Chapter 065 Training Room 13, The Enemies Within

Day 7. Wednesday 11:30am.

Jack and Toma navigated the winding corridors of the Adventurers Guild, the faint hiss of spent aether-steam rising from copper pipes running along the walls. Thin blue vapour coiled upwards, vanishing into the brass ceiling vents as they passed.

Toma bounced on his feet, his voice full of excitement. “This is going to be so much fun!” he grinned, gripping the straps of his makeshift quiver.

“Hey, Toma!” called Ella as she leaned against the doorframe of Training Room 13. “Changed your mind about training?”

Toma sprinted forward, his excitement spilling out. “Jack paid for me!” he beamed. “It’s going to be awesome!”

Ella raised an eyebrow, sharing a confused look with Nessa, who was crouched nearby, adjusting her quiver.

Jack chuckled, pulling off his mask for a moment, so the two young archers could see who he was.

Nessa tilted her head, squinting at Jack as he approached. “You look like an assassin, Jack,” she quipped. “A poor one, though.”

Jack’s shoulders tensed. Underneath the black hooded cloak, he didn’t look the part of a killer. He wore his normal clothing, far from the sleek, shadowy attire most trained assassins would wear. But the words struck a nerve. He couldn’t help but wince, remembering how he’d killed the mage the day before in cold blood. He had to shake it off. I’m not an assassin, he told himself. “I’m just trying to avoid someone…” The mage’s bloody throat flashed in his mind, the iron-rich odour, and the way the man’s hands had scrambled at his own chest.

“Girlfriend problems?” Nessa grinned and patted his shoulder, her tone teasing. “We understand, Jack. So many women after your…” She paused to think. “What do Novice Scribes have?”

Ella chuckled. “Ink stains and paper cuts.”

Jack blinked. A stable life, safety, family… He swallowed hard, forcing a hollow chuckle. “Yeah… something like that.” He didn’t elaborate as he glanced across at the training room’s display.

Training room 13.
Booked until 11:52am.
Please collect any valuables before leaving.
The Adventurers Guild is NOT responsible for any injuries or lost property.
Session ends in 15 minutes.

Ella clapped her hands once. “So! You two happy with the same setup as last time?” She grinned. “Individual practice, then a bit of fun at the end?”

Toma hopped from foot to foot, bouncing with energy. “Yeah, that last bit’s great!” He shot a sideways glance at Jack. “It’s gonna be awesome, right?”

Under the mask, Jack raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Sounds good.”

Nessa craned her neck, glancing back down the hallway. “I hope more people show up soon,” she muttered, her fingers tapping against the doorframe.

“Still short on coin?” Jack asked.

Nessa and Ella nodded in sync.

Toma gave a small, resigned nod of his own, which made Jack chuckle.

Jack remembered the conversation he’d had with the young adventurers who showed him the forest clearing where he fought the goblin; they were in desperate need of an archer and tank for their party. He shared the memory. “I met a group of adventurers a few days ago. They were looking for an archer. I think… Mary was their leader.”

Nessa’s eyes narrowed. “Mary, Carol, Arthur, and Ben,” she said. “I know them. Ben’s the worst.”

Ella shook her head. “The others are fine, but Ben… He’s a liability. The type that gets you killed. We couldn’t work with him.”

Jack nodded, recalling the young swordsman who believed he was above such things as sharpening his sword. “Yeah, he did come across as a bit of an idiot.” He frowned, shaking his head. “What sort of swordsman doesn’t sharpen his own blade?”

Toma blinked, wide-eyed. “Wait, really? He doesn’t sharpen his sword? My dad always said you’ve gotta take care of your tools. They take care of your work… or something like that.”

The group chuckled, but Jack was still lost in thought, replaying the encounter. In his past life, he’d seen firsthand how arrogance and laziness could ruin a budding adventurer. In their line of work, it was the little things, like maintaining gear, that kept adventurers alive.

Jack glanced at the door’s display again. Still ten minutes. He looked over at the boy, who was adjusting his quiver again.

“How’s your form training going?” he asked.

Toma’s smile faltered for a moment, then he straightened up, his confidence returning. “Good, I think,” he said. “I was actually going to ask if you could give me some more tips… maybe?”

