“Hogg, what sort of ranged weapons do you have on hand?”

Hogg winced, in the way that a person might if he tried to shrug before realizing that his body still wasn’t working quite the way it should. “This and that. Whatever you need.”

“Which ones does Brin have practice with?”

“None of them. He’s got absolutely no talent for archery,” said Hogg.

Brin protested, “That’s a little unfair. We only tried one time, and you’re comparing me to [Hunters], and they have a whole Class for it.”

“We spent a whole afternoon before he even hit the target once. I decided teaching him archery would be a waste of time,” said Hogg.

“You’ll have to revisit it. Doing damage at range is a vital Skill for a [Mage]. There’s really no substitute for it.” Turning back to Brin, Lumina said, “I could teach you the words for shooting bullets, and I will, but it won’t be very effective if you don’t have real world analogues to compare it to.”

“Well, I have bows, if you need them. And I could go fetch a [Hunter] if we want to do this right,” said Hogg.

“Better not send a mirror image, otherwise people will wonder how you’re up and walking around,” said Brin. “I’ll go.”

“I don’t have to send me,” said Hogg.

He gestured with one raised finger, and another Brin appeared in the room in front of him. [Know What’s Real] told Brin that this was a fake, if there was ever any doubt.

“Look at me! I’m Stupid the Scarred! Or was it the other way around?” Fake Brin had an idiotic look on his face, and Hogg didn’t even bother copying Brin’s voice. He just used his regular voice in a falsetto.

“I don’t talk like that,” said Brin.

Lumina covered her mouth with a sleeve to cover a smile.

Fake Brin ran to the door and slammed into it, falling back onto his bottom. “Woops! Why didn’t that open? I don’t know how doors work! I’m so confused by simple things all the time! I guess I’ll have to try again.”

Fake Brin stood and slammed his face into the door again and again. “Nothing for it but to keep trying! It’s like I always say: If at first you do something stupid, keep doing it! This is great training for Vitality! I bet I’ll get my Scarred Achievement to go up!”

Lumina looked back and forth between Brin and fake Brin. “But which one is real?”

Brin spluttered in indignation, but also couldn’t help himself from laughing a little.

Marksi blinked his eyes open from where he’d been dozing on the couch. He took one tired look at Fake Brin then his eyes opened wide.

“Wait, Hogg, turn it off, you’re scaring–”

Marksi ran and leapt onto Fake Brin, claws out. He chomped down on the back of Fake Brin’s thigh, and Brin couldn’t help but wince in sympathy.

Marksi pulled back, wincing in disgust. He seemed offended that the Fake Brin hadn’t been as edible as he should be. He bit again, crawling up and down Fake Brin’s body, trying to find a weak point.

“Hey! Stop that!” Hogg said.

“He thinks it’s an illusion, so he’s trying to eat it!” Brin laughed.

Sensing that his snack was about to be taken from him, Marksi started biting the hard light twice as fast, growing frantic that he wasn’t able to eat it.

Fake Brin disappeared, and Marksi fell to the floor. He ran in a circle, whining for Hogg to bring it back.

“That was more than enough,” said Hogg.

Lumina crouched down close to Marksi, examining him closely. “I knew they ate magic, but even hard light? I’m tempted to think he’ll be capable of it soon. I’d really like to meet your mother some time.”

Marksi looked back unabashed, eyeing her staff.

She held it out to him. “I won’t stop you from trying.”

Marksi shied away. Smart boy.

“Anyway, I can get someone here in a jiffy,” said Hogg.

“Perhaps for further lessons. I can teach him for today,” said Lumina.

“You can shoot?” Brin asked.

“Of course. I had to learn the same as you. But about the bow?”

Brin showed her the cellar where Hogg kept all his normal unenchanted weapons. She examined the array on the floor with great interest. When she turned her eyes to the contents, she said, “Take the wooden bow there, and the arrows. Also the sling.”

They went outside. Hogg followed along as a mirror image, and was forced to snatch Marksi out of the air when the little dragon jumped in for a bite. He held Marksi in firm but gentle hands, keeping his mouth away from himself. “I’m not letting you go until you prove you can behave.”

“” said Lumina.

Twenty yards away, a smooth pillar of earth rose up from the ground. The front of it was flat, and as he watched, a red circle formed on the surface, with a dot in the middle. This was to be the target.

The bow and an arrow flew to Lumina, and she plucked them out of the air. In one smooth motion, she nocked the arrow, pulled, and loosed.

The arrow flew, and struck the center of the target. A bullseye, with an unfamiliar bow, on the first try. There was no way she wasn’t cheating somehow. Still, he didn’t say anything.

Marksi jumped down from Hoggs hands and went after it. He grabbed the arrow in his mouth, pulled it from the target, and started back with it.

Lumina handed the bow to Brin. “Now you try.”

Brin took the bow, but Hogg immediately injected himself. “Not like that. Here.”

