Rise of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 026 - An archery contest (Patreon)

Five archers stood near him, three women and two men.  By now, Thistle and Rowan had made it back.  Both were covered in sweat, and it was obvious that they were not excited to miss out on getting a chance to shoot against Kaen.

Queleth had examined his bow and had praised the maker of it.  The detail and strength of it, combined with the magic he knew that lay in it, was amazing.

“I guess we should skip the easy simple shots?” he asked.  “We have a course that changes and will test each of you equally if you are up for it.”

Pammon was behind him, thrumming as watched the crowd of elves who were lining the area and up in the trees.

Are we betting if you lose?

We could, but don’t forget how much I won the last time people bet against me.

Queleth led them all to an area where different objects and obstacles were all over a range of one hundred and fifty yards.  He motioned to one of the men who stood ready.

“In a moment, they will show you one of the possibilities of the course.  Each target will only be visible for a short period of time before disappearing behind where it came from.  You will have six targets.  The course will remain the same for each contestant.  So that no one gets an unfair advantage, no one will watch the other one go and each person will get to see the course one time before they then must shoot.  Any questions?”

Kaen realized that the question was for him.  It was obvious from how the other five were standing that they had done this many times before.

“I get to see what it will look like now?”

“Yes.  Not the actual course but since you have never seen this and I doubt anyone has done a course like this with you before, I want it to be somewhat fair.”

Grinning, Kaen nodded, and Queleth waved at the man on the side.  He held up some cards and Kaen noticed there were other men and women along the course.

A bell sounded and a target sprung up twenty yards away with a small one-foot section.  It hovered for only three seconds before dropping down, and another target popped up on the other side of the field fifty yards or so.  It was slightly larger and stayed for a little longer before dropping down.  Two more targets then came up in the middle of the field about seventy yards off before disappearing.  A pause came and then a target shot up on the far left at one hundred and before it dropped a target on the far end at around one hundred and thirty yards came out.  Both dropped after about seven seconds each.

“Huh,” Kaen stated as he watched the course targets disappear and realized he was grinning. “I won’t lie this seems like something I could do all day just for fun.”

Laughing, Queleth waved his hand, and the workers of the course began moving some.

“Does that mean you want to go first?”

Laughing, Kaen nodded.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

Three rounds had passed, and only one of the female archers and one male were left.  They were the only three to have perfect scores on each of the courses, and it was obvious the crowd had a favorite.

Sedel was a well-built, wood elf with muscles that might make most men nervous to talk to.  She carried herself well, and her dark hair was braided all the way to her lower back.  He had gotten to watch her shoot all three rounds since he had already gone and saw that every movement she made was exact and without flaw.

The male archer had almost gone out the last round on the second target.  Vadaac was just as well built and was a few inches taller, but his finger twitched occasionally when he was about to let go of the string.  Not a lot, but enough that Kaen realized his skill with shooting was at its limit.

As they waited for the crew to replace targets and make a few changes, Queleth stood with the three of them, smiling and making light jokes with them.

“Dragon Rider Kaen, I must admit you have impressed me.  Even when you lose, we will tell stories of how great your skill is!”

“Why is it I feel you are going to make things almost impossible for me to win?”

Nodding, Queleth motioned to Sedel with his head.

“She knows what is coming up next, as does Vadaac.  I will tell you.  The next course will require you to use your skills.  It will come fast and hard.  You won’t get to see the targets like you did before. That means you will get to view it only as it happens.  We have found this best simulates the real combat experience minus things being thrown at you."

Kaen began to chuckle, and Queleth gave him a peculiar look.

"Sorry, I had a mentor who used to throw rocks at me while teaching me to shoot."

A grin broke out on his face, and he nodded.

"Sounds like my kind of trainer.  Now, since this is your first time, I will let Vadaac go first.  The course will be different for both of you, but know it is fair to use your skills whenever you desire."

Vadaac nodded and moved to the ready position.  Kaen watched as he moved his arrows around in his quiver, getting them positioned how he wanted them.  It seemed like a smart move that he could use for his turn.

