“You know, I'm glad I brought them in on everything. Marty has some good ideas, and I'm sure he's already cooking up more stuff to throw our way.”
“Definitely.” Polina agreed with an easy smile. “Especially the 'mental resistance' stuff he asked you to look in to. I hadn't even thought about someone using magic to mess with our heads, and I'll feel a lot more secure when we get that covered.”
Oliver frowned as he thought about it again. He hadn't really considered that point... Partially because his Willpower was so high, and he planned to raise it even higher.
But when Marty mentioned the possibility that someone could influence his mind and make him do something horrible... like hurt his friends... or hurt Poli...
Yeah, Oliver wasn't going to take chances with that. And he was damn sure going to try to prevent that from happening to any of them, either.
Shaking off that bit of worry, Oliver started up his truck. “So, off to the warehouse to work on Commissions? Tyrone already said he had the guys set up some loads for me to send off...”
“Actually...” Polina responded slowly, fingers tapping against her knee as she thought. “Do you think we could make a stop on the way? I have an idea that I think could be useful for us.”
Smiling gently, Oliver got the truck moving. “Sure, just tell me where to go.”
Firming up her thoughts, Polina nodded decisively. “You know where Mike's Sporting Goods is at?”
“Yeah.” Oliver answered as he started driving in that direction. After a second, he glanced curiously at her. “What are we going there for?”
“Compound bows and crossbows. Plus all the stuff we need to go with them.” She answered with a bright smile.
Seeing the slightly flabbergasted look on his face, she chuckled softly and patted his leg. “You said that it's possible to go to places where guns won't work, right?”
Oliver groaned; how did he overlook bows and crossbows? He had planned for a number of things, even going so far as to post Bounties for spells, and he missed bows?
“Hey, don't be hard on yourself, hon.” Polina said gently, taking his hand in hers. It was easy to see that he was already beating himself up over missing something like that, and that wasn't what she had intended. “Everyone's mind works differently, right? You and Marty are all over the magic stuff; coming up with ideas and plans to protect us from, or counter, a lot of situations. Honestly, I'm not sure I would have come up with half of what you two have.”
Oliver sighed softly, shaking his head. “Yeah... Just... Bows are such a common weapon in a lot of games that I can't believe I didn't think of them.”
“That's because of the guns you already have.” She countered easily. “You already have some of the most effective ranged weapons you could get, and you've made steps to cover your gaps using magic. That's already a pretty damn good, if you ask me.”
“Besides, like Marty said... I'm the gun bunny. I do the weapons stuff.” Polina's smirked confidently.
“Fair enough. And it's a really good idea, hon. Bows and crossbows have a lot of advantages over my magic as well... Like not being flashy and loud.”
“Not just stealth though, Oli. Modern compound bows can be incredibly accurate, and hit pretty hard... Actually, all this talk about the Agent's business card makes me curious about something...”
“If the FBI has people that can enchant those cards... Maybe we could find someone to enchant things? I know you said that Earth is 'low magic', but even small enchantments would be useful. Could you imagine an enchanted compound bow? Or an enchanted gun?”
Oliver gaped at the suggestion, as honestly it was pretty brilliant... and should have been obvious to him and Marty. The FBI has enchanted objects, so there are people that could enchant things somewhere in the world...
Though, that also raised some pretty alarming thoughts.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“...does the FBI have enchanted guns?”
The questioned weighed heavily on the two. Contemplating that possibility, they rode on in silence.
----------------------------------------
“So, how do we pick out a compound bow? Or a crossbow, for that matter?” Oliver asked curiously as he looked across an entire wall taken up by the weapons.
“The easiest way is to just ask Robbie; he's the guy that usually works this department. This is where I come to pick up ammo for when I want to do some target shooting, so I know him pretty well.” Polina replied, even as she waved down the man in question.
When thinking about a guy that worked in the hunting section of a sporting goods store, Oliver immediately thought of the classic woodsman image: a big, burly guys, probably wearing flannel of some sort, and with a huge bushy beard... And Robbie did not disappoint him- though the beard was actually very neat and well groomed.
“Poli! How ya been, girl?” Robbie boomed out as he approached, before wrapping Polina up in a massive bear hug. Setting her down gently as she laughed, he took a step back to look at her. “It's been a bit. You look like you're doing well. The guys at the PD still giving you hell?”
