The morning came quickly, and Eric was thankful for his new virtual body. It rapidly recovered from the previous day’s training, and his Stamina was fully replenished. Eric slowly stretched his muscles and climbed out of bed with renewed energy after a long night’s rest.

He glanced out of the small window and saw the sun had already started to break over the city. He hurriedly threw on his only shirt and made his way out of the inn to avoid showing up late on his second day of training. He set a quick pace thinking about what Flynn might have in store for him.

Eric stepped through the arched entryway of the training grounds and headed directly to the alley used to access the Grand Bow training range. He only glanced around briefly not wasting any extra time to observe the other recruits who had already started to gather. He reached the entry to the alley and was halted by a short girl smoothly stepping into his path.

He immediately recognized the girl standing in front of him as the same agility focused recruit who mesmerized him during the combat training he observed the day before. Her swift strikes and natural counters to opponents twice her size left an impression on him.

“You are the guy who was hanging around with that high-level trainer. I saw you yesterday watching all the other trainees almost all day. Did you unlock a secret quest or something?” she said while staring at Eric questioningly.

He glanced around for a moment then looked back and met her eyes. “Something like that,” he mumbled unsure how to respond.

“Well…what is it? I saw you staring at me, you aren’t stalking people, are you?” she said with slightly narrowed eyes.

Eric swiftly tried to think of a way to get out of the conversation so he wouldn’t be late. Although he was intrigued by the girl, he was already past due to meet Flynn and was concerned about losing access to the apprenticeship if he failed to follow exact Flynn’s instruction.

“It is a special training quest like you guessed, but I’m not stalking anyone just learning about other combat proficiencies. I’m sorry, but I don’t even know who you are why are you so interested in me?” Eric responded quickly.

“I knew it! I’ve read there are special instructors in Teurilia that allow you to unlock hidden weapon proficiencies, but they are incredibly difficult to find and require specific attribute allocations and triggers. I can’t believe you got lucky enough to find one. I’m Cattie by the way,” she said excitedly.

“So that’s how it works..., I didn’t realize all of the criteria required to get an apprenticeship. My name’s Eric,” he replied and extended his hand out to her.

“Whaaat! You even got an apprenticeship! That is incredible; the details about the special instructors are minimal and most keep the information tight to the chest. I would recommend doing the same,” she responded while shaking his outstretched hand up and down quickly.

“Thanks for the advice, I can only imagine the hard-core players would do almost anything to access to the information for the hidden instructors. You seem to know a lot about Teurilia, and I saw how you can handle yourself in combat,” Eric said as he felt his face warm thinking about his humiliating staring.

“You know it! I haven’t been here as long as many, but I researched everything I could before getting full-immersion. It helped me decide on a sweet build out and it's already paying dividends,” she said thoughtfully.

Eric was shocked to hear Cattie was also a fully-immersed citizen. The feeling passed after a moment when he thought about how many other people must get fully immersed on a daily basis since the government program had been up and running. He responded to break the moment of silence, “Same for me, but I would have killed for access to the subscription forums and chat rooms before getting here to know more. Unfortunately, I really must go before I’m late for my training, but we should meet up once I complete my training. I wouldn’t mind trying my luck against you in a duel.”

“You think you have what it takes to fight me? Hah. Well... I wouldn’t mind seeing what this unique training teaches you, so why not. Here, accept my friend request, and we can meet up some time,” she said as her eyes glanced about for a few seconds.

Eric found a flashing icon appear in his vision after a moment. A small photo of Cattie appeared when he focused on the image that appeared, and a prompt activated showing the request. He mentally accepted it and found Cattie Belamy was newly listed as a friend on his social menu. He navigated through the screens and glanced back to her. “Thanks Cattie, sorry but I really must get going,” Eric said as he starting to make his way past Cattie in a light jog hoping not to be too late.

“See you around Eric,” she shouted at him as he hurried off.

Eric slid to a stop as he ran into the training range and found Flynn leaned against a post with a massive Grand Bow resting against his side. The bow was covered in intricate designs and had armored ends sharpened to jagged points on both sides. Flynn tossed a piece of bread into his mouth and looked up at Eric. Flynn then stood tall, grabbed the bow, and started walking toward Eric nonchalantly.

