Callie's Heroes

PART I - LIKE A CUP OF WATER

It was dark when Callie woke, but at the same time, it was not-dark. She could tell the lantern lights had gone out, plunging the room into blackness, yet she still easily made out the forms of Vanis, Lena and the others. Even though it was dark, a blue-green haze seemed to cover everything, giving her a clear false-light view of the room. Callie quickly realized this must be the ability to see in the dark that Tazrok had mentioned.

Everyone else in the house seemed to be asleep, Lena emitting a cute little whistle with her nose every time she exhaled. It was quiet, the sounds of crickets and other critters leaking in around the closed shutters.

Callie slid off the bed and ducked into the latrine, having no difficulty seeing due to the Darkvision. She had to admit not needing any light was ridiculously convenient. Not sure what to do next, she debated going back to bed or maybe out to sit in the garden. Callie dismissed the second idea quickly, though. As lovely as it might be, she’d probably fall asleep again and didn’t want to do that outside. So, with little else to do, she started to clamber back into her bunk.

NEW SKILL: MULTISHOT

NEW SKILL: PIERCING SHOT

NEW SKILL: INSTINCTIVE DODGE

NEW CLASS PERK: WILDERNESS STEALTH

EXISTING CLASS PERK OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN: ADVANCED ARCHERY

RACIAL TRAIT REVEALED: UNDERGROUND SENSE

RACIAL TRAIT REVEALED: DARKVISION

The deluge of new reveals slammed into Callie out of nowhere. She started to digest what had just happened when the follow-on vertigo came on in full force, multiplied by seven new reveals. Her head swam, and she held onto the frame of the bunk for dear life, hoping that it would just end. It didn’t, and Callie slid to the floor with a soft groan. But the spinning didn’t stop and she began to feel nauseous, whatever was left in her stomach threatening to come up.

Remembering the repeated requests to get to the latrine or outside if any of them felt sick, Callie tried to stand to dash to either. Her feet slipped, though, and she fell back on her butt with a thump. That was enough to do it, and her stomach heaved. Not wanting the mess to go everywhere, Callie did the only thing she could think of and caught it all in her robe like it was a bucket. The bile was thankfully limited since all she had eaten recently was soup and bread, plus a tiny magic berry, but there was still enough to soak right into her robe. Then the second round hit.

Thankfully, there was no third round and the post-reveal spinning faded eventually. Callie sat in her puke-covered robe and sighed. The smell was awful, but she felt worse and even more so, embarrassed. And, oh what she wouldn’t give for a breath mint.

“Are you okay?” Lena asked in a sleepy whisper.

“Yeah,” Callie whispered back. “I got a whole bunch of skills and stuff at once. It was a bit much to take and everything came up. Careful, it will probably happen to you, too.”

“Thanks for the warn…” Lena asked sleepily as she drifted off mid-sentence.

Callie looked down at her vomit-stained self. What a mess. She had no new clothes, and the robe was basically in a disgusting state. “I’m going to the showers to clean up. Ugh,” she whispered to Lena. She would be able to wash herself off and rinse out the robe. It would be wet, but not covered in yuck.

Lena responded only with very light snoring.

Carefully, Callie stood up, miraculously preventing anything spilling to the floor, and walked quietly to the front door. She winced as the door squeaked open, but thankfully no one appeared to stir. She slipped through and slowly squeaked the door closed again.

The garden courtyard was still, the sounds of the bugs even louder than they were inside. On the horizon, a very faint glow could be seen, threatening to turn to dawn soon.

Callie let her robe go, some of the mess falling to the ground. Unfortunately, most had soaked in, making the robe sickly, sticky and wet. She sighed, and set off towards the garden center and the fountain. There, she rinsed out her mouth, the cold liquid refreshing, blending itself with the chilly pre-morning air. Spitting the water into the grass, she wished again for a breath mint, and suddenly wondered what people did for toothpaste and dentistry in this world. She would have to ask Lena about that.

“Good morning, recruit,” a male voice said quietly.

Callie turned to see a Dwarf wearing leather armor and boots. She knew a cop when she saw one, and this guy was obviously walking a night patrol.

“Hi,” she said coldly.

“You’re awake early,” he said. The look in his eyes wasn’t accusing, though, more showing concern. Callie felt a little less tense.

