She goes and searches for a shooting range in the town; after all, she needs less sleep than Abyssia.

Enough searching will reveal an archery range just outside the walls, facing a hill. When asked, the people there say guns are fine; It's paid for by the Lords who consider it a worthy investment, to get more people to be in fighting shape, but it's expected to leave a copper or two in a lockbox if you're not a local.

She heads out and drops a couple copper in the lockbox; then it's time to level her Skill and get used to this new piece.

She gets a Skill! Her aim is now steadier and she can feel how much this gun is going to buck, and what the weight is doing to her grip. Just like with the knife, it's mostly doing a lot of work to make up for her unfamiliarity with the specific piece.

She gets another Skill! Loading those fiddly paper cartridges now goes a fair bit faster.

She practices until she thinks she's down to the accuracy of the gun or half out of powder or bullets, whichever comes first, and then heads back to the hotel to sleep. Even she needs some rest.

She runs out of powder first.

Nothing disturbs her sleep.

In the morning she goes and quickly buys a holster for her gun (auto resizing like her sheath, eight copper one silver) and meets up with the caravan at the planned gathering-place, looking around for Bys.

Her white dots are a lot more noticeable in the early morning twilight. Bioluminescent or something. She has her giant backpack and a different gun on a hip holster, her harpoon on the other side.

"Hey, Thorn. Did some thinking. 'M ready to go. ...Want to hear more about Fischers since you've, uh, never met one before me? Or about other stuff."

She falls in alongside her, hefting her own pack. "I'd like to hear more about Fischers, sure."

"Mostly just things you should know if we get into a fight. We have gills. We're very tolerant of the cold, not so much of heat." She indicates her own light shirt and pants despite the chilly morning. "We're stronger than comparably levelled humans but have much worse endurance, so a cross country hike will be a bit of a pain for me, even if I can handle it."

Thorn nods along. "Do you have much trailcraft?", she asks.

"Not really. I got the general Survival skill figuring stuff out on my own, but... One level. 'M much better at boats. Sadly, we don't have one right now."

"Yeah, it's a shame. Must have taken you forever to get your own boat."

"Loosed get a gold coin from the community to support them on their journey as tradition. It bought that boat, and little else," she grouses.

"Damn, what a blow. I'm going to have to get that shark back for you one day."

"Heh. Thanks. Though, I did have it for about two months, it brought me here. Not a total waste."

The crowd milling around the north gate is growing. Others are chatting. Here comes the wagon that the paper said would come, drawn by horses.

"I used about half the powder you gave me - you have your own supply still, right? Or should we quickly stock up before we go?"

"I have my own supply still. I have another pistol, single shot, and a breech loading shotgun. And I think there'll be better selection there, dungeon towns are bigger and more prosperous."

"What else do you think we might be able to find there?"

"Everything a sizable town has? I'm trying to guess but I don't know what you expect... More inn selection, restaurants, the dungeon and Guild, a bank, a library, better equipment being sold, maybe a small school though the really good universities that attract high-level teachers will be in a large city, entertainment stuff like theaters and game clubs and tattoo parlors, transit further on, support industries like wagon-making or farriers..."

"I'm interested in trying to learn to see the Winds. Do you think they'd have a mage who'd know how to train me?"

"Sorcerers, not mages. There will probably be at least a few sorcerers? I'm less sure about one willing to teach you. They're fairly rare since it's a dangerous thing to learn."

"Ah, I see. I think I have a good chance of being able to see properly, if I can just find a teacher. We might be on a trek to the big city sometime soon "

Abyssia nods in reply and glances around. The wagon is here now, and about a dozen people.

"I think we'll get going soon. Most likely nothing will happen on the trip. If something does happen, real fighting is much, much better at levelling than practice. I suppose it'd be your call what to do."

"I'm confident I can handle myself if it comes to that; I'm more concerned about showing off my sick moves too much." She grins. "And I won't stand by if civilians are at risk."