They walked outside the Cathedral to a large area that had been cleaned of all brush and trees. Gabe-Red looked at Carter and said, "Let's see what you got."

Carter lunged at Gabe-Red with a twist and an overhead hit. Gabe-Red deflected it quickly and flipped around fast enough to slice Carter on his back. He fell to the ground with a grunt. "That's not going to save the Queen!" screamed Gabe-Red.

Red, as Gabe, smiled with all his teeth. "Lord Chiba is the only one I could accept as my equal. Now I got someone else to play with!"

"That's not true, you big brute!" said Queen Era, whipping her sword around. Gabe-Red pointed the sword at her spirit and laughed.

Carter lunged again at Gabe-Red, and he ducked the thrust. Gabe-Red whipped his sword around, and Carter got his head cut off this time. As his body hit the ground, his head rolled and stopped next to Queen Era. Carter's spirit flew out of his body and landed next to it.

Carter felt all the pain that comes with a head being cut off. It was a new sensation of death he hadn't tried yet. He didn't want it to happen again.

"What the hell, Red! It takes a lot of magic to put a head back on!" screamed Ella as she ran over. She grabbed the head and placed it back on Carter's body. Her whispy arms emitted a white light, and the head started to re-attach itself. Carter put his spirit arms around his neck and started rubbing it.

"Painful, isn't it?" said Gabe-Red with a wicked grin.

The sparring continued when Ella finished attaching his head. Gabe-Red still cut off appendages, but not the head, at least.

Red had to leave Gabe's body every five hours, and Lord Chiba took over the teaching. Master Chiba was not as violent as Red and taught Carter to defend and parry. He showed little tricks that only Ninjas knew. Master Chiba was still not above cutting parts off of Carter if he missed a block or became careless.

Carter would like to say that time went by fast, but it was a living hell. He was getting better, but these two were experts in their field. At first, Carter's arms and legs were detached more than attached to his body. He would spend every dead minute fighting these two and learning.

Cut marks tattooed his body like a picture of the beginning of a game of pick-up sticks.

After several years of intense training, fate finds Red walking towards Carter as Gabe. He had dreaded this appointment in his heart. He pulled Carter's obsidian sword out and aimed it at Carter's face. Carter's eyes watched Gabe-Red intently. Gabe-Red slightly frowned and said, "No smart quips about cutting me to pieces?"

Carter closed his eyes for a moment. Gabe-Red took the opportunity to strike. Gabe-Red flew up, and the sword sliced through the air. Carter had already moved and slid beside Gabe-Red as he dropped out of the air. Gabe-Red's stomach was cut open, and he fell to the ground. Carter was on top of him in a split second, trying to cut Gabe-Red's head off. He dodged the rusty blade several times as it came down at an ungodly speed. Gabe-Red sliced back and forth as he blocked. Gabe-Red's sword had hit Carter several times but wasn't severe enough to stop the onslaught.

"Enough, enough!" screamed Gabe-Red as he held in his guts and cradled his sword in a defensive posture. Carter pulled back as Gabe-Red lifted himself off the ground. Carter flew at him and sliced him across the neck. Gabe-Red's head slid off his neck and hung by a little piece of muscle as the body slumped to the ground. Ella threw up her hands at Carter as he went in to attack again.

"He said enough!" said Ella.

Red's spirit fell out of the semi-decapitated corpse and floated a few feet away. He looked back toward Carter, and a small smile appeared. He turned and floated off. Lord Chiba floated over towards the body as Ella started healing it. He looked at Carter and said, "We have completed your training. You are ready."

Carter pulled his obsidian sword from Gabe's hand and walked towards the Cathedral for an overdue rest.

"Will never be a fighter," echoed in Carter's mind. Iris and Ursa's voices reminded him of better times.

After a few moments of reprise, Gabe walked towards Carter while sitting on his worm-eaten wooden pew. Carter aimed his sword at Gabe in case Red wanted to practice more. "It's me, Ella," said Gabe-Ella's mouth.

Carter placed the sword on his pew and looked into Gabe-Ella's eyes. He had gotten used to Gabe being an empty husk, the puppet of whoever could climb into him.

Gabe-Ella lifted her hands and touched Carter's body. Her hands began to glow white as she started healing his body of all his wounds.