Was he waiting for me in the Guild hall? Jack chuckled. “Okay… show me what you’ve been doing.”

For the next five minutes, Toma demonstrated his archery stance and form, and Jack gave advice. While the two young women watched on with smiles.

“I can see you’ve been practising,” Jack said. The recognition elicited a big smile from the boy. “Not bad, but your form’s still a little too rigid. Loosen up a bit here.” He gestured to Toma’s shoulders. “Try to follow through a bit more smoothly with your bow arm.”

Toma nodded, adjusting his posture as Jack demonstrated.

There were still things to correct… his left hand was too high on the bow… his elbow was a little too stiff… his grip was still tight… his aim still lacked finesse.

“Good,” Jack said. “I’ll give you some more pointers as we train. You’ll get there with practice.”

Toma jumped up and down a few times, excited. “Thanks, Jack.”

“How do you know so much about archery?” Nessa asked. “You mentioned stuff I didn’t know.”

Ella nodded in agreement.

Jack smiled under the mask. “I read a lot, that’s all.” He lied. “Benefit of training to be a scribe.”

With the benefit of his total Recall Skill, it was easy for him to compare the boy’s form to illustrations from books he’d memorised. It was easier for him to get Toma’s form right than his own.

They continued to chat… A few minutes later, two young women walked around the corner, neither carrying bows.

Jack heard Ella groan and complain under her breath. “Gods. Why them?”

Nessa patted her friend’s shoulder.

The new arrivals were dressed in simple leather armour. One had short hair and wore a dagger at her side, and carried a small pack marked with a red cross; a healer. The other had long blonde hair and a wand looped on her belt; a mage.

Jack’s blood ran cold. “Fuck,” he whispered, having recognised the women. Shit, it’s them. Fuck! What are they doing here?

It was Linda and Sam, two of the three remaining adventurers he was trying to avoid… or kill.

His heart began to hammer in his chest. No, no, no. Not them. Not here. Jack’s fingers twitched at his side. Why here? Why now? His brain raced for answers as to what to do. Should I run? If I leave now, it’s obvious, too obvious. Fuck!

Sam and Linda gave a casual nod as they approached. Just two more adventurers, ready for archery training.

The door to Training Room 13 opened, and a half dozen sweaty men, in good spirits, exited.

Jack froze as the six male archers passed by while making conversation. None of it registered in his mind. His breathing was shallow, and his vision narrowing… What should I do?

…

He felt someone touch his arm.

“…ck. Jack. You alright?” Nessa’s voice cut through the fog.

Jack turned to Nessa. “Y-yeah, just thinking about something.” His throat was dry. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

Nessa gave him a lopsided grin and pointed at the now-open training room, “Rooms free. You coming?”

He looked around. The others had already entered Training Room 13. “Yeah.” In a daze, he inserted his brass token and followed Nessa into the room. He swallowed hard, clenched his fists, and forced his feet to move.

The door shut behind them with a heavy mechanical click. They were locked in.

Toma had already grabbed the same bow as last time, a quiver of training arrows, and had stationed himself on the far left. He was pulling the bow back before relaxing the draw to practice his archery form.

Ella was talking with the two newcomers, Sam and Linda.

“All four of you aren’t archers, so it doesn’t matter too much where you go.” Ella pointed at Toma. “The kid’s getting advice from Jack.” She gestured towards Jack, which made his gut churn. “So, best if those two are on the far left. Me and Nessa will go to the far right, and you two can use the centre two lanes. We good?”

The two women shrugged, not appearing to care where they stood to train.

Similar to before, they chose lanes based on archery experience. The least trained on the left to the most trained on the right. The order was Toma on the far left, followed by Jack, Sam, Linda, Nessa, and Ella on the far right.

Other than Jack, they each found their places while the familiar aether-powered console clicked to life, the soft brass-voiced female announcer chiming in:

Welcome, adventurers.
Mechanical targeting range engaged.
Safety protocols active.
Please state your class and level.

Shit! Jack thought. I can’t stay here. He’d only moved a few paces inside the training room. Fuck! The door was already locked behind him. He took a deep breath and went to his lane between Toma and Sam.

Don’t panic. With the mask, they don’t know it’s you. Shit! My bow. He looked at the white oak bow. Still covered. He breathed a sigh of relief.