Completed [Bronze Woods] First Impressions.

[Medhozic]

Time Stamp: 90th Day, Fall 513AV. He hated new. New was bad, and he didn't care how many people often disagreed with him, because new meant that mistakes would be made. And mistakes were never good. The real purpose that he'd taken a trek down the North Kabrin Road was for hunting, and taking some time to use the short-bow that hung from his shoulder, with the string currently digging into his breast. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, when combined with the clattering of the arrows on his back, and the Kopis strapped at his waist that slapped his thigh every time he took a step. It was all currently on a long list of things that he needed to do, varying in importance, before he begun his ultimate aim of travelling in search of something better to do than simply sit in the middle of Syliras and shoot rabbits.. he needed to find armour. He needed to find better weapons, better kit.. he needed to hone himself in all that he could, before he was shot down and killed.. again. He turned right after finding a particularly interesting clearing, pushing low-hanging branches out of the way with one hand and grimacing when one of them snapped at his touch. God damnit. He was supposed to be silent, but.. he didn't like it, crouching down, hiding in the dirt like the common animal he was hunting. Nobody wanted to be degraded like that, and if they did, he'd shoot them too. He pushed one branch out of the way - or tried to. It wouldn't budge; must have been an exceptionally strong low-hanging branch. He'd never really been one for climbing before but he could do with a few scuffles if it managed to help with his archery. If he was higher, he'd be able to sit on the top branches and look down over most of the forest. He wasn't exactly nimble on his feet after-all. Not yet anyway - another skill that he promised himself that he would improve on, with time. Elevation will give a better line of sight. His climbing skills were.. rusty to non-existent. But there was a first time for everything, and he gripped the branch with both hands and heaved himself up onto the crook of the branch, where it first separated from the trunk. Shoes hadn't been prioritized for climbing and they slipped a few times while he hung there, barely a few feet off the ground and hanging pathetically like some weakling who could barely carry his own weight. The very thought disgusted him, and made him want to rise, stand proud on this uneven footing and conquer the woods as his own. But then, standing up took much longer with a lack of balance, and he had to wrap his arms in a bear-hug around the tree, to stop from simply toppling over and landing on the floor again - and probably scaring off all of his potential hunting prey. Which he did anyway, after breaking free for a second to try and grip the next branch, a bit higher up but not out of reach.. or so he thought. A few arrows fell out of the quiver, and scattered over the floor.. the chink of metal synchronized with the little pitter-patter of his prey escaping as he lay on his back, cursing his ignorance, his feeble body and his stupid mind for even bothering to leave his apartment and try this foolish quest for strength. He should have gone back, slit his own neck with the stupid clanking Kopis.. Syna wouldn't even take him back if she could see him now, though. Damnit. Just another reason that new was, indeed, bad. And he hadn't even drawn his bow yet.

[Medhozic]

