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 Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:56 pm
 The bow was switched hands as Teilil instructed him to do so - it's weight and shape much more alien in his hold than the weight and shape of the quiver was as it rested upon his back.
"Right..." He shifted his position then, eyeing the tree that had obviously become a target, but he stayed still, waiting for what the elf had to say next. He roughly was aware of all this, so far, but roughly was not going to cut it.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 12:12 am
"Make sure you always stand up straight." Not that he was not already. "And relax. Good." Akakios seemed to be getting the gist of it so far. "The grip on my bow is wrapped so your fingers should naturally end up in the right spot, just below the bridge. Go ahead and draw an arrow, just be careful not to knock yourself with it." He had changed out all the arrows in his quiver for clean ones before going to find Lament, that way there could be no poison related accidents.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 12:30 am
Akakios nodded in acknowledgement, and settled for the more difficult part - doing.
He moved to draw an arrow, fumbling around at first, having underestimated where the top of the quiver actually was. One arrow was pinched and drawn, through he was clearly clumsily - the tip dragged against his right arm in a way what should have left a nasty cut, but... did not. There had not even been a mark left behind on Lament's pale skin, and the god certainly did not seem to notice.
The arrow was drawn, then shot - through it missed the dead tree completely. Akakios' grip was too shaky still.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 12:47 am
Teilil just stayed quiet and watched him the first time, though he could not help wincing when the arrow should have ripped into his arm. An eyebrow quirked when there was no blood...or even a cut for that matter. Must be yet another god thing. This would take some getting used to.
Sure, he missed the tree but it was not a bad first try really. His own had been far worse. "Not bad. Just keep your shoulders down, the bridge of the bow should be just above your shoulder height and make sure your right arm stays steady. I know it is harder than it sounds- if it helps try to imagine that you balancing something on that hand and you don't want it to fall." It was something his father had suggested to him when he first started learning. "Take a breath in when you draw the string back and release it when you let it go and take your time, it is not a dire situation."
After that he fell silent again, to let him have another try in quiet.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 2:06 pm
Akakios nodded again, and reached out for another arrow - he brushed his arm again, but not as badly as the first time, and shot.
He missed the tree again, and frowned. It really looked easier in the books...
Still, he pulled another arrow.
Then another.
Then another.
By the time he finally got an arrow to hit the tree, he had lost count of how many. It had landed nowhere near the target, but it was progress, at least.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:44 pm
He was getting better with every shot, that was something. Teilil planned to make him a pair of bracers as well, they would help steady his wrists and would give the illusion of protection at least even if he did not need it. In between Lament's shots the wild elf went to retrieve what arrows he could find. No use wasting them after all if they were still useful.
"You are getting there. It does take time." He walked by and slid the arrows he had collected back into the quiver on Akakios' back. "Where are you watching to sight your shots?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:56 pm
The god paused to allow Tei to put the arrows back in the quiver without risk of being smacked in the process, falling out of stance as he did so.
"I stare right at the notch you made." He said with a nod. "Is that what im supposed to look at ?" He was not certain, actually - and it had not occurred to him to look at anywhere else.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 4:03 pm
"Try just above it, the mark was not made in correct spot." That had been his error years ago, he had just gotten used to it by now. He had neglected to mention it because usually no one used the weapon but him, so he had not thought about it until this moment. "That should help. More practice and bracers will help steady your wrists as well."
"Give it another try." The wild elf took a few steps back to give him some space again.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 4:10 pm
"It probably would... I cannot seem to keep my hands from shaking a bit." Unfamiliarity with holding the bow, or his nervosity ? A bit of both, most likely. He had trained himself a long time ago not to let his hands shake while writing, how to make every movement deliberate... But this was a whole different thing altogether.
He waited for Tei to be out of range before reaching for another arrow, which was carefully placed against the notch of the wild elf's bow. The string was pulled back, and then the arrow was sent flying.
It hit the tree again, but not the target - but it had landed much closer to it, this time around.
"Well, that is better." he nodded. "But what should you stare at when your target is moving ?" No, Lament was definitively innocent and young in his own way, but he was not quite naive enough to think that if he had to shoot someone, they would happily stand still to allow him to do so.
Still, he would rather not have to shoot anyone.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 4:41 pm
"Well, that seems to have helped some. I apologize for not mentioning it before." Teilil could tell that he was a bit nervous, but that was normal- he had just started learning this after all.
"The process is the same actually, it just has to be done much quicker. Hesitating with a moving target means you will more than likely miss your shot and depending on the situation it could mean you or someone else could end up injured or dead." As for what to aim at with a moving target. "It is possible to anticipate a reaction to help you decide on a shot. As a simpler example- with animals if they are startled their first instinct in most cases is to run. If your first shot misses you can simply time the next for where they will be."
He sighed softly, hunting people was something he preferred not to do but if the situation called for it. "People are a bit more complex, usually they will go for the simplest or the most convenient course of action."
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 5:11 pm
"It is alright... You probably do not have to think about it. It seems like you've been doing this for quite a long time." He was not upset, no - why should he be ? It was a simple oversight. Easily made, and just as easily fixed.
He noticed Tei's sigh and nodded. "I would rather not have to shoot anyone..." He admitted, and had no idea if that made him soft-hearted or weak. To some, it probably would. "Not unless they deserve it, but..." How to tell who was willing and who was not ? If they were merely duped by the sorceress, then they could become Tien's once the masquerade had been brought to light.
There really were a lot of moral pitfalls here, when one stopped to think about it. "But I cannot let anyone get hurt, either." Yes, everyone else would be focusing on not letting [i}him get hurt, he knew that. He was technically the youngest, but on the flip side, the mortals were at a greater risk than he was. Tien too, most likely.
Shouldn't it be his responsibility to protect them ?
"...I guess I just do not want to be a burden." He admitted, as he sent another arrow flying. This one got even closer to the target.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 5:29 pm
Teilil nodded in understanding. "I prefer not to shoot anyone either, if it can be helped." He had to kill a lot of people during the battle against Zrath and had not enjoyed it in the least bit. But it had to be done, those people were probably far better off dead anyway. "The best I can really say is you will know what to do when the time comes."
"I doubt you will be as much a burden as you think. Just watch out for the others as much as they watch out for you." At least a couple of the Vryce brothers would be going on this journey no doubt and as far as they were concerned it was their personal responsibility to keep everyone safe. That was just how they were- mortal or god did not matter. Everyone's safety was their first concern.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 5:45 pm
Tei was right - he would probably know once he got there. He had to trust his instinct... What little instinct he had, at any rate.
"I will do that... Being further back will help for that, at least." He could likely spot things the others would not. At least in theory.
"It is... a little scary through. This whole thing." He admitted, but did not elaborate on why. Another arrow was shot, and ended up right above the target.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:21 pm
"It never gets any less so, you just learn to tolerate it more." Teilil assumed that Akakios meant about the possibility of fighting, not about the whole adventure itself.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:58 pm
"I see..." Well.
This was bound to be interesting, then.
Akakios reached out for another arrow, notching it in place. His movements were starting to be more precise as repetition started to make it second nature - he was no longer brushing the arrow tip against himself, at any rate.
"I have never been away from here before." He admitted as he pulled the string back. The arrow went flying as he let it go, and hit the target square on the mark.
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