Arrows of Endrykas [Rhuric]

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"You're right, of course," he said, adding fletching to his list of skills that needed learning. Throw bow-making into that, or at least bow repair. He didn't want to be a burden on the Watch of his would-be pavilion, but rather a source of competence and leadership. Of course, he might be so lucky finding a master bowyer and fletcher to teach him as he did with Utine and the leatherworking. He glanced down at his feet to make sure his stance hadn't erred, then smiled with good humor -- there was no other way to learn, he thought -- and passed his shortbow to Rhuric. "It is a little different from a longbow," he said. "I was practicing with a longbow back in Syliras before I returned to Cyphrus, and it took some getting used to this. Not that I was ever a keen marksman, but I'm working on it, especially now I'm in the Watch. I wish I was half as good an archer as I am a swordsman."

[Rhuric Bloodgrass]

Rhuric held out his hand, accepting the short bow from Sama’el. He held it with both hands, turning and examining it from all directions. Seemed sturdy enough. Rhuric take his stance merely testing the strength and flex of the bow. After a few good tugs on the bow, he was satisfied. “I will giv it a shot” He said, with a hint of humor. H had a bad feeling about this, he had never used a short bow. He knew Drykas were supposed to be superb marksmen from horseback, but he always preferred firing from his feet. And he was an excellent shot with a good longbow, deadly accurate.

He leaned forward and grabbed an arrow from the ground, knocking it as he leaned up. He took aim at the target, slowed his breathing. He focused on it, cleared his mind, and loosed the projectile. It flew accurate enough, he missed the center, but not nearly as bad as he had originally thought. “It is not so different” He said, agreeing with Sama’el’s earlier statement. He was surprised when the man spoke of the Watch. “The Watch? Well how long have you been apart of that?” He caught on about Sama’el being a swordsmen, not an uncommon trait. If you weren’t a excellent shot, why not expand your options? It was better to fine tune what was natural to you then to try and learn something new first.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el smiled, even as the other man did better than him while claiming to be more of a longbow man. He wasn't the sort to get upset that someone else was better than him at something, though he was likely to stick around in the attempt to learn their skill either by osmosis or by proper instruction. He reached out for the bow. "Well, damn. Nice shot. I obviously need more practice than you do." He smiled. "I've only been in the Watch this season. I'm guessing things will get even more intense when the weather heats up. I have to be deadlier than I am now in order to protect our pavilions from outside threats." For all the dire importance of the Watch, he was still smiling, and he took his bow back, lifted his feet up and down, shuffling a bit into a proper stance, his gravity suspended evenly over slightly spread legs. He tried to call his breathing into order, let his muscles find their memory of this process of kinesis, raised his bow, arrow nocked, and drew back on the bowstring. He sighted along the arrow and let it fly. There was an improvement, certainly, but only marginal. His smile went a bit glum.

[Rhuric Bloodgrass]

Rhuric was enjoying this. He ha not had an actual conversation with another in a good few months. Mostly just passing words. This man though, had openly requested Rhuric to help him. Rhuric was not much of an instructor, his talent with ranged weapons was something that came natural to him. Much like how the sword probably came very naturally to Sama’el. Rhuric would likely stab himself in the foot if he tried his luck with a sword.

“You are not so bad” Rhuric said teasingly as he handed the bow back to it’s owner. This man must love the thrill of danger. Rhuric though silently to himself. He was openly smiling and discussing the dangers the the Watch. “You are a brave man. I will admit, I had though about life in the Watch. But I am not sure how I would fair. I am a hunter. Not so much a fighter.” Rhuric stated it like stating the sky was blue. That was just how it was.

Another arrows was loosed from Sama’el’s bow. It was an improvement, sort of. “What are you thinking of when you shoot?” Rhuric asked. He himself personally thought of a ball of fire, suspended in the air. That was where he focused his thoughts and feeling. Forcing everything out of his mind except the arrow and it’s intended target. It helped him. Perhaps he would let the other in on his secret to.

He mans smile faded. Rhuric did not want him to loose interest in practice. So he decided to lighten the mood. He bent down and grabbed one of his hand shaped arrows. It was smooth to the touch. The shaft almost perfectly rounded. “Watch this” Rhuric said, a smile spreading across his scruffy face. He took the arrow, tip in hand. With leaping hop he threw the arrow into the air. A few second later you could heard the impact of it. He had nearly hit dead center of one the targets, narrowly missing another arrow. “it’s all in your head man. Stop doubting your abilities, it is there. One day you will be a lethal force to be reckoned with.”

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Well, I was exiled for many years... By fortune, not for any crime against the People. But now that I'm back, I want to do my part to protect and support us all. Since I don't have much family that remains, the danger is mostly to me and not something a family need fear." He shrugged. He didn't think of himself as particularly brave, but he was a survivor and he generally had an optimistic attitude about things, at least. "I try not to think," he said after Rhuric shot and spoke again. "I mean, the motions are ingrained now, so once I start, everything sort of follows. Thinking just seems to get in the way when I try to do things. It's a little bit like sword-fighting. I don't think much there. I just sort of react. It's not... not quite as passive as that sounds, but if I try to make room for lots of thoughts while fighting, I make mistakes, move too slowly, end up dead. Or wounded, anyway. I try to avoid fights when I can. I'm not cowardly, but after looking out for myself for so long, I know that most fights aren't worth it. And most can be avoided if you're clever. Not that I'm clever, but..." Then Rhuric interrupted him, but for good reason. Sama'el clapped with boyish delight at this trick. "That was awesome!"

