Chương 89: 88: Colin's Time 1

Colin woke when he heard the door to his shared cabin close. The darned thing had an iffy latch, so he and Aiden both tended to slam it behind themselves to ensure it properly shut. It also meant Aiden woke him up just about every morning when he was home. That really sucked when he got in from a patrol with Hari and Glenn late at night, or if they'd been gone for a few days and he could sleep in the next day. He really should go talk to Zack about it. Colin could see the barest hint of light outside.

He probably wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, so he got out of bed and threw a piece of coal into the stove that sat between the twin beds he and Aiden had in the cabin. After he was satisfied with the stove, he got up and grabbed his Scoutmaster Sniper Rifle. He should have cleaned it when he got in last night, but he had been tired after the weeklong patrol he'd been on. They'd found warg tracks on day two. They never found the wargs, but Hari wouldn't let them have fires any time they found enemy signs.

It would be another hour before breakfast was ready, and he wasn't up for dealing with Ma right now, so he didn't want to be early. Cleaning his gun would solve that issue. Things had been good for about two minutes after everyone had convinced his ma to let him join the army. Then he, Hari, and Glenn had killed those goblins and wargs, and his ma had gone right back to disapproving of his plans. She hadn't outright said so, but the tension was clear.

John was still being reasonable, but he clearly didn't know how to deal with the situation. Colin appreciated John didn't gang up against him, but John couldn't truly understand that Colin would never allow anything to hold him back now that he was in a situation where he could change his life so no one could hold him back again. He skipped formal breakfast as often as possible, but today he was going to ask the new army squad if they'd help him train, and Hari said he'd put in a good word at breakfast.

Hari and Glenn were going to go on a scouting run deeper into the mountains, just the two of them. They'd both talked to the squad about what they needed to do to possibly evolve before their last run. The squad told them they weren't being adventurous enough. The System rewarded true feats of strength or endurance, and Hari and Glenn had never pushed to their true limits, so now they were going on their longest mission ever.

By the time he was happy with his gun, it was close enough to breakfast that there would be other people in the main room. He got fully dressed, then opened and slammed the door himself. It was cold outside, but now that it was past true winter, it wasn't so bad. That first patrol when they'd ambushed the wargs and goblins had been cold, cold. When he got to the main room, he saw Hari and Glen sitting with the squad.

Breakfast was already being served, so he grabbed a plate of bacon, eggs, and biscuits, with a good dollop of butter and blackberry preserves for good measure. As he approached the table, Glenn scooted over and said, "Colin, sit 'ere next to Cathan." Colin did as he was told and said, "Sirs." Everyone mumbled greetings as they continued eating. Tieg, who was sitting across from him, looked him over, then said, "Young man, I am told you wish to be a proper Scout." Colin nodded.

"Yes, sir." Tieg said, "Very good. You are a Knight of the Order. With your adopted father, you are likely to be a true Knight. Not one in name only." He used his fork and pointed at Hari, then said, "Hari and Glenn have asked for our help, and we have given them the knowledge they need to evolve. They will be gone for the next two months, at least. You will work with us."

"Yes, sir," Colin said. His heart was pounding. There was definitely some fear there, but he was excited! Tieg asked, "What do you intend to do? What focus?" Colin did his best to keep his voice steady.

"Sir, I intend to be a Sharpshooter, or a true Scout. I am a Woodsman for my primary class, so I'll have complimentary skills there." Tieg nodded.

"Very good. You will train with Rick and Cathan. We all have Scout Tier 1's. Rick is our only Sharpshooter. Cathan has a Woodsman class." Colin nodded, but knew he needed to bring up the fact that he still only had his militia class.

"Good," Tieg responded.

"Good. It is best to build a foundation before you have skills. Ask Cathan." Colin looked at Cathan, who snorted.

"Father ran me ragged from the time I could walk. When I turned sixteen and got my Scout class, I was already level 11." Tieg looked proud.

"Indeed, son. And you were only twenty-five when you evolved. This is a tough world. There is no room for coddling for the likes of us." Rick, who, like the rest of the squad, was tallish and lean, with a reddish tint to his weatherbeaten skin, smiled at him and said, "You a decent shot?" Colin nodded, "I think I am, sir." Rick then asked, "What level are you with Woodsman, and Militiaman?" Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Level 14 on my Woodsman subclass. Level 8 in my militia class." Colin answered.

"That's good. Can you tell me your skills for each?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, here's my screen if that would just be easier?" Colin said. Rick nodded, so Colin sent him his sheet. Name: Colin Lloyd Age: 16 Main Class: Homesteader Level 14 - You may farm up to 200 acres per year and have access to Tier 1 crops in the Albion Shop Interface. (Note: As aWoodsman, you only gain more farming plots at level 10 & 20 and are capped at 300 acres. But you do not have to farm those acres directly.) Perks Bartering II- 20% off any goods determined necessary to improve your homestead in the Albion Merchant Shop. Your garden crops will yield 10% more produce. Naturalist - You can more easily identify edible plants in the wild. Subclass: Woodsman Level 14 XP: 65/596 Skills: Tracking - You have a natural ability to find animal tracks and tell how old they may be. You must still identify what animal made a track, but once you have, you will always know any tracks made by that animal.