“Just in time, luckily you made it before I finished breakfast. I appreciate punctual students, don’t cut it so close next time,” he said sternly.

“I got interrupted by…”, Eric started.

“I don’t care. You have an important task to complete today, and we have much to do. You still have a lot to learn before I can trust you to take care of anything,” he said cutting Eric off mid-sentence.

“I understand, I won’t cut it so close next time,” Eric replied solemnly, ignoring the jab at his lack of usefulness.

“Good. Let’s get started. Now that we have covered basic close combat you will learn how to properly use a Grand Bow from range. I will demonstrate the proper technique before you embarrass yourself again,” Flynn said as he stepped up to the range. He pulled an arrow from the quiver and nocked it on the intricately designed Grand Bow. The moment it touched the bowstring the entire arrow became covered in a thick blue flame.

Eric was speechless as Flynn pulled back the flaming arrow causing the air to become visually displaced around the tip of the arrow. Flynn released the arrow in one smooth motion, and Eric couldn’t even track it with his eyes as it left the bow. A fraction of a blink and the dummy downrange was turned into a smoldering pile of ash.

Eric’s mouth hung open after watching the display. The power was remarkable, and he couldn’t even understand how the arrow could cover the distance at such a speed.

Flynn spoke up after turning back to face him, “Close your mouth kid, that was a simple example of what a grand bowman can do with proper training. This is Skyfire, my bonded Grand Bow,” he said motioning toward the bow in his hand.

“All grand bowmen wield bonded bows. It is a tradition started by the first grand master of the Grand Bow proficiency and carries on even today. A bonded item is incredibly rare and bonded weapons even more so, it is another reason Grand Bow instructors only take on apprentices and strictly decide who has the natural abilities to wield such a weapon. Don’t take this opportunity lightly, I expect you to use the weapon you receive to stand against the powers threatening this kingdom and carry out my orders without question,” he said firmly.

Eric was completely dumbfounded by Flynn’s words; he had only briefly heard about bonded items and to have the opportunity to receive one was incredibly rare, let alone so early after starting his journey in Teurilia. A bonded item could only be tied to one owner, and it couldn’t ever be stolen or lost upon death. It was an honor to receive the right to receive one and only a few craftsmen on the entire continent had the ability to create them. They were scaling items that grew in power with each enemy slain or experience earned with their owner.

Eric deeply bowed his head in a sign of respect and said, “I am honored to be at your service.” He decided to stay silent and let Flynn lead the rest of the conversation. He was almost shaking with excitement and didn’t want to make a fool of himself.

“You will have the opportunity to develop your bonded Great Bow as you see fit and improve its powers over time, but the base enchantments will determine what branches of magic will be available. These enchantments have never been able to be predicted, but some believe they are decided by Thandon, the God of Elements, based on the fate of their owner. The bonding process will reveal what enchantments are imbued. As you probably guessed, Skyfire is imbued with Fire and Air magic. You will have to learn how to best use the enchantments imbued into your bow. The enchantments you develop will become your lifeline in battle and serve as your greatest strength as a grand bowman. The last thing you need to know is once the bonding process is complete you will be forever tied to your bow and will also share its name,” Flynn said calmly.

Eric considered his words thoughtfully, but he was still dumbstruck by the magnitude of it all and stuttered, “This is-s-s incredible. I can’t wait to find out what enchantments my grand bow will have.”

Flynn smirked and continued, “I will take that as your acceptance to continue. The bonding process is relatively simple, and once complete you will feel the connection. We will finish up your training once the bonding is complete and you get your Grand Bow. Training with a bow you aren’t bonded with is a needless task and will delay your training and potential. I see great things in you Eric, a rarity that I don’t wish to waste. The bonding process isn’t for prying eyes so we will need to take care of it in the barracks. Follow me.”

Flynn led Eric out of the training range in silence, and they entered the barracks through a side door Eric hadn’t ever noticed that connected to the training range. It took them to a simple wooden floored hallway. Eric followed Flynn past several doors before they reached their destination. Flynn pressed his hand against the seal on a thick wooden door they stopped in front of and entered the room as the door creaked open. Eric stepped in behind him noticing the symbol of a Grand Bow etched into the thick frame of the door.