[Rhuric Bloodgrass]

Rhuric broke into laughter at the reaction of Sama’el. He had not expected anything of the sort. He was actually afraid the man might think him showboating. But the reaction was genuine. And after a few moments of laughing til his stomach hurt, Rhuric finally straightened his himself up.

Rhurc clapped the man on his back. “Thank you. I cannot think of the last time I have laughed like that. It was much needed.” Rhuric felt like he could conquer a city with a single arrow at the moment. Laughing cleared his mind of many dark thoughts, and brought into perspective what was important in life. Family, friends, and good times. He had not had any in a long time.

“But back to business” He said still smiling.” If it is already a forced reaction, then I suggest trying something completely new.” He meant a longbow of course. But they were short of a longbow at the moment. Perhaps he should just work on aiming, and then another day confuse his muscle memory by switching the type of bow. “Take another shot, I will see if I can find any hidden faults” He spoke smoothly, getting back to the task at hand.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

After the laughing was done, he nodded and took his shortbow in hand and, rather than trying to get out of his own way, he let himself be entirely aware of each shift of every muscle that brought arrow to bow, bowstring taut, and target in sight. He visualized the arrow flying straight and true to pierce the target, a bull's-eye in his mind's eye. He loosed the arrow and it did, in fact, hit the target. He laughed happily again, despite the ache in his stomach from the previous bout of hilarity. "Well, I never..." But then he put the bow behind his back. "Enough of this, though. You don't want to confuse your muscles with the wrong sort of bow. Why don't you show me how you did that? That's something. What if I'm lacking in a bow, but not an arrow, you know? The Watch needs to know how to do these things to protect you from danger." He winked, though truth be told he would have run, scimitar drawn, between Rhuric and danger. That was part of his oath to the horseclans.

[Rhuric Bloodgrass]

Rhuric watch the man as he began to go through the motions. He was fluid and seemingly faultless in posture. Though Rhuric imagined from horseback, anything he learned this day would be thrown out the window. He loosed the arrow, striking dead center of the target. Rhuric smiled in delight. “See I know you had the talent for the bow.” He paused “now you just have to practice everyday for the rest of your life.”

“My trick?” He paused thinking. “Well it is just a balancing act. Much like throwing a knife. The biggest difference being the weights. You have to put a lot more ark and force behind an arrow to match the distance of a knife.” Rhuric stopped and looked at the man, a somewhat serious look coming over his. “But how do you go about becoming a member of the watch? I was not around nor did I pay much attention to those who tried teaching me our way and customs. I am guilty of not being a very good clansmen to our people, and I have been thinking of changing that of late.”

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"I met a traveling performer near Syliras who was a master at throwing blades," he said, "and I would have learned from him, but he wandered even more than I did before I returned to Endrykas. I wonder... I should get some throwing blades and practice your trick with those, and his tricks. The Watch should be well versed in many weapons, don't you think? "Joining the Watch?" he asked, looking Rhuric over more carefully. "Well, an Ankal sent me to speak to the Sayaph, Kirabo Bloodwind, at his pavilion. He had nominated me, I suppose... and then I, well, proved myself to him. I'm still rather an apprentice, though. I'm a crack rider and handy with a scimitar, but I really need to work on my archery and I'm still new at the whole Web thing. Which is... maddening. I can see it, but I can't look too far or I will die... And my range isn't very good, so I have to physically go to a place in order to repair the Web. It's not as glamorous a job as we make it out to be." He smiled ruefully. "But I do my part. Anyway, I'm proficient enough in enough areas that they were willing to take me on as an apprentice, at least. I hope to rise in the ranks quickly, though."

[Rhuric Bloodgrass]

Rhuric looked the man over. He did not appear to be a hard traveler. If so it he must’ve had a decent time. Rhuric had come across a few travelers in his time. And many of them were ragged, worn and nearly beat to death. Even months after returning to civilization. “Good fortunes must have found you early in life then.” Rhuric spoke softly. “I myself have been debating on traveling in the near future, or doing something drastic. Though I have never been far away from Endrykas, I usually camp within a weeks ride from here on a normal horse that is. I have not been blessed with a Stride yet.” He paused after that. It always saddened him to think of that.

“I used to dream of joining the Watch. But I drifted from of Drykas, and would undoubtedly be denied into the ranks. But one could still dream right?” He had long since put that thought out of his mind. He was more recently thinking of packing up and heading into the unknown. He would not be missed here. “But yes, I would have to agree with you on the weapons. The more the Watch can effectively use, the safer the Drykas people will be. But I know this is somewhat off subject, who would you recommend purchasing a bow from these days? I have been out of the shopping game a long while”