When he nodded, the course started, and two targets popped up, one at thirty yards and the other at forty-five yards, both right behind each other.  Vadaac gave a grin as he shot rapidly two arrows, the second one barely clipping the second target as it began to fall.  As soon as they dropped, two targets popped up on each side of the field, each at seventy yards.  He fired off one shot, and by the time his second shot went off, it had missed the target from dropping.

Two more targets then popped up closer to each other, around one hundred and twenty yards.  He fired his shot, and before they were halfway there, the arrow split into two, hitting both targets.  A single last at one hundred and fifty yards popped up, and Kaen saw the arrow glow for a second before it lept across the field, destroying the target with ease.

Headshot...  What was that other one?

It was a splinter shot.  A level thirty skill.  It's like a multi-shot but only requires one arrow. If you had to choose between the two at twenty, splinter sounds better, but the cooldown, I hear is a lot longer.

How do you think you will do?

I have no clue, Kaen answered honestly.  Hopefully, I won't embarrass myself.

The crowd clapped, and Vadaac gave a slight bow and shrugged.

“I only manage to pass this every now and then.  My skill choices are good for some things and not for others.

Kaen nodded, understanding what he meant.

Sedel stepped up and began to mimic what Vadaac had done, adjusting the arrows in her quiver.  She smiled at Kaen and motioned at his bow.

“That seems like a little small for you.  Is there a reason why you haven’t gotten a bigger one?”

Chuckling, Kaen shrugged as he held it up.

“I only had it for about three years now.  I don’t think my dad would have imagined I would have grown as much as I have.  I’m not sure I could find something out there that I would want to replace it with.”

She nodded as she held out her bow for him to inspect.  Kaen took it in his hand and found it to be perfectly balanced.  It was a good foot longer than his and was made of a very dense redwood.  He could feel the power in it.  The string she used wasn’t hair like his but a kind of sinew of something.  He wondered what creature would be so strong that it would have a sinew that could hold the kind of power he knew this wood produced.

“This is an amazing bow,” he said, knowing it was an obvious statement.  “Family heirloom?”

She laughed and shook her head no.

“I won this years ago at a competition like this.  Each year, I have to defend it.”

Her voice was confident and not bragging.  He realized now that he was walking into a whole different world of competition.

The workers signaled they were ready, and she turned back to the course.  Taking a single breath, she nodded.

Two targets came up at thirty and forty-five yards, each near the edges.  The arrows were already in the air when they began to rise, striking both before either one had begun to drop.

Two more targets popped up at the same time, close to each other at sixty-five yards, and she grabbed two arrows as they rose again.  No time was lost as both flew true and struck the targets, breaking both.

The next two targets began to rise at around one hundred and fifteen yards, each on the opposite sides.  Before the first one had reached its maximum height, the arrow was gone. A second arrow was already loaded and released, striking the second target as it began to drop down.

Kaen marveled as she already had another arrow being nocked she saw the final arrow at one hundred and fifty yards start to rise, and she let it go, watching as it flew straight.  Kaen saw the target begin to drop but knew what she had done.  As it fell, almost disappearing from view, the arrow caught it two inches before it would be hidden forever.

The crowd around her roared in applause and cheers.

She turned and gave a slight bow, and smiled at Kaen.

“That was… impressive, to say the least.  I take it this isn’t your first time.”

She laughed and shook her head no.

“I have been shooting these since I was a young girl, and let's not worry about how many years that has been.

Nodding, Kaen walked up to the starting spot and began to stretch his neck and shoulders as he waited for the course to be reset.

Queleth moved up next to him with a large smile going from ear to ear.

“Nervous?”

“If I said no, would you believe me?” Kaen joked.

“Maybe, but I’ll tell you after I see how you do.”

Nodding, Kaen returned to the course and thought about what he had seen and needed to do.

Seems like you might need to cheat.

Kaen felt Pammon and his laughter coming through the bond even though he had not done it where the others could hear.

No, this time, I don’t think I will.  I want to see how far I have come.

A wave of approval came from Pammon.

