Continued training

"Going with the silver flow
Of river wide with current deep and slow
I rest my wings made to soar
But can I fly anymore?

"The river, it goes ever on
Can heart keep pace
Rushing swollen till dawn
Now, I shake off weariness
And go to meet what i can't guess

"The heart has
These secret currents deep and without guide
To find out
Where they will lead I take the plunge eyes wide

"People move from home to street
No one blinks a stay is to they life is fleet
Where are you from where are you
Going want to travel on

"The mournful wind blows ever on
Can I keep love at life for you til dawn
Now I stretch out my wings again
And take back what I have said

"The heart has
These secret currents deep and without guide
To find out
Where they will lead I take the plunge eyes wide"
Sierra's song was different when Adrian arrived. He made the last leg of the journey to the ruins on foot. His bag was slung over one shoulder as he entered the sacred area. His body moved with slow simple steps. He smled gently as he walked toward the beautiful white haired seer. He put his bag down as the beautiful woman turned to face him. He bowed to his beautiful teacher, the much older woman nodding.

"Perhaps it's time we stepped your training up. You were able to dodge a bullet last time. Can you do it again? At will?" the demon hunter asked as she watched her pupil.

"If you want I can. It's up to you if I dodge a bullet right now, or if we rest for the day I know is coming." he responded.

"Good answer. We'll test it now. After you dodge it you can come inside and we'll get you settled in." she said, picking up a gun.

Adrian watched her aim it and pull the trigger. But he watched, the flash erupting out as the shard of metal flying from the barrel. He watched it, spinning before he shifted his body, the bullet passing by in front of him as he watched it go. Turning back to the demon hunter with a gun he smiled and bowed to her as she lowered the gun.

"You're getting better. I can remember when you failed to comprehend the meaning of teaching you that. You've since come a long way.. Very good. Come. Let's go inside and I'll show you to your room. As usual, your training begins at dawn." the white haired woman said, grinning as she lead him away.

"So when, pray tell, am I going to be made a full fledged demon hunter?' he asked.

"When you believe you are a demon hunter you will be one. You don't need anyone's approval but your own. You will never be fully aligned with the Sacred Hunters because you weren't born into their village. Ignore whatever anyone else tells you." she said, smiling.

(505/500)

"So why is it every time I meet up with you, you're always singing?" Adrian asked as he walked with the white haired demon hunter.

Sierra just smiled and shook her head as she walked with him, leading him away from the main area from the ruins toward the training area Adrian had come to know inside and out. He had spent more time in these fields than he had in any other part of the ruins. He breathed slowly as he moved with her to their makeshift shooting range. He sighed lightly as he walked with the demon hunter.

Clad in simple black and white robes he sighed. Looking down at it he was suddenly reminded of an anime he'd seen once. He sighed as he tugged on the black robes and red sash. The robes were accented in white, and were very loose. But that was good because it was possible for him to wear whatever he wanted under it. At the moment that was his body armor and nothing more. He moved with his teacher to the shooting range and moved to the far end. He knew what she intended to do and had taken the day to make sure he was ready for it.

He waited patiently, breathing slowly as he stood there his body getting ready while his mind adjusted. He waited as he watched his teacher, and nodded at her. She picked up a gun, the slide locked back. She grabbed a clip from her pocket as she grinned at him. She fit the tip of the clip into the butt of the gun before slapping it into place. With a flick of her thumb she released the lock on the gun, the slide slamming into place as a bullet was chambered. She raised the gun, and brought it down, lining the sights up. She waited patiently as the wind blew before she pulled the trigger.

Adrian watched the flash from the barrel erupt outward, his body moving before he realized it. He turned his body as he stepped back. His body spun, backwards, the bullet passing him by and slamming into the wall behind him. His chest heaved as he stood there, taking in everything that has just happened. He wasn't sure why he'd done what he did. But he knew it was dangerous to even think she was done. Sierra was a dangerous person when it came to her own combat style. He breathed a sigh of relief when she put the gun down.

