Flashback [Training] On Target

[Elias Caldera]

33rd Day of Winter, 508 AV

It had taken longer than he would have liked to admit, and required more than a few harsh lessons during that time, but things were beginning to look up for Elias and his archery endeavors. He'd managed to finally start hitting a target, but it was still more misses than anything. He'd have to work on sorting that out, but it was all experimentation at this point. His instructor had taught him the right stance, but he'd begun to find it rather annoying. There were all kinds of issues with it he was running into, the worst of all was the limited range of motion.

Elias stood in the training grounds at the archery range, ready for another long day of practice. The wooden bow and arrow felt more a natural part of his body at this stage, but it was far from an extension of his being. The weapon disagreed with him just as much as it cooperated, but at least he wasn't fighting with outright anymore. Grasping an arrow in his right hand, he brought the projectile up against the string and prepared himself to go through his routine. He spread his feet evenly across from one another and neither too far in front of its counterpart. With that bit ready, he looked up at the target, pulling back a short amount as he brought the bow to the ready. He then took a tick to aim before pulling the string back the entire way.

It was here that he was running into his problem. The regular stance Deklin showed him had caused his elbow to hit his chest as he pulled it back. It wasn’t an issue earlier, but as he put on bulk and his chest got larger with each new growth spurt, he found himself having issues getting a full draw. It also sent his aim off to the side as he had to adjust to the new obstacle in his path. When he released the arrow, it showed as the thing sailed off to the right of the round target.

Elias frowned, looking down at his bow as though it had something to do with his failure. There had to be something he could do in order to fix the tricky shot.

Alright. Velen had said that there was more than one way to fire a bow. The regular stance was that basic one, but it wasn’t the only one. Perhaps there is another stance I can figure out like last time. He grabbed another arrow and brought it to the ready. If the limited range of motion was the issue, he would just have to eliminate that block. Elias twisted his body somewhat to the side with his feet still even, spread about shoulder width apart. "This should do it.” he mumbled to no one in particular, as he brought his bow up and drawing the string back as he did so.

As he finished the draw, he realized that everything about what he was doing was wrong. The way he twisted his body put all sorts of strain on his abdomen and back. His hips were still facing towards the target, yet his shoulders were off. When he released the arrow, it missed worse than when he’d first started practicing, careening off the ground a good twenty feet ahead of his target.

Elias bit his tongue and grimaced.

[Elias Caldera]

"Hard at work, Elias?” A familiar feminine voice came from behind the petitioner. Glancing over his shoulder, Elias was surprised to see Ava approaching him. A friend of a friend, and barely that at first, he’d gone to her seeking assistance when he’d noticed her impeccable skill with the bow. The fact that she was also due to take a Crucible soon and was either likely to die horribly, or be promoted as a result meant that in either case, she’d be far too busy to go around spreading rumors about how terrible he was with a bow. “I had a break and I figured I’d come and see how my favorite petitioner was doing. Not well, I see.”

“Is that really any different than normal?”

Ava let out a soft laugh, stepping up beside the younger boy. "No, I suppose not. Let’s see about fixing that, huh? First let's try and change up your form a bit," the young woman said, taking up her own bow. "The important thing about archery is being consistent. That's why it can be pretty dangerous to try and change the way you fire. But clearly the mighty Caldera is having problems with his stance.” Her eyes only confirmed the teasing in her words and Elias rolled his owm, trying to ignore Ava and her almost mockery.

Ava took an arrow from her quiver and brought it to the string. "Now the open stance is a good one, but it is a bit more advanced. While you aren’t quite there, it’s never too early to get started.” She turned her body to the side, putting her leading foot out in the front. "The open stance differs from the regular stance in the base form. If you look here, my feet are still about shoulder width apart, but I’m not keeping them side by side and I’m not keeping my body even with them. Give it a try.”

Elias nodded and grasped his arrow, bringing it to the same position as his impromptu mentor's. "Now put your feet like mine, and turn your body somewhat to face the target. Rather than putting the center of your body on the target, it’s going to be more your shoulder.” Elias tried to move into the same position she had, but it was somewhat awkward going. He’d gotten used to the normal way, and it felt unnatural to do otherwise, despite his dislike of the stance. His feet shuffled against the ground as he twisted his body, finally finding himself in what was something resembling of the girl. "Shift your foot a bit further forward and in, and then twist your body towards center a little bit more.” Elias followed her directions as he adjusted his stance to match her instructions. "There we go.”

The soon to be apprentice brought her bow up to the ready, drawing back the string. "Note how I’ve got freedom of motion with my elbow. It clears my body with ease.” She finished drawing back her weapon, took aim, and released the shot. Her arrow whistled through the air, hitting a few inches off center target. "Give it a go."