It took ten minutes before he even got off his first arrow. He had to learn how to stand, how to hold the bow, how to hold the arrow, how to draw the string, how to let it go, how to think, how to breathe, and a hundred other things. Both of them talked at him at once, so he had to try to do what they were saying while following two sets of directions at once.

When he finally shot his first arrow, it landed ten yards short.

“Try again,” said Hogg.

So he did. He shot arrows over and over. Marksi chased after them enthusiastically, and when too many were out, Lumina pulled them back over with her magic.

There was no time limit on this, and Brin was glad they were content to just let him practice. He improved quickly, and was hitting the target by his tenth shot. Before he knew it, two hours had gone by.

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“By the way,” Lumina said while watching Brin practice. “How many General Skill points do you have?”

Brin loosed an arrow. It hit the target, but not in the center. He picked up another. “Three.”

“Do you have plans to use them?”

“I meant to, but I wanted to get Hogg’s opinion on them first, and there never seemed to be a good time.”

Lumina nodded in approval. “That was well-thought of. I know it feels like they come easily, but your levels are going to slow drastically from here on out. Most people get to level thirty, if they live long enough, but only one in ten reach level forty.”

Brin thought that number was more like one in four in Hammon’s Bog, but didn’t argue. “So I should just keep them?”

“You should start to consider your options,” said Lumina. “There are two schools of thought regarding General Skills. For the most part, they aren’t magical, meaning that they only allow you to more easily do things that you’re already capable of learning to do. [Hide Status] and [Inspect] being notable exceptions. The first school of thought is that you should only get Skills for things you’re doing every day. That way, they’ll level more quickly and integrate with your Class.”

Brin pulled an arrow and aimed while he listened.

“Not like that! Never pull if you aren’t going to loose. It should be one smooth motion,” said Hogg.

Brin let the arrow fly. It missed the entire target. “Sorry.”

“The other school of thought,” Lumina continued, “is to use them for things you don’t particularly like doing, but must. I have [Herb Gathering] and [Riding] for example. Neither activities are particularly useful in my daily life, but when I must ride I must ride, and I must ride well. For [Herb Gathering], I have no desire to spend hours upon hours learning the difference between plants, but I also travel a lot and I don’t want to walk by a powerful reagent because I didn’t recognize it. It’s only level twenty-two, but it’s been a literal life-saver.”

Brin loosed another arrow, not thinking about it too much this time. He watched the arrow sail, and then picked up another one, letting his body do the work unconsciously.

“Well, shoot, now I want both of those,” said Brin.

“I’d caution you not to spend all of your points. Take your time to decide, and keep one or two in reserve, in case the System gives you the chance to advance one of them,” said Lumina.

“Like [Directed Meditation],” said Brin.

“Just so,” said Lumina.

“Your [Inspect] probably isn’t far away from something like that, too," added Hogg.

“I’m more of the first school of thought, myself,” said Hogg. “[Meditation] was the right Skill for you, because you needed it to bring out the best from your Class. I have [Acrobatics] to help me get around. That might be a good one for you, but I think [Athletics] would be better, since you’re working out every day. It’s good to match your General Skills to your natural proclivities.”

“If we’re making suggestions, I would add [Reading] and [Talking] or [Diplomacy],” said Lumina.

Brin kept practicing archery while he thought. His arms were starting to burn, but it was a good feeling, the feeling of healthy exercise. Of progress.

“I think I’m going to rule out [Riding]. There are like, four horses in this town, and none of them are for riding. I can see where you’re coming from, Lumina, but it’s not something I’ve needed to do here yet, so I’d rather keep the point until I see a need for it. I also don’t think [Herb Gathering] is for me. I have a pretty good memory Skill. Get me in a library with a couple dozen books on plants, and I’ll be able to flip through them all in an hour and store the memory in glass. Same thing with [Reading], honestly.”

“Then what about something more general? [Animal Handling] will help with riding if it ever comes up, and it may also strengthen your bond with Marksi,” said Lumina.

“I don’t know…” Brin hedged. “I don’t really see Marksi as an animal. It doesn’t feel right.”

“[Survival],” suggested Hogg. “Though, let me tell you now it’s both more and less useful than it sounds. It’s a Skill for surviving in nature. It’ll help you find water and make shelter, that kind of thing. It won’t make you tougher or harder to kill by violence.”

“I guess that could be useful,” said Brin. “I’ll keep it in mind as a solid option, but no use taking it now. I’m not planning on going camping any time soon. I guess it makes sense to keep a few General Skills open, like you said, Lumina. If I ever do get stranded in the wilderness it would be a lifesaver. But if I don’t, there’s no reason for me to take it. There was one General Skill I was looking at. What’s your opinion on Medicine?”

“Useless, unless you have a Class that will let you combine it with something,” said Hogg.