"Don't relax just yet. We're not done. I still have to measure how far your skills have come. Now I want you to dodge!" she warned.

Adrian watched her lift the gun and fire again, before he began moving. He stepped forward, his body turning as he threw his weight to one side. The bullet flew past him as he grinned. But he blinked when he felt it slam into his chest! He had been shot! Adrian groaned as he flew back off of his feet, hitting the ground in a roll.

(514/500)

"Get up! You're not dying!" Sierra demanded, glaring at him.

"It still hurts! Ah! It didn't hurt nearly this much when I got shot that first time!" he said, as he rolled to his side, curling up in a ball.

"That's because it pierced your body and you were going into shock." the seer explained. "Now get up!"

"I know, I just didn't think I'd go down like a little bitch... Fuck..." he groaned as he got up on shaky legs.

"Adrian you are a skilled swordsman. But you have to learn to compensate for other things! If the world wont adapt to you, then you must adapt to the world!"

Adrian sighed and nodded as he got up, the fancy robes he wore, ruined with a bullet hole in the front of it. He dusted his backside off as he stood there, frowning. He waited patiently as he watched the seer and waited for the muzzle flash before he leaned back. He pulled a matrix, going back at the knees as the bullet passed over him. But unlike in the movie, he just fell on his back, groaning as he got up again. He wasn't nearly skilled enough to go down like that and come back up.

"Damn you're an idiot sometimes. Don't pull anything fancy! The movies make it look good. But the art of killing is simple. If you can thrust and kill your opponent, then do it. Don't stand there and make it dramatic. Doing that can get you killed!" the demon hunter scolded, glaring at him. "Maybe you should go home. Because if you can't do as you're told we don't want you here!"

"I wont. I made sure I don't have anywhere to go back to. I wont allow myself to be sent away. I WILL make sure that I get stronger. I WILL not lose to that demon. I will get stronger. I will destroy my enemies. I will NOT LET MYSELF LOSE!!!" he declared, his body shaking with rage.

He nodded and watched her pull the trigger. He stepped to the side, his body turning. She fired at him a second time, his body slipping to the other side. He stepped forward with every shot, his body twisting away from the bullets before he grabbed the muzzle of her gun as it locked back. He panted lightly as he stood there, his hand burning slightly as he held it.

"Never forget, then. You must be careful. If you fail, then you will die. And you will be lost forever to the realm of darkness. Do not give into your hate." Sierra warned as she smiled at her pupil softly.

"As long as I'm not being manipulated I will continue to fight. But when it comes to picking a side... I will not be forced or coerced. I'll kill anyone that tries that." Adrian said, as he nodded, releasing the weapon.

"Sometimes, Adrian, it is better to tell a small lie, than to live a harsh truth." the demon hunter said.

"Perhaps. But it isn't the right thing. I wont fall. And I won't fail. Please trust me, Sierra. You gave me the Sword of Light, and with Goranova at my side I will NEVER lose to a demon again."

(547/500)

"Very good." Sierra said, smiling at him gently. "You have your morals and you'll stand by them. Good to know. Now all you have to do is survive your training, and you will be able to take on even the mightiest of demons and win. You might even have the strength to take on Death himself."

"I highly doubt that. Death is unbeatable. Every being on this planet from the smallest microbe to the most powerful king will fall to Death's unbreakable spirit. I might be able to avoid Death, or deny the cold embrace of his arms for a while. But I can't defeat him. Not the way you're talking about. The Sword of Light is powerful but Goranova is no match for Death's scythe." Adrian retorted, frowning at Sierra.

This was new, Sierra was acting strange. She was a powerful seer but even Adrian knew that you couldn't defeat Death itself. Anyone defeating Death would probably become death anyway. So destroying the Grim Reaper was worthless. In the end, when Death came for you you went to Heaven or Hell. And he was hoping that in being a demon hunter he could make up for the mistakes of working with demons. His sins were heavy, but he would do everything he could to make up for them.

