onto the ground, his chest heaving up and down.

He gazed upward and looked up at Caesar as if he had been betrayed, "w-what the hell?" he asked in a shocked voice, causing Caesar to tilt his head with a smile. "What has gotten you so worked up, my dear friend… this is training?"

Caesar walked toward the collapsed Joe; he had not yet forgotten his friends little trick that he played with the cat. He temporarily put away his scythe and kneeled over Joe, kicking the confused dwarf while he was down.

His stout body rolled over the grass and hit a nearby tree, causing him to cough up a bit more saliva. A vein protruded out of his forehead as he growled angrily, causing Caesar to squint his eyes. However, Joe caught himself and calmed down, attempting to control his anger.

"Your anger… you're scared of it," Caesar commented, his eyes flashing strangely.