(Cao Cao POV)
Opening my eyes, I walked over to my wardrobe, put on my work clothes, and found her making breakfast. Walking over, I hugged her from behind as she looked up and smiled, to which I asked, "So when did you get back?"
She turned back to the stove and said, "It was a late one. I will tell you lots of different patients. We had one guy that got hit by a truck, believe it or not." The fact that he lived is something I do not believe.
"Well, I'll tell you what: the guy sure is sturdy if he survived getting hit by a truck, point blank. But how long can you stay?" My question is met by her saying, "Well, I have a couple of hours before I have to go back. Would you like to do anything !#!@!#!#?"
Putting on a thinking posture, I walked up to her, wrapped her in my arms, and said, "Well, I can think of many things we can do in a couple of hours."
She slowly let herself fall into my arms as she said, "Well, it can be arranged, but the question is, will you be able to handle me?" I took that as a challenge and nibbled at her ear as she seemed to melt in my arms, to which I smirked, and she almost made a response to that.
Narrowing her eyes at me, I picked her up and took her to the bedroom, and as our clothes began to fall off, I looked behind me to see nothing. I found myself in Scathach's guest room bed.
Sighing, I got off the bed and picked up my Longinus, to which I heard Cato ask ( You seem a bit distant, Cao Cao having bad dreams?) Shaking my head, I put on my clothes after showering.
"Just distant memories, Cato. How are you doing? Because after the fight, you refused to talk to me for days." I could feel the man seem more tired than usual as he said (Well, when you spoke of that woman, I tried to investigate if she was still present but found nothing. I do apologize if you required any advice and I was unavailable.)
He was lying, but I wasn't one to pry, so I nodded, to which he was content with Celestine then saying (I do apologize for showing an ungrateful side of myself, but we are back. Oh, and congratulations, Cao. You managed to woo the witch. You have done something that only two others have done throughout history.)
"Don't worry, Celestine, I don't mind, and if you both don't feel like sharing, I will not force it as I appreciate your guys' presence and your advice even though Celestine can be a bit much." To respond to that, Celestine huffed with faux discontent as Cato shook his head in amusement. Walking out of the room, I sensed Scathach's presence in her training yard.
Opening a portal to the place, I stepped out of it with Scathach commenting, "You know it took Setanta a couple of hours to make his way here, and you just opened a portal. I can't tell if you are lazy or efficient." Shrugging, I walked over to the circle she had set up.
"Well, you know what they say: efficiency is just clever laziness. And I would not want to be late on my first day of training Master. Although I sense you wanted me to be late." The woman simply shook her head and gestured to pick up a practice staff, and after de-summoning my spear, I picked it up and walked into the circle.
Gripping a bo staff herself, she began to speak, "While you may be my disciple, I will expect you to go through my training without complaint and without giving up, as there's nothing worse than a man who walks his first steps and falls but doesn't get back up again and I do not train quitters disciple. In my training, you will suffer, and it will test you both physically and mentally. You may not survive."
Nodding with complete seriousness on my face, I respond, "Master, I came here to train, and that is what I shall do no matter the cost." The woman nods her head but asks, "Are you to train because you want to or because you have to disciple?"
"Can it not be both, Master? Learning under you will propel my skills and strength because I have to and because I want to in order to walk more than one meter out there without being accosted by the narcoleptic supernatural." My answer seems to satisfy her as she then hands me a blindfold, which I tied over my eyes.
"In this exercise, we shall be training your instinct as I will be testing both your reaction time and your ability to adapt to stimuli. Also, I noticed you seem to have some kind of precognitive ability. Do not use it, at least not yet." As she grabs her Bo staff, she swings at me, and I dodge right, to which another blow lands on the back of my right leg.
The pain causes me to stumble somewhat as she smacks me in the face and says, "You are dead. If this were a real spear, I would have cut your leg off and taken your head. You are too used to looking into the future and have neglected to look into the present."
I stood back up, and she then swung to my side. As I blocked the strike, she immediately targeted my arms, and it landed, but I managed to parry it, although I could not stop the other end from hitting my left leg.
"You are dead. Try again." The stings from her strikes, while painful, are worth it. I get back up to it, and she starts swinging again. With her first three strikes, I am able to block as I begin to see a rhythm that is immediately disrupted by a fireball to my chest, sending me flying.
Lifting up the blindfold, I gave her a scathing look, to which she remained stoic and said, "I never said I was only going to hit you with the staff. You have to expect the unexpected disciple."
(She used human magic, not runes yet.)
I have a feeling she just wants to hit me, but I don't say that out loud as Celestine laughs with Cato, observing her methods of training.
This is my life now.
Getting back up, I walked back into the circle as she nodded and said, "You may believe my training to be unfair, but I hope you do realize the benefit of being able to understand one's instinct and move without your body requiring time to think as every second counts, disciple."
