NOVEL WEB Chapter 11 - Retry
Chapter 11
Retry
I hug the cold steel protectively to my chest. "You can't do that! It's not yours! It belongs to me!"
"For the sake of the Empire, I must." The empress's expression is severe and unbending.
"You can't possibly believe I'd let you."
At that, there's a spark of fire in the woman's eyes. "It is not a matter of what you will permit, young Hero. Do not misunderstand me, I want nothing more than to see you leave this courtyard tonight as an imperially recognized Hero, and that weapon at your side. But it is not its value alone that I speak for."
She points to my chest - to the gun or to me, I can't be certain. "It is equally as vital that you are powerful enough to defend it. Should such an artifact fall into the wrong hands, the threat it could pose to the people I have sworn to protect is as great as the encroaching darkness you were summoned to face. If you are not mighty enough to stand against one, I cannot entrust you with the other."
I'm certain there's fire in my gaze, too, and I curb my shock at her threat while my own voice dips low. "I promise you, Your Highness, I will shoot anyone that tries to take this from me."
"Hey, hey!" Yorin waves her arms over her head as she steps between us. "We're all trying to be on the same side here! Let's not forget that just because we all have our own responsibilities to consider! All of this hostile posturing is completely unnecessary!"
"She wants to take my gun, Yorin!" I insist, unintentionally petulant.
"No, she doesn't!" the priestess vehemently answers back. "If she thought you couldn't meet her expectations, she wouldn't be here at all! It would be the most horrible sort of tragedy if you were to die over a fight that doesn't need to happen!"
Her choice of words makes me blink. "You mean if one of us died, don't you?"
"If Xuhi wanted to take it back from you, right here and now, you don't have the means to stop her, even as a Hero with a Heavenly Artifact."
I blink again, so she elbows the empress once more.
"Show her your status."
That shatters the veil of imperial authority again, and her bottom lip almost pouts as she frowns at the priestess. "Must I? Would yours not make far more of an impression?"
"I am not the one she sees as an immediate threat."
The empress gives a put-upon sigh and goes through the increasingly familiar gestures.
NAME: Xuhitana Furinshao
RACE: Human
AGE: 28
LEVEL: 64
CLASS: Iaidoka
HP: 1,090/1,090
MP: 225/225
ST: 740/740
STRENGTH: 280
TOUGHNESS: 265
INTELLECT: 150
AGILITY: 370
TRAITS:
Ronin
Apprentice of the White Witch
Liberator
Giantslayer
Dragonslayer
Witchblade Master
Warrior Queen
I can feel the fire in my eyes die out as ice coats my insides all the way down to my stomach. This woman could break Leuke over one fist. And she's an Iaidoka like Yorin mentioned. An absurdly accomplished one, with traits like those.
I try to release the tension in my chest with a long exhale. "... You have no idea how glad I am you're not armed right now ..."
But Xuhitana just smirks and pulls the fabric of her robe open enough to show her left leg. Hidden by the thick fabrics, a sheathed blade is strapped to her thigh. "I've not taken so much as a step from my own bedroom unarmed since I was younger than you are. But I appreciate the intent of your comment, Miss Lee."
I swallow even as the intimidating status screen disappears from sight.
Yorin claps her hands before her a couple times like a charm to clear bad air. "Now that that's been settled! Remmi! Are you ready to give the review another try?"
Right. That's why we're here. I turn to look to the still-silent scarecrows, then down at my pistol. It's a 1911 clone with a chrome body and black grip, and looks even larger in these smaller hands than it did in my adult ones, but it still fits snugly without feeling too bulky or heavy.
I turn it sideways and press a familiar button with my thumb, causing the bottom to pop out. There's a set of slits on the double-stack magazine so I can see exactly how many rounds I have in it, but I'm surprised to realize I already know even though it's not full. It's not some sort of shooter HUD, I just automatically know how many are still loaded.
I hold the steel rectangle toward them. "Did more of these show up with it?"
They look to each other for a moment, then both women shake their heads.
"Damn, I need more bullets. I don't have enough for that many scarecrows, even if--" I cut myself off, blinking. "Wait a sec."
My mind has gone back to that online store in my Points menu, and I turn away from the two of them as I quickly navigate back to it. Gratitude that I didn't spend my points on Identify right away fills me.
Right at the top of the store page is a tab proudly marked, "Ammunition." Score!
I immediately select several magazines marked as overpressurized jacketed hollow point, since the window cheerfully promises all purchases are guaranteed to operate safely with my firearm, but stop when I see the price in the cart.
"Holy moley ... That can't be right ..."
As I'm double checking my order, Yorin leans in with a concerned expression, though she can't see the window since I'm not sharing it. "Is something wrong?"
"Is it normal to be able to buy physical things with points?"
Again, the women look to each other, but Yorin answers shortly. "Heroes can, but it is usually only basic supplies. Are you able to purchase your bolts through it?"
"Bullets," I automatically correct her, "and yeah. All sorts. And they're dirt cheap!" I pause. "Well, I assume so. A whole magazine of them is only five points."
"Look up a ration pack," she advises. "That will be something we can draw a comparison with."
