Chapter 15: Chapter 7: Training Daze

Two months had past for the church, two months of training for Ash. Currently the boy found himself punching a tree with his bare hands while channeling the Mist into his fist. This training allowed him to work on keeping his Mist flowing into his muscles at a steady pace while attacking and keeping his skin tough so minimize damage to his hands. 

‘Anndd, done!’ Ash thought as he let out a breath and wiped his forehead. The boy could only channel his Mist for a few minutes at a time before it started to strain his muscles. His training would help him make that time longer. ‘I guess I should eat some lunch?’ He thought as he turned to leave. But before he could take a step, a shiver went down his spine, causing him to spin around.

The young skull-faced girl sat on a makeshift chair next to the gravel path. She was slowly eating a bowl of cereal as she stared at him with unblinking eyes. Ash gave the girl a wave, but instead of waving back. The young girl reached down and picked up a bottle of water, she then tossed it too him.

“Oh! Thanks!” Ash called out as he caught the bottle. He had a strange relationship with the girl. Every time he tried to talk to her, she would ignore him or stare at him until he walked away. But every now and then she would do something nice like give Ash a bottle of water after training, or some of her food when he was still hungry. But mostly, she was always around, and she was always near him, just watching him. Ash would always find the young girl behind him, staring at him with that same unblinking stare, he would be lying if he said she didn't creep him out.

“Girl,” Amelia’s voice called out as the blind woman walked out of the church. “Quit trying to creep out the boy, and get to your own training.” Amelia ordered.

The young skull-faced girl glared at Amelia, but a moment later she knew she had no choice but to do as she was told. So, with a pout, the girl dropped her bowl and walked to her own training area. 

Once the young girl started training, Amelia turned to Ash. “I’ll be heading out.” Amelia said. The blind woman turned and walked towards the church’s truck.

“Uh, were you going?” Ash asked. 

“I won’t be going far, I just need to meet up with someone. I’ll be back soon.” Amelia said simply as she as she entered the vehicle. Ash could only shrug his shoulders and walk towards the church as Amelia drove away. Ash wanted to take a break before he started his training again.

~S~o~t~G~

“One, two, three. One, two, three.” Ash chanted as he punched the tree in a simple rhythm. He has just got done eating lunch, and was planning on training for a few more hours. But not even three minutes into his training he heard a familiar sound. “She’s back already?” Ash mumbled as he listened to the sound of Amelia driving down the gravel pathway.

The boy stopped what he was doing and walked over to the path, he saw the young girl in her own training area. The young girl was doing the same training Ash was, punching a tree to train her hardening ability. But, unlike Ash, the skull-faced girl was able to harden her fist, and her legs. Ash watched for a moment as the young girl rapidly switched between punches in kicks. Ash couldn’t help but be in awe as the watched the girl, the look on the girls face always stunned him when he watched her train. When the young girl trained, she got lost in her own mind as a fierce look took over her face. A look of anger and hatred, it always sent a shiver up his spine. Not wanting to interrupt the skull-faced girl, Ash moved away to wait for Amelia. 

After a minute of waiting, Amelia slowly pulled up with a truck packed full of supplies. A smile appeared on the boy's face as he watched his mentor skillfully ease the truck to a stop. He often wondered how the woman was so good at driving while being blind. She said it was because of her heightened senses, but Ash realized it was also because she drove really slowly. 

"Ash! Girl! Get over here!" Amelia shouted as she stepped out of the truck.

"I'm right here," Ash said as he walked up to the woman. The sounds of ringing bells quickly followed Ash as the young skull-faced girl walked up and stood right next to the boy. Ash looked at the girl with wide eyes. He had never been so close to the girl before. She always backed up if he walked towards her. But now as he looked at her, she looked up at him as if it was no big deal.

"We will be starting a new form of training today." Amelia said as she walked to the back of the truck and lifted out a small box.

“New training?” Ash questioned, but Amelia didn’t answer. Instead the woman started giving orders.

"Ash, bring the folding table out here. Girl, take this box to my room then get your little butt back out here. You won’t be skipping this training." Amelia's voice was firm and left no room for argument.

