Leaving the secluded hut to head towards an empty space within the fields, Cetas walked behind Reid, who seemed annoyed about his task.
Cetas, after noticing the fields of corn and wheat swaying along with the winds, felt an eerie feeling wash over his body. He recalled the bent crops and the black liquid that covered his body.
His body shuddered with the thought but alas, Cetas cleared his mind to focus on his current goal.
Cetas stared ahead and focused on Reid's appearance.
Reid donned a simple white blouse, layered by a white coat. He wore casual trousers and a pair of leather boots. In his waist, a meter-long sword rested inside a scabbard. Its hilt has notes of intricate patterns and details, seeming that the sword was of no ordinary status.
Cetas slowly gazed at Reid's hands, noticing two guns of the same size and appearance.
Furthermore, Cetas wore almost the same outfit as Reid, only that he was not wearing a coat and rather than trousers, he wore oversized pants that lengthed down to his ankles.
To help with the crew's mission, Cetas had to learn to fight. Defense was already handled by the Historian, however, having an extra point of offense within the crew would be ideal.
Additionally, the crew was split into 2 groups - the combat and the support.
As per Skadi's words, the combat was to engage with the main forces of the enemy while the support was to stay within the vicinity. The core of each group would be Skadi, who would face the most formidable enemy, Falkone, and Jones whose main task is to support Skadi from the shadows.
Cetas is delegated into the latter group, watching from the sidelines to have an experience of battle.
That said, Cetas gazed upwards only to find the scorching blaze of the sun melt his eyesight. He winced in pain and rubbed his eyelids with his fingers.
He wasn't used to seeing a ball of fire in the sky yet..
After a few seconds, the pain was gone yet his eyesight remained charred. Upon walking along with Reid, Cetas noticed that his figure had stopped.
"This is a suitable spot."
Around them, fields of corn and wheat were neverending. However, in an instant, Reid quickly spun in quick succession. The two guns flew upwards and Cetas noticed that there was a sword of a meter in size on Reid's right hand.
Simultaneously, the crops around them were cut from the bottom, falling towards the ground instantly.
In almost an instant, Reid had cut 50 meters of fields around them, excluding what's behind Cetas of course.
Seeing this, Reid urged Cetas to move to the side so that he can clear the crops behind him too.
Cetas, whose eyesight was still glued to Reid's stature, moved his right foot to the side and paced a step away.
Reid brought his arms up and slashed in a horizontal manner, cutting the roots of the crops that were once behind Cetas.
Cetas was in awe.
Such a power could only be achieved by Zealots who have climbed the ranks. To think that in a few months Cetas could also be a Zealot is quite intriguing!
His pupils shone brightly, not in correspondence to the sun, of course.
Seeing that the area was prepared, Reid tossed the gun towards Cetas.
Cetas instinctively raised his arms but failed to catch the weapon, having to kneel down and grab it in the ground instead.
He gazed up and saw Reid' cold gaze almost as if saying that 'if you couldn't even handle catching a gun, then how would you be able to shoot it?!'
Still, Reid turned around and stood at the far edge of the area. He nodded his head, gesturing for Cetas to follow along.
Within a few seconds, Cetas was beside him, staring at an empty space where crops once stood tall.
In a cold tone, Reid expressed the fundamentals of shooting a flintlock:
"The weapon in your hands is a tool that is meant for one and only one thing - murder. Do not mistake a gun as a tool for protection because when shot, it either kills a target or damages a target, depending on your aim of course."
Cetas gazed innocently at the flintlock in his right hand, carefully examining the intricacy of its development.
"To shoot your weapon, pull the trigger. That's it."
Reid raised his arms forward, holding the flintlock pistol in his right arm. Then, he pulled the trigger. Almost immediately, the hammer of the gun slammed down and created sparks, igniting the ball inside the gun.
Then, a loud noise resounded across the area, releasing a high speed bullet in the air that eventually hit a piece of corn resting in the comfort of its cob. The corn then exploded into multiple pieces.
Reid gazed back at Cetas with deadpan and cold eyes, "Now, to recharge your gun, I have this right here.", he reached inside the pocket of his white coat, revealing a paper rolled up into an inch.
"This would be your reload. Inside are grains of gunpowder that is essential for your weapon. And this..", Reid revealed a steel ball in his other finger, "..is your bullet, the main effect of your medium and the damage caused by the gun."
"To put simply, put a portion of gunpowder into this tray right here, and the remaining gunpowder should be placed inside the barrel. Do note that before doing the latter, you must place your bullet inside first. Here."
Reid then casually gave Cetas a steel ball and a paper of gunpowder to use.
Following the exact procedures, Cetas placed a portion of the gunpowder inside the tray on the right side of the gun, and placed the iron ball inside the barrel. After carefully doing so, he poured the remaining gunpowder inside and shifted his head towards Reid.
"Do I shoot?"
Reid furrowed his brows, "Not yet. You see this right here?, he pointed towards a L-shaped metal piece on top of the gun.
"That is called the hammer. Before shooting, the hammer must be pulled back into a cocked position. So, carefully use your other hand to pull it."
Cetas followed accordingly, pulling the L-shaped metal piece.
"Then?"
"Then you pull the trigger, and shoot."
On instinct, Cetas, whose gun was pointed towards Reid, pulled the trigger of his flintlock and accidentally shot it towards his companion.
With a loud bang, Reid reacted with a swift slash, deflecting the bullet that hurdled towards him.
"Not at me, you idiot! Shoot at the corn!", he retorted.
Cetas' eyes widened, bowing to apologize for his mistake, "I'm sorry.."
With a wave of his hands, Reid spoke with a frustrated tone while massaging his temples, "It's fine! Reload your gun and shoot."
Reid handed him a piece of metal ball and gunpowder once more and Cetas did the process once more.
After a few seconds, he aimed at the crop of corn that was 50 meters away and raised his arms carefully. However, before he could shoot, he heard Reid's words once more.
"Easen your arm, hold your weapon firmly, and brace for recoil. Note that your gun will bounce upwards once you shoot, especially when your arms are stretched that long! Aim with your arms with correspondence to your vision. What do you see? What do you want to kill? What do you want to hurt? Remember these thoughts when you shoot. Once you do, obtain a clear resolve and pull the trigger."
"So, do you see it?"
Cetas gazed upon the corn and focused his vision on it, his arms moved immediately and followed his vision, "I see it.."
"Then, shoot!"
Instantly, Cetas' arms shot upward, clearly not ready for the recoil of the gun. Due to this, he could not focus that much on where his bullet's trajectory was!
Reid squinted his eyes and gazed at the horizon 50 meters away. His shoulders relieved their tension and he gazed at Cetas' figure.
"Not bad for your first shot, however, you did not hit the target."
But! 50 meters away, Reid did not notice that the crop that Cetas aimed at had fallen down as if its roots were plucked out of the ground!
Sensing this, Reid shifted his head towards the direction of the fallen crop, pondering within himself.
He felled the base of the crop itself? Was it merely pure luck or does this kid hold an immense potential?
With thoughts racing in his mind, he grabbed more gunpowder and bullets, giving them to Cetas once more, "Shoot again."
This time, Reid's eyes were filled with determination.
Upon reloading Cetas moved into position. Clearly, his form was a lot better than the last, which appalled Reid for some reason.
In a second, Cetas shot his second bullet. Reid focused on the trajectory of his bullet.
His eyes squinted but was instantly filled with disappointment.
It missed.
It was pure luck after all.
Nodding in satisfaction of completing the task of teaching Cetas the fundamentals, Reid spoke somberly, "You've done well.."