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Ginsu Mage

S1E11: Guns and guts

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“Princess Navonne has offered to tutor me,” I said, growing desperate. I hated the thought of being so damn powerless, of someone having control over my life. What would happen if I outright refused? Would I be tossed into a dungeon?

He paused, scratched through a sentence then continued to write. “That’s nice. You can learn manners after breakfast, magic until lunch, and report to the training grounds after lunch.”

I pushed my gun back into inventory. Usage (1325/3600)

Sigh. FML.

* * * * *

The nameless guards escorted me to the training in the north wing of the palace. I should really learn their names. Depositing me on a bench, one ran off to deliver the paper General De’nair had given them. I stewed in silence, watching a few men in the training area bash at each other with wooden swords. It looked painful and exhausting.

“So this is the Champion,” a short, rugged man said, drawing my attention back from the training area. “You don’t look like much.”

“Maybe that’s because I ain’t much?” I said, not quite meeting his eyes. I really didn’t feel up to this bullshit. I was far, far outside my comfort zone and was starting to feel sorry for myself. Things were spiralling out of my control and I was on edge.

“When I get through with ya, you’ll be something.” He said. “Now get on ya feet and salute. I’m sergeant Cox and you will call me sergeant for as long as I’m training ya.”

Something inside me twisted. Old memories circled inside my head like sharks. “Fuck. You.” I spat. ”I’m done with this bullshit. I didn’t sign up to be Champion, and I certainly didn’t sign up to go through Basic again.”

I stood up, and the sergeant pushed me back down to the bench. I glared up at him. He stared at me, then leaned in close and whispered. “If you want to learn how to defend yourself, deal with the bullshit.”

The man had a point, as much as I hated to admit it. I ground my teeth in frustration. Normally I’d slap on a mask and push through this. I had a hundred different ones just for dealing with people like him, each one crafted over the years to make other people uncomfortable, not me.

Staring at his scuffed boots, I considered my options. “I’m a grown man. Not a recruit, not a pawn.”

“You’re the Champion the king summoned,” Sergeant Cox said, still far too close to my face for comfort. “Your options are to do as expected, or you have no other options.”

I stuck my hand out.

“I don’t shake hands with trainees,” he said.

“And I don’t shake hands with *the help*,” I snapped back, staring him in the eye.

A unspoken understanding passed between us as his calloused palm met mine.

* * * * *

Six minutes later I was bent over in front of sergeant Cox, sucking air. Forgotten memories of boot camp swam through my mind, filling it with a long dormant hatred for all things military.

“That’s not bad time for a mile,” he said grudgingly. “At least you’ll be able to outrun most enemies. Can you do more than run?”

Still wheezing, I stood and materialised the Mongoose in my right hand and the 10” Ginsu in the left.

“Put the pig sticker away, we’ll train with that later. You know how to use that thing?” He said, holding his hand out for the weapon.

“Not this one,” I admitted, handing it over. “It’s different than what I had back in my world. I don’t know anything about how it works.”

“But you’ve actually used a gun before, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good, that make it easier,” Sergeant Cox said, admiring the weapon in his hand. “The S&H Mongoose is a double-action spell pistol that holds six .44 caliber brass shells. The grip has three runestones embedded in it: Universal, Mana bullet, and Stone bullet.

“The Red Evocation runestone fires ‘unprimed’ bullets, producing a fist-sized slug of magical force with a range of 30 yards. It will ignore most armour and can damage most magical creatures.

“The Indigo Conjuration stone fires ‘unprimed’ bullets and produces a .44 caliber stone slug with a range of 75 yards.

“And finally, the White Universal stone fires specialised, or ‘primed’ bullets which can produce various types of spells. Any questions?”

“Lots,” I admitted. “How do I use it? Just aim and pull the trigger?”

A few minutes later we were standing in an enclosed firing range and Sergeant Cox was pointing at a target 15 yards away.

“Point it at the target, run mana through the stone you want to use, pull the trigger.”

I aimed and squeezed the trigger. The hammer pulled back in a smooth motion and fell onto the brass shell with a loud click.

“That’s a wasted bullet, Champion. A silver kupon. A shot of whiskey. And you just wasted it.” The sergeant said. “Maybe you want to use some mana next time, or do you intend to waste a day’s pay by stamping all those shells?”

Heat rose in my face from embarrassment and frustration. “I have no idea how to use mana,” I said.

The sergeant poked a rough finger into my chest. “That’s where your heart stone is,” He said, emphasising each word with a poke. “Push the mana from there into the gun, or buy the skill if you have the XP.”

Buy some skills. I could do that. “Hold on a moment,” I said.

Opening my Status Menu, I flipped to the Skills tab and scrolled through them. Thousands of skills were listed individually, everything from Acrobatics to Wrestling were presented in an overwhelming alphabetical list. A small button to the side said “Show Professions” so I pushed it. The skills vanished and Professions were listed, from Alchemist to Wizard, each with a breakdown of the skills they included. I found something that caught my eye right around the time the sergeant started fidgeting.

-=-=-

- Spell Slinger -

A subset of the Mage profession, a Spell Slinger is a rare combination of Alchemist, Gunslinger, and Enchanter. Using knowledge of Alchemy and Enchantment, the Spell Slinger can imbue items with magic, specialising in ammunition and firearms.