“This used to be the royal armory for the kingdom’s Grand Bow soldiers, it has been out of use for the most part since the king disbanded the division many years ago. Unfortunately, he felt the extended training was not worth the resources and the aged soldiers were too expensive. I was kept on to oversee the training grounds, but most of the division has scattered across the kingdom after losing their place in the military,” Flynn said gruffly.

Eric realized there must be some bad blood between the royal court and the former grand bowman after being discharged from the military. Flynn looked angry even talking about it. Eric wondered why he decided to stay after all his former comrades left the city, but decided he would wait to find out more about the history of Flynn’s old division when there was less tension.

The room was stacked full of gear, and even with a thin layer of dust over everything, it was still an incredible sight. Eric looked around and determined there must be thousands of gold worth of equipment inside the room. He hoped his bow looked and performed half as well as Flynn’s after witnessing the demonstration and the gear he saw was giving him hope it would be a work of art.

“That is a shame, a division full of grand bowmen would be a force to be reckoned with,” Eric said after easing his excitement.

“Trust me, it is more destructive than you would believe. Enough about the past, it is time to get started. Step over here and steady yourself, the feeling of bonding is quite powerful,” Flynn responded firmly.

Eric made his way to the middle of the room where Flynn was pointing and set his feet. He stated, “Alright, I’m ready to go.”

Flynn stepped to the back of the room and opened a broad metal banded chest against the wall. The dust stirred as the lid was lifted and he reached into its depths. Flynn pulled out a simple looking bow not much different than the training bows Eric had been using previously at first glance. Eric expected something a little more intimidating, but he didn’t break the silence and waited for Flynn to make his way back over to him.

Flynn stepped within an arm’s length of Eric and said. “Alright this is it, once I infuse this bow with the right magic, and you accept it the bonding will take place. This is your last chance to change your mind.”

Eric knew this was exactly what he was meant to do and didn’t hesitate in his reply, “Not a chance. Let’s do this!”

Flynn nodded and took the bow into both of his hands. It started to glow a pale white with a visible aura of magic wrapping around it. Eric was captivated by the scene. Flynn held the bow toward him and motioned for him to take it. Eric reached out with both hands and felt the power of the magic exuding from the weapon reach his fingertips and start to spread up his hands when he took the bow from Flynn. He gripped the shaft of the bow tightly, and the room became ablaze with light.

Eric’s entire body became surrounded in the magic aura seeping out. He felt the aura start to absorb into his body. It felt as if the bow was becoming an extension of his being. He sensed the grain in the wood as if it was his own skin and the tautness of the bowstring like a muscle flexing.

The aura slowly subsided, and he witnessed the bow change shape and color. It became pitch black all the way down the shaft except for a small engraving that ran down the sides shining brightly like an electric current. The engraving traced from one end of the shaft to the other meeting at a sharp thin blade of black metal on both tips. While examining the deadly tips of the new weapon, a notification appeared in Eric’s interface. Eric quickly tapped the flashing icon and a new display flickered into his view.

Ting!

You’ve bonded to the Grand Bow called Shadowspark.

Name changed to Eric Shadowspark.

+150 Fame

+3000 Experience

Level up.

Level up.

Level up.

……

Level up.

“Incredible!” Eric exclaimed without thinking. He had acquired a bonded item that would be as reliable and powerful as any legendary item he could ever find, and he got an instant experience boost taking him up to level six. He quickly examined the stats of the newly acquired weapon and became even more ecstatic.

Shadowspark - Damage: 45-50; Durability: -/-; Grade: Bonded; Requirements: Owner Locked - Eric Shadowspark; Effect: Shadow Enchantment (+10% Bonus Shadow Elemental Damage), Lightning Enchantment (+10% Bonus Lightning Elemental Damage), Bonded Skill Creation – Ability to invoke the creation of new skills compatible only with bonded weapon and owner.

Ting!

New Skill Alert – Shadow Shot (+5 Shadow Damage/Second, 0.5 Mana/Second, Max Charge: +50 Damage) – Imbuing Shadow aura into a Grand Bow arrow provides increased damage and up to ten percent chance to blind target on impact.

