Chapter 34: Training 1

AN: So I wasn't explicit with Edgar's training. Just a brief glimpse. I post an auxiliary chapter with the powers of each phase of the Ghost Rider.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

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Edgar POV

(With Lagertha) 

"Come on, get up" Lagertha said to me.

Ever since I saw Lagertha I knew that training with her would be hellish, but this, this was unimaginable.

She was a strong, muscular woman. And she was quite tall, I think an inch taller than me. But what made her more fearsome, though, was that she had a pretty brutal fighting instinct. She practically didn't follow any combat that I knew. She moved on pure instinct in an erratic but dangerous way. Which made avoiding her nearly impossible.

At the moment I was lying on the floor, completely covered in blood, with a cut on my lip, on my nose and a cut on my eyelid that prevented me from seeing well. She was also injured, but compared to me, it was just a few scratches.

Best of all. I wasn't healing, far from it. Right now, we were in a special room that simulated an environment where we didn't have our bodies enhanced. Even so, she was stronger, faster and more experienced than me. She was practically a fighting machine.

I struggled to get up. My body was sore and my mind was numb, but, still, I got up as best I could. There was still another hour of combat with her.

"Are you tired?" she asked me teasingly.

"Not at all. I can do this all day"

She moved at a speed, which even without our powers, was quite fast. She quickly threw a powerful punch at my face that I barely dodged. However, with the same momentum, she bent her arm and elbowed me right in the wounded nose. The blood spurting out became more intense, while the stinging burned like hell.

"Come on, Edgar. If that's all you've got, I'll be very disappointed"

"You're stronger, faster and more experienced. I have no ways to reverse the fight"

"Ha, there will always be beings more experienced than you. Making that excuse just tells me how unmanly you are.... I don't know how that Amazon fell in love with an unmanly man like you"

The words burned in my heart. If she had hoped to anger me, she had succeeded. Without thinking anything of it, I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her close to me and with great momentum I gave her a tremendous headbutt right on the nose. Blood began to run from her nose.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think, are you okay-" I had a lot of anger at her words and I moved without thinking and thought I had hurt her. I wanted to apologize for what I had done, but I stopped when I saw that she had a wild grin on her face.

She grabbed my arm and headbutted me back.

"That, THAT is what I wanted you to do. To follow your instinct. Don't think Edgar, and fight"

She threw a kick right into my ribs that I dodged by ducking. With that same momentum I gave a sweep with my feet, but she simply jumped dodging it. She didn't lose momentum, and with her boot tried to step on me, but I rolled to avoid it.

I got up. At this moment I was no longer thinking about anything. At this moment I was following what she had told me. I was purely following my instinct.

She threw fast and powerful punches at me, but I made just enough moves to avoid them. I took advantage and hit her ribs several times, which she had to defend by putting up her arms as a shield. However, the momentum was short-lived as she quickly punched me in the ears to disorient me, which she succeeded in doing as I started to get dizzy.

She took advantage of the momentum and started throwing hard punches in my face, repeatedly. However, I took advantage of the proximity and gave her a hard stomp, and then used her same tactic and punched her ears hard as well disorienting her.

We were both, at this point, bruised, dizzy and numb. We looked at each other for a couple of seconds, and both of us moved at the same time. We both threw a hard punch right on our cheek. We both connected. The blow was so hard that we both turned our faces almost 40 degrees from the power it carried.

However, in the end, my exhaustion got the better of me and I was the one who fell. I didn't pass out, but my mind and body couldn't take it anymore. Lagertha just looked at me and smiled, but this wasn't a wild smile, it was one of pride.

"You did well, rookie. You can rest"

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"How come you are so good at fighting?" I asked Lagertha. At this point, we were both sitting resting, drinking a glass of water. I knew this was all mental, but fuck, the water here tasted like glory to me.

Lagertha, who was next to me, just smiled wryly at my question and said.

"If you ask anyone who knows history who the best fighters were, they would tell you the Romans, the Spartans or the Persians. But they never think of the Vikings. They always write us off as brutes. But in reality, we were the best fighters because we learned from experience that the best fighting discipline was to follow none. All fighting disciplines, Karate, Muay Thai, Boxing, all have their strengths, but also their weaknesses. What we learned is that the best combat was to follow your instincts and fight using all disciplines, creating a discipline of your own. One that was a novelty to your enemies. In short, pure fighting instinct... and that's what I want you to achieve in the end, Edgar"

I sank into my thoughts at this. I had learned from the order long ago that you should always analyze your opponent and look for the best strategy to counter him.

This, was completely contradictory to what Lagertha was teaching me, for she was asking me one simple thing.

