Callie's Heroes

PART XII - SMALL, BUT ACCURATE

“Are you ready?” Reynard asked Callie.

The Gnome took a deep breath as she eyed the various targets spaced down the range at incremental distances before her. Shaking out her arms one last time, she grasped her bow tight. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Reynard looked the Gnome over before calling out, “Fifty Meters, Multishot!”

Callie snapped the bow to attention and sighted at the second target downrange. She drew back the string on her enchanted bow and formed the word in her mind…

MULTISHOT

She loosed, and the magic arrow leapt forward. Time seemed to slow as Callie sensed the arrow begin to fly forward. It traveled only a few meters when it suddenly broke apart, an additional arrow forming on either side of the first. Like synchronized dancers, all three spun at the same time-slowed rate passing just over the twenty-five meter target. Callie’s sense of time slowly returned to normal and the trio of arrows slammed into their target, the center one striking the red, the duplicates close on either side.

Before Callie could even appreciate the results, the next call came. “Fifty Meters, Rapid Fire!”

On instinct, Callie drew and once again formed the call for magic.

RAPID FIRE

Again, she loosed. This time, as soon as the first arrow had left her bow, a second one formed, seeming a hazy, shadow-like image of the first. Twice more this happened, the attack now consisting of four arrows. They flew in their perfect, elongated formation, finally striking the target four times in near-instant succession and within centimeters of each other.

“Twenty-Five meters! Piercing Shot!”

Callie called the magic, this time needing two seconds for the spell to wrap around the arrow before she could loose it. It slammed into the short-range target, blasting right through it and out the other side, the arrow sticking into the grassy ground, and a few chunks of cloth and straw scattering. Callie wobbled a moment as she experienced her first ever effects of low mana.

“Do you have enough for another?” Reynard asked. “Don’t push yourself.”

Nodding, Callie took a deep breath. “I think I've got one more in me. Hit me with your best shot.”

“Two-hundred meters, then. Sniper.”

“I can do this,” Callie mumbled to herself as she aimed down the field. Two-hundred meters was a near-impossible shot, and far beyond any competitive range. With this small bow, it would be all the harder. But with the Sniper Shot skill and Ranger perks, maybe it was reasonable. She drew the string just slightly, the glowing arrow materializing on demand, as she tried to focus on the distant target. Her mind formed the command…

SNIPER SHOT

This time, Callie had to concentrate for six seemingly endless seconds before the spell finally attached itself to the magic arrow. She drew back as far as she could, relying on years of training and her new Ranger instincts to judge the high angle and distance. She loosed, and like a rocket the arrow flew, passing over seven targets at twenty-five meter intervals before finally hitting the far off target quite high and to the left of the bullseye. Unfortunately, the arrow barely penetrated and simply dangled limply for a moment, before fading into nothing.

“Good accuracy,” Reynard said, “but no power to it.”

Callie was panting, the final shot running her reserves down to empty, maybe beyond. “Small bow … just doesn't have … the range,” she blubbered out between gasps, feeling woozy. “Even with the Sniper spell.”

“Rangers need to be hitting with Sniper Shot at least twice that range,” Reynard said, scowling.

“Maybe that’s so,” Callie retorted, holding up Thorn’s bow, “but it’s not … going to happen with this bow. Like you said, it's a kid's toy. Hopefully Vonn … can make something stronger and add a rune for range.”

“We’ll see,” the Foxkin muttered introspectively. “Recruit, you pushed yourself too far. Go drink a purple potion to offset any possible mana exhaustion, and sit for a few minutes”

Callie nodded, dreading having to drink a foul-tasting potion, but suspecting she needed it.

“Alright, who’s next,” Reynard called out.

“Kaisess, you’re up!” Callie said, still trying to catch her breath. She smiled at the Catkin and yielded the line to him.