Blood in the air (Adelyn Weiss, closed)

[Xavim]

From here

Baisc Marksmanship

50th Ponutis, in the Season of Winter
Era I of the Celestine Mandate
Era XV Post Fractum

The cold winter's wind softly came along the fields as people trained in different areas in the field, sword play here and there, a few running around trying to catch each other, throwing daggers in the ground yet among the people stood a person that just stood there like a statue.

It was in this field that stood the only thelyri elf. In his right hand rested a beautifully constructed bow made of a dark wood and glassed to perfection. His hand fit the grip so smoothly that they looked like one entity. The elf rolled his head looking at a barrel of hay some seventy five yards away. Then, in the blink of an eye, he withdrew an arrow from the quiver across his back, knocked it, and let it loose. The arrow struck it's target a moment later with such velocity that two thirds of the arrow was embedded in the hay ... in the dead center.

The elf remained calm never once flinching, never once smiling, never really showing any signs of emotion. He simply was. Just like a tree was. Just like the sea was. There was obvious life in him but it held a transparency with lack of emotion. Was it a state of mind he placed himself in when shooting the bow or was this his true demeanor? After all, the Thelyri Elf was friends with a dwarf. Maybe one had to be unemotional to run around with such an emotional race.

This was to be Adelyn Weiss trainer. Supposedly the best archer on the training grounds. He did not turn as she approached. He did not say a word as she drew near. His shot with the bow was exquisite. His personality seemed dead.

[Adelyn Weiss]

By instruction of the woman in charge of collecting the gold crowns for training Adelyn headed for the stoic looking archer near the back of the field. On the short walk there she noted others moving quite animatedly around her learning how to use the dagger, or some such combative skill. In contrast her trainer appeared entirely still, and an eerie sensation passed through the woman's body. His focus and dedication was quite apparent and this she appreciated. Perhaps Adelyn would be taught by a serious archer still. A small smile crossed her lips aimed at thelyri elf, but she doubted he would react in kind by the looks of it.

As the petite human neared him she noticed his bow right away. It was marvelous and breath-taking. She hoped to own one similar to it someday; it was now her goal to carry with her as much concentration as he, and become as much a great archer as he appeared. As though reading her mind the thelyri elf took an arrow from the quiver hung across his back and swiftly let it go, the movements and the art lost on her; it had been too quick. Emerald eyes widened in pleasant delight.

"Absolutely amazing..." she paused, in awe, then continued, "My name is Adelyn Weiss and I highly suspect you are to be my trainer." With her was an archery glove, made of black leather, that fit tightly around her fingers so as to allow the string to slide smoothly off her fingers.

[Xavim]

He did not say anything for a long time, just took another arrow shooting it off in an hay stack. "Tell me, why do you want to learn this art?" He asked like he always did, if the student's answer was to weak or not good he would walk away without a word and not teach them no matter if they paid or not they could find another teacher it did not matter to him.

Only a few had the right answers and he would teach them but fewer had what it took to really pass all his exams and truly pass with an bow. He was an hard teacher but once a person passed under him few would really stand in there way.

[Adelyn Weiss]

The awkward silence was more than startling to Adelyn who was definitely more used to kindness from everyone in Demios. Or at the very least, a battle of words if it the situation required. That's something she was much better at - speaking. After all she had had to convince many Aediles to sign trade routes to help Paxia an era ago. She exhaled a breath of relieve as the thelyri elf finally spoke even if it was to question why she was even here.

At first the thoughts of training for Kaimelea came to mind, but she certainly didn't think explaining an illegal cult within the city would do her much good so she refrained. She hummed a little bit under her breath to prepare her true answer, "There are many enemies to be fought here in Demios... and many other places," and this was a reference to the dream realm, "and someone needs to stand up against the wrong doings in this world. I need to be prepared to rise up against those enemies and make Demios an unbreachable fortress. In my dreams... I see myself protecting my sisters with a bow and arrows. This is my calling, my form of protecting all those around me that need my help. You make this art look graceful, beautiful, and deceivingly dangerous."

Her auburn hair blew in the winter wind, a small chill running down her spine. Her teachers, and masters had all so far, been curiously mysterious, this elf no exception.

[Xavim]

Her answer was a good one to him after some thought. He did not make any sound as she talked but just walked forward to an small patch of woods. "Follow." He said in a emotionless voice as he walked towards the woods.

Deep in the woods, he stopped without a hint of what they were doing here, far enough so the sounds from the training grounds were hard to hear yet close if they had to run. On one of the large trees was an large painting of an human with black outlines as if they had wings, near him was another short bow with arrows. The bow was an short style bow made out of cider wood, the bow string was made out of spider silk.

"Get your weapons, theses are not yours to keep you will have to buy your own but they will work for training. Try your best to shoot the target."

[Adelyn Weiss]

Following her trainer into the woods felt more than just a little suspicious. What was wrong with the training fields? No, this particular thelyri elf seemed to have more in mind than just the typical sort of training out on the field. In any case, out in the woods no people could be harmed should Adelyn accidentally miss a target and for this she was grateful. "Besides," she thought, "a little adventure and time out in the wooded area sounds loads more fun than shooting out in an open field at stacks of hay." Silently the woman trailed behind him.

