1st of Fall, 513 AV 9th Bell
Kreig aimed down the sights of his light crossbow, one of the three weapons he needed to be skilled with to even a have chance at being considered of knighthood. The one he held was a personal belonging that he had purchases along with armor during the previous summer. This did not mean he was unfamiliar with the weapon, having been associated with one by his patron at the training grounds. He could remember what each part was called quite well, first the wooden frame that was the basis of the weapons design and which he held in his arms; the stock, then there was the part that put the bow part in the weapons name and made look vaguely similar to a cross... hence the designation crossbow or so Kreig believed. In the light crossbow that specific part was called the prod instead, although some parts of that particular piece still retained the original naming from its larger counterpart such as the limbs.
Of course the prod could not be completed without the ever important bow string, which in a light crossbow had more powerful draw strength than a short bow. This made the weapon more effective at longer rangers than the shortbow and of course more powerful, however it also meant it was slower to load as the draw weight made it necessary to pull the string with two hands while his foot was placed into the stirrup, the handle shaped object at the forefront of the wepaon, and placed firmly into the ground.
It was one those common trade ins you see in weapons, like the Scimitar and Rapier; those two weapons could not be any more different then the other, the former was a cutting weapon while the latter was a thrusting weapon. Another example was the Buckler and Tower shield; the former was a small shield that was a number of inches longer than ones skull and while it made an effective tool to deflect blows and even a fine weapon since its all metal construction meant it could smack the petch out of someone, its small size meant that most of your body was exposed. A tower shield was a large shield that you could hide most of your body behind, but it was heavy and needed considerable strength to move about and carry, never mind the weapon you are using and other variables such as armor or perhaps even a ranged weapon.
Kreig lifted the light crossbow to his shoulder, his fingers pressed against the trigger lightly while his thumb rested behind the bolt. The trigger was obvious, it was a long metal piece that one pressed to release the bow string and let it launch the bolt towards the target. However, the light crossbow was not yet loaded as the string had yet to be pulled back and hooked to the nut, the nut in turn was connected to the socket which held the nut in place when the trigger was not being pulled.
Kreig lowered the light crossbow, placing his right foot into the into the stirrup as he firmly stuck it to the ground while he Kreig lowered himself forward and held the bow string with both hands, slowly pulling it back and hooking it to the nut. He then raised the weapon slightly and allowed his left hand to reach back and retrieve a bolt from the quiver and placed on top of a groove that the bolt fit snuggly into place.
The bolt was pretty much a smaller arrow, with an arrow head in the front to wound or kill the target; however they did lack the traditional fletching an arrow would have. One bolt was actually heavier than an arrow, Kreig didn't know why though, close combat being more his forte rather than ranged combat.
He rested the butt of the weapon against his shoulder and his right eye looked behind the bolt which served as the sight... his target a tall trunk from a long dead tree, twenty yards away from him. The distance was quite easy to shoot from, as any sway from the bolt due to side wind would be quite negligible and the bolt would still hit the target dead on. Any farther than 40 and one would have to bring in mind various other factors.
twenty being a novice range was perfect for Kreig, as at this point he simply had to get used to the weapon than slowly work his way up. Kreig noted how his breathing caused his body to move slightly as the weapon moved along with it, causing his aim to be slightly shaky. Kreig realized that such a thing with a precise, if simple to use weapon, like a crossbow which had a slower rate of fire than a bow meant that generally in a combat situation where a foe is charging at him or facing off against another ranged combatant the first shot had to hit its mark... and that in a situation with multiple foes the crossbow could perhaps only be useful against one of them. holding in a breath, his body stilled as he aimed down the sight and before it was the tall dead trunk. With a quick pull of the trigger; the string launched the bolt into the air and in a quick tick it struck the stump in the upper left corner a few inches off center.
'I could do better' Kreig thought as he repeated the tedious process of pulling back the bow sting and place another bolt into the groove. Kreig then shifted his standing posture to a sitting one, where his right knee was face down into the earth while his left foot still stood. Kreig rested his left elbow on his left thigh neat the elbow, this helped focus his aim and even more once he held his breath breifly.. then released it once he fired the second bolt again.
This time the bolt struck much closer to the center of the trunk and Kreig grinned slightly at that. He then repeated the process once more of loading the weapon, then shifted his position to a prone one, lying on his stomach while the weapon rested against his left arm. This time, along with the brief holding of his breath, made him completely still. With a press of the trigger, the third bolt flew through the air and struck to the left an inch or so away from the second bolt.
Kreig sighed as it still wasn't dead center, regardless his shots were accurate. He then stood up and repeated the process, shooting from a standing position, then to a sitting and finally a prone position. After every tenth shot he would approach the husk, than pulling each bolt from it and replacing them back into the quiver then stepping back away twenty yards and repeating the process. It was dull and repetitive, yet it felt ritualistic in nature and brought a piece of mind.