Taking a deep breath, the petitioner lifted his bow to the ready, pulling back the bowstring as he did so. The tension in his arm was extreme when compared to the previous stance and was immediately noticeable. Elias gulped heavily as he brought back his shaky arm. The difference was immediately apparent. He felt no limit in his ability to draw back the bow. There were no restrictions in his range of motion by firing in this manner. The string rested just off of his cheek bone, giving him sight down towards the circular target. Elias took aim and let out his breath while releasing the projectile. It flew through the air, sinking rapidly before crashing harmlessly into the ground several feet in front of the target.

[Elias Caldera]

Ava chuckled, looking over to the fledgling warrior as he tried not to express his frustrated emotion. He quickly grabbed another arrow and went through the process once more, knocking an arrow, bringing it back, lifting the bow, finishing drawing, and releasing after taking aim.

An identical movement yielded identical results.

“Calm down.” Ava warned, walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "It’ll take some time to get used to firing in a new way. In some manners it’s like starting over again.” He sighed dreadfully, looking down the range where his arrows lay. He’d gone through this once before, unable to hit a target, and now he was starting from the bottom again. “Maybe I should just go back to the other stance? At least I could hit something with that.” Elias remarked softly, testing the pull of his bow a few times.

"You’ve got to find what works for you, Elias. Even if it’s a standing on your head.” Ava grinned, unphased by Elias's attitude. Something about this weapon just drained his spirit, but he knew she'd keep him firing at the target again and again to either make him learn, or frustrate him further. In the end, he decided she was right and that he really didn’t have the energy to be so mad so early in the morning anyway. The prospect couldn’t complain if he was planned to make any advancement. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. I’ll keep practicing.”

The answer was simple anyway. He just had to repeat the motion over and over again. It was draining on his arms to do so, but until it became second nature, the petitioner had little choice in the matter. With Ava observing him at work, the ravokian simply had to stand at that firing line and keep going.

"You still have that tendency to raise your elbow out to the side when you draw back I see. It’s really a bad habit that we need to nip in the bud as quickly as we can.” Ava raised her hand and placed it flat, just a few inches from Elias’s side. "If you touch my arm when you’re firing, your elbow is out too far. You’re putting too much strain on it.” Was he really still doing that same thing? Elias was sure he’d broken that trend, but she’d pointed it out when he first started practicing with the short bow, and according to Ava, not a thing had changed. Elias grabbed an arrow and prepared himself to fire once more. He had to make a conscious effort to change up the way his feet were, twisting his body to the side as he did so. His feet shifted along the ground beneath him, leading with his firing side. Brining the bow up, Elias began his draw and almost immediately felt Ava’s hand against his elbow. His cheeks flushed instantly, and he avoided looking over at the girl. Her grin burned a hole in the side of his face as he prepared himself to give it another go.

Alright, Elias. Just keep nice and narrow. You’ve got plenty of room to clear the side now, there’s no need to adjust that way…

Elias tried to tuck his elbow in a bit further while he again attempted to draw back the arrow. It was frustrating, having to make so many changes at once. It was like he had to forget everything he’d learned and start from the very beginning. He had to try and figure out how to fire from this new stance, though, because the old one just wasn’t working.

The string gave as he pulled back with the arrow, clearing both Ava’s hand and the normal spot where he’d been having issues. Inhaling as he did so, Elias lined his sights on the center of the target, letting his thumb rest just beside his cheek. The very tips of his fingers were slightly curled around the bowstring, but when he was comfortable with the aim, he released them and the string returned to its normal place with tremendous force. Sinking into the very bottom of the target, the arrow was like a gift from Rhysol himself, much to Elias’s surprise of course. The shot had felt awkward, and he was sure he missed. Yet, there sat the arrow, actually in its proper place, kind of. He could certainly feel the difference this stance and the proper use of it had on his elbow. There was considerably less strain on his ligaments, so he didn’t feel like he had to worry about any damage. There was simply the issue of being able to recreate that shot, and before he could even gloat, there was Ava sharing that idea.

“Again.”

Not a moment of praise for the determined petitioner.

[Elias Caldera]

Recreating that glorious miracle would be quite the task for Elias. He was pretty sure he'd never hit anything for the the air more than once. Twice in a row would turn out to be a personal best, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do so. Ava wasn’t there to watch him second guess himself, so she repeated her command. “Do it again, Elias. You’ll never be anything but a petitioner if all you settle for is good enough.”

The petitioner nodded, grabbing another arrow to try and do as she had requested. "Remember, keep calm, and just try and recreate the same motion you did last time. Every move is deliberate, no wasted effort, no wasted motion.” The redhead kept her hand raised at her petitioner’s side to help him practice the correct form. He would get this, she would make sure of it. Pausing for a moment, Elias stood with the projectile resting against the string. For some reason his thoughts chose that moment to wander, specifically to the doubt that had begun to creep in. He’d long began to expect that the short bow wasn’t the best weapon for him to learn, but in truth, he was unsure if he was suited for combat at all if this kind of continued failure was all he could expect.