The two walked in the eerie quiet for a while so much so Adelyn was starting to wonder just where they were headed. The only sounds that could be heard were those of birds high in the air, and the slightest rustling of leaves. Dew drops fell from the leaves of the plants on the ground after a storm. Light shone through the trees at the pair of them, creating almost a pathway. It would appear her trainer had been here before; the path looked oft-walked upon, a lack of growth on it.

Maybe five minutes had passed, maybe 30, but before Adelyn knew it they stood at a clearing. There were no tree branches overhead, nothing but clear blue sky, which made the area perfect for archery. She smiled at him noting the brilliance of the location. They were far away from the distractions of the field and all its sounds. He acted on purpose and she liked that. It would be a grand old time after all, she decided.

A large tree ahead, though a short distance off, had on it a drawing in the form of a man. The target. Magically, at the foot of a tree another bow appeared, and along with it a quiver full of arrows. Adelyn reached for them and carried the arrows on her back the way she had seen him do. It took her a while to adjust the straps of the quiver to fit her petite size, but she managed. The bow itself was made of a wood she did not immediately recognize, but that was her fault for she didn't know much about woods at all.

As she picked up the short bow a few questions came to mind, "May I ask, what is the difference between a shortbow and a longbow? I know I have seen them both, but don't know which will benefit me in the future. Truth be told I have heard the shortbow is much better than the longbow... and this appears to me a shortbow."

With the glove in her right hand she tugged at the string lightly, "What are the different strings and wood types for? Are there bows that are better than the other and what is this shortbow made from?" She flushed a little at all her questions, but of course, Adelyn was a more logic-driven speaker, of all things. Her arms held the bow much the same as she had seen him do, but seeing was different from doing, and she sure did feel awkward standing in front of him like that, wondering if he judged her.

She pulled an arrow out from the quiver and clumsily tried to hold it in place on the bow. Adelyn shook her head in embarrassment, but kept trying. After some tries she felt like maybe she had a grip on the arrow and so she decided to shoot. The woman nearly forgot to aim at the tree with all the mechanics of archery. She drew the bow transferring some force from the limbs of it to the arrow, and she held it there a while... aiming steadily for the head of the man drawn on the tree. Adelyn released the string firing the arrow at least in the right general direction. After the arrow was released she closed her eyes, afraid of knowing what would happen, or what her instructor would say should she have failed entirely or just missed.

Definitely the way she held the bow and the arrows felt just awkward, and she attributed this to not really knowing where to position her hands on them. Her eyes opened slowly, surprised at what she saw...

[Xavim]

She missed, it was not really that shocking as he stood there, her questions did not really bore him just he did not answer at first just waited until she used her arrow.

"The range, short-bows are smaller and lighter but the range and power are weaker, You can kill only if you are with in maybe 15 feet of the target and aim near the head, heart or neck. Long bows have much greater range, power yet at the costs that you need strength and time to really carry it. Hence why most don't use it in long term combat." He said as he took a small pause.

"Now I am going to teach you, there are ten steps in this art so do listen. As you are right handed hold the bow with your left hand drawing it with your right. If you are left handed then hold it with your right then draw with your left. You need to stand upright in a comfortable, relaxed position with one foot each side of the shooting line. Which is an line you will form in your head where you will stand. The feet should be about shoulder width apart with an even amount of weight taken on each foot and an even amount of weight between the ball and heel of each foot. This will maintain balance and help keep the body steady. During the shooting sequence, the body position must remain as steady as possible with no shifting of weight or leaning of the body." He said as he let her take in the new information.

"Nock the arrow by placing the nock of the arrow onto the bowstring on the center of the bow. Make sure that the Index Fletch on the arrow is facing towards you and the nock is pushed firmly onto the bowstring. The Fletch is the feathers on the end of the arrows."

"The index finger is placed above the arrow nock and the second and third fingers are placed below the arrow nock. Curl the fingers around the bowstring so that the first joint of all three fingers are aligned on the bowstring. Keep a space clear between the index and second fingers and the arrow nock, so the fingers do not touch the nock. This will prevent pinching of the arrow. Keep the back of the hand as flat as possible. The thumb is tucked into the palm so it can be placed against the neck at full draw. Place a slight pull on the bowstring to set the fingers in position ready for the draw. During the draw and anchor maintain an even amount of pressure on all three fingers."

He preformed each step that he talked about giving her time to see and get use to it as he stood there waiting for any questions that might came.

[Adelyn Weiss]

Her arrow had flung at least in the right direction, and it sat there on the ground next to the tree, and definitely nowhere near the target. She sighed softly, realizing unlike arcana, shooting arrows precisely did not come easily. Adelyn lowered the bow, dangling it steadily above her legs. No arrow in her hands, this was not dangerous, but more a sign of disappointment at having missed. She nodded as her nameless instructor described the differences between a shortbow and longbow, and Adelyn knew the decision to learn shortbow had been the right one. Pleased, she smiled, but definitely did not expect a smile in return from the ever-serious archer. "I see... shortbow suits me, surely. A quick attack is more likely to me than a highly planned distance attack. Plus, I'm rather small... shortbow indeed."

