Ymiden 23rd,706
Eka sat on the ground, cross-legged and humming when the half-breed approached. For the last three trials after their first lesson, further lessons had mostly consisted of the half-breed continuing to practice with practice arrows made by Eka. They were simply things with sharp stone tips and just enough feathers to help them fly. Eka himself seemed to get those feathers when he went hunting for his meals. He didn't seem fond of staying in the manor even though he was apparently a guest of the Master. Something the Master had even confirmed when the half-breed asked. Honestly, the fact Eka hated staying in the same area as the Master made two of them. Nightshade wasn't much of a fan herself.
"Making arrows?" She asked the man who stopped his humming after she had announced her approach. He wasn't oblivious and had obviously known she was there, but he refused to address her before she addressed him. According to Eka, it was because she was too meek. It took her half a break of standing quietly in front of him while he carved arrows on the second trial before she'd cleared his throat and he'd finally paid attention to her. The following trial she wasn't even allowed to get away with that little, she had to actually speak. This trial she'd become more comfortable around the man, so she wasn't as hesitant about speaking up so quickly.
"Not quite little bird, we won't be shooting today," he said with a smile. There was a large array of arrows sitting in front of him. Astra was off to the side, unstrung and sitting alone with her elegant and ferocious carvings.
"But isn't that the entire point of these lessons? To teach me how to be a better archer," she asked.
"That is indeed the point of me teaching you these lessons. However, shooting isn't the only thing a good archer knows how to do. You'll never be a good archer if you don't know how to care for your bow properly. And you'll be an even worse archer if you don't know much about your ammo. So that, my dear little bird, is what I'm going to be teaching you about today!" The half-breed nodded quietly as he spoke. Eka held a fair point. The half-breed herself didn't even know much about the different kind of bows, let alone arrows or arrowheads. Eka had told her Astra was a short bow and she'd taken his word for it.
"Alright then, let's get started," the half-breed said as she sat down next to Eka who smiled while he picked up Astra.
"The first thing we're going to talk about is how to string a bow since that's one of the most important things you can learn. Once you can string a bow, you can also unstring a bow, which makes carrying one around a lot easier. Furthermore, bow strings snap and it's going to cost you a lot more at a blacksmith if you have to ask them to restring a bow than to just ask for a new bowstring. Rule number one is to always unstring a bow when it's not in use. The thing you have to remember is you need to be extremely careful when stringing a bow as you can twist or snap the limbs if you aren't careful. Not to mention you can potentially hurt yourself in the process if you aren't extremely careful. I'm going to be having you practice on some cheap bows instead of Astra," Eka said as he pulled out a string.
He stood up to better string the bow. "Now watch carefully," he said. "You need to be careful when stringing the bow since each bow has a specific length their string needs to be. You have to remember this in case you need a new one. Of course, if you're lucky then you'll be able to just measure the old string. In some cases, though, you'll need to go to a professional and that can get pricey," as he spoke the man demonstrated how to properly string the bow, being careful. It looked difficult as he had to be careful of how he was bending the bow limbs, as well as not letting them hit him.
It was a process. That was for sure.
"Once you understand how it works and start to get good at it, it becomes easy. You'll also start to get a feel for how taught the string needs to be and you'll have an easier time adjusting it and the feel for the bow. It's best to stick with a bow for as long as possible, to understand the ins and outs of any one specific bow is a massive advantage," Eka said as he began to unstring Astra, a process the half-breed also took note of.
After the demonstration was over Eka sat back down next to the half-breed. "Make sure your string is never too tight either though, as that can cause just as much damage to the bow. Speaking of damage, a big no-no is when you 'Dry Fire' which basically means shooting the bow without an air. Because the way a bow is designed this can do damage to the bow, and so can't go shooting an arrow that's too light. Of course, this isn't too big of a problem and a lot of people tend to ignore it, but every little advantage you can have is still an advantage. Paying attention to these kinds of things will help a bow live for a lot longer. Make sure that you change your string ever arc at the very least, and if a bow string seems close to snapping or displays obvious wear and tear make sure to replace it immediately. Not only can a string snapping cause damage to the bow, but it can also hurt you in the process as well as get you killed in a fight or lose your dinner."
"Another important thing to do is keep your bow in cool, dry place whenever possible, same as with blades. Excessive heat or moisture can cause damage. Things like beeswax can help to weatherproof the bowstring which can greatly expand the life of the bowstring. If you're smart you'll always carry extra bowstrings on you in case one snaps. Again. It's worth the extra nel protect your life," Eka said with a small dip of his head as he pulled out a small box. Upon opening the box there was a small selection of replacement bowstrings, and he proceeded to place the one he'd just strung onto Astra into the box.
Nightshade nodded along the entire time, trying to commit all the information to memory. It was all general information, but it was important none the less, and she wanted to memorize as much of it as possible. If it could make her even slightly better than her opponents it was worth knowing. And even if it was just to help her keep a bow she really liked nice, still worth it.
"The next thing we're going to talk about we'll just go over briefly. If we end up having the extra time then we'll go over it in more detail. Different arrows obviously have different weights, speeds, distances, etc. This is because of both the make and material of the arrow, as well as the kind of arrowhead. The shaft of an arrow, as well as the head of an arrow, can both be made out of tons of different materials, though the most common shaft you'll find is wood and the most common head will be made out of metal or a very sharp rock, depending on the wealth of the person who got the arrows made. It's also what the majority of the arrows you'll use in your lifetime will probably be made of. Traditional arrows with general heads.
"This isn't the only kind though. Shafts can vary in size and shape to help them fly in different kinds of ways. Tapered, barreled, and parallel are just some examples," as he spoke Eka pointed to the arrows laid out before him, pointing at the different shafts each one had. "Of course, there are also different arrowheads. And I don't just mean materials. Arrowheads can, of course, be made from sharp stones or the arrow itself can just have a carved point, but well-made arrowheads can come in a large array of shapes and sizes. Of course, you'll get the best result having a trained smith make it out of metal, it's possible to use flint chips in a pinch. Hopefully you'll be smart enough to never be in that kind of survival situation," Eka said as he pointed to the various arrows laid out in front of him. Each arrowhead was a little bit different. Some were wildly different from others. Some were a lot more triangular while others looked like leaves. Others yet had a very flat top lengthwise but were extremely sharp, and the half-breed couldn't help but wonder how the would fly and what kind of damage they might do.
"Perhaps one day I'll teach you more about the specific types of arrowheads and the process of making a bow and arrows, but for today that's enough. I don't want you missing out on too much practice after all. Now up. You're going to practice stringing this short bow and then you're going to practice using it. If you break the bow that's fine. It's cheap and poorly made for the sake of practice. Just try not to hurt yourself with it," Eka said as he handed the half-breed a slim bow. It was plain and a touch smaller than Astra though not by too much. It didn't feel as comfortable in her hands as she took it and started to attempt to string it. This was obviously the hard part...