Ash quickly walked away from the truck and towards a small shed he built, with Amelia's help. The shed was simply used to store things and keep them out of the rain.

The young girl stuck her tongue at Amelia, but did as she was told. She knew not to go against Amelia's orders.

~S~o~t~G~

Ash sighed as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He just got done setting up the large folding table right where Amelia wanted it. The boy looked over at the woman, she was hanging small black metal plates all over the trees that surrounded the clearing.

"So, what now?" Ash asked the woman as she walked up to the boy, she was now holding a large crate.

"Now, we start your new training regiment," Amelia said as she placed the crate on the table and then pulled out a smaller metal case.

"My new training?" The boy asked, his eyes were glued to the case as Amelia opened it.

"You'll be learning how to use firearms; this is a single-action revolver, it’s one of the oldest but most reliable handguns there is. You'll be training with it. I also bought some wax bullets, there are a lot of different types of bullets out there, but these are for training." Amelia explained. She then closed the case and pulled a small book out of the grate.
 
Ash froze when he saw the weapon. Images of the day his village attacked filled his mind.

"But, before you start training with this gun, I want you to study this first. I can't teach you how to use a gun. I've never used one before, so you'll have to learn what you can from this book." Ash's hand shook as he took the book that was offered to him; he quickly read the cover.

"A woman's guide to firearm basics." As soon as Ash read the title, Amelia put a hand to her face.

"That idiot, I told him to get me a training manual, and that's what he gives me… Whatever, the information should be the same. Now I want you to read that book and learn everything you can before you start shooting." Ash gulped and nodded. Then he sat on the ground flipping the book open.

~S~o~t~G~

"Are you done reading that book?" Amelia asked as she walked up to Ash after and hour of letting him read. 

"Um, n-no." He said with a slight stutter. Amelia frowned at his words and let out a sigh. 

"Well, it doesn't matter; you can finish it later. The girl already finished the copy of the book I gave her, she can help you. For now, take the gun and show me what you've learned so far."

~S~o~t~G~

"Right…" His palms were sweaty, and his hand was shaking as he held the revolver. Ash didn't want to do it, and he didn't want to be holding the gun. But he also didn't want to disappoint Amelia. To him, disappointing her would be the same as disappointing the Goddess herself. ‘Here goes nothing.’ He thought as he pointed the gun at one of the metal plates hanging from the tree. He closed his eyes, and then with a shaky breath, he pulled the trigger.

The shot was high and few over his target. But the gun flew straight out of his hands. ‘Crap!’ He thought as the gun flew through the air and towards Amelia. The blind woman effortlessly snatched the gun out of the air.

"Try again, Boy," Amelia stated as she held out the gun for Ash to grab.

Ash's hands were still shaking, he knew there would be recoil, but the impact sent a shock wave through his body. Even though it was loaded with wax bullets for training, the boy felt like he could kill a person with the gun he held, which made him nervous.

But before Ash could force himself to take another shot, something unexpected happened. The young skull-faced girl walked up and placed a hand on Ash’s wrist.

“W-Wha-” Was all Ash could stutter out as he turned to look at the girl. The young girl smiled back at him, and slid her hand up and gently took the gun from him.

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Ash could only watch as the girl braced herself and pointed the revolver at the target he missed. Then, without hesitation, she pulled the trigger. A loud ping filled the air, echoing through the forest and Ash’s chest. Once the sound faded, the girl turned to Ash with the same smile, she held the gun out for him to take. 

Ash didn’t know what to say as he stared at the gun in the girl’s hands. “H-have you ever shot a gun before?” He couldn’t help but ask since she hit the target nearly dead center.

“Yes,” The girl said softly, shocking both Ash and Amelia, even if the woman tried not to show it. “My dad got his hands on a shipment of guns and he showed me how to use one. It’s fun.” She said simply as she gently pressed the gun to Ash’s hand. 

