Solo (Antinous Training Grounds) Making It Your Own

[Orion Michaels]

28th Day of Fall, 513 AV
Antinous Training Grounds
10th Bell

It had taken several seasons and some tough lessons in the Fall, but things were beginning to look up for Orion and his archery. He'd managed to finally start hitting a target, but it was still more misses than hits. He'd have to work to sort that out, but it was all experimentation at this point. Dinah had taught him the square 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.

Orion 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, 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 a horse.

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 and from one another, neither one further in front of the other. With that bit ready, he looked up at the target, pulling back a short amount as he brought the bow up 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 square stance Dinah 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 strength and his chest got larger, 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 obstacle in his path. When he released the arrow it sailed off to the right of the round target.

”Son of a..” Orion 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..Dinah said that there was more than one way to fire a bow. The square stance was that basic one, but it wasn’t the only one. Perhaps there is another stance I can figure out.

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. Orion twisted his body somewhat to the side; his feet were still even, spread about shoulder width apart. ”This should do it,” he mumbled, bringing his bow up 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, but 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. Orion bit his tongue as he returned to a more natural form.

”Hard at work, Orion?” A familiar feminine voice came from behind the squire. Glancing over his shoulder, Orion was surprised to see Dinah approaching him. She’d had meetings with some other higher ranking knights today and had instructed him to go to the training grounds and practice. ”I had a break and I figured I’d come and see how my favorite squire was doing. Not well, I see.”

”Is that really any different than normal, Dinah?”

Dinah let out a soft laugh, stepping up beside her squire. ”No, I suppose not. Let’s see about fixing that, huh?”

[Orion Michaels]

"Let's try and change up your form a bit," the redheaded knight 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 my big strong squire is having problems with the square stance.” Her eyes only confirmed the teasing in her words. Who would have thought they could be self-conscious about gaining strength? Orion stared at the ground, trying to ignore Dinah and her almost mocking speech.

Dinah 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 square 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.”

Orion nodded and grasped his arrow, bringing it to the same position as his mentor. ”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.” Orion tried to move into the same position she had, but it was somewhat awkward going. He’d gotten used to the square stance, and it felt somewhat unnatural to do so. His feet shuffled against the ground as he twisted his body somewhat, finally finding himself in what was somewhat resembling of the redhead knight. ”Shift your foot a bit further forward and in, and then twist your body towards center a little bit more.” Orion followed her directions as he adjusted his stance to match her instructions. ”There we go.”

The knight 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 squire 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. Orion gulped heavily as he brought back his shaky arm. The difference was 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. Orion 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. ”Ugh..seriously?’

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

An identical movement yielded identical results.

”Calm down, Orion,” Dinah said, walking over and placing a hand on her squire’s shoulder. ”It’ll take some time to get used to firing in a new way. It some manners it’s like starting over again.” He sighed, 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,” Orion remarked softly, testing the pull of his bow a few times.

”You’ve got to find what works for you, Orion. Even if it’s a square stance. Just don’t complain to me about hitting your elbow. Try not to be so whiny, too.” Dinah grinned, unphased by Orion's attitude. Something about this weapon just drained his spirit, so she'd keep him firing at the target again and again.

She was right. He couldn’t complain if he was going to make any advancement. ”Yeah, yeah. Fine. I’ll keep practicing.”

[Orion Michaels]

The answer was simple. 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 squire had little choice in the matter. With Dinah observing him at work, the squire 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. It’s really a bad habit that we need to nip in the bud as quickly as we can.” Dinah raised her hand and placed it flat, just a few inches from Orion’s side. ”If you touch me when you’re firing, your elbow is out too far. You’re putting too much strain on your elbow, and we don’t need any trips to the Soothing Waters to get you fixed up if it’s at all avoidable.”

Was he really still doing that same thing? Orion was sure he’d broken that trend; she’d pointed it out when he first started practicing with the short bow, and according to Dinah, not a thing had changed. Orion 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, Orion began his draw and almost immediately felt Dinah’s hand against his elbow. His cheeks flushed instantly, and he avoided looking over at his patron. Her grin burned a hole in the side of his face as he prepared himself to give it another go.

Alright, Orion. Just keep that elbow in. You’ve got plenty of room to clear the side now, there’s no need to adjust that way…

Orion 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 Dinah’s hand and the normal spot where he’d been having issues. Inhaling as he did so, Orion 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 great force.

Sinking into the very bottom of the target did the arrow go, much to Orion’s surprise. The shot had felt awkward, and he was sure he missed. Yet, there sat the arrow, actually in its proper place. Sort 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 Dinah sharing that idea.

”Do it again.”

Not a moment of praise for the determined squire.

[Orion Michaels]

Doing that again would be quite the task for Orion. He was pretty sure he never hit something but 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. Dinah wasn’t there to watch him second guess himself, so she repeated her command. ”Do it again, Orion. Just as you cannot accept defeat over a singular failure, an individual success is no call for a victory march. You can do this. Come on.”

The squire 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 knight kept her hand raised at her squire’s side to help him practice the correct form. He would get this, she would make sure of it.

Pausing for a moment, Orion stood pat with the projectile resting against the string. For some reason his thoughts chose that moment to wander, specifically the doubt began 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. It was only a handful of days back that he’d run into the leecher, that he’d made a rash decision that had left him running a knight through and helping to deal with that horrible mage. He couldn’t bring himself to think about everything he’d had to do to try and keep Sera Alicia alive. It had been his fault she was in that situation in the first place, right?

”Orion, your thoughts are elsewhere. Come back to me, come back to the grounds,” said Dinah, her voice smooth, soft, and reassuring. She’d seen Orion get that same look in his eyes before, that look of complete uncertainty. He was a man who fought a never ending battle within the depths of his mind and soul, and never would he call for allies or reinforcements. Orion had hardly given Dinah 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 knights; it was a huge weakness that acted as an anchor to his growth.

Sighing, Orion brought the bow up, drawing the string as he did so.

She was right, as she often was. He couldn’t focus, he couldn’t fight, 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 Dinah’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 hay 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?

”Better, Orion. We’ll keep on drilling until you can place your shots in a nice tight area. That will show the cons-…are you okay?”

Orion’s bow hand remained lifted, and his firing hand hovered just beside it. It might have appeared he was admiring his shot, but it would have been far from the truth. For the first time he showed consistency in his shot, and at that moment he would have rather been anywhere but shooting his bow. He was a mess. ”Ah..yeah..sure. Can we call it good for now? I’m not feeling well all of a sudden.”

Dinah frowned; while Orion was a huge complainer, he never actually asked for training to stop. She doubted he wanted her to voice her concern, though, so for the time being she would let it go. ”Alright, Orion. We’ll call it a day. Go back to the dorms and get some rest. You’ve been working hard lately, so maybe you’re just overworked. Try and relax, alright? You’re doing great.”

”Mmhmm.” Orion tossed his bow over his shoulder and turned away without a word. He was exhausted all of a sudden. His mind was out of control and he just needed to get away from the training for a few bells. It was beginning to drown him, and with everything else in his life trying to do the very same, it was too much to handle at that moment. A nap was going to do him some good, that was for sure.

[Taylani]

XP Award!

Orion Michaels:

XP Award:

• +5 weapon: Short bow
• +1 Tactics

Lore:

• Square Stance: Limited range of motion
  
• Archery: It’s important to be consistent.
• Open Stance: Not for beginners

Notes You would have more in observation but your maxed there. I gave you a tactic point since Orion tried to plan a way to work around his trouble with the Square stance before Dinah showed up. These are comments.

Comments :

These are comments.

TAYLANI