'Don't think about anything, just follow your instinct'

However, I could not answer her, when she continued.

"Edgar. You are good. In fact, quite good, if I may say so myself. But you think too much. And that makes you generate doubts. Those doubts, in a fight against more powerful or experienced beings... will kill you" she stood up and held out her hand to me, which I accepted "You may go. And remember to train your body outside"

She was right. In the end, I just asked her a question I had regarding my training outside my mental palace.

"Hey Lagertha, what should I focus on to train my body?"

She sank into deep thought. She looked at me from head to toe and continued.

"Your body, right now, although muscular, is actually set up for speed and agility. And you lack strength. A lot of strength. However, your build won't be fit if you only focus on strength... I believe you need to do extensive exercises using considerable weight, and lots of repetitions. That will balance your body in both strength and speed. And the muscles you gain, will be pure raw power. Take my advice, I think it's the best thing for you"

"I will. Thank you, Lagertha"

She knew what she was doing. Even though she was a fighting machine, she actually had a great head on her shoulders. The Vikings were a warrior race, but in reality with experience, they learned that it was best to do just that, to become the best warriors. To become into fighting machines.

"Well, we'll keep it up, until you can manage to beat me. From there, we'll move on to fighting in an environment with our enhanced bodies, and then, we'll move on to fighting as Riders. That's the last lesson you'll have with me"

Faced with the tough training to come, I could only think of one thing.

'Fucking Hell'

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(With Carter Slade)

"You and I are the most similar as Riders. We both prefer to use our demon phase. You because you didn't unlock the angelic phase, and me because I like it" Carter told me, as we looked at the place we were in.

He was in his usual cowboy attire. He looked old and tired, like an old man who was just patiently waiting for his death. But in his eyes, I could see something different. His eyes told me one simple thing. This man had lived through many experiences, both good and bad, that had endowed him with great wisdom.

All the time, he never took off his Cuban cigar. Every time he finished talking, he took a puff on the thing.

At this point, we were in a room that simulated a large desert. There were several cans stacked on cut logs a good 200 to 300 yards away.

"I thought it was stronger the angelic phase" I replied hesitantly. Zarathos had said that the angelic phase was more powerful. And, therefore, it was better. But Carter had told me he preferred the demonic phase. I was very curious as to why this was.

"That's a misconception. You'll learn that sometimes it's better to fight in a phase. And other times it's better to fight in the other phase. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. But for Trigon, you MUST fight in your angel phase. It's the only way to stand a chance"

"You fought him, didn't you?" I asked him. I had been told by Zarathos that the last rider he had was killed and Trigon had tricked him by bottling the power in the contract he had given me. And that would be Carter.

"Yes. And a weakened version. The damn fools of his followers sacrificed babies so they could open a portal to Trigon. I avoided it, but they still managed to partially summon him. We were pretty evenly matched in the fight, I might even say I was a bit stronger than him, but the sneaky bastard used the special artifact, the same one you signed up for, to reverse the fight. You know, our power makes us pretty much invulnerable. The only thing that could hurt us is just separating us from our power. That thing you used made me start to separate myself from the power I had from Zarathos and made me vulnerable. Added to the destruction magic I had... let's just say I had everything to lose. In the end, I opted to sacrifice my life in exchange for returning the cursed one to his dimension.

You know, in the bible or in myths it is always mentioned that there are 4 demonic archdukes. Satan, Beelzebub, Behemoth and Astaroth. Each one has immense power. For example, Satan is said to have a skin resistant to any magic and can only be harmed physically. Behemoth is the opposite, of the 4, he is physically weaker, but is a master of demonic magic. Astaroth has minor control of time and space, needless to say how dangerous that is, plus he is extremely intelligent, and Beelzebub is the master of plagues. Everywhere he goes, he always leaves destruction with his insects. But Trigon... he's never mentioned. And the answer to that is that he is stronger and more dangerous than those 4, to the point where he himself possesses a separate dimension of hell to imprison him. Ever since he was born he has been synonymous with pure destruction"

I didn't know what to think at this answer. I knew Trigon was powerful. But not powerful. I started to worry about this, but Carter, who saw my expresión, only downplayed it.

"Relax, when we're done with you, you'll be able to stand up to him. Maybe not beat him, but you'll defend yourself pretty well...and that's why we're here"

Carter pulled out a revolver he had in a holster at his waist. And then transforming his hand into a skeletal one, he used his hellfire and modified the weapon. He then passed it to me.

