Rodik was never fond of days like today. Mandatory target shooting. The thought of it made him cringe. So did the idea of prancing around with a crossbow like some war crazed cupid. He was a man for goodness sake! He would prefer to go at his enemies with his sword drawn and his fists blazing. Punch and cut ‘em down. That is the way it was supposed to be done. Rodik could not let it be known enough. HE. HATED. TARGET. SHOOTING. DAYS.
It had nothing to do with the fact his hit percentage was the lowest on his squad…. okay maybe a little.
Rodik did not like coming out on the bottom and this was one of the rare instances when he did. He would have been fine with if it did not allow his co-workers the unusual chance to take a stab at him. So what if he had the inability to hit a red circle with an arrow. It did not give them the right to make fun of him. It was like hitting a man when he was down.
Rodik glowered as he stepped onto the practice field with his crossbow in tow. He already felt as if everyone was sizing him up. He knew that were judging him. ‘What kind of spectacle would Rodik make today? Did he hit the instructor again?’ He could already feel the stab of their silent questions. The man blanched and shifted in his armor. So far no one had approached him though.
Weird.
Rodick’s armor clanked and clinked as he approached the crossbow stands. He would just have to nail the target once then he could go home. That was it. Easy. He sat down in the designated area and brought the butt of the loaded crossbow to his chin. He tucked the smooth wooden surface under his jaw line and peered through the sights.
He was surprised to find that they had aligned perfectly and he could see the target clear in front of him. Rodik chuckled to himself. This was a cinch. It would only be a matter of time before his hit percentage was above them all. He felt like a phoenix rising from the ash. He was a man reborn.
His finger tightened against the trigger.
He felt the arrow escaping the bow.
He felt to arms grasp onto his shoulders and twist him to the side.
The arrow darted past the target and embedded itself into a tree.
Rodik’s positive attitude quickly faded as he spun around to see who had disrupted his chance at redemption. He found his entire squad chuckling behind him. One person had separated himself from their ranks and was just behind Rodik. He instantly recognized the man. Taylor. He was one of the worst instigators when it came to making fun of Rodik on target shooting days. He believe Taylor took to much pride in being the ringleader of his own insult circus. Rodik glared the prankster down. If it wasn’t for Taylor’s interruption he would have already been done and on his way home. Rodik barked at his squad member, “You think its funny to mess with a guy while he is shooting?” He stepped towards the redhead and leaned in. Their helmets grazed; a dull ringing sounded as they scraped against each other. Rodik’s voice lowered to a threatening whisper, “Next time you may just end up getting hurt.” He sneered at Taylor then gave him a rough slap on the back which cause Taylor to lurch forward and loose his balance. Rodik returned to his position at the shooting stands.
His display had succeeded in stopping Taylor’s antics; however, Rodik’s nerves never healed. It took him twenty tries that day before he had successfully ‘disengaged’ his target. It was an improvement upon his previous twenty six tries from earlier practices, but it was still the lowest percentage in his squad. Rodik knew what that meant.
He had to pick up all the arrows shot that day.
Taylor approached Rodik as he made his way onto the field. The feisty redhead chirped at him, “Cleaning up again, eh?" a high pitched, grating laugh, “I do not think you could ever hit anything with that bow let alone hurt anyone.” Rodik glared daggers at the man. Apparently, he had given Taylor enough time to spring back from his threats. The swarthy man knew that punching Taylor in the face would be too much of an occupational hazard. He chose a to give Taylor a verbal assault again. “Who said I would use a bow.” Rodik cracked his knuckles and gave a smirk. Before Taylor could respond, Rodik turned his back on him in favor of walking to the targets.
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Time went by slowly as Rodik picked up the arrows. Eventually, each razor edged instrument found its way into his quiver. All except for one. The arrow that had escaped into the tree. Rodik approached the majestic oak with a bored expression. Just where had it gotten to? He spent a minute or two scanning the lush green’s of the tree with his brown eyes. For a few scant seconds all he could see where the numerous leaves and twigs that made up the bulk of the oak. However, he soon caught sight of the wayward arrow. It was wedged between two large branches that stretched a couple feet above him.
Rodik sighed. Of course. It would have to be just out of his reach. The man removed the bulk of his armor and tossed it haphazardly upon the grass. Once the obstructive, metal shell was gone it did not take Rodik much effort to swing up into the tree high enough to get the arrow. While he was up there he did notice a few traced of Barton’s signature wildlife. Squirrel’s chirruped agitatedly at him, a butterfly flapped elegantly in his face, and an emptied bird nest graced one of the woody limbs bellow the arrow.
He placed the last arrow in his quiver. His mission was over. Rodik leapt from the tree and landed by his discarded armor. He picked up the various pieces.
Arm guards.
Shoulder plates.
Chest plate.
Large crested bird egg.
Rodik looked again in shock. Since when has a bird egg join his possessions?! Especially one this large. It was easily the size of an ostrich egg if not a bit bigger. Rodik held up the unusual find in order to examine it further. It was an oddly striped egg that alternated between white and a soft, baby pink. That was peculiar; yet, its most dominant feature was the row of thick leathery spikes protruding from its top like an eggshell mohawk. Rodik brushed a bit of dirt from its dimpled surface. The egg stirred weakly in his hands. The man looked around for any sign of the creatures mother… or whatever the heck had managed to lay the monstrosity. His search went fruitless. He talked absently to himself, “Where is your mom lil guy. You may hafta come home with me if I do not find her.”
The egg gave another quake. Rodik’s resolve melted and he couldn’t help but find a smile stretch across his face. Well, he had seen odder thing during his patrols in Gaia. What harm could come of taking home one egg? He was probably doing Mother Nature a favor by taking his time to raise the thing. Rodik tucked away the egg in his armor and began his trek home. After all, he needed some cosmic karma points after the thrashing he had received today.
Journal Entry
