Skill-Eater: Prison World Saga-Chapter 19: Ranged Attack

Edge crossed the street leading to the crafters’ quarter with a smile on his face. He was eager to acquire his first ranged weapon and some armor that was a considerable upgrade from his original set. Hopefully, I won’t get blown up or swallowed by a giant predator again anytime soon. Or ever, for that matter.

When he made it to the Forge, there was another long line heading out the front door before wrapping around the block. This time, he just walked up to the counter and flagged one of the apprentices down. “Please tell Ander that Edge is here to pick up an order. He’s expecting me.” The woman nodded and then darted into the back. Five minutes later, Ander the smith came walking out.

“Edge, it’s good to see you. Follow me. I have your chakram ready in the testing area, and the rest of your gear is waiting in a private room. Let’s try out the weapon first, then get you armored up.” He followed the man through the workshop and into a courtyard lined with dummies, posts, and other equipment used to gauge the quality of the crafters’ creations.

When the men stepped into the open area, Ander walked over to series of shelves mounted to one wall. He removed a wooden box that was a foot and half square and about two inches deep. He gestured for Edge to join him, and then opened it with a flourish. Inside was an elegant weapon formed from a seamless blend of brass and bone—to the extent that he couldn’t tell where one material ended and the other began.

The chakram was a bladed circle with a diameter nearly as broad as the box that held it. The ring was an inch and a half wide and a quarter inch thick. The bands of metal and bone came together in an intricate pattern that reminded him of the hamon of a katana. “It’s beautiful.” Edge looked up at Ander, who was grinning at the praise. “How does it work?”

“On the most fundamental level, you aim it at your enemy and then throw as hard as you can. It’s as sharp as first love’s rejection and heavy enough to bite deep, even with a stage-two opponent. The ring is perfectly balanced and can be thrown with pinpoint precision, once you get the hang of it at least. Here, let me show you how it’s done.” Ander reached inside and removed the chakram barehanded, gripping the weapon by the interior of the ring so that he didn’t cut his fingers.

The smith put the box back on the shelf and motioned for Edge to stand beside him. Then he turned to face one of the dummies, spun the weapon along two of his fingers, and let loose. The chakram went soaring through the air, flashing in the sunlight before burying itself into the wooden post comprising the dummy’s torso.

“That’s the most basic move you can make with it. Even with a straight throw, this chakram can dish out considerable damage for someone with your Power. The ring has been skill-crafted to maintain its edge, resist corrosion, and have enough flexibility to bounce if you get the angle right. It won’t break unless you subject it to some serious abuse, so you don’t have to worry about throwing it too hard.”

As Ander spoke, he walked over and worked the ring free from the dummy. “Once you’ve mastered a direct attack, you can move on to learning something fancy… like this.” With that, the smith spun the weapon to build momentum, judged the angle, and threw the chakram again.

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This time, the weapon went sailing toward the far wall. It rebounded from the stone with a ping, then proceeded to bank off two more surfaces before lodging itself into the wooden post, striking the back of the dummy this time around.

“You can also bounce it off the ceiling or floor if the surface is hard enough.” Ander flipped the weapon vertically, then demonstrated the maneuver. “Now, these are all moves that you can pull off with any chakram. But this one is special. On top of everything else, it’s crafted to return to the paired glove, which means that you can influence its behavior in all kinds of novel ways.”

He walked back over to the box, removed a thin black glove, and put it on. The glove was some manner of tightly woven chainmail—so fine that it fit as snug as leather or cloth. Ander clenched his fist to show how well the weaving articulated.

“This metal is incredibly durable, and flexible enough that it won’t restrict your range of motion. Although, you’ll lose a bit of fine-motor control if you wear it all the time. It will keep your hand from being cut when catching the weapon by the blade instead of the inner ring, as well shield you from slashes and punctures in general. While it’s a fair piece of armor all by itself, that isn’t the glove’s main purpose. The real benefit is...”

With that, Ander flicked his wrist, sending the ringed weapon sailing through the air. It landed cleanly on the far side of the courtyard. Then the smith tapped his thumb and index finger together and reached out. To Edge’s delight, the chakram vibrated and then flew back into Ander’s outstretched hand.

“Remember to tap your fingers to turn the pull on and off, and always be mindful of whatever is positioned between the chakram and the glove. In addition to making the weapon easy to retrieve for multiple throws, the glove adds another level to its versatility. Once you get a feel for the draw, you can use the effect to enable advanced maneuvers. For example, adjusting the flight path while the weapon is already in the air, which makes it harder to dodge. When you really get good with it, you can even pull off attacks like this.”

This time, Ander gripped the chakram by the outer rim. Instead of spinning it to build momentum, he took aim and threw it as hard as he could. The weapon went flashing through the air, bouncing off several walls as it sailed across the courtyard. When it started to lose momentum, Ander activated the glove, turning it off when the ring was heading in the direction that he wanted.

Edge realized that the ring was building inertia with every pass, remaining airborne without needing to be thrown again. Better still, its flight path was completely unpredictable. It sailed in a straight line until Ander used the glove, which allowed him to adjust the trajectory at will. It was fascinating to watch the man in action, although it was going to take a lot of practice to develop that level of control.

Edge laughed as the smith directed the chakram to land on target after ducking out of the way at the last second. By now, the bladed ring was flying so fast that it cut straight through the dummy, which went crashing to the floor. Then Ander took off the glove so that Edge could give it a try.

After he made his first toss, he waited until the chakram landed, then tapped his fingers together. He felt a pull on the glove—like a magnet was tugging on it—before the weapon came sailing back to his hand for an easy catch.

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It was a little intimidating when the bladed blend of bone and brass come sailing straight toward his body. But even if he messed up, Regeneration could stitch him back together. Edge gave the chakram a few more throws, and then put it into its box.

“This is great. I need to practice to get the hang of it, but I finally have a ranged attack—one that I can use in close quarters as well as open fields. Thanks, Ander. You really are the best.”

“Don’t mention it, lad. You always give us fun jobs to work on. Now, let’s go check out your new armor. I just know that you’re going to love it.” With that, the men walked back inside the Forge and stepped into a private room, so that Ander could reveal the rest of Edge’s order.