"Here, use your hellfire and shoot the three projectiles over there"

I did as he asked and quickly summoned my power. I transformed my hand into a skeletal one and loaded the gun with my hellfire. I took aim and fired

"BANG"

The target was completely melted by my power. I then aimed at the other two targets and did the same.

"BANG"

"BANG"

'I still have the touch' I thought as I saw the melted targets in the distance. However, my enthusiasm was stopped by Carter.

"What the fuck was that?"

..

..

..

"I did what you asked me to do"

Carter looked at me with a look that said I would have a lot of work to do.

"I thought you needed work, but not that you needed THAT much. Look" He picked up the gun and pointed.

"BANG, BANG, BANG" three projectiles shot out right in the directions of the cans. In no time they reached their destination and destroyed the cans easily. There I could see what he wanted to show me. He had taken practically not a second to reload the gun. Everything had been continuous. Something I, for one, did not do.

"You know what you did wrong?"

"Yes, I took too long to reload the gun" I replied apologetically.

"That's right. What you did wrong was that you cut off your power when you fired, and you summoned it again to reload, and that wastes unnecessary time. What you should do, is that you don't need time in reloading as your power can do it for you while firing, giving a continuous flow... Now let's try something else. Summon a portal to that cactus you see in the distance"

I did that. I visualized where I wanted it to go and summoned my power. After a good 5 seconds, I finally managed to open the portal and get to the requested destination. Carter followed me, but there was a rather annoyed look on his face.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. God damn it. NO. Why the fuck did you take so long to open a portal?"

"I-" I wanted to justify my mistake, but Carter, angry, wouldn't even let me speak.

"I'll tell you why. Because you thought too much. Our power is based on instinct, Edgar. Not thinking. And don't even get out that your blindness prevented you from doing so, because we both know that with your senses you could easily know the place quite well. I know you use your visualization and use your concentration to open the portal, but in reality, our power does all the hard work. If you would trust your power, you would see that even in the most remote places, you could open a portal in no time"

I felt quite sorry for these harsh words from Carter. I felt that everything I knew, everything I had learned and trained from my powers, at this moment, had been useless. At this moment, I felt like a little kid being scolded by a teacher for not being able to do a math operation right.

Carter just took a few breaths to calm himself down. Taking a deep breath, he finally let out a long sigh and said to me.

"I think I got ahead of myself with the lessons, Edgar. And I should have asked you what you knew about your powers. So tell me what you know, or think you know, that we can do"

"Well, we have the penance stare, hellfire, portals, and I think we can transform weapons, but I never managed to do it because my power melted the material they were made of"

"Mmm, yes. That's because of your lack of control with hellfire, and you use too much unnecessary power on that. I think you have special weapons for yourself, don't you?"

"That's right" all my weapons were made of the strongest metal on earth. And they were bound to my soul.

"That's good. Having your special weapons is pretty cool. But there are going to be times when you won't have those weapons, so our power allows us ANYTHING as a weapon. I'll show you that later. Also, you missed that we can fly with our mount."

"We can fly?" I asked in disbelief.

Carter held his hands to his head. Now he realized he had a lot of work to do.

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(With Moctezuma) 

The lesson with Moctezuma was very different from what I had learned with my previous instructors. In fact, it was something I never expected.

At this point, we were in a room like a sauna. And Moctezuma was burning rare herbs, making the place smell a little.... weird.

The place was starting to generate some serious heat. Not to the point where it was annoying, but it felt relaxing. We were both shirtless, and I had previously smeared some weird cream on my body that was starting to burn slightly with the smoke from the herbs. Why this happened, I didn't even want to ask.

Moctezuma was reciting a prayer in the Mayan language while spreading the smoke from the flowers with a palm fan. Finally he finished his ritual and looked at me. Of all of us, he was the least communicative. He hadn't even said anything to me, he just signaled me to follow him to this place.

"Angelic power, is based on spirituality. Something YOU are quite lacking. Before, our ancestors were one in mind, body and spirit. Something that, to this day, we have forgotten. And that you are about to remember"

He offered me a rare herb that looked like seaweed and said.

"Eat it"

"What?"

"Eat it. It'll help you with the next part"

 'Shit, this already feels kind of shady' I thought. I had a lot of doubts about this whole lesson. But he, who saw my face, continued.

"To connect with your spiritual side. You need to let go of your burdens. This herb will make you see what you need to be able to let go of your burdens. Just trust"

Finally, I let out a sigh and with great difficulty put the rare herb in my mouth. Which actually tasted pretty good. It had a minty taste to it.

"Actually, it tastes quite good-" however, I couldn't continue, when I felt a pain in my chest. My vision began to feel blurry, as the room I was in began to distort into a fuzzy fog.