Adelyn's eyes widened slightly at the mention of ten steps. She hoped with time the ten steps could be carried out faster, and she felt it in her that surely, they would. Again lifting the wooden bow with her left hand, she got into position. She turned sideways, with her legs shoulder-width apart. It took her a moment to find an equal balance as Adelyn sometimes put a lot of weight on one foot when standing. She realized the importance of balance and once she found it worked hard at maintaining it.

She pretended to aim again, but with no arrow on the bow, and kept steady. She simulated the action, and with her right hand, the one with the glove, tugged at the string. She noticed no transference of weight between the heel and ball of her feet, nor from foot to foot. A small nod at her instructor told him she thought she got it. Adelyn inhaled and exhaled slowly, but fully, and her training - in the middle of the forest - felt quite a lot like meditation. Combative meditation. Adelyn found archery relaxing, strangely enough, and everything just felt as it should be.

Next, the woman took another arrow from the bag on her back. She placed the nock of the arrow on the center of the bowstring, as instructed. She pulled it back against the string, her arms pulling straight back. It took a few tries to get her fingers to do as he instructed, but she placed her index finger above the nock, her thumb tucked into the palm, her ring and middle fingers below the nock. She pulled as evenly as she possibly could, all while maintaining that balanced position with her legs. Adelyn felt ridiculous doing each step so slowly that the position got almost uncomfortable, but she rolled her shoulders forward and back, letting the tension in them dissipate. She drew the arrow back, but did not aim or shoot just yet. "Is this right so far?" she asked politely, desperately hoping yes.

[Xavim]

He did not say anything for an while, making her stay in that position. "Yes that is right, I thought about it and we are going to speed this up, you can for go some of the steps in order to learn faster but the cost is not pure formal training. That has its perks and downsides. Perks is that you learn faster, downside when going up with someone who has had more training can become your downfall but even that can be fixed with practice. It is up to you."

OOC: Sorry for the wait, I guess Whisper did not find an person to take this one over so going to do this as well and speed it up if you would like.

[Adelyn Weiss]

Adelyn looked to him quite surprised by his words. "No, I am in no hurry whatsoever. I've always preferred formal training. And if I am to fight against strong opponents and protect my friends I want to do it right. Let us proceed with the next steps. You said there are a lot of steps to cover and I am here listening very intently to all you have to say. Teach me. I'm ready." A look of sheer determination crossed her face. The woman stepped out of the proper stance to look her teacher in the face. No matter what he said, or if this was simply a test of her true determination she was prepared to do her best.

[Aqua]

"All right then." There was no explanation of what he had been getting at, and he gave a sort of bored wave of his hand. "Take your stance then, and draw your bow, pointing at that target over there." He indicated the appropriate target.

He waited until Adelyn had done as he requested. Then he spoke again.

"Take a breath, and hold it until your shot is finished --even small movements can greatly affect your accuracy. Then, simply relax your fingers -- you should feel the looseness move from the wrist forward. Allow the string to slip from your fingers; gloves can help with that. And unless you're being chased by a band of orcs, do not -- do not -- leave your shooting position until you hear the arrow hit the target."

"Now you try."

[Adelyn Weiss]

Taking a deep breath Adelyn prepared herself to again demonstrate her capability to follow his instructions just as he'd described it. Not saying any more words, as he seemed very short on them as well she proceeded with the steps laid out before her thus far. She squinted her eyes at the target before even getting into position to gauge just how far away it was and how hard it'd be to make it.

First, came the proper stance. So shifting her legs and spreading them shoulder width apart, facing the right, she was ready. Adelyn made sure the weight was evenly distributed between her two feet and the ball and heel as well. Picking up the bow with her left hand she turned her face left toward the target. The glove she wore definitely helped, she decided. She pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back and placed it on the bow. She nocked the arrow onto the bow and put her fingers in the proper position, making sure to keep her thumb tucked in as he had said. The fingers were definitely the most tricky part and a clarification would surely help.

Adelyn held her breath and without making a single extra movement, pulled back and without pinching the arrow released it toward the target. She did not move or go anywhere. Her eyes stayed on the arrow as it flew through the air toward the target. She heard a sound and looked closer to see if it made it.

[Aqua]

The arrow whistled through the air, and landed with a satisfying whack in the target. She hadn't hit the bullseye, but at least Adelyn was showing significant improvement.

"Let's work on your release technique." There was not a single word of comment on her performance, good or bad. "When you hold the string, try to keep it above the first knuckle of your index and ring fingers, but below the first knuckle of your middle finger. Don't use your little finger. And you need to make sure to release with all the fingers at the same time -- otherwise, you'll miss either high or low, depending on which finger you hold on for too long with."

"Take another shot." He waved dismissively at the target, and then folded his arms, waiting for Adelyn to follow his instructions.