It took him some time to gather up the arrows, and begin moving towards a new section of forest to try a second time. He tried to keep his grumbling low; however, he couldn't deny the annoyance bubbling in the pit of his stomach, or the voices running through his head. If I'd made a mistake like that and it'd been a man with a sword instead of a rabbit, I'd be dead by now. It was stupid to think that way, but it was always how he felt - how close he knew that he came to death, every waking moment of every day, even now with a bow around his shoulder and a Kopis on his hip, he knew how weak he was. Traveling would open the doors for any cut-throat wishing the end of him.. and he was so weak. So deep in his own web of humiliation, he barely noticed the low-hanging branch before he walked straight into it, and was struck instead with a twitch of his upper lip, which probably would have been a smile on anyone else. Both hands grasped it, and he pulled up onto the branch for a second try at climbing the tree. He should have given up on the first attempt, but unfortunately, he knew that he had to keep trying, regardless of how the branch sagged under his weight, making loud rustling of the dried leaves while he crouched in position, one hand pressed to the trunk and the other holding one of the flimsy stemming twigs. This time, he'd take it slower... It took a few slow breaths to find his balance on the branch, and a few more before he was able to stand up on it, looking up to one of the other branches higher up. The hand on the trunk rose up, brushing along the thick bark until it reached the base and gripped it firmly, with the other adding to the first and pulling his upper body up after it. Feet kicked against the trunk, and he took one step at a time until he could lie with his chest pressed to the branch and his legs wrapped around it. Finally. A quick glance over the edge confirmed that he was.. barely high enough to actually set up with his bow, and try his hand at some hunting. Though, to do that, he'd need to get up into a crouch and balance in place, and then find a way to get down when he'd caught his prey. Concentrate. He'd worry about that later. First, he needed to get higher. The next branch was higher still.. too high for him to actually be able to stand and reach it. Once he'd built up the courage and managed to slide up to his knees, and then wrap his arms around the trunk and rise up to his feet, he tried it and found that he couldn't even brush it with the tips of his fingers. And since the other branches were on the other side of the tree, he'd never be able to reach them.. which meant that he was going to have to do some good old-fashioned climbing. Fingers dug little holes into the bark as he kicked at the trunk with the tips of his shoes, trying to find purchase.. and then slowly began to inch his way up, like some stupid pale caterpillar. Inches at a time, using the grip of his forearms and knees to hold in place while he found a good grip, before setting up for the next push. Thankfully, there weren't many slip-ups before he could clamp down with his knees and reach up for branch and pull up with only his upper body strength, and swing his hips until both legs could loop around the branch. He felt like a sloth, hanging down under it with arms and legs looped around the branch, before he could roll himself over and pant heavily, relaxing after the exertion. At least I'm high enough now. He was; the main canopy of the trees surrounded him with foliage, obstructing some of his view but also protecting him from the view of his prey. He could see branches stemming further up but dared not reach for them; many looked flimsy and probably wouldn't be able to take his weight, and none of them looked wide enough for him to perch comfortably on like this. It took some adjustments before he could settle with one foot planted firmly on the wooden stem, and the other press back against the trunk. He felt reasonably secure here.. and finally managed to shrug off the bow and maneuver it into both hands, holding the wooden limb with one palm and trailing down the bowstring with his fingers, tugging it experimentally and feeling the limbs flex. It was his first time actually using the new bow that he'd bought from one of the more jovial merchants hanging around - it felt of good quality, but he knew that he wanted better.. but first he needed to get acquainted with what he had. Then.. perhaps he'd buy a Composite, in the near-future. Time would tell. He reached over his shoulder and removed one of the arrows from its quiver, notching it and drawing back. The bow sighed with the weight, and he set his sight down below, taking his knowledge of hunting into use. Come on.. come on, show yourself. A shadow flicked over his vision; only a bird, but it made him jump and nearly lose the arrow. It took a few small breaths to calm down again, and fix his attention back on the forest floor quite far beneath. And then... what was that? A rabbit flicked over the floor, sending a little scatter of leaves before stopping.. just beneath him. A perfect shot, and he took it with only a few seconds taken to line up the shot, close one eye and focus on the rabbit, then release. The arrow hissed through the air and struck straight down, sliding through the rabbit and sticking out as it began to thrash and twitch, only helping to pull it deeper. But he couldn't celebrate - he needed to make sure that it didn't escape, otherwise he'd just lose his arrow. He changed stances, from a crouching to sitting on the branch with his legs dangling over the edge, and slipped off to try and land on the branch below. He succeeded; but nearly fell off it straight away if he'd not managed to catch the trunk again.Then, he jumped again for the second branch, and found it much easier than before. Must have been the distance. The third branch was even easier, and then, he landed with a final jump next to the rabbit with a rustling of leaves falling around him. It hadn't stopped thrashing; the arrow had pierced through the joint in one of its hind legs, and stuck in the ground to hold it still. If he hadn't put enough pressure into it, the rabbit would have gotten away on three legs.. it was hardly a perfect shot, but he was happy to have it land on the rabbit in the first place and he wasn't about to start looking a gift-horse in its mouth. As it was, he knew that his Kopis would be useless with such a small animal - so he took out a second arrow from its quiver, used two fingers pinching either side of its thrashing head to hold the rabbit steady as he punctured it through the back of the neck, stilling it. First kill.

[Medhozic]

