Ice and Snow - Sova x Female OC

Chapter Six: Training With An Empress

Two days after the events of Broker's Network
***
Everest had been at VALORANT for four days now, and had settled in quite well.

A notification pinged its way onto Everest's phone, and she picked it up to look at it.

Good to see you've settled in.
If now is a good time, would you please come to the training range? We have much to learn and discuss.
Reyna

Everest slid her phone back into one of her pockets and made her way towards the range, slightly apprehensive of what was to come.

***
As soon as she got there, she saw that Reyna had been waiting for her. She held a vandal out towards Everest, who took it.

"Hello Everest. Glad to see that you are well."

Everest was surprised at the warmth in the Spanish Empress's voice, expecting her to be cold and brutal like she'd heard.

"Thank you for accepting my offer to help you. Your powers are just beginning; they can soon grow and become even better than you think. I'll be there to help and assist you along; and I'll also help you with firearm training. Under my guidance, you'll have both aim and power befitting a Radiant," said Reyna.

"Thank you for offering to teach me, I appreciate it," replied Everest.

"It is my pleasure, cariño." The empress walked over to a console, and pressed a few buttons, spawning metal robots in the blink of an eye. She took aim, and then pulled the trigger. Reyna hit the bot right between its eyes with a precise shot, and turned toward Everest, lowering her own weapon. "Now you try."

Everest stepped up, and raised the heavy metal vandal up to her shoulder. She heard Reyna walk up behind her, and she stood behind her, wrapping her hands over Everest's own gently. The woman helped Everest raise it to the correct height, and showed her how to switch off the safety, and hold it properly. Reyna took her hands away when she was satisfied, and Everest squinted into the sights.

Everest pulled the trigger, and was surprised by the recoil, stumbling back for a second before Reyna stopped her fall. 

She pulled herself back up, and looked towards the robot, who had a single hole in its torso. "We can do better. As we continue, you'll start hitting heads, maybe even as good as I do," said Reyna. "It is your first time, however, so I can forgive you.''

Everest raised the Vandal again, and tried to aim it at head height, and pulled the trigger, expecting the kickback.

The bullet flew through the air, and struck the robot on its head, throwing it to the ground, where the floor opened and it disappeared, before replacing it with another.

Everest smiled, and looked at Reyna, who nodded her approval. "Good shot, cariño. Let's try that again."

This went on for a while, with Reyna teaching Everest how to shoot. She wasn't great, most of the time hitting body shots, but the occasional headshot. Everest would get better, in time.

*
"Now, I think we shall move on to your abilities. Powers, if you will. It's what makes you, you. A powerful Radiant, capable of anything when taught right and when using your abilities to their potential. That's what I'm here for; I have trained Neon, and more," spoke Reyna, who put her vandal down on a rack.

Everest did the same, and Reyna motioned her towards a large platform.

"What can you do, if you know?" Reyna inquired.

"I don't really know yet," replied Everest.

"Then let's find out. Try and call your inner power, and don't try and limit it. As soon as its called, it will do the work for you; the more practice you get, the quicker you can use it, until you can use it in the blink of an eye without needing to call it."

Everest stood silent for a moment, trying to concentrate, before a sharp spark of white ignited her hands, and a long, tall slope materialised. Like the one I created when I found it.

It solidified with a sweep of snow settling on top of it. Reyna touched it with a slim hand, before walking up the slope. She took a pistol and lay on top of it, as if she was peeking an enemy in combat. "This is useful; both for blocking a choke point and for combat purposes. Good. Try something different."

This time, instead of white sparks, her fingertips were tinted blue, like frostbite. Everest drew in a breath, then pushed her hand forward, feeling like that was what she was supposed to do.

A long, spear made from ice protruded from the slope she created earlier, tip sharpening to a razor point. Reyna moved around to it, and touched her finger to it, and it came away with a thin prick of red blood. She raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"You can still do more. Continue finding what you can do."

Everest closed her eyes and searched, when two fragments of clear, turquoise tinted ice appeared in her hands. She threw the first like a frisbee, and it scattered onto the floor, lying there still. Everest bit her lip in frustration, before saying a few words.

It exploded, turning the area it landed on like an ice rink, with spikes ringing the outer perimeter of it. Curious, Reyna walked inside of it. As soon as she passed the spike perimeter, Everest could see Reyna visibly shaking due to cold, most likely. Reyna moved out as quickly as she could, despite still being slow, possibly due to the ice. The woman brushed light snowflakes off her shoulders. She looked over her exposed skin, which had turned dark blue, almost like a bruise. Everest reached out to touch it, and Reyna winced ever so slightly, before moving away.

Everest took the other fragment and tried something new. As she threw it, she muttered the words that activated the other.

The fragment exploded on impact of the ground, doing the exact same thing. Reyna looked back, and smiled.

"I think you have at least even one more powerful ability still in you, Everest. Try to use it."

Everest stood for a few minutes, looking for that one ability to be her most powerful.

After a little bit, a pure white flagpole lay flat in her hands, and she gripped it tight. The flag hanging on it was white with blue edges, with a snowflake in the middle.

She stamped her feet onto the ground to keep balance, as she held the pole and slammed it into the ground. Reyna looked around as the entire platform underneath them turned to hard, white snow, rising up high.  It created a very high cliff-like structure, giving them unobstructed view of the rest of the training range.

"Well done. I think we can finish for now, but we'll train together again in a couple days."

Everest nodded, and turned to leave the range. Reyna stopped her just before she left, and pressed a shard of ice into her hand. The Empress nodded, and allowed Everest to move off.