A New Kind of Training

Leaning heavily on Ella as she leads me deeper inside the cave, I struggle to stay awake as the injuries and the weight of the fight take their toll on my worn-out body. Finally reaching a door, I look on with one eye as Elisaria opens it and beckons us inside. Heading in, I find myself in a small but cozy living room I would guess to call it. If a living room also has shelves packed with some of the weirdest things I have ever seen in my life. From shining scales to eyeballs that seemed to follow me as I walked inside. Looking up at Elisaria, she gestures for me to come over to a couch nearby. Following on, I grunt as Ella, place me down as gently as she can.

"Here Boyo. This will fix you up in no time." Looking up at Elisaria, I see her holding out a green potion with a rainbow of lights swirling through it.

"Wait Oscar. How much is that going to cost? You do nothing for free, Elisaria, and I don't want Oscar to owe you anything."

"You're always so tense, dear. Don't worry. This one's on the house. Let's call it a thank you for dealing with the ruffian out front." With a dubious look, Ella comes over and takes the potion from Elisaria, looking at it suspiciously. Opening the bottle, she takes a small sip before handing the bottle to me.

"Drink it, Oscar." Taking the bottle from her, I tip it into my mouth and almost gag as the taste hits my tongue. Honestly, words can't describe how bad it tastes. But if I had to, it's like something between dirt and rotting fruit. Sweet, sandy and bitter at the same time.

"Goddammit. The hell is this?"

"Just drink it. It will help your injuries." Grimacing, I hold my nose and tip the rest of the vile drink down my throat, coughing as it all goes down. As it goes down my throat, I feel a warmth spreading outward from my chest. Watching small wounds close up with a green sparkle, I breathe a sigh of relief as the fatigue and pain vanish.

"That's some potion. Tastes like ass, but it's effective." Laughing, Elisaria takes a seat at the table in front of the wall of weird, a few objects mobbing away from her in their jars as if they feared her presence. Gesturing for Ella to take a seat, she clicks her fingers to get my attention.

"Ella, come take a seat. There is much we need to discuss. Now, Oscar, unfortunately, this conversation isn't for you. Some Women's secrets are theirs and theirs alone, so I'll have to ask you to step outside. I like to share, but there are some things a man doesn't need to know. However, I won't leave you on your own. I understand you're strong, but not as strong as you will need to be in the near future. Bernard!" Coming at her call, a skeleton dressed in a butler's suit appears from a door I didn't see earlier when I came in.

"Yes, My Lady?" Talking with a deep voice that contrasts directly with his skeletal frame, Bernard bows deeply to Elisaria as he stops.

"Take Oscar outside. He's a child of Firentia. Teach him a few tricks, will you, while I discuss a few things with Ellavessa?"

"As you command, My Lady. Come Outlier. We shall head outside." Gesturing for me to follow, I look at Ella and meet her eye. With a look from her and a small nod, I get up and follow the creaking skeleton outside to the clearing from earlier. Stopping in shock as I look around at the scorch marks, and the lack of bodies.

"Where did they all go?"

"A clean house is a good house, Mister Oscar. Shall we?" Gesturing for me to follow, he leads me out further into the clearing.

"Show me your weapons, please, Oscar. Let us see what we are working with. " Pulling Thorne and Aetheris from their holsters, I hand them to him. Opening my inventory, I bring the Final Testament out and hold that in front of me for him to see. As he looks towards the gun in my hands, red lights appear in his empty eye socket.

"Interesting. You must be some Outlier to possess a god Killer weapon. Put that away for now. There are no skills I can teach you for that. I will say one thing though. It is not a weapon to be taken lightly." Following his directions, I place the weapon away.

"I found that out firsthand when I first used it. I annihilated half of the training grounds at the castle. Until the fight this morning, I've not used it again."

"A wise choice. It is powerful, but it has its drawbacks. But for now, put that aside. I shall teach you some trick skills that will serve you well." Handing the guns back to me, he looks into my face. Nodding and stepping forward, I wait for him to finish looking over the guns.

"Good. Now, these are excellent weapons you've been gifted. Magic was never my strong suit in life, so let's focus on some physical skills instead of the magical. Put these back in their holsters." Placing Thorne and Aetheris back in their holsters, I watch in shock as a gunslinger belt and six-shooter appear on his hip with the wave of a hand.

"Now pay attention, Outlier. I have seen you know Akimbo, but relying on that single skill will get you killed. Not just because of the backlash of its cooldown, but I fear in future fights to come you will need a more diverse range of skills. Here, try this." Pulling the revolver from his belt, he slides his hand over the hammer and in an instant the gun fires multiple shots, destroying the trunk of a nearby tree. For a moment, a buzzing sound fills my mind before a voice speaks loudly and the buzzing stops.

'Skill Acquired: Quickshot.'

Stepping forward, I wait for Bernard to holster his weapons.

"Did you see it?"

"I did. Should I try it?" Gesturing to the tree next to it, his teethed mouth opens in what I assume is a smile.

"Please." Drawing Thorne, I hold it in my hand, mimicking the same movement that Bernard just did.

"Quickshot." As the skill takes hold, time slows and my left hand slams the hammer back as fast as my right hand can pull the trigger, sending all of Thorne's rounds into the tree in front of me. As it explodes into a cloud of sawdust and tree fragments, I slide the revolver open and spin the cylinder, watching as each round magically refills before flicking it closed again with a flourish.

"Well done. I see the disciples of Firentia are still just as powerful as they once were." At my confused look, he gives me that odd skeleton grin again.

"Don't worry. It is not a bad thing. The world is currently hanging by a thread. Lady Elisaria believes that you and the demon's daughter in there will be paramount in bringing it back from the edge. That is why I'm training you." For a moment, I let his words sink in before my brain works in overdrive.

"How much do you know about Saetaen's plans?"

"More than I would like but not as much as we had hoped to know."

"That's incredibly cryptic. Care to elaborate on that further?"

"Not particularly. Now, come here and I'll show you another skill. Just like the first, pay attention."