Includes Starter gear set (sturdy boots, cotton underwear and socks, leather belt, tough denim trousers, long sleeve cotton shirt, cowboy hat, bandanna, tough leather gloves, Spell journal.)

Includes Mongoose .44 caliber 6-shot revolver, gun belt, and leather holster

Includes 50 rounds .44 caliber unprimed ammunition

Includes Alchemy level I

Includes Gunslinger level I

Includes Enchanter level I

Includes 6 Level I Alchemical Formula

Includes 6 Level I Mage Spells

Includes 6 Level I Enchantments

Includes 3 Cantrips

Includes Combat Skills: Quickdraw I, Aimed Shot I, Snap Shot I

Cost: 4500XP

Additional Purchases: 100XP - 9999XP per item.

-=-=-

“You gonna stare at the Modus all day, or you gonna pull the trigger?” Sergeant Cox growled.

I pulled the trigger, mentally pressing the PURCHASE button and blowing 4500 of my 4824XP. A balloon expanded in my brain, pushing out all conscious thought. Knowledge poured into that meta space, a thousand How-To’s filled my mind. How to make reagents, how to cast spells, how to create enchantments… how to use a gun. I wobbled around like a drunken sailor for a minute until my head cleared.

“Decided to buy a skill?” sergeant Cox asked once I had recovered. “What’d you get? Pistols? Guns?”

“Spell Slinger”

His eyes went blurry for a moment while he consulted the Modus, then he sighed and shook his head. “If I’d known you had that much XP to spend, I wouldn’t have let you waste it. You can buy individual skills and abilities cheaper than professional bundles. Not only that, but you bought a second gun with XP. It’s always cheaper to buy material goods with gold.”

“I didn’t know.”

“And I didn’t think,” he said. “You don’t even have the common sense of a child. Do you have any other combat skills other than what came with the Gunslinger? How much XP do you have left?”

I shook my head, frustrated that I may have hobbled myself with a spur of the moment decision.

“324”

“Get daggers and grappling. You can raise their levels with practice and experience.”

I followed his advice and grabbed the two skills. Once the dizziness had passed, he put me to work shooting targets.

With the knowledge in my head, shooting was simple. I could feel where the mana concentrated around my heart, and a thought sent it through my arm into my palm where it flowed into the spell stone of my choice. The gun kicked strangely and made different sounds based on my choice. Mana shot was a paper bag being popped. Stone shot was a smashed pane of glass.

POP! A fist-sized ball of blue energy flew from the tip of the gun and impacted the target a moment later. Judging from the results, it was equivalent to being hit with a sledge hammer. It cost me 10 mana to activate the stone.

KRAK! A .45 cal bullet made of stone hit the wall behind the target. Four more tries and I managed to hit the damned thing. I spent 40 mana to wound a dummy.

Reloading, I was struck with the knowledge of how-to construct, prime, and recharge the bullets. Concentrating on pushing magic into the brass shell, I spent 100 mana recharging it as a proof of concept.

Quick Draw cost 100 mana to use, and the effect was like my arm was made of lightning. One moment the gun was in my holster, the next I had shot the target. Snap Shot was similar, but used when I already had the gun drawn. I could quick draw on one target, then snap shot five more in the blink of an eye with decent accuracy. Aimed Shot gave me hyper focus, slowing time and overlaying a reticle on the target which improved my accuracy a hundred percent. By the time I was finished with a box of shells, most of my mana was drained but I was confident in my shooting ability.

Sergeant Cox seemed satisfied with my progress and promised more intense combat instruction tomorrow. Sandwiched between the two nameless guards, I was taken to the East Quarter of the palace to meet my magic instructor.

~~~~~~~~~~

-=- BEGIN STATISTICS -=-

! Networks: (Nigos) Modus 8E

! Plan: Beryl @ 100gk

! Usage: 2385/3600

! Inventory: Itembox I, Mainmort III

Name: Harold (Harry) William Johnson

Titles: Magister of Logistics, Champion of Nigos

Profession: Spell Slinger I

Affiliations: None

Experience: 4824 (124)

Race: Human

Sex: Male

Age: 51 (35)

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Hazel

Height: 5’ 11”

Weight: 190 lbs

Strength: C

Agility: C

Intelligence: C

Health: C

Mana: 120/hour (1600)

-= Abilities =-

Babel I

-= Skills =-

Quickdraw I

Aimed Shot I

Snap Shot I

Daggers I

Grappling I

-= Conditions =-

None (Normal Ageing)

-=- END STATISTICS -=-

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[CAST]

Harold (Harry) William Johnson

General Barrit Di’nair

Sergeant Cox

[PLACES]

Aerth

Kingdom of Nigos

Office of General Di’nair

North Training Ground of the Denver Palace

[PEOPLE]

[OTHERS]

Nameless Guards

[PERSONAL]

Next Ginsu Mage: Friday 18dec20

Cowboys and Wizards Episode 12 in progress.

Currently reading: Tensei Kenja no Isekai Raifu (it’s garbage, but who am I to judge?)