After listening to the young girl’s words and seeing her bright smile, it slightly managed to calm his nerves. He took a deep breath, and took the gun back. His hands were no longer shaking, and he tried to put all the thoughts of his village behind him. He wasn't that Ash anymore. He swore that Ash was dead when he joined the Church. So with a new determined look on his face, Ash took the stance he read about in the book. He relaxed his body and aimed at the closest metal plate.

But before Ash pulled the trigger, he turned to the young girl. “Wait, what’s your name?” He asked the question he wanted to know she he met her.

Instead of answering right away the girl started tapping her chin as she debated on answering. “I’ll tell you if you hit the target.” She said with a nod and a smile.

Ash turned back to his target once he heard those words. He took a deep breath, then fired the revolver, hitting the plate's side, causing a loud and hollow 'clang' to ring through the air. Hearing that sound caused Ash’s heart to skip a beat. A smile formed on his face once he hear the girl clapping for him.

“So?” He questioned as he looked at the girl.

She let out a breath as she looked up at him. “You can call me Roxy,” Roxy said with a smile. 

"Good job,” Amelia said. Her sudden voice startled Ash since he forgot she was there. “From now on we will be training with weapons. Not just firearms, but other weapons as well. Now, shoot the target again." Ash happily followed the woman's orders, facing his target once more, and taking aim. 

~S~o~t~G~

‘Finally, I’m done.’ Ash thought with a smile as he tossed a mop into the Church’s supply closest. Another year had past for the residents of the Church. But the now fifteen year old Ash found himself alone finishing his chores. ‘It’s still morning so I should do some training before lunch.’ The young boy started to hum as he walked through the empty Church. 

Amelia had taken Roxy to Maplekeep, so he was alone, but he expected them to return soon. Especially since Roxy was driving. The reason it took them so long to reach Maplekeep before was because the blind woman was a slow driver. A trip to Maplekeep with her driving would take days, but now that both Ash and Roxy were taught how to drive they cut the travel time in half. 

“I guess I should do some weapon training today.” He thought aloud as he tapped his chin.

‘What should I use?’ Ash frowned as he looked at the weapons he laid on a small white foldable table. The boy was currently outside of the church in his training area staring down at four weapons. A sword, a spear, a pair of daggers, and a bow. ‘Gah! I never know what to use!’ He whined in his mind as he started to pick up each weapon one by one.

Amelia was true to her word when she said she would train him. She wanted both Ash and Roxy to at least learn the basics of as many weapons as they could. The blind woman explained it was important to know how to use different weapons, in case they had to fight against those weapons. Besides bandits, there were many humanoid monsters in the world that could use weapons. Amelia told him knowledge is the greatest strength anyone could have. 

But unfortunately for Ash, he hated every weapon he’s learned how to use so far. He hated the way they felt in his hands. He hated the way he had to move with them. Amelia told him he just hasn’t found the right weapon, the one that would feel natural. But Ash didn’t buy it. When he used a weapon he felt off, and moved awkwardly. Roxy was the same, the skull-faced girl didn’t want to use weapons at all. The young skull-faced girl would often say, ‘Mayan Warriors’ didn’t use weapons. But, after months of talking, and threats, Amelia finally convinced the young girl to at least train with weapons. Roxy would often use firearms, they were the most fun to her. 

‘I guess I’ll do some sword training today.’ He thought as he picked up the sword, but he quickly put it down with a sigh. ‘No, I’ve only used the spear once so maybe I should use this instea-’ A chill ran up Ash’s spine as he reached for the spear. A familiar chill that caused him to spin around. His eyes widened when he saw a Mono standing on the edge of the forest surrounding the church. The furry humanoid creature stood slightly shorter than Ash, and was wearing tattered scraps of monster fur like armor. The creature was baring it’s fangs at Ash as it carried a dagger made out of jagged bone. ‘What!’ He shouted in his mind, but he didn’t have time to think as the Mono started charging him. Ash quickly grabbed the spear off the table and dropped down to the basic stance Amelia taught him.

‘Die!’ Ash shouted in his mind as he thrust the spear forward, aiming for the Mono’s throat. But the creature dodged backwards, throwing it’s weight into a roll as it moved away from Ash and quickly got back onto it’s feet. ‘What the?’ Ash questioned as he and the Mono stared each other down.