When the workers gave the ready sign, Kaen took a breath and nodded.

The first two came up at thirty-five yards, near each other.

Having seen what Sedel had done was important, and he owed Queleth for letting him see the difference between the two.  Sedel had moved the second movement had taken place.  Vadaac had waited, and it cost him.

The moment the first one was rising, the arrow was away, with the second one obliterating its target.  Once destroyed, the next two popped up at ninety-five yards and one hundred and five yards, opposite sides of the field.  Kaen had already released the first arrow and was letting go of the second one before the other target had reached its maximum height.  Both were destroyed before they started their downward descent.

Kaen grinned as he drew two arrows and put them on the string. When one target popped up, he groaned inside, knowing what was coming next, but had no choice.

[ Twin Shot Activated ]

Time was of the essence, and he couldn’t waste time trying to free one from the grip he had.  Both arrows sped across the field and struck the single target that had risen at one hundred and thirty yards.

Kaen drew one arrow and knew what he had to do.  He didn’t want to give away too many of his tricks, but there was no time. Pouring mana into the tip, he charged the arrow, letting it rocket off at the first target as it rose.  Wasting no time, the second arrow was on his string, and another trickle of mana flowed into it.  As the string slipped from his fingers, he saw the arrow streak across the field, striking both of the one-hundred-and-fifty-yard targets, blowing them up and the small area that launched them into the air.

[ Archery Skill Increased ]

The crowd stood silent for a moment before erupting in cheer and applause.  None were sure what skill Kaen had just used, but he had succeeded at something most would not have been able to.

Queleth and Sedel both walked up to Kaen and were applauding.

“Magic?”

The way Queleth asked was as if he didn’t believe it was even possible for an archer to do that.

“Perhaps,” Kaen answered with a wink and a grin.  “It felt dirty since I figured both of the last two were like that, but it serves me right.”

Sedel laughed and nodded as she came and patted Kaen on the shoulder.

“You have outdone yourself, Dragon Warrior Kaen.  I’m sure we could go another round if you wanted.  We have many different games we can play.”

“Are we up for wagering something?” Kaen asked with a grin on his face.

Sedel showed every one of her teeth when she smiled back at Kaen.

“What do you have in mind?”

I don’t like being used as a bargaining chip…

I did ask first, didn’t I?  You said yes.

Grumbling, Pammon had agreed but being offered as a ride felt a little under him.

Are you sure she will give up the bow if she loses?

I guess I will have to win to see.

Baskets of arrows were lined up near the starting point, and Sedel was about to start when Kaen raised his hand.

“Before we start, can I ask if we can up this a little bit more?”

“Trying to back out already?” Sedel asked, grinning at him again.

“More of wanting to leave no doubt about who is better.  If we break the same amount in the allotted time, all we are doing is wasting arrows and targets.  I think with one small change, we could easily solve this problem.”

Queleth stood by watching the two of them and was listening to hear what Kaen was about to offer up.

“Let’s do this blindfolded.  Each of us shoots the best we can with one attempt while blindfolded.  Most targets down win.”

Sedel glanced at Kaen, and she stared at him.

“What makes you so certain you will win, or is this your way of losing gracefully?”

“I know you have a skill of forty with archery,” Kaen stated, and when he saw how she reacted slightly knew his guess had been right.  “By the way, you have the baskets out here. That means you probably have a fan shot.  This means you will have a chance to reach more targets with a higher skill.  Obviously, you're wondering what my skill level and skills I have are.  This provides you a chance to find out possibly.  However, if I'm not using the same skills as you, I am at a disadvantage to begin with.  That is why Vadaac can rarely make it past a certain stage.  He will struggle at the multi-targets.

"So let's make this more about skill and technique and who we are than about what skills we have. “

Kaen watched her and Queleth trade looks and saw something pass between the two of them.

“I accept,” she said with a grin.  “Something tells me you are making this work in your favor, but I’m interested to see what plays out.”

Laughing, Kaen motioned at the people gathered along the course.

“Perhaps we should move them away from the sides?”

Laughing she and Queleth both nodded.