Evolving Classes In The Apocalypse-Chapter 40: Skulltide Crade
Both of us stood against one another, staring each other down with cool expressions.
I knew all there was to know about the basics of combat. Aside from the fact that I went to the Definition Academy for six years, I was also trained by a Master, one of the best Enforcers, so to say.
Vorn had said my superpower came from being able to use my body to my advantage. At some point, I got used to being fat and found my own way to weaponize that weight. It made me a fearsome and destructive warrior at times.
Now, that superpower had been upgraded because of my physical attributes.
But that wasn’t even what made me dangerous at a moment like this.
This was...
[Skulltide Cradle — Slingshot]
[Classification: Weapon (Ranged — Blunt/Projectile)]
[Rank: Rare]
[Vestige: Yes]
[Weight: 0.6kg (Frame) — Mass concentrated in the fork head. Grip is lighter, tapers naturally into the palm. Feels front-heavy at rest but stabilizes during aim. Iron-core slag balls — 0.14kg each. Heavier than their size suggests. Compressed slag core shifts center of mass forward during flight, increasing terminal impact beyond expected values]
[Balance: Good — Fork prongs are symmetrical within negligible tolerance. Iron band reinforcement adds equal weight to both arms. No pull bias left or right during draw. The frame wants to sit upright in the hand. Let it]
[Optimal Grip: Dominant hand draws. Off-hand holds the frame. Frame grip — thumb forward along the base, three fingers wrapped below, index finger braced against the fork junction for stability. Draw grip — cradle pouch pinched between thumb and forefinger, sinew pulled to the anchor point at the corner of the jaw. Do not anchor at the cheek. Do not anchor at the ear. The jaw gives the shortest consistent line to the eye. Full draw tension on this sinew — approximately 18kg. Release is not a motion. It is the absence of one. Open the fingers. Nothing else]
[Design Intent: Killing. No secondary purpose. No utility function. The fork was reinforced for durability under repeated high-tension draws, not for appearance. The sinew was chosen for lethal elastic return, not comfort. The cradle was sized and meshed to seat ammunition without shift so that every shot launches from the same position. Every decision in this weapon’s construction serves one outcome — something in front of you stops living. Gap between design and kill potential — None]
[Wielder Lethality Ceiling — Current Rank: Novice (Awakened) ] [ Awakened Mundane — Extreme ] [ Established Mundane — Extreme ] [ Ascended Mundane — Extreme ] [ Transcendent Mundane — Extreme ] [ Awakened Novice — Extreme ] [ Established Novice — Extreme ] [ Ascended Novice — High ] [ Transcendent Novice — High ] [ Awakened Adept — High ] [ Established Adept — Mid ] [ Ascended Adept — Low ] [ Transcendent Adept — Low ] [ Awakened Master and above — Ineffective]
[Vestige Effect: Bone Percussion — Kinetic transfer amplified on impact with hard surfaces. Bone, armor plating, stone. Approximately 1.5 times expected force output for a slingshot of this construction. Soft tissue impact unaffected]
[Vestige Effect: Headstrike Fracture — Conditional. Clean cranial impact against a target at or below wielder’s current rank generates a concussive pulse through point of contact. Does not guarantee kill. Guarantees punishment — disorientation, hairline fracture, or structural failure depending on target durability]
[Structural Flaws: Frame — None. Ironwood density exceeds stress threshold of repeated full draws. Iron band reinforcement prevents prong separation. Sinew — Finite elasticity. Estimated 800 to 1,000 full-tension draws before degradation begins. Loss of elastic return will be gradual, not sudden. Accuracy degrades before the band snaps. Ammunition supply is finite — thirty iron-core balls. No method of field replacement without smithing tools and slag material. Ordinary stones can substitute but Bone Percussion will not activate. The weapon outlives its ammunition]
[Fighting Style: Short to mid range engagement. Optimal distance — eight to twenty-five meters. Below eight meters, draw time becomes a liability against closing opponents. Above twenty-five meters, projectile drop and wind deviation reduce precision against moving targets. One-handed aim, two-handed draw and release. Fast acquisition — target, draw, release cycle under two seconds at proficiency. Best suited to opening strikes, targeted harassment, and precision elimination of unshielded heads. Devastating when paired with cover or elevation. Effective in confined spaces where a sling cannot rotate. Poor against heavy plate unless targeting gaps — visor slits, joint seams, throat]
Despite the flood of information, everything flowed into my head one piece after the other at a pace that matched the little time we had before we both sprang into action.
I stared at Marcel’s weapon in turn.
’This is a bad matchup...’
A sling against a spear. Worse than bad. However, it would be stupid to just leave it at that.
After all, I knew how dangerous Marcel’s skills could turn out to be. But I was yet to experience them firsthand... I needed to.
Both of us released one more breath and lunged forward. Not towards each other. We circled instead, our feet cutting quick arcs across the ground, each of us measuring the other’s spacing. I summoned two ammunition balls and slipped them into my palm. Without breaking stride, I loaded the first into the cradle pouch and found my anchor point snug against my neck, my only eye serving as the dominant one that pierced through the center of the sling.
Marcel spun his spear and lunged directly towards me.
I drew the cord back, following the line that stretched over my arm. The tension climbed through my fingers, up my wrist. The moment the line turned green, something told me it was time to release.
I let go.
The shot resounded like a thundercrack, unleashing a shockwave that jerked my head backward. The cord snapped taut and sang from the force.
Marcel’s eyes widened. He froze in place as the black ball flew past his cheek at a furious speed, leaving his dreaded hair dancing in the aftermath of its passage.
He was silent for a moment.
Both of us were.
Even I was shocked. I didn’t know which factor had played a role in that brutal release, my maxed out physical attributes or my sub-class established skill that enabled me to wield a weapon better.
’That was supposed to come with time, right... so there’s no way it’s working right now.’
Marcel touched his cheek. The ball hadn’t touched him, but the force of its speed alone had carved a shallow scratch across his skin. A thin bead of red traced the mark.
I felt a little bit sorry.
’I think I might have underestimated—’
I stopped the moment I saw the demented glee plastered across Marcel’s face.
"What the hell was that?! Do it again! Do it! I’ll stop it this time!"
Marcel practically vibrated with excitement. He twirled his spear in one hand and locked gazes with me, still grinning like a battle-crazed warrior.
’He isn’t... he couldn’t be...’
I doubted it... but it was looking like Marcel indeed had a few screws loose in his head. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
He dashed towards me, leveling his spear, but I backpedaled several steps, already loading another ball. The iron-core weight settled into the cradle pouch with a familiar click. This time, my hands moved slightly faster than the first shot. Almost as if the pattern had already begun settling into muscle memory.
As Marcel shot towards me with that wild grin, I released another shot aimed at his head, reducing my grip strength slightly to tame the speed.
The shockwave resounded from the release, but it didn’t snap my head back this time.
Marcel’s head, however, snapped backward. The impact halted him cold and shoved him back a full step. He nearly toppled, one leg lifting off the ground at an awkward angle, but then, like a zombie, the leg planted itself back down and his head rolled slowly into place.
My eyes widened.
Right in front of his forehead, the ball hung suspended in the air, still spinning. Marcel shot me a glowering glare.
"Why did you reduce the speed?"
