Chapter 46 - Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

You have successfully used the power of your blood to soul-bind Reverse Draw Crossbow! Familiarity Bonus in effect! Base experience point (potency) soul-binding cost reduced to one-tenth standard!

Eric smiled with sharp satisfaction, the messages flashing across his interface mirroring what he already knew intuitively, feeling the sudden frisson of connection between himself and his tool of death. Delighting in the feel of power surging and flowing between himself and his tools. A current that grew all the stronger as he practiced and perfected his technique over and over again, each time as slowly and methodically as the first, until all twelve reverse-draws capable of firing the lighter bolts at a wicked 450 fps with over 200 foot-pounds of draw weight now felt like extensions of himself.

He couldn’t help smiling in dazed satisfaction when he put them to the test at the farthest end of the cavern, using his lizard wall and the armored orc corpses as target practice once more, finding that he didn’t just intellectually understand, but could intuitively feel in his gut, how various soul-bound quarrels reacted with the models he had claimed as his own.

A dozen crossbows that, along with the three twin-strikes already soul-bound, he could now shoot with an intuitive accuracy far beyond anything he had accomplished before without using True Strike, the bolts going just where he wanted them to. And when he set his swinging tennis ball frame, enjoying the change of pace by swinging several orc’s heads, helms nailed firmly in place, not a single bolt of any weight missed its moving targets, Eric intuitively sensing how best to compensate for each shot unleashed by his crimson crossbows.

Even when his friends Morlekai and Louie stopped by just to quietly observe, Alice chain-smoking and looking so absurdly cute with pigtails, too-tight tank top, and cutoff denim shorts that her throaty laughter and adorable cheers left him in a state of delicious torment, he still managed to keep his focus on his crossbows and his targets, so in the zone that he was able to avoid all distraction while still keeping a sense of everyone around him.

His breathing was slow and seep as he embraced that perfect, endless moment of zen that just seemed to go on forever as multiple interface messages piled up in the corner of his eye. Effortlessly ignored, already knowing what they would say. Because as glorious as it was to level up key skills quickly, he had most definitely paid a price.

You have successfully soul-bound one dozen Reverse Draw Crossbows! Average weight: 6 Lbs. You have used 50% of experience needed to achieve the next level. Soul points reserved: 1.46. total soul points reserved: 2.3.

Blood Mastery is now Rank 11!

Rituals of Summoning and Binding is now Rank 7!

Rituals of Summoning and Binding is now Rank 8!

Attempting to gain mastery over your soul-bound crossbows with blood-linked quarrels has brought additional benefits to your archery proficiency as you gain intuitive mastery tools that are, after all, just an extension of yourself!

Crossbow is now at Rank 14!

"Wooh, Eric! That is some damn fine shooting, little bro!"

Eric turned at last to smile at a grinning Alice. “Little bro, is it? You don’t look a day over sixteen, Alice. Hell, right now you look younger than me, and I was in my senior year before, well, yeah.”

She flinched and lowered her head, perky mood instantly wilting.

Louie glared. “What the fuck, Eric?”

Eric winced. “Sorry I...” he shook his head. “I just… sure, little bro it is, then. And thanks for the moral support, Alice. Been a long time since anyone cheered me at sports.”

Morlekai, however, was gazing at Eric intently for another reason.

“Eric?”

Eric winced, almost positive he knew what his friend was going to say. “Yes, Morlekai?”

“Did you just bind another twelve weapons to your soul?”

Eric took a deep breath and held the man’s gaze for long moments. “Yes, Morlekai. Yes I did.”

His friend stared at him for long moments. Eric didn’t apologize or look away, determined to hold the man’s gaze.

“Why?”

“You want to know the real reason, besides the sweet, sweet, boost to my accuracy and skill level?”

Morlekai nodded.

“Alright then.”

Eric turned around, took a deep breath, tuning out his friends once more.

Preparing himself for what he had been building up to for hours.

Because if it worked like he thought it would, like he was almost positive it would…

“Eric?” Alice’s honey-sweet voice was like a warm balm, caressing his ear with her concern. “Don’t sweat Morlekai. If it’s something personal, or you’re not ready to show us, you don’t have to… what the fucking fuck!?”

Eric flashed a tight, hard smile at his friend’s soft curses as the previously unmolested orc corpse he had saved for last suddenly erupted with no less than sixteen bolts, one after another, in just under fifteen seconds. Each crossbow flickering in his hand just long enough to sight, fire, and summon another. And another. Each appearing just where he wished it, just where he needed it, as the heavier bolts he had loaded tore through throats, eyes, mouth, and the gaps between the thick iron chainmail links.

A handful did bounce off. A few others hit at bad angles.

His fault for still trying to find the balance between speed and accuracy.

But over half of them were kill shots at a hundred feet.

And this was his first attempt. With continued practice over his new technique… there was no telling how far he could go.

