Skill-Eater: Prison World Saga-Chapter 15: Loose Ends
Edge brought the blade of his polearm up, just in time to block the spear that was sailing for his chest.
With a hearty thwack, the shafts of both weapons collided, shoving the spearhead away from his flesh with inches to spare. He quickstepped to avoid a foot that was trying to hook around his ankle, then returned his stance to a neutral position.
Jumo let out a booming laugh—pleased that Edge had countered the move. “Nice one, brother! I thought I had you with that leg lock. You’re getting a lot better at controlling your weapon without losing your awareness of the battlefield in the process. But you still have a long way to go before you can hold your own against another weapon-wielder with your life on the line.”
With that, the hunter let loose a vicious series of blows. A barrage that took everything Edge had to keep his blood inside his body. While he had experienced explosive growth in his attributes, thanks to conditioning with Regeneration and all the cycles he’d picked up over the last few weeks, he was still a novice at using his weapon and new to combat in general.
Tactics and technique were just as important to winning a fight as strength and skills, and they could only be obtained the old-fashioned way—instruction from someone better and diligent, daily practice.
He had Mel to help him work on his hand-to-hand techniques, but Edge needed to become proficient with his naginata too. That was why he had asked Jumo, Sasha, and Trapper to spar with him from time to time. Each of the hunters specialized in a different fighting style and had far more combat experience than himself.
Today, he was working with Jumo, who wielded a heavy spear that shared some overlap with Edge’s polearm. It had the length and the thrusting point, although it lacked the cutting edge. Still, it was a good matchup. One that could teach him how to handle his weapon against someone who knew what they were doing. Jumo’s war spear had shattered during the fight with the garax, but he had an old one that he’d taken out of storage while his new weapon was being crafted at the Forge.
They came back together for a rapid exchange of strikes. Although he knew Jumo was taking it easy on him, Edge was still happy to see that he was controlling his naginata better than before. He ducked beneath a probing spearpoint and then counterattacked, almost grazing the athletic warrior’s shoulder along the way.
At that point, he learned an important lesson. Even though the spear lacked a slashing blade, the shaft could still be used to attack. Jumo brought the body of the weapon around in a low arc that caught him by surprise, sweeping his feet out from under him. Jumo barked out a laugh as Edge fell hard on his ass, then offered a hand and helped him back onto his feet.
The hunter raised one eyebrow, asking Edge if he wanted to take a break, then let out a grunt of approval when he shook his head no. They went right back at it—sweat running down their bodies as the music of combat filled the air.
Although it lacked a thrusting spike, the base of the spear was a threat too. A fact that Edge became aware of when Jumo jabbed it into his stomach—hard enough that he almost threw up before Regeneration healed the damage.
By this point, he had come to accept that just like boxing with Mel, it was going to be a while before he could hold his own against the veteran weapon-wielder. Instead of trying to score points, he focused on defense, familiarizing himself with the mechanics of his polearm.
He placed his awareness into the weight of the wood in his hands. The position of the tip in relation to his body. He began blocking with the shaft as well as the blade, although his first attempts were painfully clumsy.
At least he was ready when Jumo started working in kicks, elbows, and shoulder throws. Getting the shit beat out of him by Mel had taught Edge that skilled fighters would use their whole body in a fight, which kept him from taking some heavy hits during the next exchange.
Jumo nodded in appreciation. “Good. You are taking in your opponent at a whole, not just trying to counter their weapon with your own. Never forget that you are the weapon. The naginata is merely an extension of your will.”
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They continued sparring for another half hour before Edge called it quits for the day. He had several objectives that he wanted to take care of before everyone headed home for the night. At the top of his list, finishing up the rest of his shopping.
***
When Edge walked into the Consortium’s store, it was clear that a great deal had changed while he was away. Instead of a few customers browsing the aisles, the building was packed. Dozens of fledgling hunters were using the funds the town had provided to gear up—chatting with other about techniques and targets while they waited for their number to be called.