It took him only a few minutes to methodically remove the arrow and slip it back into the quiver, but then he realized his error - he'd forgotten to bring anything to help carry his prey. It was only a good thing that he hadn't stumbled across anything bigger - a doe would have been left behind, since even smaller pieces would be too much to carry all the way back to Stormhold without any packets or a sack. Making do with what he had around, it took a while before he could find one of the slender branches from the tree he had been crouching on a few moments ago, and bend the thing into a suitable noose to attach to his belt, with sufficient room for the little rabbit where he could loop it under the things ribcage. It'd hang right next to the Kopis... though, before it was pushed into place, h rose it to his face and held the little limp body in both hands. As much as he knew that he needed to hone himself.. knew how the weak were consumed by the strong, it sickened him to see what he had become, in this new world. He didn't like to hunt, or kill - he needed it, to survive, but it didn't mean that he liked taking out his anger on such poor, defenseless prey. He actually sighed, as he ran one finger down along the side of its skull, and under one of the floppy ears that had long grown cold. So fragile. Just like him. The thought roused him, and he hooked the noose around the delicate things' chest to let it hang in place, and then turned attention elsewhere. So.. he'd made a kill. But that didn't mean that he could stop - quite the opposite. He needed to keep going, keep working.. which was why he pulled the Kopis from its place at his side, and turned back to the same tree and pressed the tip of the blade to the bark and began to carve into it. A rather jagged, ill-formed ring was soon made in the soft bark, a small target that he scrutinized before replacing the Kopis at his hip and turned his back on the little circle, taking up a position about twenty metres back. Right then. The bow was raised again, an arrow pulled from the quiver, notched on the bowstring and drawn back. He inhaled and held the breath while adjusting the aim for the target, and released the arrow with a sharp thwack following soon after when it struck the tree, just outside of the ring. His brows flexed in a grimace, and a second arrow was strung and released in a much swifter move than before, more of a swing than anything. He found that the fluid actions worked better for him - it hit the target this time, just inside. Good. Now, again. The arrows were plucked from their place, one pulled back into the quiver and the other notched again. Only this time.. something was off, when he looked towards the target and began to aim. He could feel something watching.. a small hint of movement off to the corner of his vision that made his eyes widen and his entire body turn stock-stiff. Someone is watching me. He didn't need to be a psychic to realize something was watching him. Though, he didn't actually feel it until now, which meant that either they were very good at what they did, or they'd actually only turned up a few seconds ago. His mind was already racing with possibilities of what to do. If they're here to kill me, I'll be dead. They'd already shown enough talent to evade detection for who-knows how long. They could have followed him from Stronghold castle, they could have noticed him when he'd struck the rabbit... whatever it was, it was going to die. He had an arrow already notched, ready to strike, and whatever it was, didn't know that he knew it was there. It was probably waiting for him to release the arrow and then it could strike while he prepared a next one. It was waiting for the perfect moment to kill him, and he wasn't going to give it the chance. Another movement, darting. Off to his right.. he knew that it was time. He tightened his grip on the limb of the bow, swung his upper body around, and released the arrow with a sharp release of breath, followed by the small cry as the rabbit fell. Wait... wait, a rabbit? He sighed quietly, and lowered the bow as he moved over to the downed little rabbit, looking down at it. Shot straight through the chest; a perfect shot, but he wasn't paying particular attention to that. The little creature must have raised onto its hind-legs and been watching him, or... wait. He looked down to the little rabbit that still hung beside the Kopis, and then back to the second rabbit with a second sigh forming in his throat. Perhaps... Had they known each-other? Was there a family of rabbits, waiting for their mother and father to return..? The thought sickened him and he shook the mental image away with a scowl aimed at the fallen bunny as if it was its own fault for its death at his hands, before he bent over and scooped it up it up, leaving it held close to his chest like a newborn child and staining his white shirt with its blood. Brushing one limp ear back with his thumb showed a distinct mark - a patch of black fur above its scalp, something like a birthmark. He considered leaving it here - he would not take something so foul back to the Castle, to remind him of his crime. But he knew that no matter what, the strong fed on the weak, and he was the stronger today. The noose at his side was stretched a little and the second rabbit was slowly slid in beside the first, hanging side-by-side. The bow was also rearranged so that it pressed against his chest with the bowstring, but he didn't consider adjusting it as he turned and began to head back the way he came. No matter what he did, the image of that little family of rabbits, cold and alone, waiting for the parents who would not return, would not fade from the back of his mind; neither would the knowledge that he had caused this. It was stupid to feel such a way over stupid little rabbits - other hunters wouldn't even give it a second thought for the families of those that they slaughtered.. but the thought of not sickened him even more than killing it in the first place. The strong always feed from the weak. No matter how weak the strong really are.

[Radiant]

Medhozic :

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+2 XP
Weapon: Shortbow	+1 XP
Hunting	+2 XP
Climbing	+2 XP
Endurance	+1 XP
Wilderness Survival	+1 XP
Philosophy	+1 XP

Lores

Lore Earned

Location: Bronze Woods

Observation: Elevation Gives Better Line Of Sight

Hunting: Rabbit

Law Of The Jungle: Strong Preys On The Weak

Loots

Notes :

Nice solo, Med.

One thing though, shooting a small animal from high in the tree with novice shortbow skill is unlikely, you played his overall skill nicely, but this particular rabbit-shooting came off as rather overplayed.

If it's a deer or boar, then I can see it would hit since those are large targets, but rabbit? I think not. You did it twice to boot, I'm giving you a XP penalty in shortbow as the result. Please keep this in mind on your future threads.

I'd like to see more of his struggles in the future!

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.