Skinning - You have the innate knowledge of how to properly skin any animal that you come across. Any hide or pelt you create will be at least Fair condition. Trapper - As long as you have the proper materials, you are able to construct traps of at least Fair quality. Support Class: Butcher Level 5 Perks: Precise Cut II - Your knife cuts are always precisely where you wish for them to be. At level 2, your knife will not become stuck in a bone.

Preservation - Any meat that you cut will last 10% longer before it begins to deteriorate Skills: Butcher's knowledge - You gain an innate knowledge of where you should cut to gain the most meat on any carcass Honed Edge - Your knives will have a 25% durability bonus, and your edge will be less prone to breaking. Combat Class: Militiaman Level 8 Perks: Homestead Defense – When defending your own property from attacks, you will receive a 10% bonus to accuracy with ranged weapons and a 10% speed bonus to movement.

Territory Defense – When defending your home territory from attacks, you will receive a 10% speed bonus. Long Range - You may shoot 10% farther without an accuracy penalty. Subclass: Ranged Focus Level 1 – When using any ranged weapon, you will receive a 10% accuracy bonus. (This bonus can stack with other bonuses) Skills: Faster Reload – This skill makes reloading a weapon 25% faster.

Distance Boost - This skill increases the range of a projectile shot by a ranged weapon by 5%"Alright," Rick said, "Mostly good here. You've taken the proper militiaman skills. You will have a Scout class by this summer but these will help you for now. Your Woodsman class could be better. Your perks are not…" he hesitated as if trying to find a diplomatic wording before saying, "optimized." Colin looked down.

"Yeah, I know. But I was just trying to do things to help with the situation I was in before." Tieg jumped in.

"Yes, we have been told. You and your mother were living alone on this land. It was not yours." With a little shame in his eyes, Colin nodded. Tieg could sense how Colin was feeling, so he quickly added, "I am not disparaging you, boy. You did what you must. You kept you and your mother safe and fed. But from now on, you must decide if you are going to be a soldier or a Homesteader for the majority of your very long life.

We will get you to Tier 2, and teach you how to be a soldier if that is the decision you choose to make. We have been ordered to do so by important people."

"I'm going to work hard, I don't want anyone to give me something just because of my relationship with John," Colin said fiercely. Remaining stoic, Tieg said, "I did not say you wouldn't work hard. Your training will be grueling. You will not enjoy it. But, Cathan here is where he is because he is my son. Do not be so swift to throw away connections." Tieg nodded again, then said "Alright.

"Butcher is a pretty common skill for those who plan to do up close and personal killing. It's good for your Homesteader class, but we will want to look for something else to better match the sniper route you want to go." Rick had finished eating, and he said, "Colin, finish your food. We're going to go shooting. I hear you have a new rifle?" Colin smiled, "Yeah, I got one for my adoption present. It's a Henry Scoutmaster." Tieg smiled, something he rarely seemed to do in Colin's brief experience around the man.

"See, connections." Colin quickly finished eating, then went to his cabin to grab his gun and belt. When he got out, he saw the entire squad waiting for him. He'd thought it would only be Rick. That ratcheted up his nerves a little. When he approached the group, Tieg said, "Come, we have a range set up a few miles away. Don't want to spook the animals here." The day was cool, but not freezing, as they all made their way south along the riverfront.

When they had just about reached the hill close to where he and John had shot the spark elk, he saw that the squad had cut out a shooting range in a swell in between two hillier areas. This gave a nice windbreak and a spot where the hill rose very slowly. The squad had built mounds of dirt with turf on them at fifty-yard intervals, going all the way out to a thousand yards. There were cut tree rounds placed in indents on each of the mounds.

Nothing was painted on the rounds, but a hit on one of them would make enough noise you'd know you hit your target. After Colin had a chance to look at the shooting range, Rick said, "Alright, load your rifle." Colin took a deep breath and loaded his gun quickly and efficiently.

"Now take aim at the target four hundred yards down range." Rick said. Colin looked and counted eight targets down. The target was about ten feet above his head as he stood. He had a clear line of sight. He took a deep breath, willed his muscles to relax, then pulled the trigger. Through a puff of smoke, he could hear the impact of the bullet on the target at four hundred yards. As soon as he heard the impact, Rick yelled out, "Reload, four-fifty!" Colin didn't hesitate.

He set the butt of his rifle on the ground, then pulled a bullet out of the pouch on his gun belt, and bit the end off it. He could feel his skill moving him along at an unnaturally fast pace. His hands were steady as he poured the powder down the barrel, then shoved the waxed paper bullet into the end of the barrel. He grabbed his ramrod from its spot below the barrel as quickly as he could, then rammed the bullet in place.

He gave it one more tap for good measure, then put the ramrod back in place, pulled a firing cap out of another pouch on his belt, seated it, and brought his rifle back to his shoulder. He fired again, once again he was rewarded with the sound of a wooden round being hit. Rick yelled once again, "Reload, five hundred!" Colin repeated the process and hit another target. Ricke yelled, and Colin reloaded. Colin shot, and Rick yelled at him to reload and shoot. Each time fifty yards farther down.

When he shot eight hundred yards out, Rick finally stopped yelling at him to reload. Colin had hit his targets from four hundred yards out to six hundred yards. After that, he missed at six fifty, hit at seven hundred, then missed his subsequent shots. He was breathing hard, and his hands were a little shaky. He felt like he'd just been sprinting, which felt wrong considering he had barely moved.

"Well," Tieg said, "How'd he do?"

"He'll do," Rick replied.

"Now clean your gun, then we start your real training as a Scout."