Elder Cultivator

Twists and turns led through various corridors, Evan leading the way for Anton to reach the practice fields attached to the armory. Evan produced a quiver of arrows, though Anton hadn’t seen him pick one up. “You’ll need these. Here’s the archery range. To make this somewhat interesting, I’ll give you a challenge. If you hit thirty points, I’ll give you a prize.” Evan smiled, a mirthful yet mysterious expression on his face.

“What’s the scoring?” Anton asked.

“Quite simple. One point or two.”

Anton looked at the archery target ahead of him, a hundred meters away. That was further than he’d normally shoot, but then again that was before he was a cultivator. Besides, the target wasn’t moving. Hopefully, it would stay that way. There were five rings on it. Maybe the center rings were worth two points? “If I lose?”

Evan shrugged, “Nothing special happens. You help me clean up the arrows and get back to your business.”

“Then… challenge accepted.” Anton pulled an arrow from the quiver, looking it over. It was good, without any warped wood and the fletching was even. He pulled back the bow, feeling the strain on his arms, but it was a good strain. The first arrow went high. It was his first time firing the bow, after all, and his strength had changed so much since his last attempt. But with two points available per shot, he could afford to miss a point.

The second arrow Anton was ready for the power and speed of the bow, and he didn’t have to compensate as much for gravity. The arrow flew through the air, sticking in the outer ring of the target, just below the top. Perhaps he was still a little high, but it hit.

“One point,” Evan said.

Anton was beginning to get used to the bow. He pulled back the arrow to his ear, breathing carefully and then holding his breath at the moment of release. The arrow cut through the air, hitting the second ring from the edge. It was a little bit off to the right because of some wind, but not worryingly so.

“Another point. That’s two so far,” Evan recounted. “Seventeen arrows to go.”

That was a reminder that some of his arrows had to hit two points. Apparently the outer two rings weren’t good enough, but he wouldn’t have expected it. The next few arrows hit the second ring, the third ring… one point each. Anton was getting a handle on the bow, and a sense for the wind. Fourth ring. One point. He’d fired six arrows for five points. It seemed only the bullseye would net him two points. He needed most of the thirteen arrows to hit the bullseye to defeat this challenge. He wasn’t sure what he would get… but he wanted the satisfaction of doing well.

Anton took a deep breath. He didn’t need to hurry. He focused his mind on the target, and he let his energy flow over the arrow. He hadn’t practiced those techniques on real arrows, but he could theoretically redirect it in flight. Maybe not much… but his arrow flew straight, arcing up and down slightly before striking the bullseye.

“One point,” Evan declared. Anton looked at him. If a bullseye wasn’t worth two points, how could anything be? The arrow was almost exactly in the center as well. Was it a trick, an impossible challenge? That didn’t seem quite right. Anton followed Evan’s eyes. He was looking at the target but at that angle…

Anton moved to the side. Behind the target was another, a full two hundred meters away. He had assumed it was for someone else, but upon thinking about it that was foolish. It was directly in line with the other target, so if the first archer missed… the second would get it right in the back of the head. Or they might, at least. Anton sighed. Was this the standard cultivators were held to? He should have asked about the details of the points, but then again he needed to get used to the bow. At least he got points.

Anton drew the next arrow. This one too would inevitably be a sacrifice to practice. After that, all he had to do was hit the second target with every single arrow… and if it was worth two points he could match the challenge score. All that was demanded of him was a step short of perfection. Anton released his sacrificial arrow. It almost seemed as if it would hit, sailing cleanly over the first target and towards the second… but the wind shifted during its flight and it went wide. It was hard to account for changes in the wind. He needed to put more power so the arrow flew more quickly… and some energy to pull it back on target.

The muscles and tendons in his hands were already straining, along with his upper back. If he’d tried to do any of this before becoming a cultivator he would have wrecked himself, except perhaps when he was near his prime. Even now, he was sweating after less than ten arrows.

From that point on, only perfection would do. The ninth arrow flew, piercing through the winds and puncturing the second target. Just the outer ring but…

“Two points,” Evan had a clear smile on his face, though Anton couldn’t focus on that.

Everything but Anton and the two targets disappeared. He didn’t even think about why he wanted to succeed or even what it meant. He just had to hit the target. Outer ring. Second. Second. Third ring. Third again. Fourth Ring. Fourth ring. Third ring. Anton’s concentration slipped. Second ring. He refocused his mind.

He put all of himself into the next arrow, not concerning himself with the distance or the changes in the wind. Before it hit, he knew the arrow would be a bullseye. It sunk deep into the target, and Anton momentarily celebrated. But then he saw it was just on the edge of the bullseye. It might count, but it wasn’t quite as he had envisioned. Anton visibly deflated.

“Twenty-eight points. One to go.”

Evan’s voice returned Anton to his own body. He had one arrow left. There was that challenge to complete. It had to hit the target, but he’d done that so many times already. It would be easy. He pulled back the bow, his tired arm straining. The arrow flew over the first target towards the second and stuck point first… into the grass in front of it. Anton slowly let out his breath. He’d lost focus. He could have done it but… he was careless. It was worse than not even being able to do it.

“Twenty-eight points total, and no more arrows,” Evan shook his head.

Anton nodded. “I understand. I just have one question. If I destroy the targets… do I get in trouble?”

Evan smiled. “Going to take out your frustrations on them? If you do, you’re responsible for the clean up and setting up the new ones.”

Anton nodded. He could deal with that. Instead of moving towards the targets, however, he lifted his tired arm once more. Sweat dripped down his body as he gathered his remaining energy, breathing in more of the abundant natural energy around him. As he pulled back on the string he formed an arrow. It was the first time he’d done it with an actual bow, but it felt quite a bit more natural. He felt himself straining to hold it, but as he felt the wind lapse momentarily he released. The string and his own energy propelled his arrow straight forward, puncturing through the top of the first straw target without even slowing. It continued on its path, barely affected by gravity, flying the next hundred meters towards the second target where it pierced through the bullseye before fading away. Anton sighed in satisfaction. “Alright. I feel much better now.”

Evan nodded. “Good. Also, that’s three points. So you win the challenge. In recognition of your archery skills, I will allow you to borrow that bow for a month with no charge. At the end of the month you can purchase it if you wish to, otherwise you must return it to the armory.”

Anton was barely listening, but he eventually processed Evan’s words. He really did need a bow to practice with but… “I ran out of arrows, though. That one was extra.”

“So?” Evan shrugged, “I would say initial mastery of Spirit Arrows demonstrates more archery potential than just hitting a damn target a few times. Just take the stupid bow.”

Anton took a step back and bowed, “Right, of course. Sorry, Elder Evan. I will gladly accept your generosity. And I will earn the contribution points to purchase it, you can be sure of that.”

“Yes yes,” Evan waved his hand. “But you do still have to replace those targets. Otherwise someone will find themselves quite disappointed with the quality of the practice range.”