"He is rather large for a Cambian male," she thought as her hand rubbed over muscle ridges on his stomach as she healed him. The sensation of touching someone else was starting to get to her. Red and Lord Chiba had used Gabe's body exclusively for the past few years to beat the pulp out of poor Carter. She forgot the sensation of touch. She looked up into Carter's eyes, and he was disinterested. Her hand reached his cheek and held on to it. She moved forward and kissed Carter on the mouth. He recoiled back for a moment, and then a small smile appeared. She pulled back her hand and stared into his blue eyes.

"That's not going to happen," said Carter as he went to put his shirt back on.

"Why, because I'm in a man's body?" asked Gabe-Ella.

"First off, the body you're in has cut things off of me I'd rather not remember," said Carter.

Gabe-Ella let out a little laugh and smiled.

"Second, yes, I'm not attracted to this body in the slightest," said Carter as he grabbed his dirty shirt.

Gabe-Ella let out another laugh.

"Ella Landers is an attractive woman. You should be proud to have her want you," said Queen Era as she floated up next to Carter.

"I am," said Carter.

Gabe-Ella stopped Carter from putting on his shirt. "One moment," said Gabe-Ella.

Over the years, they had found clothes for Carter from dead bodies. Usually, the Shriekers tear through the clothes, shredding them to pieces. Once in a while, a pack is found and can have clothes in them. The clothes Carter was wearing now were pauper pants and a shirt.

Gabe-Ella walked behind Carter, and a small spell came from her misty arms. "The cantrip is known as Detect Status," said Gabe-Ella, "Most priests know this cantrip."

She was still rubbing her hands up and down on Carter's shoulder and back. She couldn't get enough of the touching sensation. She missed it so much.

A slight look of distaste crossed Carter's face for a second, then went away. He had to keep remembering it was Ella behind him, touching him, not Red or Chiba, trying to kill him.

"Red was the leading fighter of our time in Thresh. He was a Level 8 fighter, which was the highest fighter level ever," said Gabe-Ella as her magic penetrated Carter's back.

Carter felt the magic heat in his stomach and noted it in his body, adding it to his spells. He felt it from Venus when she had checked his status before.

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"Fighting Ability: Level 9," said Gabe-Ella out loud.

"Impressive," said Queen Era as she moved behind Carter too.

Gabe-Ella looked farther down his back and saw "Mage Ability: Level 2. Cleric Ability: Level 2." She stopped the spell and groped her way around Carter so she could look eye-to-eye with him.

"You have the ability of Magic?" said Gabe-Ella.

"I guess, " said Carter, not knowing if he did. He can use his spells, but was that the same?

A wide smile came over Ella's face as she gave Carter a small peck on his lips. He didn't wince this time.

"Looks like we'll be spending some more time together," said Gabe-Ella. She walked over to Red and Lord Chiba and gave them her findings. Helltorn and Vulture both smiled. Red released a great big "har" like a pirate and laid back down.

She walked over to Carter and said, "It will help you immensely in the tower if you learn magic, so we decided to postpone your graduation," said Gabe-Ella.

"Can I teach him some Amazonian tricks with this extra time?" said Queen Era.

Gabe-Ella looked at Queen Era and said, "I don't see why not. You can get started now while I go get ready."

Gabe-Ella smiled at Carter again and placed her finger on his lips. "Helltorn and Vulture are willing to teach you magic, too."

Gabe went limp and fell on the ground as Ella's spirit flew towards the Rectory. Carter frowned as Queen Era jumped into it.

"Helltorn, I need a Possession here!" screamed Queen Era.

A slight noise exited his mouth as he let out a sound of exhaustion. He touched Gabe's body, and a smile came over Gabe's face.

"We are going to learn the lost art of archery. Have you ever heard of it?" asked Gabe-Era with a grin on her face.

"Bows and arrows," said Carter. Gabe-Era looked at Carter with a weird expression. "You know of this? The elves outlawed archery a long time ago. They said it was not honorable to fight from a distance," said Gabe-Era.

"I agree with those pointy-ear bastards!" screamed Red from his pew.

"Earth has arrows, bolts, bullets, and missiles," said Carter.

Lord Chiba floated over and asked, "You are from Earth? You're a human?"

"Is that a problem?" asked Carter.

"I guess not. Are you half-human like me?" asked Lord Chiba.

"No, I am a pilgrim," said Carter.

