Chapter 24

Target practice

“Clyde, the Ancients are moving, they’ve banded together and are heading to the villages.”

“I figured that much. There was a prophecy for two days from now, a village will be destroyed, a single survivor will come to plead for help and safety. There’s nothing we can do at the moment.”

“I can’t take on all those Ancients all at once. It would be idiocy.” I sat in my plush bed, many times bigger than my previous stuffed blanket on the floor. “We need an army.”

“This is true.” He said, seeming to speculate on the idea, staring blankly at me. “Where do we find an army?”

“My thoughts as well.” I touched the ring of wood around my neck. “Do the trees speak here?”

“I’ve never spoken to a tree on this planet. And for that matter, never at all.”

“Or any Dryad? Or Hamadryads?” I knew he was being literal.

“The only tales about the Dryads are in the east,” he said. “I know of none in this jungle.”

“I’ll go and check something out.” I stood up and walked out of my new bedroom, down the hall, into the hangar and out the front door. I looked at the garden in the front of my temple. I haven’t touched it since I came back from the east. It was flourishing, almost too well. The bushes looked unkept and over grown.

I decided to do something about it, grabbing the shears and gardening supplies from the toolshed around the corner. I cleaned up the fallen leaves, trimmed the overgrowths, picked the fresh spices and leaves to put in jars and threw the old ones in the compost pile around the corner.

It looked much better. “I bet you feel better too.” I told the garden. It didn’t reply.

I walked up to the top of the hill. This time of year it was getting hot. It was nearly noon already. I put on my goggles in case Clyde messaged me.

I kept walking though. Thinking about who I could collect for my army. Clyde, as my second and communications officer, Roland, to be my transport and personal safety, some Dryads to be my militia. I laughed, though maybe it is possible.

I reached the top of the hill, looking out over the trees and rolling hills of jungle. I came out here for a reason. But I was nervous. Maybe it was because I’ve been up here so many times, though I’ve never spoken to any of Hamadryads, if there were any.

“Hello?” I called out, maybe they were sleeping, the few times I’ve been up here since obtaining Grandfather Drus’s present, they haven’t said anything.

I reached out and touched a tree. Thinking of something to say. “How are you? Did you miss me, I was gone for a month or two, I haven’t been around much lately, but I think I should be here for a while.”

There was no answer. Maybe, if these trees could ever have been alive like the ones in the east, they were a different species and I haven’t found any Grandfather Drus in this jungle.

I felt foolish, but it was something I had to try. This would have been my biggest army, and the safest protection for my village if I could have woken this jungle.

I’ll have to ask Drus, or Charlie, next time I see them.

I tried one more time. “If you can hear me. I need your help. There will be an attack, many attacks. The Xenos need your protection. Whatever you can do to help… I love you.” I didn’t lie. This jungle is my home.

I checked my goggles again for any messages from Clyde. There was none. But I think we are on the same page, I need to get back to my training, there isn’t much time before the Ancients destroy everything.

I said one last word to the jungle, “If there is someone listening, send someone my way, we need to talk.” Hopefully, a Dryad will find me, if there is one.

I took in one last glimpse of the Jungle and headed back down to the Temple.

———

Clyde had seemed busy in preparing the training room and fabricating weapons and projectiles that get used up frequently. “There’s always bugs to fix in this, it’s very workable, but not entirely perfect. It’s not a machine like me you know, just something built by me.” Apparently beings like him are perfect, but programming a training machine like the one I use, there can always be improvement.

“There are a few more lessons here that we need to go over today, then we can get into shooting lessons.”

“Sounds great,” I said. “So all I need to do is…” I stepped into the room without finishing my sentence. We both know what I need to do, and it start here.

The next level I was fighting an Ursine. It was five times as big as me, five times angrier and had an unrelenting appetite that never calmed. Fortunately this virtual space was much bigger and I had lots of room to jump, run and maneuver my was through obstacles, hindering the Ursine. He kept getting closer and closer, but never caught me as I would hide or jump over a rock that he couldn’t, then feign which direction I would take or scramble out from under his huge paws, just before he would try to grab me.

It was a violent race, and I barely had time to think of a strategy, the only strategy I had so far was running, jumping and hiding.

This was already my third time on this level. Previously I had tried jumping up and landing on his head, but before I could gouge his eyes he had already shook me from his head and ate me up. Then when I restarted I had no time to think, he was there charging me again.