"Elias, your thoughts are elsewhere. Come back to the task at hand.” said Ava, her voice smooth, soft, and reassuring. She’d seen Elias get that same look in his eyes before, that look of complete uncertainty that he rarely ever let others see. For some reason, Ava was different, even if neither of them had ever discussed it out loud. He was a boy suddenly forced to face the absurd idea of failure now that things were becoming harder than he could ever hope to control, and within the depths of his mind and soul a battle raged over such a terrifying realization. Elias had hardly given Ava any insight into his struggles, so all she could do was try and guide him until he was able to find his way back. He would have to overcome those issues prior to joining the hallowed order, but it was a huge weakness that acted as an anchor to his growth on some days.

Sighing, Elias brought the bow up, drawing the string as he did so. As he had come to expect from the girl, she was right. He couldn’t focus, he couldn’t fight, and he couldn’t do anything with the crippling hesitation nipping at the shadows of his every thought. It always reared its ugly head at the worst of times, not that there was a good time to question everything you were.

His elbow remained tucked in tightly against his body, as he’d done the time before. He narrowly missed caressing Ava’s outstretched hand with his arm, but it kept his form mostly intact. The bowstring rested a hair’s width away from the skin of his cheek, the pain of a failed shot teaching him long ago to keep that distance there no matter what. He lined up the target, putting the head of the arrow on the same spot he did the previous time. Exhaling, he once more let the arrow soar, a slight shift of his fingers freeing the string of his control.

The arrow was whipped through the air, spiraling up until the point it pierced the circular target once more, several inches to the right of the previous shot. It was in the outer ring, but a hit was a hit, right?

[Elias Caldera]

With a new found desire for success fueling him on, Elias intended to make the best use of it before retiring. In his current state, pushing his luck further might do more harm than good he realized, but Ava’s words stung at him from the back of his mind still. He couldn’t settle for anything but the best, especially from himself. The petitioner took his stance and reached down to his quiver and plucked the last arrow. The success of the previous shot had invigorated him, giving him energy enough to fight a thousand battles and still have enough left over for the celebration to follow. He knocked the arrow, but refrained from drawing back the string. He let the bow hang by his waist as he focused on the target. He took a deep breath in order to level his head and heartbeat, trying to visualize hitting that center of that damnable red dot. Something special awaited him when he hit that center; a feeling of completion and overwhelming success. It would be something hard earned well deserved.

Elias wanted it and he wanted it badly.

In one quick motion he raised the bow and pulled back on the string. He took only span of two ticks to make the slight adjustments to his aim before pulling the string all the way back until his fingers brushed his cheek and released. Surprisingly, and much to his credit, his tired arm held out despite the fatigue he felt and the arrow flew through the air unaltered by either his hesitation or physical limitations. Watching the thing soar through the sky made his heart skip a beat and legs practically quiver.

Moments later, it found its target.

It had landed within the bulls-eye, not directly in its center mind you, but still within the radius. A grin could be seen adorning the prospect’s face, a smile that belonged only to the realm of those who had just managed to accomplish something so grand and so allusive, that all the world needed to know of their achievement. There wasn’t anyone there but Ava, so instead he turned to her and the two of shared a quick but righteous high five.

His skill, as evident by the way he reacted so childishly to such a small victory, was far from what he desired however. He still had to work on it quite extensively, as he was sure that this new trick and understandings would require practice to perfect, but at least now he had the building blocks of tried and tested success to begin working with, and that was enough for him.

Ava eventually admitted the need to depart, and Elias bid her a reluctant farewell, but none the less deciding to end the day on that high note as well. He moved to retrieve his arrows from down the range and reflect on his work. It was nearing sun up and he was hungry, not to mention covered in sweat from the strain and stress. He resolved to take a bath before heading to the kitchens to see if he could find some food before morning mass.

All in all, this was a good day.

[Dravite]

Elias Caldera

XP Award:

• Weapon, Short Bow: 5
• Intelligence: 1
• Logic: 1
• Observation: 1
• Socialisation: 1
• Endurance: 1

Lore:

• Archery: Correct breathing
• Archery: Shoulder width stance
• Archery: Feet apart
• Archery: Taking aim
• Archery: Leading foot
• Archery: A new stance
• Archery: Practice makes perfect
• Archery: Mastering the basics
• Archery: Bull’s-eye
• Ava: Friend of a friend

Notes: Greetings, Elias. I believe this is the first time I have read one of your threads and I wasn't disappointed! Your work is top quality and a pleasure to grade. Unfortunately I wasn't able to award you any bodybuilding on this occasion like you hoped for, but I managed to sneak an endurance point in there for you towards the end. I look forward to reading more of your work in the near future! Let me know if you think I have missed anything here and be sure to edit your grading request!

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