"Well, your majesty, get off your ass, and let's go find my bow and arrows," said Gabe-Era.

He had experience with archery in elementary school and camp. The bow seemed smaller than he remembered, but he was good at it. Queen Era paused to remove her spirit occasionally, but Carter didn't stop practicing as the months passed. He learned how to make a bow and how to create arrows. She gave him Amazonian tips on how to shoot.

Carter returned home after a long time of practicing archery with Gabe-Era. "Home?" thought Carter. He itched his crotch and then sat down.

Leahtrix walked up behind Carter and grabbed his shoulder. "Damn, that body of yours smells. Fly your body to the Rectory, and we can clean it for the ceremony.

"Ceremony?" thought Carter.

A few hours passed, and he re-entered his nice, clean body. Leahtrix does an excellent job. Even his teeth felt clean.

The Cathedral was filled with light from the fire in the middle of the stage. It flickered on the walls, and Carter could see the spirits better. They looked almost like they did when they were alive.

Red approached Carter and said, "About time you returned. I despise you, Carter, but you have been a good student. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm passing my heritage to you."

His manly face had a large beard and mustache under a large nose. His face glowed with the firelight. He was missing teeth, had scars across his face, and looked like he could eat you whole. The slight smile on his face was a rouse.

Red picked up a knife from his oversized pew and roared, "I give you the mark of the Iron Wolf so you can pass my knowledge to others." He plunged the knife into Carter's shoulder, and the mark of the Wolf appeared below the wound. The marker was a circle with a snarling wolf ready to pounce. It glowed and then disappeared, leaving only the wound.

He looked Carter in the eyes and said, "Carter is a stupid name. I name you Carver of Eternal Rest."

"Carver?" thought Carter.

Hands came out of Red's spirit as he handed Carter a large rucksack. "This was given to me by King Kek. I do not need it, but you will. Now, leave my vision. I detest you, boy", said Red as he floated over to his pew and lay down.

Lord Chiba floated over towards Carter with a sword in his hand. He pulled it back and sliced Carter on the other side of his chest. A prominent symbol of a five-pointed throwing star appeared on his chest. The blood from Carter's wound flowed through it, and then it disappeared. "You are the student I never had. That symbol represents your clan, the One Man Army, the largest clan in Thresh," said Lord Chiba as he floated back towards his pew.

His chest started stinging from the two wounds, and he placed his hand on them and healed them. Ella was impressed and asked, "You have practiced the silent cantrip?"

"No, I just feel the spell inside me and manifest it into magic," said Carter.

Ella, Vulture, and Helltorn started laughing. "Feel?" said Ella.

"Ella is the only one I know who is proficient enough to do the silent cantrips," said Helltorn.

"Helltorn and I have to say the cantrips still for the spell to work," said Vulture.

Ella stared at Carter for a moment. "Is this true you don't have to say the cantrip?" asked Ella.

Carter raised his hands and said, "I'm not sure what you want me to say." Ella looked at him intently and decided she would learn about his skill during training.

Ella vanished for a moment and then came back in the body of the other women in the Rectory. Carter had never noticed how beautiful that lifeless body looked. She was shorter than Carter by a lot and had an innocent-looking face. Her body was curvy, and she was still naked, standing in front of him.

"We call this body Delila. She was dragged in over by the swimming pond. She no longer wanted to live her life and threw herself into the Forest. Luckily, Queen Era and I got to her before she was torn to shreds and eaten. Getting her back to looking like this took a long time. We haven't used this body for a while because of its delicate nature," said Ella from Delia's mouth.

"Does that matter?" said Carter.

"It just can't hold up to the men's or Era's brutality. It's more made for magic," said Delila-Ella.

Lady Junetress approached Carter and Delila and asked, "Will I be teaching him about the Fissure?"

"Yes, the Time Fissure will come later after Carter has finished at least one of the towers," said Delila-Ella.

"Oh, yes, the tattoo will help him a lot there," said Lady Junetress as a wide smile grew on her spirit face.

"The Time Fissure sounds dangerous," said Carter, shaking his head.

"It is if you don't know what you're doing. You can get lost in time and never get out," said Junetress.

"Let's go," said Delila-Ella as she walked out the door.

"Aren't you going to put on clothes?" said Carter as his face flushed.

She smiled back at him and swung her butt back and forth faster as she walked towards the forest.