Ash’s eyes flickered to the Mono’s dagger, just like Amelia taught him, identify your opponents weapon first. ‘Is that a dagger made out of bone?’ He thought as he studied the crudely made weapon. Ash’s eyes moved away from the weapon and to the Mono itself. He knew from studying he had to watch out for the Mono’s tail, and feet since the creature could use them like a second pair of hands. But as Ash studied the Mono he noticed a large scar on the creature’s side that caught Ash’s eye, it seemed familiar, but he quickly ignored it. 

‘Well I have the advantage in range, but dammit why did I grab a spear!?’ Ash berated himself. Out of all the weapons on the table the spear was his least favorite, which is why he only had one training session with it so far. ‘No time to worry about that now, just have to do as Amelia taught me.’ With that Ash took a cautious step forward and gripped his spear.

Once Ash was in range he pushed his spear forward in a quick jab. He wanted to test the Mono, to see what it would do. But unfortunately for Ash, it did something he didn’t expect. 

“GRARR!” The Mono roared as it dodged Ash’s jab and threw it’s dagger.

“SHIT!” Ash shouted, he brought his hand up to block the dagger from hitting his face. Fortunately for Ash his Mist hardened skin was able to block the damage only getting scratched, but while he was distracted by the dagger, the Mono yanked his spear. Ash was pulled forward, off balance and forced to let go of his weapon to avoid falling. Except it didn’t help since as soon as he let go of the spear, the Mono rammed into him, knocking him onto his back.      

Ash could only grit his teeth as his back hit the ground and the Mono jumped onto his chest with a second dagger in hand. “It won’t be that easy!” Ash growled as he grabbed the Mono’s wrist. The two struggled against each other, but the Mono had the advantage. The creature used it’s leverage to press the dagger against Ash’s cheek and dig it’s knees into Ash’s ribs.  

‘Crap,’ was all Ash could think as he struggled against the Mono. He could feel the tip of the dagger slowly breaking through his hardened skin. ‘I’m not that easy to kill!’ Ash shouted in his mind as he twisted his body and slammed the Mono down to the ground next to him.

The Mono was briefly stunned by the sudden impact, and the knife flew out of it’s hand as Ash knocked it away. But Ash didn’t let up his assault. The young Church member gritted his teeth as he smashed his elbow into the Mono’s nose.

“GRRAA!” The Mono roared in pain, but quickly retaliated with a clawed strike of it’s own. 

“Gahh! You bastard!” Ash roared back as the Mono’s claws slammed into his harden skin, the attack was strong enough to leave scratches. Ash tried to get on top of the Mono, but the furry creature scrambled away. The Mono moved out of Ash’s reach as it grabbed it’s dagger and ran away towards the trees.

‘What the?’ Ash thought as he watched the Mono go. Once the Mono was out of sight, Ash realized why it ran away.

The sound of Amelia’s truck pulling down the gravel pathway filled the air. ‘Damn.’ Was all Ash could think as he fell to his back staring up at the sky.

~S~o~t~G~

“What are you doing on the ground?” Ash flinched at the sound of Amelia’s voice. The boy turned to the woman with a half smile on his face.

“Oh, you know. Just taking a quick break from training.” Ash pushed himself up as he spoke, brushing the dust off his clothes.

“Well, quit being lazy and unload the truck.” Amelia said as she lifted her hand up to her nose. “And take a shower, you smell foul. Like you been rolling around in garbage.” Amelia quickly walked away, holding her breath as passed. 

‘Huh?’ Ash thought as he watched her go, he shrugged as she went into the Church. “Roxy!” Ash called out with a smile on his face as he turned to the young skull-faced girl who was standing next to the church. Roxy held her hand over her nose just like Amelia did.

“Go shower!” She shouted as walked around Ash holding her breath.

‘Great,’ Ash thought with a sigh as he smiled his shirt. ‘Try to kill me and make me smell like crap? Just great, I’ll deal with you latter.’ Ash took off and tossed his shirt away while he walked towards the truck. It was another strange day at the Church of the Mist.

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