“This is all part of the training, Dawn. Sometimes there is no time to think.” Clyde had said just as I restarted for the fourth time and complained that there wasn’t even a break.

I kept running and tried another one, hiding behind a rock and getting ready to slash at his face as he looked over. But he hadn’t looked over, he swung his huge hairy arm over and grabbed for me. I only succeeded in scratching his arm, just enough to make him angrier and faster.

I didn’t have a second, so I checked my side pockets, midstride, in case I had anything to throw. I really like the star I had used on Dyzo, the psychic beast. I had a few, three exactly.

I timed my throws, which I had to wait until I was at another safe spot after running from obstacle to obstacle. They hadn’t done much damage but none had really been a lethal hit.

I calculated how to pick them up after he had swiped them off. I timed another three throws of the stars. One had got him in the neck which had considerably slowed him, yet made him yell in frustration. Another one hit his side and the third must have hit a nerve in his arm as it was now dangling loosely by his side, flailing as he ran.

I had hope now, I thought.

I tried again, another round of throwing stars. I had more time and could just barely catch my breath. But he was tiring. That was something about this simulation, the enemies never tire, even though it lasts for ages. I made a complaint to Clyde about it and he said something about it being good for real life practice, and that I might encounter five Ursines in a row. I didn’t think so, but he didn’t agree with me.

Having now collected my stars again I threw them straight. One at his chest at an angle, but the hard muscle kept it form going through. It stuck in his chest which meant that I must have lodged it between two ribs.

The next two I aimed for the head and neck, I knew those would definitely be more fatal.

I had succeed it scratching his neck again and hitting one of his eyes. Now he was a half blinded Ursine, too bad his madness hadn’t blinded him the rest of the way.

I had two left, the third still stuck in his chest.

I had tried, very often, my older tactics, running straight forward, and hitting a fatal blow. But all of the real life enemies I had fought were food and had no successful defense for someone like me or, as with Ancients, their first line of defense was dialoging, which Clyde didn’t program into these Ursines. Nor had he programmed attacks that I couldn’t, as Huntress, get out of or escape from fast enough to attack back.

In the case with this Ursine, I could not have simply jumped towards his face, because his arms, the size of me would swat at me, knocking me out or scratching me badly. Secondly this simulation never dialogued, it was only the angry roaring and moaning of someone feeling the burning desire to chase me to the death.

Now, I had two more stars, I could hope to get lucky and try to paralyze his other arm or blind his other eye, or take another shot somewhere else. Maybe a leg or foot.

I took as deep a breath as time allowed and stood my ground, waiting for him to come to me.

It was all in a split second, he was close, I threw the two stars at the same time, jumping up and aiming for his arm and chest where hitting the nerves may cause damage.

I must have hit something, since I jumped and flew past his arm and into his face. Flexing my claws, I let Ungu come out and meet the Ursine’s face.

He was slowed and tired. His arms didn’t move and the momentum of myself, slamming into his head, combined with his momentum, I hit hard and went tumbling. I stood up and to my surprise found the Ursine unconscious at my feet. Half a second later he was shouting in rage again and biting at my feet. He was still too slow and I cut cleanly through his neck using my enlarged steel claws, Ungu.

Clyde came over the intercom. “That was the last simulation for today. The next segment of our training will be held in the shooting range, so please step out of the simulation room.”

I was still panting as I walked down the hallway and up to the door Clyde was in front of.

“That was a solid two hours of running and jumping.” Clyde told me.

“I think I need a little bit of a longer break for now.” I said, hoping to get some water and a snack before doing anything else. “How long was I in there for?” I asked.

“Five hours, eighteen minutes and—.”

“Thanks,” I cut him off before he reached nanoseconds. I got a message from him a split second later. It told me the full time, down to the nanoseconds.

I got some water and Clyde had obliged to make me another drink with electrolytes and regenerative type of vitamins with a small snack before I moved on to the shooting range.

I thought while I ate and drank, do I really deserve all this comfort and training? A voice in my head told me I definitely did. I decided there was no doubt. If my future was what I hope, not what I dread, it will all pay off. Plus, I had good luck running through my veins, I hoped.

A few moments laters I got up, finished with my snack and headed back up to the shooting range.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

First Clyde showed me the armory. There was another at hangar level which I could use for quicker access, but they’re all the same. These were specially for practice. Old, used guns. Battle scars that had been attempted to be hidden with new paint spotted the side of some of them. I wondered how old they actually were considering the last Huntress had been down here over a hundred years ago.

