Chapter 403 - 403. The Guidebook

"Alright kiddo, go and grab those training books that we used to read. One copy for everyone please." Ron sent his grandson rushing inside. He realized that the basics are where he should start but first Asher needed to get everyone back to the front of the antique building. 

"Get back to the front. Jane figured it out." Asher hit a button on his phone and smirked. The earbuds they had gotten a while ago came on perfect use here. Their phones linked them as communication for everyone. That was something they rarely used but after speaking about their teamwork they had decided to always have it set up whenever they were planning on doing joint training. 

"Really? How? I looked all over that place!" Art was the first back because he was the nearest. The fact that he hadn't been the one to find the grandson was enough to make him question everything he had been doing. To him and the others that came jogging over, this was a crazy idea since many of the places they had checked were where they would have hidden themselves. 

"Well, I remembered the best place to hide. It's right under someones' nose. His grandson hid behind him the whole time. How would you have found him if he was following you the entire time?" Jane was very smug after telling everyone how she had figured it all out. 

"Well, I checked through all of the plants and I can say that there are some very good hiding places there." The way Jackson spoke full of confidence made everyone laugh. 

"Well, I would hope you got a very good look at my roses and the night bloom lilies. They have taken me some time to get there. Not that it will be able to compete with your house. I swear you grow enough food for every family on this street." Ron was not wrong. The amount of food that Jackson grew in his garden was insane. 

"Yes! We always have extra. I will bring some tomatoes or pickles over when we have the next batch from the greenhouse. I try to give a lot away to those who need it." This was another fact about Jackson that everyone was sure to remember. The long years his family had been growing this food they had also been giving away a lot of it. This was not only another reason why Jackson was fit to be a hero, but also a reason why he was just a good person in general. 

"I will hold you to that. I could use some tomato paste for my sauces. Ah, here are the beginner guides. These are not that old but perfect for what we are doing. I was going to buy one copy but after I spilled tea on it for the third time I bought ten." Ron didn't appear to be a clumsy person. However, they saw that his hands had a slight tremor due to his age and understood that this was the cause for damaged books. 

"Just having a guide like this to start from is perfect. We weren't sure where to go but having someone nearby Jackson works out perfect." Sammy felt that the old man was very kind in helping them out. 

"Trust me. At my age, you have done so much in life that finding something new is all too rare. I have never been much of a teacher to anyone but my grandson and his father. Having a group of soon to be heroes might be good for me. If I ever need help I will have an in with multiple heroes." The laughter was enough to make them all know that he was partially joking. Yet, they knew that he would hope to see them through the weeks and even after they had graduated to being a full on hero. 

"Guide on self defense and protecting yourself from an armed attacker." Louis read the title out loud and tried to figure out if he had ever heard of the guide before. "I never thought we would be using a book like this. We have always used videos or had a teacher. It's kind of nice to have a physical copy like this." The feel of the paper and the drawn diagrams was refreshing. 

"I like your thinking. I prefer paper guides too. It lets you put notes next to it when you need it. I can't say we have opened these in the last few months. My grandson here had already moved on to using weapons. Now make sure you fill in your name at the start of the book and take careful notes. If you are doing this it will be seriously. I expect you here once a week to learn and also help out with some small chores." This was the real price of learning. For the group though, it was a very small cost since chores could be turned in to training and also in to studying. 

"We can do that. We work together as a group and can easily take on some extra chores. We are not comfortable touching any antiques though. It is too risky and we can;t harm your business." This was a very safe calf or Cara to make. She was looking out both for Roin and for the group. 

"A wise decision. I will handle those while you stay here to train. Take those home and study those tonight. I look forward to seeing you all next week at the same time. I will have my grandson show you a few moves and we can clean up the courtyard. It has been a little dusty lately because someone always sweeps very fast." The look of parental shame that was directed at his grandson made him run away while Rin chuckled again. 

"Thank you again. I will read the entire book tonight.' Laura and everyone else gave their thank yous and handshakes. Ron appeared to be in very high spirits as the group walked away. He had not had such a random encounter in many years. 

"Grandpa, are they really going to be super heroes?" His grandson finally returned and spoke up to him. 

"Yes, they are. Didn't you see how they were moving and acting? I bet they will become some of the best rescue heroes you have ever seen. I bet you can even join their group when you are their age." This seemed to be what his grandson was waiting to hear. 

"So that went well." Asher was pleasantly surprised with how everything had come together. He had a feeling that his luck may play a small part in all of this. But even more it came down to how observant the people his group was. If Jackson had not had his eyes open and focusing on what was going on around him then he would have always lived in ignorance about who was where and what they were doing. 

"I agree. I think that was pretty cool. Jackson, ten points." Jane flashed two thumbs up toward Jackson. 

"I just can't get over how perfect his garden was. He runs an antique business, had a garden worth more than gold, and he is a weapons master." 

"Weapons master?" This was something new to Louis's ears. Jackson had mostly been saying things because he was surprised by how it all added up to a very fulfilled and accomplished life as of yet for Ron. 

"Yesh. I saw the plaque on the door. It said first class weapons master. I was pretty sure that was just something that was accomplished overseas but that man accomplished it here." It was more common in other countries to follow the older professions in each traditional weapon. Here in their city, it was very rare due to the high dependency on technology. 

"You know, that doesn't surprise me. He said that his family heritage was from another country. I bet it was a family tradition to learn such things and that was how he ended up in antiques. We are going to be learning from someone with ingrained passion. That means the education will be even better." 

"You're right. Cara, do you think you can look up a little more on that tonight?" Asher knew that his sister would research this even without being asked. He also knew that if he did ask she would make sure to send what she found to the group chat and let them read in to things as well. 

"Oh! I will help too. I want to figure out how this will work. Maybe I can wear something like battle gloves or like sone dulled daggers and take people down like an assassin." They all slapped their palms to their heads as they realized Laura had gotten the idea to biome a fantasy assassin in her mind. 

"Hey now, if anyone is taking the hero saving the kingdom route it will be me. I need a sword that can make me faster and stronger.." Art joined in on the topic and the entire walk back to Asher's left them in heated debate.