Learning Skills is great, except you can never just learn the really fucking cool ones. Mostly what you can learn is boring shit like passive weapons Skills, including General Skills like Short Blades and Class-specific ones like Warhamrs, Bows, etc. Many supporting weapon Skills like Fast Draw or Quick Reload can also be learned and should never be taken at a Level up.
Sadly, the good shit like Infernal Strike and Word of Agony are things you can only obtain by Leveling – with the right Class – or being the luckiest motherfucker alive and finding a one-in-a-million Skill gem.
- Delver’s Guild Handbook, Section 3.3 – “Learning Skills”
We were split up into different groups for the evaluations. Wolf offered to let us sit out, since we’d already been placed into the advanced track, but I turned him down – to the surprise of the others.
“If we don’t show that we’re willing to prove ourselves, everyone is going to resent us,” I warned them, and Raylan imdiately nodded in understanding.
“Besides, I’d rather get so training in today than sit around and watch,” I added.
That got the orcs on board, and we moved out according to Thompson’s shouted directions. Wolf was one of several instructors responsible for the ranged combat evaluation, so Alyssa, Alex, Zaire, and I all followed him to one of the shooting ranges. I wasn’t sure exactly how many students there were total, but there had to be at least twenty-five of us in the group that assembled at the range.
The range had ten lanes, each separated by a foot-high stone wall extending easily a hundred and fifty yards out to the base of the northern canyon wall. Only a few of the lanes currently had targets. Basic bulls-eyes were set up in three lanes, about ten, twenty, and fifty yards away. In the fourth lane, there was sothing that looked roughly like a human torso and head, seemingly made out of mud, sitting on what looked like a stone block. The instructors started off with a quick lecture on the rules of the range, then called out a student’s na.
The girl who was up first was an Arbalist, and she had no problems hitting the bulls-eye at ten or twenty yards, and her shots at fifty were tightly grouped around it. When it ca ti to shoot the dummy, I watched in fascination as her bolt sank into the target three or four inches, then was slowly pushed back out as the target re-ford. Enchanted targets, this is great!
She was asked to hit the target three tis as fast as possible – which wasn’t all that fast. I wondered why she hadn’t taken a Skill to help her reload faster yet, then realized she might not even be Level 3.
She probably just has the basic Crossbows Skill and one other from the bonus at the end of the Tutorial… Sure enough, when the instructor asked her to demonstrate any Skills, she fired a shot that sank twice as far into the clay dummy.
The next up was another Arbalist, a boy who had taken a quick-reload Skill. It was fascinating to watch as his hands suddenly blurred, working the goat’s-foot with superhuman speed and slotting a bolt ho in just a couple of seconds. Apparently the Skill had a significant cooldown, as he only used it a few tis.
Alex’s na was next, followed by another Archer, and I figured out that they were going by alphabetical order of Class nas. I zoned out for a while, only stirring when I realized that the next person up was an Earth Mage. The boy, whose na was Eric, struggled to hit the center of the upright targets, apparently not used to making his spikes co out of the ground at the right angle. When it ca to the dummy, he gave up in frustration after a few attempts that barely reached its body.
“This is stupid! I can’t hit sothing vertical like that!” Eric complained. The instructors looked at each other, then waved him off and called up Zaire. As my friend stepped up to the first target, I heard soone behind muttering.
“Filthy rad-born!”
I inhaled sharply. Zaire had never told more about his people, and I wondered if they really were called rad-born. Either way, I looked over my shoulder to see that the comnt had co from one of the trainees, a girl wearing an elaborate set of robes under leather embossed with silver. Identify.
Na: Clarice Eleson
Class: Fire Mage
Tier: 0
I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Clarice. No one insults my favorite Mage.
Zaire, as I expected, proved much better at hitting the center of the targets with his spikes than Leo had, getting so approving comnts from those of us watching. I worried that he would struggle with the dummy too. It was much higher up than the bulls-eyes, but he stepped to the last lane confidently. When the instructor ordered him to begin, he lifted his staff and an Earth Wall erupted right next to the dummy.
I grinned widely as the students around reacted with confusion. The grey-skinned Mage paused for a mont, then cast Earth Spike on the wall. The spike cleanly impaled the dummy right through the head. I heard at least one person say, “shit, I guess he really is on the advanced track!” and my smile grew.
Wolf waved him off with a grin of his own, and the Fire Mages were up next. My evaluation of Alyssa proved true, as she struggled to make bulls-eyes at twenty yards and was all over the target from fifty. Her Spell proved ineffective against the dummy as well, though I didn’t hold that against her. I certainly didn’t want to get hit by a firebolt, at least not with my barrier down.
Stolen from , this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Sadly Clarice proved to be much more skilled, easily landing her shots in the center of each target. Moving on to the dummy, she hesitated with her staff raised. A few seconds later, a much larger and brighter Fire Bolt streaked out and smashed into the dummy’s head, leaving scorch marks on it. I winced.
