Book 2: Chapter 38: Straight Shooter

Book 2: Chapter 38: Straight Shooter

In the time of yore, Tatankhum's realm entombed their regal departed alongside their devoted retinue and trusted aides who yearned to pursue them into the hereafter. The reward for such devotion was the excision of their servants' flesh from their revered bones. These bones were then coated in steel and subsequently treated with tin to safeguard them against the ages for their long vigil.

- The Fanciful Travels of Beron de Laney 376 AC.

Guard duty during the Weeping was very much a dull affair. There were Zajasite stones placed around the perimeter. These shards of azure, which bathed the encampment in their blue light, were sentinels in the night. Small flaps had been opened in the canvas to allow the sentries to look out at the rain, falling in almost solid sheets against the ground. Despite the deluge, there was little wind and I noticed that the canvas seemed to be deflecting the rain, as if the water could not find purchase against its surface. This must have been Ankhset’s water ward. Apart from the interesting reaction between the rain and the ward, there was really not much to see at all for the first few nights.

However, things started to grow interesting as, one night, I saw some lights in the near-distance. Other camps of traveling folk and caravans, Laes explained to me, once I brought it up with him after my shift. The Rump was, according to him, a stopping point where people would wait out the rains before crossing into the wastes.

Slowly, the number of lights grew along the tops of the hills with each passing night. However, none of us were brave enough to go out into the torrent of rain to make contact with these new people. The way I saw it, there was also little point. So heavy was the rain that I was pretty sure I would drown if I were to walk outside the protection of Ankhset’s ward.

*

I needed to make better use of my time here stuck on the Rump. One morning, with Dumuzi’s help, I bought some sheets of wood, layering them atop each other to fashion a rough target for practice. I practiced breaking down the bow, and in doing so, I got a basic understanding of its mechanisms. Simple, by modern standards, of course, but in this one I had no doubt that this weapon was one of the more-advanced specimens. The crossbow also came with a small quiver filled with wooden bolts tipped with solid steel.

For the sake of completion, I used Identify on the crossbow.

Ironwood Quas Crossbow

Durability 190/190

It certainly had a fine-sounding name and looked like it would be fun to use. However, at such a high price I was beginning to wonder if the new weapon would actually be effective in my hands. With how quickly I could learn new skills in the world, there was always the option of picking up a simple bow and getting Kidu to train me in its use.

Practicing reloading and shooting the crossbow at the target for the next two hours until I could hit more than miss, gave me, as expected, a new notification.

You have learned Crossbows (lvl.1)

Breathing a sigh of relief, I let go of the last vestiges of my buyer’s remorse. I truly felt that it had been money well spent. A bit later, Elwin also decided to loose a few bolts for fun, and I was mildly annoyed when I saw that he was a much better shot than me. Even Cordelia had a go with my new weapon, and she shot almost as well as the Rogue. The only one who was worse than me was Larynda, and she had to get Cordelia to crank the lever for her, as she was too weak to do so herself. Kidu himself did not want a turn at shooting, explaining that his archery and bow were far superior to any warm-lander’s toy. In my opinion, it was indeed a toy, but a deadly one.

Swallowing my pride, I got Elwin to give me a few pointers. He told me to relax more and not to pull so strongly on the trigger. According to him, the release of the bolt should come as a ‘surprise,’ or whatever that meant. Under his guidance, I was able to increase my skill level again.

You have learned Crossbows (lvl.2)

“So like. What is a molecule then, Gil?” her tongue hesitant and unsure, as she stumbled over the alien word.

“Ah, a molecule is the smallest amount of a substance that can exist, while having the properties of that same substance. They themselves are composed of even smaller things that determine their properties, but that is a discussion for another day. They are all everywhere, making up nearly everything around us,” I smiled proudly. Science did not have the answer for everything, but what answers it had were good ones.

“Then what is Mana?” she followed up, her face a picture of concentration.

I could have answered with a simple quote from the primer, but I felt that would be doing her a disservice. “That, I do not truly know,” I stated simply, uncaring for any potential loss of face, for science did not have all the answers. What answers it did have were, however, good ones, and I took pride in being able to admit a lack of knowledge.

For a child, she seemed to take all of this well, and I explained that I was not, in fact, hiding any divine revelation or esoteric knowledge from her. Cordelia seemed to be absorbing everything that I uttered, like a sponge, muttering to herself at times, as if she was trying to inscribe my words to memory.

At times, I felt like a preacher spreading the gospel to the unwashed masses. My words bore fruit, and thanks to this little exchange, I earned another point towards my least-important attribute, Charisma.

You have gained 1 Charisma.

As if science was just another aspect of religious dogma, the woman knight took off into another tale of Avaria and her judgment of the city called Dezones, in the land of somewhere-I-forgot.

Despite her skillful rhetoric, my mind wandered off to engage with different thoughts.

At least my Charisma was a nice and even number now. I still had no idea how the attribute worked in the slightest. Was it like a compelling effect that forced other characters to be friendlier towards me? Could high Charisma be used on me, forcing me down a path I would not have taken otherwise? It opened up the consideration of what exactly ‘free will’ meant in this world, but without any evidence or empirical data, my thoughts could only run around in circles, never stopping at a satisfying conclusion.

There was really nothing for it, so I shelved my musings on the Charisma attribute. I needed to improve what I could, and I had a new idea on how I could improve my most recently-acquired skill.

*

The following day, I was able to commission some padded blunt bolts from one of the craftsmen, in exchange for the medallion that I had looted off Amon Vanes. Then I got Dumuzi to wear some of the old pieces of my armor and to carry the thick wooden target board. I told him that I needed a moving target and that I would be shooting at him with blunted bolts. The boy was understandably reluctant at first, but the promise of payment made him amenable to my demands.

Hitting a moving target at running speed was considerably more difficult than a stationary target. Nonetheless, with some practice, I learned to lead the target, compensating for the speed of both the bolt and Dumuzi. This continued until the boy could run no longer, and I paid him a whole bronze piece for his troubles. As expected, he had not been hurt and had found the whole thing to be like a game. This had been especially true when I had encouraged him to try dodging the incoming bolts. The young lad took it as a challenge, and did his best to run in zigzag patterns to throw off my aim.

Worried, his mother came the next day. I could see that she was biting her lip for a long while, but even she could see that it was relatively easy work for decent money. She was a little cold that evening, but eventually, she gave in to my forceful demands, and I was able to find some release. As I left her place, I assured her that Dumuzi would not be hurt. After all, even if he did get hurt, all I needed to do was use Heal.

No harm, no foul.nôvel binz was the first platform to present this chapter.