Ting!

New Skill Alert – Lightning Shot (+5 Lightning Damage/Second, 0.5 Mana/Second, Max Charge: +50 Damage) – Imbuing Lightning aura into a Grand Bow arrow provides increased damage and up to ten percent chance to paralyze target on impact.

Eric stood frozen for several long moments absorbing all the information that came with the bonding. He read through the screens several times to ensure he didn’t miss a single detail. Eric also noted with his level up he was granted an additional thirty attribute points for distribution. He had been eager to test the effects of the various attribute increases since he poured his forty bonus points into the his highly-prized Strength attribute the day before.

To test his theory Eric carefully dropped one point into each attribute, one at a time. Each point confirmation brought a wave of invigoration over him. The Wisdom and Intelligence were particularly intriguing to Eric as he felt his mind grasping out like a small child lost in the dark. It was unclear what was to be found, but it left Eric with a lot to think about when allocating attribute points. The effects created by allocating points stretched beyond a notch in his character sheet. He decided to play it safe and allocate the majority of the points between Strength in Vitality until he learned more about the other attributes potential. He was certain these two attributes would prove essential based on his class and needed punching power so he felt confident as he confirmed his decision and a fresh wave washed over him.

Flynn slapped Eric on the back interrupting his focus and said, “Welcome to the brotherhood Eric. Shadowspark… interesting the Shadow and Lightning enchantments will be a fascinating combination. I look forward to seeing what you can do with the effects they will provide. In the meantime, we still need to finish your training. Let’s get back to the range, and I will show you how to use Shadowspark to its full potential.”

Eric smiled brightly and hurried back to the range ready to give Shadowspark its first test run. Flynn calmed him down enough to explain the basic stances and techniques used to release the full power of the freshly bonded bow. Eric listened intently but kept glancing toward the remaining dummies downrange, looking forward to seeing how destructive his shot would be in comparison to Flynn’s earlier display.

After almost an hour of covering the stances and discussing tactics and strategy, Eric stepped up to the range. Flynn explained Shadowspark would grow and evolve, providing new skills and enchantments to enhance arrows and attacks as Eric developed as a warrior. Eric realized Flynn was referring to the skill creation effect granted by Shadowspark. Eric was still unsure how to activate the effect, but he was excited by the idea of getting new skills by simply using his new bonded weapon.

The only skills Eric had available were Shadow Shot and Lightning Shot to infuse arrows with Shadow magic, Lightning magic, or a combination of both at the expense of half a point of mana for each additional point of magic damage up to a maximum of five damage points per second for ten total seconds. The maximum fifty points of damage seemed low at first glance for a legendary grade weapon, but that was on top of the punching power of the grand bow’s base damage resulting in an impressive figure. Combined with critical hits and sneak attacks to unarmored areas, the resulting damage could easily surpass triple digits.

Eric stepped up to the range determined to infuse an arrow with enough Shadow magic to send the dummy into a black hole. He set his feet in the stance explained by Flynn and positioned Shadowspark as practiced. He nocked an arrow and found with the new stance he had more torque and Strength to exert on the bowstring. He pulled back the string more easily than his previously misguided attempts and focused on the infusion of magic as Flynn instructed. The knowledge to activate Shadow Shot had somehow become clear to him as soon as the skill was gained. It was like an implant of knowledge was dropped into his mind.

The arrow slowly started to disappear in a black mist starting at the arrow head and working all the way to the nocked end. He felt the infusion reach its peak after the full ten seconds and released the arrow with his eyes downrange. The arrow slid through the air leaving a trail of shadow and dark mist before striking the intended target.

The impact was nowhere near as decimating as the shot used by Flynn, but it was satisfying in its own way. The dummy was swallowed in a dark mist that covered the arrow, and upon impact, a small vortex drove the arrow straight through the wooden dummy leaving a fist-sized hole in its chest where the initial impact was made. The successful shot rewarded Eric with another notification that he quickly opened.

Ting!

You’ve learned a new proficiency: Grand Bow

Current Level: Beginner – Level 1 (2%)

Bonus: +1% to Grand Bow Damage

Flynn approached smiling and said, “Well done Eric. I think it’s time to start your training in earnest.”