The next morning, Van Helsing avoided Cardinal Jinnette, and took some spare weaponry down to the practice gallery, setting up the training session. He'd just finished when he heard Carl calling him.
The friar was dressed in his usual robes. "I hope you're wearing something more practical under there." Van Helsing said. Making a face, Carl pulled off the robes to reveal a simple linen shirt and some plain brown trousers. "Oh, good. Here, take these." Van Helsing handed him a pair of pistols attached to a holster belt.
"What am I going to do with these?" The friar asked, a note of nervousness creeping into his voice.
"You're going to shoot them." Van Helsing quickly buckled the belt around Carl's waist, then turned and lifted a loaded automatic crossbow from a nearby table. Handing it to Carl, he gave the friar a wicked grin. "We're going to see how you do!"
Walking away, he noted the expression of shock on Carl's face. "Come on, you know the drill, Carl. When the first beastie jumps out at you, start shooting!"
Within moments, he had gained the observation level, and stood at the window into the gallery, just watching. Carl shifted uneasily for a moment, looking around himself, holding the crossbow awkwardly. Just when it looked like he was going to call for Van Helsing to stop, Van Helsing triggered the mechanism that activated all the targets in a chain reaction.
Carl yelped and ducked instinctively when the first dummy swooped at him. But when the next one came, he spun and fired. Even though he still held the crossbow low, he put three bolts into the vampire's head. The third monster did catch him by surprise, and he dove to the side before firing on it. By the fourth target, Carl seemed to gather himself and start taking the game seriously. Soon, he was anticipating the dummies perfectly. Of course, he'd designed the gallery himself. When the last dummy, the 'civilian', swung down the stairs, Van Helsing saw Carl grin widely, and calmly shot three bolts right into the dummy's chest.
And he didn't cause any fires.
Van Helsing whooped in pride and jogged down the stairs. He found Carl standing over the civilian dummy, smirking at its button eyes and yellow straw hair.
"That was a civilian," Van Helsing observed in a teasing tone.
Carl smiled up at him. "You were right, there was something suspicious about him."
Van Helsing let the smile fade from his face. "Well? Do you think you can do this? Learn to use the tools that you create?"
Carl didn't respond right away. Then he slowly nodded. "What else can I do? I can't leave the Order. This work is my life. It's what I do best. But I can't just shut myself up in the lab again."
"What do we tell Cardinal Jinnette?"
Carl sighed and straightened his shoulders. "We tell him it was a crisis of faith. But it's passed. And there's a new field man in the Order."
(Whew! GO CARL! I think I'm dedicating this story to my late father, who always encouraged me to find what I loved to do and do it. Poor Carl was having an emotional crisis that I think we all get once in a while: What the heck are we DOING with our lives?!? The trick is to figure out if we love what we're doing. If not, then find that which we love and do it. Oh, and there is an epilogue!)
The friar was dressed in his usual robes. "I hope you're wearing something more practical under there." Van Helsing said. Making a face, Carl pulled off the robes to reveal a simple linen shirt and some plain brown trousers. "Oh, good. Here, take these." Van Helsing handed him a pair of pistols attached to a holster belt.
"What am I going to do with these?" The friar asked, a note of nervousness creeping into his voice.
"You're going to shoot them." Van Helsing quickly buckled the belt around Carl's waist, then turned and lifted a loaded automatic crossbow from a nearby table. Handing it to Carl, he gave the friar a wicked grin. "We're going to see how you do!"
Walking away, he noted the expression of shock on Carl's face. "Come on, you know the drill, Carl. When the first beastie jumps out at you, start shooting!"
Within moments, he had gained the observation level, and stood at the window into the gallery, just watching. Carl shifted uneasily for a moment, looking around himself, holding the crossbow awkwardly. Just when it looked like he was going to call for Van Helsing to stop, Van Helsing triggered the mechanism that activated all the targets in a chain reaction.
Carl yelped and ducked instinctively when the first dummy swooped at him. But when the next one came, he spun and fired. Even though he still held the crossbow low, he put three bolts into the vampire's head. The third monster did catch him by surprise, and he dove to the side before firing on it. By the fourth target, Carl seemed to gather himself and start taking the game seriously. Soon, he was anticipating the dummies perfectly. Of course, he'd designed the gallery himself. When the last dummy, the 'civilian', swung down the stairs, Van Helsing saw Carl grin widely, and calmly shot three bolts right into the dummy's chest.
And he didn't cause any fires.
Van Helsing whooped in pride and jogged down the stairs. He found Carl standing over the civilian dummy, smirking at its button eyes and yellow straw hair.
"That was a civilian," Van Helsing observed in a teasing tone.
Carl smiled up at him. "You were right, there was something suspicious about him."
Van Helsing let the smile fade from his face. "Well? Do you think you can do this? Learn to use the tools that you create?"
Carl didn't respond right away. Then he slowly nodded. "What else can I do? I can't leave the Order. This work is my life. It's what I do best. But I can't just shut myself up in the lab again."
"What do we tell Cardinal Jinnette?"
Carl sighed and straightened his shoulders. "We tell him it was a crisis of faith. But it's passed. And there's a new field man in the Order."
(Whew! GO CARL! I think I'm dedicating this story to my late father, who always encouraged me to find what I loved to do and do it. Poor Carl was having an emotional crisis that I think we all get once in a while: What the heck are we DOING with our lives?!? The trick is to figure out if we love what we're doing. If not, then find that which we love and do it. Oh, and there is an epilogue!)