(Anyone up for a training chapter?)
I'll Make A Man Out of You
After getting back from our mission of killing the Ferrodillo, we got praise. All of us being told we were brave, asked how big the Grimm was, and a question asked to me was: 'What's it like inside a Grimm?' I naturally refused to comment on it...don't want to be having flashbacks of the day I smelt worse than shit. Cheshire was glad we all came back safe and sound, and minus one injury that'll clear up in my chest it all went well.
Naturally rumors sprung up, but died down after a few days. But right now however I'm dreaming of fire
No really, nothing but fire
The place is just an inferno, and to add to it...there's two green eyes looking right at me. "So you're the motherfucker that Cain is gonna train eh?" The...fire asks, wait. It's the voice from back on the Bullhead
"I remember your voice guy. Can't say I'm not particularly happy talking to someone who's voice is one of the last things I heard before the Bullhead me and my friends were on crashed, and with the pilot dead."
"Hey whoa whoa whoa! I fuckin' like ya man, not gonna be killin' you over nothing at all like a stupid asshole." It says in defense, forming hands to wave around. "I guess I better introduce myself eh?"
"I would kind of like that yeah."
"I am Cthugha: progenitor of the fire vampires and Aphoom-Zhah, elemental spirit of fire, Incinerator of sanity." It says with it's flames changing color from yellow, to blue, to green, to red, and back to yellow again.
"Cuh-thu-GHA?" I ask
"For the sake of this...yeah. Let's go with that pronunciation, anyway I just would like to say best of luck and should you need help from me. I'll be in the back of your head."
"Why help me?"
"If mankind dies out then there goes one entertainment I like a lot. So you're welcome." Cthugha replies bluntly, and soon the fire starts dying out. Until all that's left is darkness.
I wake up to find myself in a place that's...unfamiliar. Dark, illuminated dimly by blue lights. I feel hot enough to start spewing sweat at any moment.
"And so you've awakened." I hear a gravely voice say, looking around I see Cain standing with his hands behind his back...along side the lavender thing that I've seen a few times already.
"I have currently multiple questions. For one what time is it, two what's the lavender thing, and three...why do I feel hot?"
"To answer the last question: due to the being who's bit of consciousness is inhabiting your mind is giving it's influence over your body from my guess. To answer the first it is currently eleven at night-"
"Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoaaaaaa Cain!" I fire out a bit angrily, "Won't my friends be worried about this shit?"
Cain merely shrugs, "That's why this is at night. They are asleep and so they will not notice, besides...I know training under Qrow Branwen has led to you doing things like this on occasion."
He's not wrong actually. Qrow would wake me up randomly in the night for 'nocturnal training' which I really, really didn't enjoy. Shit made me groggy and tired for the days I've had to do them.
"Oh. And to answer the second question: this is an Elder, a being that will help out in more medical ways, along side mental training."
The thing waves it's branchy limb, "Why hello there! I would give my name but I am sure that it would be hard to pronounce, so just call me something good or I will roll with it or lobotomize you!" the thing speaks in a weird voice that's a mix between a child and an old man.
What to name it...what to name it...
"I'm going to call you Dula. How's that?"
"Dula will suffice!"
I sigh, no lobotomy for me!
Cain clears his throat, "Now young Axel Lind. It is time for training, and believe me when I say that I follow the phrase 'Pain is weakness leaving the body.'" He gives a devious little smile, "And I will get rid of all the weakness."
"Umm...r-repeat that again?"
Weights
I'm laying on a bench right now. And Cain is standing behind me, along side a heavy looking block of lead in his hands.
"Now first and foremost is physical strength is something key, waving around a huge sword like you do I decided that you need to try something...different. Push this up a hundred times. Go."
He damn near drops the chunk of iron on me, catching it I can just barley hold it up: arms shaking, head starting to throb, have to clench everything from my teeth to my toes. Unfortunately I tire out not even ten seconds in and drop it on the ground.
"Well...w-we can try this later." Cain says a bit embarrassed.
Run you fool
"You have to run fifty laps with this weighted vest on. Go!"
I try running, emphasis on trying. A foot in I fall flat on my face, probably breaking my nose. I can only raise up my arm, "Dula! Help me out buddy!"
Aura shielding/Paranoia
"As you know, Aura can be used to shield blows or help heal wounds. Let's train the former now." Cain says tiredly "I'm going to hit you in the crotch. Defend from the hit using your Aura."
"Wait-" I wasn't prepared, Cain hit's me in the balls with the combined force of ten thousand spiteful kids. I double over in pain from being hit, I think I may be foaming at the mouth
"Sir Cain!" Dula cheerfully exclaims "I believe that Sir Lind is in horrible agony!"
Cain can only sigh, "I know...I am so sorry Axel Lind." There was more empathy to those words than I could realize
Some Semblance of a chance at not failing
I was tired, Cain was tired, and Dula was just still oddly chipper.
"Let's try...Semblance." Cain says utterly dull,
"Wait a minute. What do you have for a Semblance anyhow Cain?"
On asking this Cain seems to be a bit excited and pulls out a sharpened stone that seems to be stained with blood. He stabs himself in the hand with blood bursting out.
"CAIN! WHAT ARE YOU-" I was pretty shocked by what he has just done, pulling the stone out it now is a saber made out of his own blood: four foot long blade, and a guard in front of the stone that's acting as the handle for the sword.
"My Semblance: is control over my blood, and as I have come to find out." He starts up pulling out a grey colored lighter, flicking it a small flame comes out. Holding it next to his blood sword it ignites into a longer and fiery saber.
"My blood is quite flammable."
This is both confusing and cool. "The reason I found this out is via experimentation. So that is what we will...try to do now, you have a Semblance of teleportation try out something."
This sounds a bit odd. Haven't used my Semblance for anything beside teleporting me around spots, mostly due to out of paranoia of teleporting a part from a building into my balls...my poor guys are still sore, thanks Dula: you saved them.
Time to break status quo...let's see here.
I stick out a hand and start to focus on Cain's lighter, come on into my hand. All I can focus on is getting the thing into my hands,
Cain sighs. "Your effort may be i-" a hum and a flash of orange light come from his hand, the lighter is gone. Looking to my hand I see the lighter is in my own hand now.
I can only whoop and laugh in joy, "YES! FINALLY I DID SOMETHING IN THIS TRAINING!"
Cain looks to be smiling now: not a devious one like he did before training, but a genuine one. A smile that would bring out the best in even the greatest of failures, light up a room that can't be lit, it's nice.
"Well done boy." My new mentor says happily,
"Congratulations Sir Lind!" Dula cheers out...clapping? "And here I thought you would be the utmost be a total failure and Cain's efforts would be for naught and I would name him Sir Fool!"
I glare at the thing, it waves it's branchy limbs around.
"I jest of course! Well done!"
Days later.
Cain and Dula continued to train me at nights. The training was hard, brutal, but it was all worth it in the end: Cain trained my strength to where I could carry around Dula (who was quite the heavy bastard mind you), sprint for a good fifteen seconds before tiring out, and I've come to just have Aura shielding me as an instinct in the back of my head...no more murder of my testicles thank you very much!
This day is one where there's a sparing match. Who's fighting?: Jaune and Cardin
I got a bad feeling about this.
(And so another one bites the Dust. For those who thought Cain's training ideas were a bit much, just remember that Ozpin launches kids into wilderness infested with what is basically the Heartless as initiation. So calm down and remember that.)