"Whatever. Come on. I want you to do it again. We're going to continue until you can dodge an entire clip from this gun. And then we'll move on to another step in your training." the demon hunter said as she stood there, reloading.

Adrian nodded and moved back down the firing range. He waited, willing the adrenaline into his body, his body shaking lightly as it began coursing though his system. He grinned as the bullets began coming toward him. His body moved forward slowly as he stepped to one side, the bullet passing under his arm. When the second bullet came he ducked low, his head tilting as the bullet nearly clipped his ear. He stepped forward again, glaring at her before she shot again. This bullet slammed into his chest and he hit the ground once more.

As he went down Sierra slid the clip free of the gun before she put three more bullets into it. She slapped it back into the gun and waited for Adrian to get up again. She took careful aim and shot, and he dodged. It was slower this time. More time for Adrian to ready himself between the shots. She'd picked up the pace between the second and third shot. If he was going to be able to really dodge bullets in a fire fight he'd have to learn to avoid them very swiftly.

"Interesting. You're still not ready. You have to get faster if you want to survive a hail of bullets. But I do think your efforts are in need of a reward. You'll be able to get much better soon. I just hope you'll be capable of fighting down your emotions when it comes to when you need it. Remember that revenge will be your downfall. Wrath and justice are two very different things." the demon hunter warned.

(530/500)

The white haired demon hunter known only as Sierra, shook her head as she sighed. Their training had come to an end but Adrian was once more on the ground in front of her. Her pupil had gotten within reach of the gun. But she had pulled the trigger again, blasting him off his feet with the last bullet at point blank range. And he had gone down like a bitch. Just like the first time she'd hit him. But she had to admit it was kind of funny. He was a master swordsman but he went down like he'd been hit with a concrete block. But with body armor like he was wearing bullets weren't likely to pierce him, but he was still hit with considerable force.

"Get up you idiot! You're good at dodging slow fired bullets but when they're fired in rapid succession, you're fucked. You have to learn to move between them when they come at you. If you can dodge a bullet you can dodge a ball. Now if that ball is of fire, ice, lightning, or even demon essence, nobody can say. Just get better at dodging and moving and you'll be untouchable. Now get up." she taunted.

Adrian rose to his feet slowly, frowning as he put a hand on his chest, his body shaking. He breathed slowly as he got his balance once more and rose to his full height. The world around him was spinning but slowing down as he collected himself. He panted softly, not wanting to speak until he was sure his mind and body were aligned again. He didn't trust the contents of his stomach to not make a break for his open mouth. He let his eyes close as he crouched, putting one hand on the ground, his breathing slow and steady.

"Adrian get up. I didn't say you could go back down to the ground. Now get up! Fight it off and be free of the control the disorientation has over you. Now stand!" Sierra demanded.

Adrian nodded, weakly as he stood before he opened his mouth taking a deep breath of the fresh air around him. He brought his hands up to eye level before lowering them down slowly as he exhaled. He had learned that trick from a friend to help him balance his 'chi' or 'chakra' when he breathed. He let his eyes open as he let his shoulders sink lightly as he relaxed. He nodded at the white haired demon hunter as he walked away with her.

"Sierra... You said you knew my grandmother, what kind of person was she when she was younger?" he asked.

"She was much like you are. Unfocused but willing to learn. And she was a very fast learner." the woman replied, smiling gently.

"Oh." he said, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"Did you expect something else? Were you hoping for a lie?"

"No. I was just hoping she could have been like what I was aspiring to be. To look at her as an example of how to do things."

"Not a bad idea. But you must know that your strength cannot be her own. You two are very different people. You're a fast learner, but you don't have the same... Way with the spiritual world as she did. You must be patient. Power comes to you swiftly or slowly. The slower it comes to you, the better control you'll have over it. And the better control you have the less it is your enemies can use it against you."

(592/500)

updizzi!