Chapter 6: Ch. 6 – Slingshot

As night fell in the city, Jasper and I finally finished our chores. It took the whole day, three food breaks, and two naps, but the smithy looked good as new. As for food in the settlement, the cats ate everything raw and thought humans could eat the same. They ended up just serving us a version of sushi mixed with some kind of corn mixture. It was terrific. Much better than the Dorito and Red Bull diet I used to be on.

While I worked, I thought about what I wanted to build. I wanted to go with a ranged item but needed to know what kind. As a kid growing up in New York City, I loved shooting pigeons with my slingshot. But that was about as much experience as I had. Plus, a slingshot seemed...childish. I was surrounded by talking cats and didn't want to make a fool of myself. But I also didn't want to be useless. 

"When did Typh say he was coming back?" asked Jasper in a whisper, stacking the last couple of bronze helmets on the upper shelf. 

"He said night, which should be soon. But with the Shadowalkers scouting the city, I assume he will be preoccupied looking into why they were here."

"Makes sense," Jasper replied. "I don't remember the last time the walkers were here." 

I looked around, dropping to a whisper of my own. "I want to test my level 2 'CREATE' skill, but I don't want to steal anything from Romas. I learned after the first time," I said, remembering my adventure in the jungle. 

"I can help with that!" a figure slithered out of the shadows. 

I jumped, but Jasper, who was used to Dee's shenanigans, said, "Dee, you shouldn't sneak up on people."

"Quiet slave! So...what did you decide to make, Noah?" Dee asked me.

Jasper grumbled in the background something about not calling me a slave. 

"Well, I wanted to make a ranged weapon, but I don't know how."

A smile crept across her face. "Good news, we grow Bow trees here at Dunbar!"

I looked at Jasper, confused. "Dunbar is the settlement name," he said. 

"Ah. Yeah, but how do I get some wood? It's outside the settlement, and I can't steal it..."

Dee thought for a moment. "We can go late in the night. About an hour or two before sunrise, the largest moon is at its lowest light. The settlement sleeps around then. Plus, father has a tendency to get drunk after a successful auction. He will be fast asleep by then." 

"Ok. I could use some rest anyway. Come get me when it's time to go. Unless Typh comes, then we can wait." 

I found my cot in the corner of the smithy and plopped down, beyond exhausted. I heard Jasper do the same next to me. Sleep came quickly to us, and we slept deeply before long. 

***

I felt a paw at my side. "Hey. Wake up, slave!" It was Dee, pawing at me. 

I groaned and rolled over. Jasper was snoring in his cot next to me, still fast asleep. Further into the smithy, bottles of some kind littered the floor surrounding a sleeping Romas. As Dee thought, he had hit the bottle pretty hard in celebration.  

"Let's go find some wood for that weapon of yours. Follow me." I followed Dee out into the night air, still not fully awake. It was raining and colder than it had been the previous day. "Remember, you're my slave. I could be taking you anywhere for any purpose. Make sure to act like it." A grin crossed her feline features. 

We passed a few cats, none of them paying us any attention. This late at night, almost no one was moving around. As usual, Dee jumped down from the settlement level to the ground, glancing up and looking back at me. I went down the ramp. 

Outside the walls, she turned toward one of the enormous looping trees. "This is a bow tree. We grow it here to supply the entire empire with wood for our longbows. Feka are very good with bows because of our high dexterity. They provide a dexterity boost to our archers. I don't know if I can get a full piece down. Humans use huge saws to get a piece for Romas to make one longbow."

"I shouldn't need a huge piece. I don't think I want a longbow. I've never shot any kind of bow before. What I have in mind is a bit...different." A grin crossed my face. 

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"Have at it then, human," she replied, stepping aside and waving her paw. 

I sized up the tree, thinking about what I wanted to make. 

[YOU HAVE UNLOCKED THE 'THINK' SKILL.]

Suddenly, the world slowed to a crawl. I felt the same suction motion coming from my arm, like when I was mining the ore. This must be a mana-per-second skill. I had better hurry. 

In front of me, plans came together, showing a simple slingshot. Above it, I could visualize two blank slots; the one on the left labeled 'Bow Tree Stick' and the other slot labeled 'Rodent Tail.' I stopped the skill, and the world returned to normal speed. 

"What was that??" Dee exclaimed, looking at me wide-eyed. "Your eyes just went completely dark for a few moments!"

"I got a new 'THINK' skill. It lets me plan out my weapon build. It helps me design things I need when the ingredient isn't telling me what it wants."

"Well, be careful. You can only have a set amount of skills for your level. Unlocking skills is great, but you will have to pick and choose pretty soon," Dee replied. "So you know what you need for your weapon?"

"Yeah. I need a twig from this tree and a rodent tail. I can get one ingredient at least!" I jumped up and grabbed a branch, leaves going everywhere. I snapped the front part off, the branch snapping back up and catching me in the face. 

Dee burst into her meowing laugh. "Slave, you really are something." She continued laughing as I wiped a tiny smear of blood from my cheek. 

"Let's just get the rodent tail," I said, trying not to be embarrassed. I picked up the branch and walked toward the ramp.

We wandered back through the settlement, Dee assuring me that mice were everywhere. Apparently, in Prixa, cats didn't chase mice. Humans were the ones who dealt with rodent problems. After walking through the streets for a few moments Dee stopped in her tracks, crouching. She took off, becoming tough to see as she went into stealth mode. I took the hint and stopped as well. I heard a loud squeak up the path, a mouse having met its untimely demise. 

Dee padded back to me, still on four legs, a tail bouncing in her mouth. "One rodent tail, as requested."

"Thank you," I said, grabbing the tail. I looked at my arm. [11/15]. I should be good if level 2 items cost 10 mana. Holding the rat's tail, I felt its pull to the stick in my pocket. A promising sign, indeed. I grabbed the stick from my pocket, holding the two items together. Then, as last time, I willed them together, merging them in my mind. 

In my hand sat a wood slingshot. It worked! I inspected the item. 

[SLINGSHOT LEVEL 2]

My arm burned again as the mana got all used up. The slingshot was simple, but I hoped it would get the job done. Now to train with this thing and make sure I wouldn't be completely useless in a fight. 

"Having fun?" said a voice behind us. It was Typh. 

"Hey, brother. Noah figured out what weapon he wanted to make. I hope you don't mind that we...borrowed...some wood from the tree farms."

He looked at me, appraising. "Let me see."

I handed him the slingshot. "And you think this will be able to wound a fully grown Shadowalker, do you?"

"Well, not on its own," I replied, crossing my arms. " I need ammo for it. I plan to make something I can shoot from the silver ore I found in the caves. If I can make pellets that shock the dogs, it gives your warriors more time to attack. Especially if they outnumber us as they did before."

"Clever. Perhaps the fat human won't be so useless after all. Come. Your training begins. It's time you get your skills up so you won't die when going to and from our caves."

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