Over a month of rigorous training had continued for Joy. Continuing her improvised endurance workouts and ending the evenings with more intensive combat training with Simon. Learning how to properly use cover, using the environment and her strength to her advantage, and how to outplay an armed opponent, even with her semi-invulnerability, Simon rushed her through this using himself as the opponent, but no matter how crafty Joy got, he always came out on top. Every morning her body still screamed in pain from the previous day’s workout, but she still willed herself to continue, her mind screaming even louder that she wouldn’t let Simon beat her. She hadn’t had time to meet and chat with the others much, with Simon being more demanding and for her to get up earlier and earlier. At the end of the month, however, Simon finally gave her permission to take the day off.

The following morning, she was grateful not to be screamed at to wake up, and made her way to the cafeteria. For her outfit, she still got a few eyes from the other soldiers, but not as many as she initially got. She glanced around, catching sight of Maria and Annie. She quickly scooped a tray full of food and hurried over to the two.

Annie waved to her. “Hey Joy, good to see that Simon has been working you hard.”

Joy sat down. “You could tell? Gods, he probably would have thrown me into a pot of oil and that wouldn’t have burned as badly as my body feels.” She glanced around. “Where are the other two? I’ve been waiting forever to give Rex a piece of my mind.”

The other two giggled. Joy stared at them for a few moments. “He didn’t tell you anything did he?”

Maria burst out laughing. “As if he could say anything! No, he recorded every hour of his sparring session with you.”

Joy’s face scrunched up with anger. “What the hell?”

“Don’t worry, he only showed us the best parts.”

She banged the table, putting a dent in it. “That piece of shit! Remind me to bring a camera when I get to beat the snot out of him.”

Annie leaned back, stretching. “You might wanna be careful, else your next exercise might be scrubbing the entire cafeteria.”

Joy rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, enough with the jokes. Was your training really as intense as the bullshit I had to go through, by the way?”

“I can’t say. Usually are training is specialized to what we’re best at. Mine was a good few months of bonding training.”

Joy raised an eyebrow.

“Oh right… Let me show you my partner in crime.” From her jacket she pulled a large holed container. She popped it open and held it up to Joy’s eyes, revealing a coiled up cobra.

“Really? That’s it?”

Annie closed the container and put it away. “Ever hear of the Clergy of Companionship?”

“That animal bonding god?”

She nodded. “When fighting a bunch of beasts that are completely powered on human blood, I thought having a companion who could turn their blood solid would be pretty handy.”

“So much for your lifespan. Isn’t your life bound to that cobras?”

Marie held up a hand. “Annie thought far ahead of that. She graduated in bioengineering, and I’m sure even someone like you can assume the rest.”

Joy raised an eyebrow. “So you have an immortal super cobra you can command?”

Annie laughed. “Not immortal, but certainly long living enough, and definitely super. Companion training was a month long camping trip from hell. They dropped me off in one of the forests outside the Flesh Abyss with an old tent and barely enough rations, and told me to survive.”

Joy stared bewildered for a few moments before shaking the expression off. “That sounds pretty tough. It’s probably better than being Simon’s pin-cushion.”

Annie laughed. “No really, what was your training?”

“Simon’s been giving me a crash course on combat training.” She stood up, pointing to numerous burns and scratches on her abdomen. “He’s also a big fan of using live ammunition as well.”

Marie gaped at the sight. “You’re bulletproof?”

She sat back down. “Hell yeah! Only downside is that it still stings like hell.”

Annie huffed. “Still, being trained by Simon himself… I’m telling you Joy, you’re extremely lucky.”

“You can say that again!” She stuck a fork into her plate and shoved food into her mouth.

She had finished her meal quickly and returned to her dorm. She hadn’t pondered what specifically she wanted to do for the day, but considering how the entire month went, only one thing was on her mind: More sleep. She crashed into her bed. It bent somewhat from the impact, and she soon drifted off to sleep. Unfortunately for her, it only lasted for what felt like minutes. The slamming of a door forced her awake from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes, turning to the source of the sound.

“People are trying to sleep here!” She paused as she realized Simon was standing in her door frame.

“I’m pleasantly surprised that was all it took to wake you up Joy.”

She slowly got up. “What’s that supposed to mean…”

“You’ll understand if you get sent out on any long-term mission. Speaking of which, today I have a perfect opportunity for your training, but it all depends on whether you want to take it or-”

“Hey, today’s my day off! Just let me rest for like, I dunno, a few more hours or something.”

“Perhaps you should wait to let me finish, because I know you’ll be interested. The most I can tell you is we’ve discovered a small warehouse run by the Demonic Cartel. Normally we’d have a regular squad clear it out, but it should be a good way for you to demonstrate the results of your training.”

She looked at him with a small twinkle of excitement in her eye. “So you’re just going to drop me in and let me crack some skulls?”

“Yes. I’ll be watching and providing support as well.”

She leapt out of bed. “You should have mentioned this sooner!”

Simon turned, beckoning her with his hand. “We’re heading there by aircraft. Grab whatever you need. Briefing will be done mid-flight.”