Clyde showed me a few basic weapons and had me choose. I picked up one of the smaller ones. I noticed only two were gunpowder, the other thirty or so were what looked like energy blasters, using electricity, plasma, ions, radiation or anything other than matter and solid objects.

The one I held was a good choice, according to Clyde. It was powerful and had small dimensions which meant that I could carry it virtually anywhere without showing it off, and that I could conceal it quite well when needed.

He led me into the shooting range. There were three booths. At the end of each, down a very long hallway, were targets at varying intervals. Clyde put the closest one up and taught me how to aim.

“Hold the gun up to eye level, keep the barrel straight away from you and look down it, align the notch at the end until it is in between the two in the front.”

I did so and waited for his further instructions. I recalled learning to hunt with Roland, trying the bow and arrow, failing miserably, but strings weren’t my thing.

“Fire.”

Nothing happened.

“Pull the trigger,” he said, as if I didn’t know what I was doing.

Still nothing happened.

He came forward and looked at the gun. “Safety is on, just push it back out with your thumb.”

I looked and found the little button, popped it out and lined up to aim again. He told me to fire once more and I did. A ball of blue-white energy sizzled down the hallway and hit the side of the target.

“Not bad. Keep practicing and you make a great shot.”

I stood there and practiced for about an hour. It wasn’t as exciting as the simulation had been, but I hope this paid off as well as it should.

Clyde came back and asked how it was going.

“Not too bad. Think I’ve got it.”

“Alright, lets try another target.” He didn’t press any buttons but the target turned down and another popped up in the back. I had to squint to see the bullseye. “See you soon, I’ll come back and we can start onto moving targets and different guns.”

“Alright,” I sighed, but quickly got to it and soon enough was able to hit the target each time, though not in the middle, I thought I did pretty good.

———

“Now this one is a very heavy gun,” Clyde said. “It’s come off of an old ship. You won’t be using it often, but you should know how to use one in case you run into such situations. And as a note, the guns on your ship can easily be taken off and, if undamaged, can be unfolded into a tripod and fired.”

I wondered how easy that would actually be.

I looked at this one. It was very big and we had to put it on a dolly just to move it. Clyde gave me earplugs and told me the instructions, just safety precautions and how-to’s to even fire such a thing without jamming it, over heating, and bracing myself for the recoil without it toppling all over me.

A few rounds of that I was quite ready to move onto the next.

I tried out cannons, which were similar to ship guns. I tried shotguns, other types of ion blasters, rifles of all sizes and different scopes. He told me I should just get familiar with each one and know their specs and when I should use them. I had no trouble with that.

The next practice would be in the morning as it was getting quite late. So I said goodnight to Clyde and went off to my new room.

I started to sleep quickly and arrived in a village that nearly looked familiar, but I swear I’ve never been to before. It looked like the jungle, but not Feline.

Dakur was howling and tearing down houses, the abominated elk was using his horns to plow through a mob of courageous Xenos. Houses were set on fire by some Xenos who thought burning everything down would scare the Ancients away.

There were more Ancients all around, huge rats, scurrying all over, Dakur’s messenger picking up Xenos and dropping them from inconceivable heights.

Dyzo was there, I could tell by the number of things flying through the air, picking up Xenos by telekinesis and pulling their arms and legs off, exploding their heads or just smashing them against one another; pushing them through the houses like rag dolls.

It was a nightmare, I couldn’t see who the Xenos were, Murids or humans? I couldn’t tell. All I knew was it was trouble. The war had begun. The first battle wasn’t a battle, it’s a massacre.

I have to do something. My heart raced, I didn’t know where to start. If there would even be an end. My body wouldn’t move, so I screamed.

It must have been my fault, I started it, this was the beginning.

I tried to run, I could! I found my feet moving and getting closer. I came down the hill but a hand rested on my shoulder. “This is not the time.”

Startled into calmness, I turned around. It was Ares.

“What do you mean, I have to do something.”

“You can’t. There will be a time. Now is not.”

I stuttered. It was my fault, she can’t stop me from saving them.

“There will be an end to this evil, and you will stop it, just as you started it. Grow strong and fast, don’t let the losses stop you…” She faded away, and I felt myself fading with her, away from the madness and I was sitting in a long hall with a table around it.

