Solo [Fletcher’s Corner] Yasi Course in Archery

[Aose]

13th of Winter, 512AV
Quarter past the Ninth Morning Bell
Archery Range – Fletcher’s Corner

Aose sat in yet another class, the instructor was droning on about something she couldn't quite imagine to every need. Mathematics! The yasi couldn't understand why she would need to know that adding one item to another was actually going to be important. Why in the world would she want to do that? It's not like she is going to ever need to use that useless bit of knowledge, she isn't going to be a merchant! Aose had bigger dreams, she wanted to fly on the wings of an Eagle. Besides, she knew all she needed for mathematics! Aose was taught all this before she started these courses!

That was before the instructor mentioned archery and her attention came to a direct snap as if she could picture the target in her mind's eye. Like she did so many times before.

“Mathematics also helps when it comes to firing an arrow towards a target. The shooter needs to be able to adjust how to release their arrow in order to hit the target in the correct location. Wind, distance, coverage, the size of the target, size of the shooter to the target. These all are variables, or factors in a large equation that makes up shooting an arrow.”

Aose fidgeted in her spot as the instructor droned on a bit more, she wanted to show her skills!

A Whole Bell Later [1 Hour]...

Aose was standing several yards from a target, it was getting harder and harder to see, and the young girl's face could be seen covered in a thin sheen of sweat which was causing her sight impairment, her ginger locks were pulled out of her face as she pulled an arrow from her quiver, three were already missing from it, they were angled out of the ground in various locations between her current location and the target. The Yasi girl could feel the wind blowing gently from left to right, this only because it was pushing her bangs across her forehead in that direction.

She took pause in feeling it, closing her eyes and letting the wind take her places she could only currently dream of being. On the wings of an Eagle. It was a short lived daydream before she snapped open her eyes and started at the target before her. The small dark circle that marked the center of the target seemed as large as the target itself in her mind's eye.

Aose rose her bow up from her side, an arrow was already knocked to the string and she struggled to pull the string back as she lifted the bow up to aim at the target.

Once the string was pulled back as far as she could, both arms quivering from the strain, she took and in a breathe and held it, steadying her body from it's quivering as she took aim at the bull's eye. She almost thought of releasing the arrow, like she did three times before, yet paused.

Aose almost failed in stopping her release though. She remembered what her instructor said before about needing to put into considerations several outside factors she had to take into mind when shooting. Variables he called them. Wind is moving my bangs less than a quarter of an inch from left to right...

In order for Aose to compensate for the wind's control she shifted her whole upper body, bow, and arrow, an inch to the left, thus eliminating the wind's effect. She could see the target was becoming more centered in her mind's eye.

The wind wasn't the only issue she had to deal with, she realized that her bow needed to be muscled more in order to make it the distance, drop and all. Up or down Aose? Up or down... The young Yasi's arms were shaking something terribly and she knew she needed to think faster in order to succeed and thus she lifted the bow up just slightly, to hopefully send her arrow farther than she would normally.

Now... Fire! The Yasi could feel the arrow's feathered guides tickle across her cheekbone in a slight upward slide as her fingers released the highly tensed string. The string snapped back straight with a twang that could only be matched by her beating heart's own thumping. The breathe she held in was equally released as she released the bow, bringing the full might of her quaking body. Aose fought to ignore the trembling and fatigue as she held her bow up, watching from it's curved side the flight of her arrow... It was her fourth arrow of the afternoon and she was going to see it's success.

With a dull thud Aose's heart nearly sank before she realized that the arrow actually found it's target! Aose jumped up and started towards the target, leaving her bow behind on the snowy ground to examine her success.

Moving past three failed attempts Aose could see the trembling arrow's feathered guides whispering in the breeze, the arrow was actually IN the target! It wasn't a bull's eye, but that didn't matter to the Yasi, the fact that she got it to the target was an amazing task! The arrow sat less than an inch from the target's outer left edge, meaning she adjusted just enough to the left to get the arrow into the target. It also sat about three inches from the bottom curve of the target, meaning she will need to compensate for her height to the target more in order to get it higher up the target.

I did it! I succeeded on unleashing an arrow like a hunter! The young girl's excitement was barely concealed as she worked the arrow back out of the target and returned it to the quiver. Panting from the exertion she had done to herself Aose slowly made her way back to her bow, retrieving the three poor attempts on her way.

The instructor just motioned for her to keep practicing, the time wasn't over.

Aose sighed and once more knocked an arrow and trained it back into position, feather guides tickling her cheek. The tension in her shoulders and arms was becoming more and more unbearable, but she resisted the urge to stop practicing. Shifting stance and everything to the left a few more inches, and then the bow up a few more inches than her previous success Aose inhaled a breathe to steady her shakes and nerves.

It helped, the inhale calmed her body down and steadied her body, except for a slight shaking in her string arm. It was with a forced stillness did she manage to get the arrow to stop shaking on her bow and string. With the center in her mind's eyes Aose exhaled and released the arrow. Once again the string snapped back with a twang and the arrow rushed past her face with it's tickling guides. It didn't take long for the arrow to find it's target, this time two inches from it's predecessor’s location.

Yes! At this rate I will be getting it in the center very time!

[Aose]

It was fifteen chimes before the eleventh bell and Aose was exhausted, her upper body ached immensely and her quiver was so empty and light it was sad. Out of the twenty arrows she unleashed towards her target, Aose managed to get thirteen of them embedded into the target's bulky body. That was pretty good for a beginner and Aose was pleased with her results.

Retrieving the seven arrows that laid strewn about between her target and her position she held for the last near bell, she cringed at the stiffness of her body. Once at the target Aose paused to catch her breath, stretch out the kinks of her stiff body and took her time to pull the arrows from the target.

One... Two... Three... Aose took a mental count of how many she managed to get into the target.

...Ten... Eleven... Twelve... Thirteen. Thirteen, plus the one I did earlier... That makes... Fourteen arrows! FOURTEEN! Aose took a deep sigh of relief and tried to quell her excitement as she tucked away all her arrows into her quiver and picked up her bow.

Now... Time for class... Maybe Weapon Training today, it'd be nice to learn more... The Eleventh bell chimed, and the instructor released their crowd of Yasi to their next task of the day.

[Whimsy]

Aose

Experience	Lore
+2 Mathematics	The Relation Between Mathematics and Archery
+2 Weapon: Composite Shortbow	The Strength Required to Draw an Arrow

Comments
I liked seeing Aose learn the more technical side of archery - that's often overlooked. Please be aware that longer, more detailed threads will gain you more skill points and lores! PM me if you have any questions or concerns.

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