It takes a few more moments to find, but I soon do so. "Looks like a ration pack is twenty-five points."
"That would make an order of bullets equivalent to a tin in price, more or less."
I arch an eyebrow, and she elaborates. "A tin is a single coin piece. Most prices are given in tins, with one tin being one hundred bits and one hundred tins being a bar. If it helps, an apple is usually about half a tin."
"Strange," Xuhitana comments thoughtfully. "Those bullets were examined by our artificers. They are not so simple as to be such a price. The compounds in them alone should be worth several bars if taken from an entire set."
Well, that explains the missing bullets. Half the magazine is missing, now I know why.
I add another one of those overpressure magazines, one of those ration packs since talking about food is making me hungry, and then, after some thought, scroll through the ammunition list a bit further. An elemental set catches my eye.
Magic bullets?!
I slide three magazines whose description brags about their explosive incendiary magic charge into my cart, bringing my total up to seventy-five points, or fifteen tins if my math is still any good.
Before I can select Check Out, a pop-up opens, emblazoned with the title, "FIRST TIME BUYER?!"
I'm almost annoyed that the virtual RPG system in my head is as plagued with ads and aggressive sales tactics as an actual web page, but stop when I realize what it's touting.
For New Customers Only:
Add this stylish leather holster and belt combo to your cart now for only 25 points!
Guaranteed to fit your pistol of choice AND your waist, whether you're going summer svelte or thoroughbred thunder thighs!
Our patented HeavenlyTM treated leather will endure any environment, endless miles of dusty road and years of use without ever fraying or growing brittle!
Comes with two watertight, sealable pouches for spare magazines and snacks! Upgrade to even more at any time for a proper utility belt! Additional pouches sold separately.
Hold your most trusted piece in the hands of angels and purchase your Heavenly Holster today!
... A little suspicious that it costs exactly my remaining points, but kudos for the cheeky sales pitch. And I do need a holster. I can't imagine getting a custom one from a regular store for the equivalent of five bucks.
After only a little trepidation, I add it to the pile and trade forty apples' worth of points for over a hundred bullets, a new belt and a snack.
After I complete the purchase, a dim light appears in front of me and forms into a wooden box made of thin paneling.
Yorin's eyes widen at the size. "How many bullets did you buy?!"
"Just over a hundred," I admit, "but less than half of them are for this fight. Since I don't have any, I wanted some in reserve. Most of this is probably the belt."
"Belt?"
Instead of answering, I open the box, revealing my entire order in precisely stacked and sorted sections. The bullets are already even in their own magazines, ready to pop right into the gun. I can immediately tell the fire bullets from the regular ones. Aside from the fact there's one more magazine of the latter, the fire bullets have red heads, a red strip down the side of the magazine, and a red base so that I can tell what type is loaded even at a glance.
I grab the extra magazine of regular bullets and casually toss them at Xuhitana, who catches the metal bar in one hand effortlessly despite the look of surprise on her face.
"Make sure your artificers keep them away from open flame or strong heat if they value having two eyeballs."
I pull out the ration pack, which looks a lot like an MRE bag, rip it open and pull out a pack of preserved meat. I see a thing of dried fruit, too, and toss that to Feng, who doesn't catch it with nearly the grace of his mother.
The first strip of meat goes in my mouth and I have to give it a good tear to get a bite off. "Wow," I marvel as I chew, "that is the blandest jerky ever. Tastes like it was made in a dehydrator."
I toss the rest of the strip in my mouth, anyway, and pull out the belt. The leather's supple and the inside has a felt texture to it. The buckle looks like it's maybe brass, but it's hard to tell in our current light.
There's two pouches already attached to it, opposite the holster, each long enough to fit magazines and deep enough to comfortably fit four or five of them. The flaps press down with a single finger and completely seal themselves, but then easily open when I peel them back again.
I slip my pistol into the holster and snap the securing strap into place over it, then pull the belt up behind me as I stand to my feet. Despite my own improvised outfit, the belt slides around my waist like it was meant to be there, and once I buckle it in place, it doesn't shift around nearly as much as my sense of reason thinks it should.
Yorin's face lights up with recognition as I begin testing drawing the weapon. "Oh! It is the sling!" She turns back to the empress as if to enlighten her. "Remmi explained this to me! It is not slinging like with a stone, but from the sling, like your sheathe! She says that Gunslingers even have a similar quick draw art!"
That seems to catch Xuhitana's attention as she starts to pay closer attention to how I am drawing. "A quick draw art using a ranged weapon? Intriguing. Hero Remmi Lee, are you suitably prepared now?"
"Yes!" I exclaim, my spirits higher than they've been since my arrival in this world. "Sorry about the wait!"
"It's no trouble," she assures me as she makes a motion with her hand and red eyes begin to light up in the scarecrows. "Every archer needs her quiver. Begin at your initiative."
A grin splits across my face as I turn toward those twiggy bastards and raise that familiar weight toward them.
Never point your gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. It's a common rule of gun safety taught to all gunners, civilian and military alike.
Well, I intend to destroy the fuck out of these clowns, and a familiar thunderclap envelops me.