Voices filled the hall, but I couldn’t see from where they came. They sounded familiar. There must have been a few there, but all I could see were inky silhouettes in a sunless room.

“The Ancients have started their purge,” one shadow said solemnly. “None of us could have stopped it. We all knew it was coming.”

“Dacoit was keeping them at bay, I thought the immortal human had it under control.”

“It was inevitable.”

“He was immortal!”

“He was killed.”

“By who? I need to know! The culprit cannot sacrifice the whole population! No matter their purpose.”

“The culprit, will not be discussed. It will not solve anything.” That voice was familiar, Xeres. “There are many factors involved and the apparent cause is not the cause. The fact that the Ancients were sent to rid us of this planet and that it was forestalled by ten-thousand years was fortunate enough for us.”

“I do not like this.”

“Nor do I.”

“There must have been something that set them off.”

“Finding who started or why it was started is not the solution. We must find out how to stop them.”

“Aye. This is why we have come together.”

“Then what do we do? Kill them? Use all our forces against foes that have never been killed.”

“A few have been.”

There were murmurs. “When?”

“Recently, all within a few years.”

“We must contact him. Find out who it is and reinforce their army. There cannot be any delay.”

Ares grabbed me by the shoulder and took me out of the dark hall. I turned back to see if I could catch one of their faces. Still I didn’t know who they were for certain. They were just black hooded figures, but their Xeno accents stood out.

She led me out of this temple and we walked in the moonlight. Sand gave way under my feet and I found myself in a desert oasis. Trees bearing fruit, cacti were pruned, a fountain tinkled nearby and a small stream glistened in the moonlight as it crossed through the garden.

“Who was that?” I asked.

“Irritable men.”

We kept walking to the end of the garden.

“Will they know it was me?”

“Eventually.” She said calmly. “But,” she paused, “there will be attempts to stop you and attempts to help you. They don’t know what they are doing, but your intentions are theirs.”

“So they are on my side.”

“Hopefully. You know how politics go.”

“I guess. But why didn’t you let me stop the Ancients?”

“I told you. There will be a time. You are not ready, yet.”

“But I’ve done it before.”

“Not against that number. Continue your training, you’ll be ready before you know it.”

“I hope so. I can’t stand seeing villages burned and ravaged like that.”

“No one can, but it’s time for you to go.”

“And Dyzo, the Ancient that can use telekinesis, he was alive, I thought I got rid of him.”

“They must have revived him. Probably technology once used by Dacoit and his people.” It was a revelation to her as well. “They’ve found ways to revive their dead. But it usually only works as long as they have a part of their body.”

I thought of the relics of the Ancients I’ve killed all on the shelf in my room. They must’t know about those.

“It’s time to go.” She reminded me.

I looked around me before she sent me off. This temple was secluded, desert all around, beautiful trees and the garden. It calmed me down more than I would have thought.

Ares put her hand on my shoulder once more.

———

The next morning I woke up Clyde, he was in his normal spot, which, after using my goggles found that he was sitting on a mat that seemed to charge his batteries.

“You have batteries?”

“Of course. Just as you have hormones that control your metabolism, which can be turned on and off, I have a battery.”

“Hormones are like batteries?”

“In a way. I need to sleep sometimes and let the oil sit and clean, temperature come down, gears need realigning and sub-computers finish their calculations or give them a hard restart.”

“You do all that while sleeping?”

He looked at me funny, like he did for every expression he tried to make at me. “Yeah. And so do you.” He came off the mat. “You just call it different things.”

He led me down the hallway and back into the simulation room. It was the same black room as before, the same as I left it.

“Take this,” He held out a black plastic thing that looked like a gun. “Remember not to use any real guns or projectiles in here, though some aren’t lethal, it’s easier on the furnishings.”

He put me inside. I paused for a second realizing I still had my goggles on, and found that I was walking into large empty plain, with grass up to my ears.

“Today,” Clyde said, “you will have target practice, with birds and other objects.”

“Why so much practice with guns? I was never good with them in the first place.”

“That’s exactly why.”

I sighed. “But how much more? The Ancients have started their attacks.”

“True, but you will not leave here until you are done with your training, no matter what is happening outside. The only one to stop the Ancients is you. But I won’t allow them to kill you before you kill the last one. Is that clear?”