“My man, that is incredible!” Louie said, earlier ire instantly forgotten. “Morlekai, looks like we finally got ourselves a sweet-ass sniper! And shit. That’s practically machine gun fire, in this day and age. I doubt anyone else can do that. Can anyone else do that?”

Morlekai grinned. “Somehow, I seriously doubt it. Not without specialized class abilities, at least.”

“I’m not gonna lie, boyscout. That’s fucking impressive as all hell,” Alice said with a sultry whistle, before summoning her wand in the blink of an eye.

And before Eric could do more than blink and leap away, she screamed “Forzare!” and a wicked blast of lightning chained from one orc corpse to another in a blinding flash, the entire cavern cracking with the sound of thunder, leaving only charred meat and blasted corpses behind.

All of them were staring at Alice in disbelief.

She flashed an impish smile.

“Didn’t want you to feel too lonely at the top, little bro.” She gave a throaty chuckle and headed back to the compound, her hips swaying with a sultry strut. But not before tossing her pigtails back and blowing Eric a kiss. “I hope you’re excited about the hunt, Eric. I think you and I are going to have an awesome time.”

Eric shook his head at her happily whistling form. “What was that all about?”

Louie smirked. “Isn’t it obvious? She adores you, but you’re showing her up something fierce. She’s just showing you that her own specialization isn’t a joke, even if you are a badass with pretty much everything you touch.”

“Ah,” Eric said. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” He didn’t bother saying anything else as he finally pulled out the bow he was most fascinated by, a final treat after a day of focusing on his primary goal, which had been getting his crossbows, or at least, his most favored, familiar, and fastest and hardest hitting crossbows, linked to his soul.

Eventually, he hoped to link most of his crossbows for what could be a life-saving edge. But for now, he’d save the remaining experience for a couple incendiary arrows in the very near future, and the beautiful bow made of bone, sinew, and darkest shadow now in his hands, with a central grip of breastbone that fit absolutely perfectly in his hands.

His eyes lit up with renewed fascination as he held the prize now vibrating with a potency he could almost taste, pushing away the tingle of apprehension he felt shivering down his spine. Fascination was quickly replaced by horror as he felt the tendrils of wonder twist into something darker.

“I’m coming for you...”

For just a second, he was filled with overwhelming revulsion, wanting nothing more than to toss away the unnaturally twisting configuration of ligaments and bone as far as he could, before setting it ablaze. Damn the cost, or the sweet potential he was on the cusp of understanding. There was something… off about this prize.

***** failed!

“Eric, you okay, bro?”

Eric blinked and slowly shook his head. “Yeah, Louie. Never been better!”

Louie chuckled. “Badass focus you might have, but you were seriously zoning out for a second there.”

Even Morlekai was giving him a strange look. “When was the last time you took a break and just stopped to enjoy yourself?”

Eric frowned at the question, realizing he had no good answer to give. “Honestly, save for an hour or two reading the book I lent Fat Sam… not since the world ended?” He laughed off his friend’s concerned gazes.

“Seriously, kid. You should take up Drake’s offer and go relax with him and his girls,” said Louie.

Eric couldn’t help laughing at that. “As if any girl could actually fall for this face.” His eyes twinkled with a painful wisdom beneath his smile. “Because Susie’s definitely a sweetheart, but I think we all know that even if she was serious, she’s just looking for a safe harbor in the hellish storm this world’s become. And how can I blame her? But I’m not going to risk getting my heart getting torn to bloody shreds being a fucking romantic in a world where quick flings, and a warm body to help you ride through the nightmares, is all that most people are looking for.”

He shook off the suddenly grim mood with a chuckle. “But seriously, guys, who said I wasn’t having a blast? Fucked up facial features I have no quick way of leveling up aside, I’ve never felt more fulfilled, more satisfied, more like I was kicking ass than I do when taking on psychopathic critters or training my ass off. Because now we get the full benefit of every workout quantified on our interface sheet after a single night’s rest, and nothing beats the rush of feeling my body flood with power, leveling up as I take down those goddamned orcs who I swear I’ll purge from this fucking world, no matter how long it takes! So who the hell says I’m not having the time of my life?”

And it was true, he thought with a satisfied smile, even if his friends were frowning at his speech. He had never been stronger, faster, more coordinated, or so connected with his environment and aware of his surroundings. Truly one with the world all around him. And the bow in his hand, this sweet configuration of twisted bone and a dying man’s screams, was just the tool to push his potential that much further.

He shook his head, bemused by his own wandering thoughts, finding it so easy to lose himself in the intricate swirls of the runes and carvings he only now spotted like faint pearlescent sheen upon the surface of the bow that just felt so right in his hands. But he knew it wasn’t the time for admiring his latest toy. It was time to show his friends, still gazing at him with furrowed brows, just what this strikingly beautiful treasure was capable of.

At first, the beautiful bow showed glorious promise.

When he pulled the string back, a string that seemed almost to vibrate with the screams of countless souls in torment, he marveled at the coiled power he sensed in the bow as he knocked and drew one of the bone arrows with a serrated tooth serving as its razor-sharp tip. But when he fired… that was when his silly flight of fancy finally ended.