OK, don’t underestimate her just because she’s an asshole. Also, rember to find out what Skill that was, because it looked impressive.
“Azure!” Wolf called, and I realized that I’d drifted off again. First ti I’m in the middle of a list, hah.
I strode up to the first lane and summoned my shotgun, drawing so interested stares from the crowd. I heard at least one person ask their neighbor, “what is that?” and I smiled internally. I looked over at Wolf.
“Three shots per target, right?”
“Yes, whenever you’re ready.”
Ten yards was a joke compared to the drills Hassan had put through. I brought the gun up, put the red dot right over the red center of the bulls-eye, and stroked the trigger gently.
BOOM!click-clickBOOM!click-clickBOOM!click-click
I couldn’t resist showing off just a little, slamming all three shots into the target in a couple of seconds. My standard ammo punched tight groups into the target, completely shredding the bulls-eye ring. I grinned as I heard soone in the crowd shout in surprise, probably at the booming noise of my shots, which echoed off the cliff in front of us.
I decided not to pick up my spent shells, figuring I wasn’t going to co close to using all my mana this afternoon. I calmly stepped to the next lane, then unleashed another three shots. It was obvious how my pellets spread out significantly wider, even with my gun on full choke. There were still plenty of hits inside the bulls-eye, but I realized that at fifty yards that might not be the case.
I paused, ejecting my two remaining standard shells and loading three slugs. On the fifty yard target, I took my ti with each shot and put two of them into the bulls-eye, with the third right on the edge. This ti I had to stop to collect my precious expended slugs, returning them to my bandolier before moving to stand in front of the dummy.
“Please demonstrate any applicable Skills,” Wolf instructed in the sa bored tone he’d used with everyone else, though I thought I saw a twinkle of amusent in his eyes.
Hmm, what should I show them? I guess technically infusion isn’t a Skill, it’s a mod, so that doesn’t count. And Tactical Reposition won’t do anything here, so I’ll have to show Variable Load. I’ve already fired two types of ammo anyway, so it’s not a secret I can do that.
I loaded up a BB round, followed by a 4BK, and finally a slug. “My Skill lets conjure different kinds of ammunition for different situations,” I announced.
The BB round hit the dummy with a wide spread, all over its torso, and the lighter pellets barely sank into the target at all, popping out almost imdiately and leaving it untouched. My 4BK hit much harder, the pellets grouped more tightly and they took noticeably longer to be pushed out. I lifted my aim slightly for the final shot and put my slug into the center of the dummy’s head, blowing right through it. I grinned at the sight of light coming through the new hole and watched in satisfaction as it slowly closed up.
I heard footsteps, and when I turned around soone from the crowd had picked up the white case of my expended slug and was looking it over. He was tall, probably almost 6’, with a lean build and dark blue hair. His armor was black, unadorned but brightly polished, and perfectly matched. I couldn’t tell what it was made out of, it was so shiny. He had to be one of the trainees.
“Give that back.” I extended my hand to him.
He looked at with slight surprise. “What if I don’t?” he asked.
I started to snap at him but realized at the last mont that his tone had been one of curiosity, not taunting.
“Well, that would be stealing then,” I replied, taking a step closer, my hand still extended.
His eyebrows raised in surprise. “I don’t think you can steal a conjured item, it will disappear shortly after all. Still, if you insist.”
He raised his hand and twirled it in a strange gesture, then bowed at the waist, placing the shell in my hand as he did. I gaped at him in surprise.
What in the Wastes… these rich kids are fucking strange. One of them wants to duel , one of them hates Zaire, one of them is bowing to , and another one is… My thoughts trailed off as I realized he was looking at expectantly. Shit, Identify!
Na: Arlo Hamrsmith
Class: Pistoleer
Tier: 0
My eyes widened at his Class, but I managed to blurt out a quick “thanks!” and step off of the firing line as I returned my precious slug to my bandolier, feeling the pull of the four points of mana rushing into it. Arlo followed as I walked to stand by Zaire. I basked in the respectful nods I got from a few of the recruits on the way.
“Shotguns are a fascinating weapon,” he said. “Even in my family, there are only a few of them.”
“Huh? Your family?” I asked, confused.
He seed taken aback. “You don’t know who the Hamrsmiths are?”
“Um, no, I honestly don’t,” I replied.
“My family is the leading supplier of guns and ammunition in the entire Lost Angels area!” he said proudly, and I suddenly made a ntal connection.
“Wait a minute, is your family the one that gives out all those Level 0 pistols? I had one of those back in Sunland.”
Arlo bead at . “Yes! That is one of our many charitable endeavors, my family believes that everyone should be able to defend themselves when in need!”
Another trainee standing nearby snickered. “Yeah, and they also believe that the first one is free, get you hooked real good!”
I imdiately lost the thread of the argunt as Arlo turned to bicker with the other guy. A few more students went through the drill before Arlo’s na was called and my interest returned.
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