I nodded my head as she started again with the first two swings aimed at my hands, to which I shifted them to different positions and parried the strikes. Soon enough, I sensed heat aiming at my back, and I dodged right and then was punched in the gut and slapped on the back by a Bo staff.
Thanks to my regen, I am back on my feet, to which I hear her say, "You know that regeneration of yours is definitely a boon for yourself and the time you can train. and because you can heal, I hope you don't plan to complain about this." Breathing in and out, I simply stand in the circle again and focus my senses.
Sensing her satisfaction, she began again with four strikes, with each one trying to hit a different part of my body as I blocked two and dodged the other two.
She then tried to hit me with a fireball at my side, and I swiped my staff. And the pressure from the strike disabled it, and when Scatahch tried to slam me in the back, I ducked the strike and blocked another strike, but I was then slammed in the back by two consecutive kicks to my left arm.
The strikes cause me to skid across the training field with a broken arm, which Scathach walks over while I pick myself up. And after standing up, I feel her grip my broken arm, and before I can say anything, she snaps it back into place while I question my life choices. My healing mended the damage as I could feel the smug energy radiating off her, practically asking me to complain.
Deciding not to play her game, I simply smiled and walked back into the circle, to which I felt her scoff as we continued the training. If she desires me to complain, I'm going to make it very difficult for her to get me to. And thus, the training of attrition began.
(Azazel POV)
-Grigori HQ (Underworld)-
Being the leader of a faction has many perks, such as having a multitude of people to do the work for you and doing the menial labor so you do not have to. Other than that, there are not many perks other than reputation and a small amount of respect from other factions.
Honestly, I am quite bored as with the Great War over and the Devils had their Civil War ended a couple of hundred years ago, the world itself was in a relative cold war with itself with the Godly pantheons allowing each other to exist as long as they don't encroach upon their territory.
The biblical factions are coming to some form of ceasefire, if unofficial. I was never a fan of warfare myself as that was more of Kokabiel's thing, as that mad lad loved fighting the enemies of God.
When he arrived at the Fallen Camp during the war, many wanted to Simply kill him right then and there after all the friends they had lost to him on the battlefield as he was merciless. It was not bloodlust that drove him but simply a desire, and it was that desire that caused him to fall. Although he never said what it was, I can make a couple of assumptions.
Most angels were born with the same desire, although in varying degrees, with his being quite literally his only reason for existing. Penemue fell because she wanted to use more vicious interrogation tactics; Shemazai wanted to know everything on the planet, while I fell because Gabriel's tits were the tits, but to each their own.
Trying to keep fallen angels together is like trying to keep atoms from splitting during a reaction. It is incredibly difficult, to say the least, as this faction has nearly as many rogues as the devils with their strays. This has mostly been the status quo for the past couple of centuries, but then something changed.
A human somehow managed to upset the entire Greek pantheon. I would like to meet this kid, but when I heard where he went, I wanted to throw this kid a party if he survived that witch. When I heard this news, I almost wanted to smack Zeus over the head for his arrogance as one godslayer was able to take out almost the entirety of the Celtic Pantheon with the fae simply noping out of there to Britain to avoid her wrath.
The news itself came in the form of a spiritual wanted poster with the kid's picture on it, and from his physical stature, he was only around 13 to 14, but when I saw what he carried, my emotions became mixed.
The scientist in me wanted to get this kid on my side so that I could study his sacred gear and hopefully learn of a way to see if father was still alive in some form or another as whenever I got close to meeting a user of the Spear of Longinus they were either dead or the spear simply refused to be studied.
The Son of God part of me desired to protect him and hate him in equal measure simply, but I am not beholden by my base emotions other than enjoying milfs and Gabriel's tits, but again, to each their own.
Other than that, the "responsible" adult in me wanted to train this kid as he seemed to be a potential asset or maybe even an equal. I could always use new students in my Nephilim Academy, and if he survives, it will only increase his value further.
But this news has probably come at the worst time as I have heard the news of Satanael joining up with some new terrorist organization, and with the number of Fallen willing to follow him, it may be cause for some espionage.
Using a communication spell, I contacted Penemue, and she picked up as I heard screams from the other end.
"AHHHHHHHHH! Stop! I'll Talk! PLEASE NO MORE! AHHHHH!"
She seemed to be having fun with the traitor we found in our ranks as she then asked, "Azazel, what is it? I am busy with this.
All I say in return is, "The first has reawoken and is making waves." This causes her to go quiet as I hear her knock the guy out. She then says, "Tell me everything now."
I then sent her the wanted poster, and as she mulled it over, she said, "I ask that you contact me if you find anything else."
I send her a nod, and she drops the call as I look at the new spear wielder and simply think.
This should be fun.
(I will try to keep the training arc short, but if you guys desire otherwise, let me know.)