“Yeah, I woke up and promptly vomited all over myself. I was just rinsing my mouth out on the way to the showers.”

“Do you need a cleaner for your bunkhouse?”

“I don’t think so. I caught all of it in time, I think.” Callie gestured to her stained robe.

“Good reflexes, then. You need to be careful when those first skills unlock. Thankfully, at later tiers, the dizziness isn’t so bad, just these first reveals.”

“Yeah, I got hit with seven of them at once when I woke up, so it was really bad.”

The guard winced in sympathy. “I remember when I got my very first batch. Only three, but it was still an experience I won’t forget. Luckily, I didn't get sick, but part of me sure wanted to. Do you need assistance to the showers?”

“I think I’m good,” Callie said, trying to put on a smile. She gestured again to the front of her stained robe. “Just a mess.”

The guard bid a good morning and walked on his way. “Even the cops are nice in this world,” Callie observed quietly. She turned eagerly to the showers, and marched across the courtyard.

As Callie approached the shower, she saw what looked like a bunny sitting next to the building, as she got closer, she could see it sported an impressive set of antlers. “A legit Jackalope?” Callie said to herself, before the little critter turned and disappeared in a flash of blue light with a ‘poof’, reappearing several meters farther away. The sight suddenly reminded Callie once again she wasn’t on Earth anymore.

The showers were empty, and dark, the morning sun not yet high enough to illuminate anything. Thankfully, Callie’s Darkvision made this a non-issue. She skipped the changing stalls, since her robe needed to be washed, and entered one of the showers. Adjusting the chains to what she remembered was a nice temperature, Callie opened the valve and the water cascaded down on her face, soaking her robe.

The hot water felt wonderful and seemed to wash the tension Callie didn’t realize she had been carrying down the drain. For a good minute, she just stood there being pelted by the cascade, before remembering what she was here for. Callie dropped the water-heavy robe off her shoulders and then took a piece of soap from the collection basket before returning to the water.

“Hello?” a voice called out. “There’s someone in here?”

“Yes, just one person,” Callie called back, lathering up her front where the vomit had soaked through to her skin. “Careful, there’s no light.”

“Not a problem, I have Darkvision.”

Callie heard footsteps and a face peered around the stall wall. “Oh, hello, Recruit.”

Callie looked up to see a Fairy looking back at her. “Commander! Er … I mean Commandant! Good morning!”

Xera looked down to see the soaked robe on the floor of the shower. “A problem?”

“I woke up and learned a bunch of skills and things at once. Got sick on myself,” Callie grumbled. “I needed to clean up.”

“Ahh. But you are well now?”

“I think so. Still a bit diz…” Callie trailed off as her mind lurched.

NEW SKILL: SNIPER SHOT

“Oh shit!” Callie said, dreading the moment a fresh wave of spinning was going to hit. “New skill!” She panicked and looked for a wall to lean against. In a literal flash of light, the Commandant was at her side, paying no attention to the fact her clothing was getting drenched.

“Just sit. It will be over in a moment.”

With Xera’s help, Callie managed to sit her naked butt down on the hard stone floor. It was slightly awkward for Xera since they had only one arm, and the downpour of water didn’t help any. Suddenly her head swam and she leaned forward just trying to stay centered, the hot water pelting her back. It took a bit, but finally the feeling subsided.

“Thank you,” Callie gasped weakly. “Man those new skills hit hard.”

“Indeed,” Xera responded, having backed out of the falling water. “I remember when I was first joined. It was not at all pleasant. Are you good?”

Callie looked up at the Fairy. “I will be in a minute. Sorry you got soaked.”

“No matter. It’s only water. I wear my clothing for the day when I come to the showers so I can go straight to my office. I guess I’ll be late today. I will have someone fetch me a robe to get back to my quarters, and I’ll have a fresh one fetched for you as well.”

“Thanks, again,” Callie said.

“What is your name, Little One? And out of curiosity, what skill did you learn?” Xera asked.

“I’m Callie. I learned the skill Sniper Shot.”

“Ahh, that is a most excellent combat skill. Use it well.”

“I’m not entirely sure what it does or how to use it,” Callie said. “Although what it does is a little obvious, I suppose.”