'What the fuck'

A fog began to materialize and transform the room into a place I hadn't seen in quite some time. My old home. At this moment I was in my old room.

I could see my bookshelf with the few books I got to buy with my allowance. My single bed, with my beige sheets. And some black and white portrait of my family that had a small desk where I did my homework. I approached the bed and when I touched the sheets I could feel as if they were completely real. I was completely fascinated.

But a voice, which I had not heard, in a long, long time, but could never forget, interrupted my amazement.

"Son, come, dinner is ready"

!!!!!!!!!!!

It was my mother's voice. I quickly ran as fast as my legs could go and ran down the stairs.

"Wow, you're really hungry if you came running. I almost always have to give you several warnings"

"Mom..." there she was in front of me, as beautiful as the last day I had seen her. My mother was in her usual apron, as she cooked. A big, loving smile wore on her beautiful face as she spoke to me. However, her expression changed to one of slight concern, when she saw my face of disbelief.

"Son, why do you look so surprised. Oh, did you notice, Mrs. Garcia helped me arrange my hair, do you like my new look?"

However, I didn't answer her and surprised her by hugging her tightly. Tears welled up in my eyes as I did so.

"Son...are you okay, are you crying?"

"I'm fine mom. Actually, I'm perfect. I'm just so happy to see you. I love you so much"

"I love you more, mijo" she hugged me back. We both stayed like that for a long time.

However, our emotional moment was interrupted when the door opened and a familiar voice interrupted us.

"My love. Son. I'm home"

When I heard my father's voice, I let go of my mother and proceeded to meet him and hugged him tightly, which quite surprised him.

"Wow, son. Not so strong, your old man is someone fragile"

"Sorry, dad, I'm just glad you made it. I love you so much"

My dad was surprised by these words. But he hugged me back, and with a smile he said.

"I love you more, son"

My mother had a loving smile as she watched us hug.

"There, there. You two better sit down and put your plates together. The food is ready"

"I'll do it. Dad, you sit down and relax. You too mom, I'll get the food, just sit down"

They were both surprised by my words. But they took it as one of those unexpected days and didn't protest. It wasn't every day they had their son totally willing to help with the household chores.

-------

"And there you had your father, trying to keep the whole shelf from falling down while everyone had gone out to eat. When they came in after 30 minutes, they saw me all red and sweaty. In the end they just asked me, 'boss, what are you doing,' and I, sweaty, tired, and red from exertion just said, 'Nothing, here wanting to work out'"

"Hahahaha"

"Oh, my love. Only things like that can happen to you hahahaha"

"I know. It's my bad luck. But, hey, I don't have that much since I married you, my love"

"You're right about that. I am pretty amazing"

"Hahahaha"

At this point, we were chatting and having dinner, like a harmonious family. We were laughing while listening to my father's embarrassing story. At this moment, I felt like they were like old times. I was quite happy. I wanted this moment to be forever.

However, I remembered why I was there, and that this moment, in reality could not last forever.

"Mom, dad.... I'm sorry"

My mom and dad stopped smiling and looked at me seriously at the words I said. My mother had a look of concern, and my father had a look of doubt. They never expected me to say that.

"Son, why do you say that?"

"Just... I'm sorry. For everything. For being a bad son. For all the trouble at school. For not being the son you wanted-"

"Son, stop right there" my father became serious. "You're a source of pride to us. We never say that. But we couldn't have hoped for better son"

"That's right, mijo. We are proud of what you are and we are sure of what a great man you will become"

"What if they're wrong, what if I'm really everything they never expect, and I'm even something totally horrible. A murderer or a bad man"

"That's impossible, son. You are a good man, Edgar. And if you think otherwise, then you're wrong"

"That's right, mijo. We are proud of you. And we always will be. We love you"

At the end, we simply embraced, in a loving, big final hug. Those final words, were something I would always hold in my heart for the rest of my life. Quickly the room began to disfigure into a fuzzy fog.

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I slowly opened my eyes. Moctezuma was in front of me, looking at me curiously.

"It was quite a while, what did you see?"

Although at this moment I was feeling quite sad. My mind felt calm. As if a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

A part of me had always been stuck with the idea that I couldn't save them, and that, by becoming this, I could never see them again. I had always wanted to apologize to them for all the trouble I had caused them. Hearing those words from my parents, they made me feel liberated.

"I saw a memory. I saw, what I needed to see, to feel free... thank you, Moctezuma. I appreciate this lesson"

Moctezuma just smiled slightly, and continued.

"Well, let's continue. Now we will try to invoke our angelic power. It's there. You just have to feel it"

And with that our lesson continued…