“That’s too bad. I was hoping I’d find a way to boost [Scarred, but Healing],” said Brin. Really, he’d been thinking that his otherworldly knowledge might boost the Skill somehow. But they knew about washing your hands here, and he didn’t have a clue how to make penicillin. Something to do with moss? He’d need to think of something he could actually contribute.

He pulled another arrow, and he realized something. He liked this. He liked exercising, practicing things with his body and getting better.

“I think I’m going to take [Athletics]. Can you tell me what the difference is between it and [Acrobatics]?” asked Brin. “Both of those sound like they’d be useful in combat, and I thought I remember you telling me General Skills weren’t combat Skills.”

“It depends on how you use it,” said Hogg. “Don’t think of them as Skills that help you fight. Think of them as Skills that help you get ready to fight. Acrobatics helps me learn to jump around, dodge, and be flexible. It fits well with my style, since Dexterity is my highest attribute. Athletics will help you with those same things, but it’s more about training your body in general, making yourself stronger and faster. It’s a good choice for someone with high Strength.”

“It’s a training Skill? That’s perfect for me.” Brin pulled up his status.

Lumina must’ve seen his eyes focus on words she couldn’t see, because she said, “Wait! Think on it at least a day. There’s no rush, and it’s not something you can take back.”

Brin smiled guiltily and dismissed his status. “I will. I’m pretty sure I want [Athletics], though, and I think taking a Skill for communication wouldn’t be a bad idea either. I don’t know if [Speaking] or [Diplomacy] sound like a perfect fit, though. While we’re on the subject, are there any other Skills that would help me learn magic?”

“I would’ve told you to take [Meditation] if you didn’t already have it. Hm… my Master swears by the [Listening] Skill. I took it to humor him, but frankly I don’t see the appeal,” said Lumina.

“I guess I should bring up [Stealth] or [Sneak]. I don’t think it’s worth it for you, though. You can get quiet enough just by practicing, and with [Illusionist] it would be overkill.”

“Hm…” Brin put down the bow and scratched his chin. Since [Stealth] synchronized so well with [Illusionist] was there some way that combining them would make something really powerful? Or would it be a waste, like Hogg thought?

They were both right about one thing, though, he really would need to think about this.

“[Good Decisions] isn’t a Skill or I would make you take it,” said Hogg.

“Neither is [Wisdom] or I would take it myself. Maybe [Temperance]? [Self-Control]?” Lumina’s eyes suddenly went wide. “By Nedramus’ Beard! [Self-Control] is actually a Skill.”

Hogg pointed at Brin. “Take it!”

“No!”

Hogg held the pointed finger and the wide-eyed glare before he cracked a grin and let it drop.

Brin snorted and shook his head, then lifted the bow again.

“That’s enough of a warm-up. Now I’d like you to coat the arrowheads in glass and try again,” said Lumina.

It only took a few seconds for Brin to coat the first arrowhead with a thin layer of glass. He shot the arrow just like the others, paying special attention to the glass on the arrowhead. It didn’t feel much different, only that when he let go of the string it felt as if the arrowhead suddenly disappeared to his glass-senses.

After a few more like that, Lumina said, “Now use [Shape Glass] to try to hold the arrow back. Don’t actually try to stop it, only pull back enough so that you’ll feel the way the bowstring rips it away from you.”

After that, she had many similar suggestions. He used [Shape Glass] to try to increase the arrow’s speed. Then he tried to alter its direction. Then he had to focus on keeping his awareness with the arrow as long as possible. She gave him twenty minutes to form a new arrow entirely out of glass. It shattered on the first strike, but he got a bulls-eye.

After that, he made a dozen glass arrowheads. Hogg made himself useful by swapping them out on his arrows, and then Brin fired them all. And then again. And again.

When his shoulders were too tired, he switched arms. He lost all semblance of accuracy, but he was able to keep going now that he was working a different set of muscles. Hogg made it clear that switching arms like that was stupid if the goal was to learn to shoot well, but he didn’t stop Brin from trying.

They worked all through lunch, and ate a normal dinner, despite Lumina’s claims that he’d be learning table manners soon. After dinner, she started Brin on the sling, and he worked the rest of the afternoon and into the night.

He only got one notification for his trouble.

Through training, you have increased the following attribute: Dexterity +1

“You made excellent progress today. You should be proud,” said Lumina.

“It doesn’t feel like that,” said Brin. “We didn’t even get to the magic.”

“Did we not? Now hear this: Everything we did today was magic. You increased your skill and understanding, and in doing so, you increased your ability to contend with the world.”

She had an interesting way of slipping back and forth between casual language, and authoritative statements that sounded like she was quoting a textbook, or maybe scripture. He’d ask her about it sometime, but for now he was too tired.

That night he had nightmares, but he did sleep, at least a little. In the morning, after another conversation with Lumina and Hogg, he selected his next Skill.

You have selected General Skill - Athletics