He couldn’t help but frown in disappointment.

It might have a 200 foot-pound draw weight, but the arrows fired were moving far slower and falling off far quicker than any other bow he had shot. It wasn’t absolutely abysmal, but he suspected that even a 40 pound draw weight yew longbow would be hitting harder than this.

Louie whistled. “Alright, I’ll admit it. You might be a bit of an obsessive bastard, but that is one badass looking bow you got there, Eric.”

Morlekai snorted. “Too bad it doesn’t shoot for shit. Not compared to your other longbow, at least. Though it does look like something my old master would fancy.”

He then furrowed his brow, peering hard at Eric and the bow. “Please don’t tell me… Hell. You are.”

Eric grinned. “You know what? I really think I just might.”

Louie frowned. “He will what? What are you guys talking about?”

Morlekai gazed at Eric for long moments while Louie cursed and grumbled about people no telling him anything. “If it doesn’t work, you’ll have weighed down your soul with an absolutely worthless piece of trash.”

Eric’s grin widened. “But if it does work...”

Morlekai barked with sudden laughter. “You’ll have a bow any archer would kill for, but no one who doesn’t walk our crooked path will ever be able to use it.” His bemused smile hardened once more. “Best you make sure, though. Because you can’t reroll your character if you fuck this up. Interfaces and leveling aside, this is the farthest thing from a game.”

Eric bowed his head. “I know. If I ever forget… all I have to do is look in the mirror.”

Morlekai nodded, clapping Louie, still grumbling, on the back as they headed inside.

And Eric did his best to take his friend’s advice to heart. Because before he would even consider bonding his soul to this thing, he needed to make sure. Make sure that it truly was a fit. And of course, lock in a 50% cost reduction bonus. Because no true gamer would ever let a boon like that slide, no matter how long the grind.

So Eric committed to doing his utmost to understand the tool in his hands. How best to make use of it, to become one with it, to see it as an extension of himself, even as he did his best to ignore its hungry call.

Eager to form a bond that would leave them both far stronger than they had been before.

Assuming he wasn’t fooling himself.

And there was only one way to be sure.

Perfect a consistent draw, just past his cheek til his thumb touched the underside of his jaw, steady his breathing, and release, over and over again, before collecting both bone arrows, and the ones already bound to his soul.

Then repeat the entire sequence over and over again, replaying every arrow shot in the back of his mind whenever he took a break.

Until minutes blended into hours and his friends popped out of the house on errands and tasks of their own, thoughtful enough never to disturb him, save for concerned looks sent his way as one day blended into the next.

Until at last, after countless hours, he gained the message he had been waiting for.

Bow skill is now Rank 11!

You have gained advanced familiarity with: Bone Bow.

Bone Bow is now an extension of yourself!

His intense scowl soon turned to a smile, tension finally easing from his features when he finally felt like he understood his tool’s locked potential, sensing at last the handful of minor deficiencies in the bones so cleverly locked together with the glue of souls in an orgy of suffering that denied the artifact in his hands true spring, true speed, true life.

Yet Eric knew it was capable of more.

So much more.

But it had flaws that required walking a crooked path indeed to counter.

Weaknesses that were perfectly balanced by his strengths.

And not being a fool, he allowed himself to collapse into a dreamless sleep after stuffing his face with Alice’s magnificent spread of eggs, sausages and instant waffles, the first two made from tunnel game and the bounties gleaned from an actual chicken hutch, the waffles supplemented with milk supplied by the goats that were now thriving on the rich green grass the loamy cavern floor now supported.

It was a meal Eric happily enjoyed the next day as well, shaking off the lingering dream of hunched over things with glowing green eyes scurrying down the endless myriad tunnels of the Underrealm, slowly heading his way.

Because he sure as hell wasn’t going to allow his belly to go empty or his mind get distracted before rolling the dice and seeing if his gamble would pay off, or paint him a fool.

And after an exhausting hour that was far harder than any blood-link he had ever formed before, he was ready to admit defeat.

Only to find that this was one binding he couldn’t break off, no matter how much of his life-force was consumed.

Because just as he was attempting to soul-bind this artifact so as to make it an extension of himself… the dread bow formed of souls, sinew, and countless splintered bones was trying to do the same to him!

“What the hell?" A sweat-covered Eric lurched off his bed to his feet, only to topple over, smacking his nose against his chair in a bright red explosion of pain, shocked to find that his feet were barely under his control, his balance was shot, and his hands? He couldn't move them from the shaft of the bow, no matter how hard he tried.

Eric’s heart began to pound as frustrated disappointment abruptly blossomed into true horror, shocked to find himself slipping into a whirlwind of darkness, as if it was him, not his sister, who had been slipped the mickey at that party, so long ago. Only he wasn’t just fighting against unconsciousness, but struggling to grasp tightly the slowly eroding remnants of his very own soul.