He reminded me of Ares. But I can’t just brush this off, it is important and the more I know the better it will be when I encounter the next dozen of Ancients alone.

“Start walking around, shoot the birds and animals in the grass,” Clyde ordered.

I walked, there was nothing for a minute but then a bird jumped before me. I aimed the gun but lost sight of it before I could pull the trigger.

“Faster.” Clyde said through the intercom.

I tried and walked around a bit more finding another bird, this time I held the gun up already, waiting for it. This time I got a few shots in before losing sight, but missed all of them.

Another thirty minutes of this and I finally got one. Clyde made an exasperated sound, though congratulatory, I knew I could have been better.

Sooner or later I was making nearly every shot and he started giving me boar and antelope.

“These are much easier, why didn’t we start with this?”

He didn’t say anything, but I kept shooting and finally got to a hit he was satisfied with.

I turned around, after hearing some odd noises behind me, and found a door. I pushed it open, surprised by the magic technology of simulations that it felt like I was opening a real door.

I pushed it and walked into a forest, a snake was there. It was the first lesson I had in this room.

“I have to do this again?”

“Yes, but it should be faster. You have the gun.”

“Fine.”

“You can change the gun that you have, as long as the type is the same. You can’t choose a rifle while holding that little gun.”

I checked it out. Some settings me me able to change the gun, it changed colors in front of my eyes as I was holding it. Same feeling, but the color changed, through the goggles. Very nice, but I changed it back to the normal small, concealed black gun that I normally used.

“That won’t kill the Ursine you know.”

“Fine, but I’m sure I won’t always have a choice.”

He made a sound that meant he was rolling his eyes over the intercom. “Fair enough.”

I entered the clearing where the snake was and found that it was slightly more sensitive to its space than it was before. I had to stay slightly further back, but as I stepped back it came closer and closer, until it was chasing me around the room.

“Quickly Dawn.” Clyde said over the intercom.

I shot at it, but missed. The snake wasn’t phased by any of it and I simply held my ground and fired three shots straight into it.

It was definitely a different fighting style, all confidence in my gun. I wasn’t sure that I like it.

I went through the next path and fought with a few more, nearly unscathed, before meeting that enraged Ursine again.

There was no difference, but here, as Clyde said, this gun wouldn’t kill the Ursine. I fired at it until the gun was overheating and he was much too close for comfort. I tried to run away but got caught by his massive paws, me wriggling, but failing and being bitten in the spine. The heat and percussion of the simulation struck and faded.

I restarted and tried again with the same gun. Clyde made another noise over the intercom. I knew what it meant.

I fired a few times and rolled out of the way before the Ursine could catch me. I ran and stood firm, aimed and fired again. Multiple shots hit his chest.

The fur was starting to melt away but the skin only charred.

I tired again and again. He was starting to slow.

Five, six time again. The Ursine was kneeling to the floor, shouting in pain and frustration. He tried a last attempt to lunge at me but I stepped out of the way, firing at his arms as he tried catching me, he succumbed and I stepped on his neck, flexing and severing his animated spine.

“Well done, Dawn.” Clyde said.

“I want to try again.”

I walked around for a moment and the Ursine reappeared.

I had another plan. Shoot his face.

I got it after a few attempts or shooting, diving and running, repeat.

Again.

I had a few more tactics to try out which included shooting the legs and feet, shooting his limbs. Then I tried other guns.

The best one had more forceful shots, it overheated quickly, after a rapid succession of three shots, but I only had to dive once before succeeding in a lethal hit.

I finished with my Ursine hunting for the day.

Dropping my gun, “Let me out,” I said.

The door opened.

“Good aim, I knew you could do it.”

“I need a bit of a rest. Then we get onto the next one.”

It must have been another five hours in that room. Though I wasn’t as fatigued as the first time I hit the simulation room, I could feel the need for a bite to eat.

Clyde made me the usual drink and lunch and we headed back to the simulation room.

“More simulations?” I asked Clyde.

“Yep. There’s a few more sets. Double and triple the enemies. Then there’s a few higher level sessions that encompass using everything you know.”

I need to get them done today. The Ancients are moving. I know they will probably take some time before hitting their next target, but I can’t waste any of it.

I did the next round of drills and simulations. They were difficult, harder than the first time and we went well past midnight, only getting up to the Ursine triplets.

I went to bed exhausted. Tomorrow I will finish.