'always a good thing'
x
Kreig aimed down the sights of his light crossbow, one of the three weapons he needed to be skilled with to even a have chance at being considered of knighthood. The one he held was a personal belonging that he had purchases along with armor during the previous summer. This did not mean he was unfamiliar with the weapon, having been associated with one by his patron at the training grounds. He could remember what each part was called quite well, first the wooden frame that was the basis of the weapons design and which he held in his arms; the stock, then there was the part that put the bow part in the weapons name and made look vaguely similar to a cross... hence the designation crossbow or so Kreig believed. In the light crossbow that specific part was called the prod instead, although some parts of that particular piece still retained the original naming from its larger counterpart such as the limbs.
Of course the prod could not be completed without the ever important bow string, which in a light crossbow had more powerful draw strength than a short bow. This made the weapon more effective at longer rangers than the shortbow and of course more powerful, however it also meant it was slower to load as the draw weight made it necessary to pull the string with two hands while his foot was placed into the stirrup, the handle shaped object at the forefront of the wepaon, and placed firmly into the ground.
It was one those common trade ins you see in weapons, like the Scimitar and Rapier; those two weapons could not be any more different then the other, the former was a cutting weapon while the latter was a thrusting weapon. Another example was the Buckler and Tower shield; the former was a small shield that was a number of inches longer than ones skull and while it made an effective tool to deflect blows and even a fine weapon since its all metal construction meant it could smack the petch out of someone, its small size meant that most of your body was exposed. A tower shield was a large shield that you could hide most of your body behind, but it was heavy and needed considerable strength to move about and carry, never mind the weapon you are using and other variables such as armor or perhaps even a ranged weapon.
Kreig lifted the light crossbow to his shoulder, his fingers pressed against the trigger lightly while his thumb rested behind the bolt. The trigger was obvious, it was a long metal piece that one pressed to release the bow string and let it launch the bolt towards the target. However, the light crossbow was not yet loaded as the string had yet to be pulled back and hooked to the nut, the nut in turn was connected to the socket which held the nut in place when the trigger was not being pulled.
Kreig lowered the light crossbow, placing his right foot into the into the stirrup as he firmly stuck it to the ground while he Kreig lowered himself forward and held the bow string with both hands, slowly pulling it back and hooking it to the nut. He then raised the weapon slightly and allowed his left hand to reach back and retrieve a bolt from the quiver and placed on top of a groove that the bolt fit snuggly into place.
The bolt was pretty much a smaller arrow, with an arrow head in the front to wound or kill the target; however they did lack the traditional fletching an arrow would have. One bolt was actually heavier than an arrow, Kreig didn't know why though, close combat being more his forte rather than ranged combat.
He rested the butt of the weapon against his shoulder and his right eye looked behind the bolt which served as the sight... his target a tall trunk from a long dead tree, twenty yards away from him. The distance was quite easy to shoot from, as any sway from the bolt due to side wind would be quite negligible and the bolt would still hit the target dead on. Any farther than 40 and one would have to bring in mind various other factors.
twenty being a novice range was perfect for Kreig, as at this point he simply had to get used to the weapon than slowly work his way up. Kreig noted how his breathing caused his body to move slightly as the weapon moved along with it, causing his aim to be slightly shaky. Kreig realized that such a thing with a precise, if simple to use weapon, like a crossbow which had a slower rate of fire than a bow meant that generally in a combat situation where a foe is charging at him or facing off against another ranged combatant the first shot had to hit its mark... and that in a situation with multiple foes the crossbow could perhaps only be useful against one of them. holding in a breath, his body stilled as he aimed down the sight and before it was the tall dead trunk. With a quick pull of the trigger; the string launched the bolt into the air and in a quick tick it struck the stump in the upper left corner a few inches off center.
'I could do better' Kreig thought as he repeated the tedious process of pulling back the bow sting and place another bolt into the groove. Kreig then shifted his standing posture to a sitting one, where his right knee was face down into the earth while his left foot still stood. Kreig rested his left elbow on his left thigh neat the elbow, this helped focus his aim and even more once he held his breath breifly.. then released it once he fired the second bolt again.
This time the bolt struck much closer to the center of the trunk and Kreig grinned slightly at that. He then repeated the process once more of loading the weapon, then shifted his position to a prone one, lying on his stomach while the weapon rested against his left arm. This time, along with the brief holding of his breath, made him completely still. With a press of the trigger, the third bolt flew through the air and struck to the left an inch or so away from the second bolt.
Kreig sighed as it still wasn't dead center, regardless his shots were accurate. He then stood up and repeated the process, shooting from a standing position, then to a sitting and finally a prone position. After every tenth shot he would approach the husk, than pulling each bolt from it and replacing them back into the quiver then stepping back away twenty yards and repeating the process. It was dull and repetitive, yet it felt ritualistic in nature and brought a piece of mind.
'always a good thing'
x