“I'm doing good, Robbie.” She answered with a smile. “And no, they aren't giving me hell... Mainly because I resigned this morning.”
“No kidding?” Robbie asked, surprise written on his face. “Shit, I figured you would be there for decades. How the hell did they manage to drive off one of the best officers they ever had?”
“Eh, part of it was the 'hell' they were giving me, as you said.” She shrugged indifferently, before turning a bright smile Oliver's way. “And part of it was so I could travel with my boyfriend on his work trips.”
Robbie took a second to look Oliver over before offering him a friendly smile and a handshake. “Well, any guy that can catch her must be a good one. I'm Robbie.”
“Nice to meet you, Robbie. I'm Oliver... Ah, my friends call me Oli, though, and since you're a friend of Poli's...”
Robbie chuckled. “Oli and Poli. Nice.” Glancing around for a second, he turned back to the two of them while imitating a professional air. “Well, before my boss decides to come strolling around, I guess I should do the typical retail shtick... So, what can I help you wonderful people with today?”
Smiling at the large man's antics, Polina was quick to put forward her request. “We're looking for a pair of hunting crossbows, and a pair of compound bows- we want a little variety to play around with. Something good quality and durable... Plus some accessories and arrows...”
“And I'll probably grab some ammo for my guns on the way out, too.” She added with a cheeky grin.
Robbie whistled appreciatively at the list. “Sounds like you two are going to get up to some fun this year. I think we can manage to hook you up, though.”
Eyeing Oliver for a second, Robbie considered the request... “Hmm... You're about six feet tall, right? Kinda slim, but on the athletic side... So, probably a 29.5 inch draw on the compound bow and a 50lb draw weight-”
“80lb draw weight. 90Lb, if you've got it.” Polina cut in, a small smirk on her face.
Robbie glanced back and forth between the two for a second before shaking his head. “No offense, to either of you, but... an 80lb draw is heavier than even I would go with. I mean, I can pull it just to show off, but for actual hunting or target shooting?”
He shook his head seriously. “That ain't something to play with... I'm not trying to be a dick, Oli, because you seem like a nice guy. But you could hurt yourself if you aren't careful.”
“Hand him one and let him show you.” Polina quietly challenged.
Seeing the set of her shoulders, Robbie just threw up his hands in defeat. “All right. But if he gets hurt, its on you.”
Quickly pulling a bow off the rack, he handed it over to Oliver with a skeptical look. “Ok, now this has an 80lb draw. But! If you do manage to actually pull it, don't just let it go. Ease it back gently. Seriously, I don't want to get chewed out because of an injured customer.”
Taking the bow with a shrug, Oliver looked it over for a second as he considered it. It had been a while since he last held a bow, though he did have some experience with regular bows... Of course, he was just trying it out, and was more than confident of being able to handle the draw. Setting his fingers on the string, he calmly drew it back.
After holding it at his anchor point for a few seconds, he slowly relaxed the tension on it. “Honestly, I think that's about perfect. I don't want to wear myself out quickly while shooting, so probably not a heavier draw...”
Robbie was a bit surprised at the wiry muscles on display when Oliver drew the bow, but shrugged it off quickly. “Well, I stand corrected. I apologize for underestimating you-”
“No worries, man. I appreciate you looking out for me and not wanting me to get hurt.” Oliver cut him off with an easy smile, still eyeing the racks of bows. “Oh, Poli, do you think we should add a couple of those pistol crossbows? Those things look awesome!”
Polina chuckled softly at the question, not really surprised that her gamer boyfriend would want one- even she had tried Assassin's Creed at this point; the game just looked cool when she saw him playing it. “Oh, I can't wait to try them out myself!”
Robbie smiled brightly at the pair. “Well, I'm not going to argue... And yeah, those things are cool. I even bought one myself!”
Staring off into the distance as his mind followed its current track, Oliver couldn't help but mutter to himself. “Maybe we should see about finding some swords... Battle axes, maybe? Ooh, polearms! Like a halberd! Or a naginata... Hmm...”
Hearing every word, Polina smiled brightly. She was already considering that, as well. Besides, she liked weapons... Though she actually preferred a ranseur over a halberd... She blamed Oli for introducing her to the SCA and medieval weapons.