He was glad that people were taking Dialla’s warning seriously. That they were doing their best to grow stronger while novices could still hunt in the area around town without running into anything more dangerous than a stage-one predator.
Bee, the woman who managed the store, was in the middle of helping someone try on a suit of armor. There was a swarm of new employees hovering nearby, who she was training whenever she had a second to spare. When Bee finished her negotiations, she told the man behind the register to process the transaction and pack up the purchase. Then she walked over to where Edge was checking out the new wares on display.
“Edge. It’s good to see you. I’m glad that you survived your mission. I heard it was harder than expected.”
He smiled at the friendly young woman, taking in her short black hair and bright purple eyes. “That’s putting it mildly. Calling it a big game hunt was a bit of an understatement. The crew came within inches of dying on more than one occasion, but the upside is that we raked in more Credits than I expected to make all season. I’m spending most of it on custom work at the Forge, but I wanted to stop by the Consortium and pick up some items to round out my toolkit too.”
Bee frowned when Edge mentioned the Forge, then sighed and smiled again. “They’re our biggest competitor, but I can’t deny that they do great work. Fortunately, we cater to a wider range of customers, so as you can see, business is booming here too. We don’t work with such exotic materials, but we offer quality products at a fraction of the price.”
Edge held up his hands in surrender. “You don’t need to convince me, Bee. Your goods have already saved my life, and I’ll always be a loyal customer. Why don’t you show me what’s new, and then I can place my order?”
“While you’re here, you should check out our latest product.” Bee reached for a nearby shelf and removed a box holding two metal spheres the size of ping pong balls. She pressed a button on the side and then tossed one to Edge. He reached up and caught it without thinking about it—the improvements to his Reflex revealing themselves in that moment.
When he closed his fingers around it, the ball grew warm and let out a series of chirps—like a bird was investigating something but trying to be quiet about it. He even noticed a faint scent emanating from the device. The orb deactivated a few seconds later, becoming inert once more. He handed the device back to Bee, who filled him in on the details.
“These little babies are called Chirpers. Although there is a setting for a sudden cough and the sound of a stick snapping underfoot too. They produce some heat and animal smells in addition to the noise, and they’re usable a few dozen times before their reservoir of copper aether runs dry. Chirpers are great for a portable distraction. Times when you want to sneak away from something dangerous or lure prey into an ambush. Since we’re still working out the bugs, it’s just three thousand Credits for a set of two.”
Edge thought about for a moment, then said, “I’ll take them. They could come in handy out in the field. My compliments to the crafter who made them. Interfacing with multiple senses at once is a nice touch.”
By now, he had decided on the rest of his purchases too. The first was a box containing six consumable orbs—two smoke bombs, two stink bombs, and two flashbangs. The set was cheaper than buying them individually, and he was sure that they would come in handy sooner rather than later.
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The next item was the most expensive tool of the bunch. He was ready to pick up the magitech wayfinder that he’d had his eye on for some time. It functioned as a compass and GPS and came loaded with a range of other features.
Most notably, the wayfinder could store limited geographical data, mapping its immediate surroundings and showing the path he had taken to get there, which would make it easy to retrace his steps. It even let out a bit of light on command to serve as a flashlight in a pinch.
After he picked out the model he wanted, Edge added two final items to his purchase for the day. The first was a simple mechanical spyglass. He had used Trapper’s at the end of their last mission, and being able to see further from high places was inherently useful.
It was a collapsable tube made from a greenish metal that fit inside the pouches of his toolbelt. The last was a tube of scent-erasing oil—a higher quality version of the alchemical concoction he had used while training with Riller.
Bee smiled and added everything to the pile as he called them out. Then she walked Edge over to the counter to bag it up. They summoned their Guides for a Credit transfer, and he thanked the woman for her help. He put everything into his toolbelt before leaving the shop, thrilled to have rounded out his kit.