“Usually recruits are told how to unlock skill information on the first day of training, which would be tomorrow. But I’ll give you the secret. Calm your mind and simply ask what the skill does. You’ll unlock the skill and receive a number of details.”

“Really? Just … ask myself? It can’t be that simple?”

Xera nodded. “It is, surprisingly. That’s all you need to do. We call it a ‘query’. We generally don’t tell people until tomorrow so they don’t hurt someone today trying everything out, so please keep it a secret. I’ll see to those robes now.”

Xera disappeared while Callie worked to get her head focused again. Then she remembered when Vanis had told her how to determine her class; how she just asked herself and the response confirming she was a Ranger. She scooted out of the falling water and took a cleansing breath.

Tell me about Sniper Shot

Nothing happened.

Callie worked again to clear her mind. She blocked out the sound of the water splashing on the stone and focused on her breathing and heartbeat. Deep breath in through her nose, blow it out through her lips.

Tell me about Sniper Shot

SKILL: SNIPER SHOT (IRON TIER)

MANA USAGE: HIGH

CASTING TIME: 6 SECONDS

RECHARGE TIME: 60 SECONDS

CHARGES: 1

DESCRIPTION: This ability imbues a prepped arrow for extreme damage at long range. The casting process requires 6 seconds, and once complete, the arrow must be fired within 10 seconds, or the effect will dissipate. As the skill level increases, the casting and recharge time will decrease, the window of opportunity to fire the arrow will expand, and the damage, maximum charge count, and range will increase.

Callie was dumbstruck as the information poured in. Again, no voice told her, or text appeared. It was simply a case that she suddenly knew it. As suspected, the skill’s actual effects were pretty self-evident, but the addition of the how-to mechanics and restrictions, as well as a preview of what higher tiers would bring, was actually a delight to Callie. She had to try again.

Tell me about Bowyer/Fletcher

PERK: BOWYER/FLETCHER (IRON TIER)

MANA USAGE: SITUATIONAL AT HIGHER TIERS

CASTING TIME: SITUATIONAL AT HIGHER TIERS

RECHARGE TIME: SITUATIONAL AT HIGHER TIERS

DESCRIPTION: Provides the knowledge to craft simple arrows and bows from common components. Higher tiers of this perk allow for advanced crafting, replicating arrows, summoning components, and imbuing crafted bows and arrows with magical runes and effects, enhancing their capabilities. This perk synergizes with the UNREVEALED trait in the exploration of perk-related projects.

Like a flood, information poured into her consciousness. She suddenly knew how to plane and shape a wood arrow shaft. She knew how to cut and reinforce the nock on the arrow. She knew how to attach feathers and properly tie them into place. All of it, as if she had read a dozen books and watched every single possible YouTube video on the subject. And more flooded in. She knew how to make a new string for bow, and even how to tone the wood and craft a basic bow herself. It was all just … there. She knew she wasn’t good at it, yet, but the how-to was clear as day.

But it was what would come later that truly caught Callie’s attention. Summon components? Magical runes? Holy wow! Maybe she couldn’t do those things now, but to know that would come at later tiers made Callie eager to get there. As it was, even the new knowledge she now had about making simple arrows and bows was crazy, considering moments ago she knew nothing on the topic.

She needed to try one more, and remembered one that apparently Lena had received the night before, as well.

Tell me about Instinctive Dodge

SKILL: INSTINCTIVE DODGE (IRON TIER)

STAMINA USAGE: LOW (SPECIAL)

DESCRIPTION: Individuals possessing this skill can effortlessly evade known incoming attacks by utilizing stamina. As they progress to higher tiers, their likelihood of success increases, their stamina expenditure decreases, and they gain the capability to dodge unseen attacks.

Now that was interesting, especially at higher tiers. Callie imagined dodging and weaving between attacks while blindfolded, her new skill directing her effortlessly. It seemed pretty badass, actually! It made sense, though. A Ranger would need some kind of a defensive ability, and magical dodging seemed to be the perfect answer.

The fact that this was the same skill that Lena received the night before was also interesting. If they both had the same skill, would they behave the same for both of them? Or would Lena’s be more advanced, or become more advanced, because she fought hand-to-hand. And for that matter, would Pixyl get something like it as well? Callie mentally made a note to check with both of her housemates as soon as they both knew the secret to getting the information, since she couldn’t share it with them yet.