Chapter 122 Force of strings
Holding the arrow between the gap of her thumb and index finger, Alex shot the first glowing disk that flew out from the magical device that created it with the unique elemental magic enchantments.
-Tang!
This one was green, and as they knew, the whole training process was divided into six phases.
The green disks were the easiest, and following them were orange, yellow, blue, purple, and lastly the red a disk that flew at a speed that was not easy for even the expert archers to hit.
This device was a very valuable piece of equipment, so when the match began and the first arrow was shot, the audience did not think very highly of their archery skills.
Alex even used a non-traditional holding style to release the arrow, so the employee that was helping them here was not impressed or anything.
They weren't beginners. The way Elio was holding his bow and arrow even suggested he had experience with the weapon.
But that was not all there was to the two of them…
-Swiiiiiish.
Both their first arrows hit the target, and so the following arrows were set on the bow— and released instantly as the following green disk was shot from the device.
-Tang!
-Clink!
The sound that was produced by the hit of the arrow were both different, something Misha found unique.
But, her mom and the employee who had seen this kind of training in the past as well, knew well how the more sharp sound was the indication of a more perfect hit.
This was not a still target, there were no traditional red-white sections that could indicate how perfect a shot was.
They were just hitting targets with arrows, but as archers, the most important aspect of their job was to hit the target as precisely as possible.
-Swiiiiiiiiiish!
-Tang!
-Clink!
The third disk flew and the arrows that were shot from both sides hit the target. And following them, numbers started appearing on the individual machines that were shooting this disk for the two of them.
"Wow…"
-Swiiiiiiiiiish!
-Tang!
-Clink!
The following stage of Orange disks arrived which were much faster than the previous one.
Keeping track of these disks was not easy and shooting the arrows so that it would hit them in the sky was even more difficult even though the disks that were merely being shot up at the sky were falling down with the gravitational force as well.
If they shot the disks when it was at its full speed at the highest distance, they got a better score, while even if they shot it when it was falling down, they got a somewhat lower score.
But it was still good.
They were doing it without missing a single shot, using just one arrow at a time, timing their shots perfectly with the winds and the distance of the shot.
-Swiiiiiiiiiish!
-Tang!
-Clink!
Since each one of the disks were released from the device at least twice, they were able to adjust to the flow of the disks.
There was a brief break between each section of the disk stage so they were able to adjust to the change in that brief time, however, some of the stages had a third disk that followed right after the section which might have thrown off most of the people using this device for the first time.
-Swiiiiiiiiiish!
-Tang!
-Clink!
But that did not happen with the two of them.
They were somehow able to deal with most of the unexpected disks, as their eyes were always focused on not the disks, but on something that they were better at focusing on.
"They are amazing, mom…"
"Yes, dear…"
-Swiiiiiiiiiish!
-Tang!
-Clink!Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Elio was focusing on the color of the disks against the blue sky above while Alex was focusing solely on the sound that they made, the sound of the disks slicing through the winds.
Their techniques were different, but the two of them knew what they were doing.
Elio had experience with a similar kind of training, so he did not find this one that difficult.
And Alex was one of the people that contributed to the creation of this technology, so this was not something that could pose any great difficulty to her either.
-Swiiiiiiiiiish!
-Tang!
-Clink!
They faced off against each other, gathering point after point, carefully observing the disks and aligning their arrows.
-Swiiiiiiiiiiiiish~!
When they released their arrows in almost unison on their individual targets, it produced a unique kind of symphony.
-Swiiiiiiiiiish…!
-Tang!
-Clink!
There were emotions behind these wind slicing arrows.
The force that was stored behind these arrows was so great that it seemed to be enough to pierce even metallic armours,
-Swiiiiiiiiiish!
Using a bow was not a simple thing.
One needed a great strength just to perfectly pull the string all the way back with the arrow perfectly aligned on it.
This was a fantasy game so things were pretty different here, but a bow was a body and the arrow were their bones.
The wood and steel making them were forged in the fires, crafted by the hands of a craftsman with their sweat and blood.
They were nothing less than a blade, a shield, or a spear.
Those who held them were called archers, but those who knew how to use these unique weapons were called Knights, the individuals that decided the fate of the soldiers from the battlefield.
-Swiiiiiiiiiish…!
-Tang!
-Clink!
The points were tied at 90 points.
There was no arrow left in their quivers. Only one arrow on their bows.
"Huuuu…"
This was the brief moment before the last of the dicks, the red one that would be released at a speed unlike anything they had faced until now.
"…"
Everything including the very air around them had frozen.
Now, there were only two people left on this practice ground…
"Haaaa."
And for both of them, the few moments before the release of the disk were stretched to an eternity…
-Oooooooooooooong!
One had calculated every single thing that she needed to as she stretched the arrow in her hand to the furthest possible point.
While Elio was still holding the arrow in his hand, his bow pointing downward, his eyes squinted and focused on the blue sky above.
"…"
Their hearts had calmed down, their minds, senses, eyes focused on only one thing.
The arrows made of wood with their sharp tips were their swords, and the disk was their target.
-Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish…!
What they needed to do was simple. Hit the sword with their targets.
-Swish!
And, in the moment that the disk that flew up at a speed almost invisible to the eyes was released from the device, she also released her arrow holding a disastrous force that blew winds to all sides. Read exclusive content at empire
-Shaaaaa…!
But…
"I win."
When it came to archery, calculations were not as important as pure instincts.
-Clink…!
The one who shoots first and perfectly is not always the winner.
She knew that, and yet… she made that silly little mistake.