Chương 137: Chapter 136 [Archery Conclusion]

"So much for those nerves he was worried about," Luka said. Rika was still grinning.

"He's shot further before. He's probably annoyed he didn't match his personal best." Phil was watching the table.

"He's taken the lead. As long as he doesn't fuck up the final event, he'll win."

"The fact he's not shot at moving targets before could be an issue, but he's pretty accurate. He just needs to get his timing down, which should be easy enough. It's not too different from landing skill shots in League," said Luka. The moving targets brought the crowd forward in their seats. Ten targets set into the ground at the far end, rising one at a time with no pattern and no warning. Ten arrows. This was the part none of them had seen Parmo do before.

Corren stepped into the circle and took a moment to look at the targets set into the ground in front of her. They were already moving, some drifting side to side, others rising and falling in a steady rhythm. She watched them, reading the patterns, then raised her bow. She worked through the first few cleanly, taking her time between each one, the crowd staying quiet while she found her rhythm. The slower targets she picked off without hesitation, moving to the harder angles as she built confidence.

She hit seven in a row before one of the faster targets shifted its pattern slightly as she released. The arrow fell wide. She moved to the next without reacting and hit it, then hit the last one clean. Nine out of ten. The boards went up and the crowd responded. She stepped out and looked toward the table. The scores from the first two rounds showed her as being in second place, just ahead of Fen and not far behind Parmo. She didn't know if nine was enough. From the look on her face, she hoped it was.

The remaining competitors took their turns. They'd all done this before and their scores reflected it, fives and sixes mostly, the patterns familiar enough that none of them struggled badly. One managed seven and the crowd gave a warm response. The middle and bottom of the table shifted, names moving to make up the new order, but the top of the table had barely changed. She was sitting on top, but Parmo hadn't taken his turn yet.

During the last few rounds, Leo found himself watching Parmo instead of the archers in the circle. He was standing at the edge of the staging area, not watching the competitors. He was watching the targets. Every so often, his eyes would follow an arrow from the bow to the target, then go straight back to the mechanism. Reading it. Working out the timing before he stepped in. Rika was watching him too, arms folded, a small smile on her face.

When Parmo finally walked to the circle, Leo stopped watching the range entirely. Parmo looked at the targets for a long moment, then raised his bow. The first target rose and he shot too early, the arrow missing wide. He reset without looking at the crowd and found the next target. Hit. He worked through the next few steadily, the rhythm coming together as he went. The eighth was one of the faster ones. It shifted mid-pattern and the arrow clipped the edge and fell away.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He hit the ninth clean. The tenth rose slow in front of him and he put it through the centre. Eight out of ten. The boards went up. Leo glanced over at Corren. When the first arrow had missed, she'd straightened slightly, something shifting in how she was standing. Then Parmo had hit the next six and she'd gone still again. By the time the eighth fell away, she wasn't watching the targets anymore, just the table.

The announcer stepped forward and raised his voice over the crowd.

"Brandon, first place. Corren, second. Fen, third." Applause spread through the stands, steady and building as people put their hands together. The three of them stepped forward into it. Parmo gave an awkward wave that made Leo grin. Corren and Fen acknowledged the crowd, and the announcer stepped back. Leo was on his feet with the others before he'd thought about it.

"Congratulations, Rika. He did really well," said Shai. Rika smiled.

"He did. I knew he could. He was worried about the crowd, but it didn't take much for him to show what he can do. I'm proud of him." Leo nodded.

"Same. I knew he was good, but seeing that against people who do this regularly really shows how well he's taken to it."

"Kind of unreal when you think about it," Luka said.

"A month ago, none of us had picked up a bow. Seeing him shoot the way you see people do it in films is pretty cool."

"You should all be proud of yourselves today," Torren said.

"You certainly gave us reason to be." Corren reached him before he left to join the others. She looked at him for a moment, then put her hand out.

"You're good. I'll give you that." Parmo shook it.

"Nine on the moving targets was a strong score. You pushed me."

"Clearly not hard enough." She paused.

"I thought Rika wasn't serious enough as a trainer. Too relaxed, not enough drive."

"She has her own way of doing things," Parmo said.

"I'd never fired an arrow from a bow before about a month ago. What you just watched is largely down to her. Her style isn't for everyone, but it worked for me. Probably best not to judge it based on your own experience alone."

"A month!" said Corren, the shock clear on her face.

"How is that even possible?"

"I don't know if I'm allowed to go into that, so I won't say. You can think of it as similar to how beast-kin have magic running through their bodies, though."

"Well, that makes my defeat a little easier to stomach. It's no different from losing to Fen."

"Yeah, it's a pretty big advantage. Still, though, even with that, I wouldn't have gotten as far without Rika's guidance."

"I still think she needs to take her training more seriously."

"I disagree. I know some people do better with a stricter trainer; I'm not one of them. Like most things, training isn't black and white." Corren thought on that for a moment. Then she glanced past him. Rika had both hands on her hips, chest out, chin up, failing completely at not looking smug. Beside her, Shai was shaking her head slowly. Parmo followed her eyeline and grinned. Corren rolled her eyes.

"I'm still not apologising. It's not just the training, anyway. She just annoys me in general."

"Yeah," Parmo said.

"I can see why that would be the case."

"Anyway," Parmo said.

"GG." Corren tilted her head.

"GG?"

"Where I'm from, it means good game. Well fought, basically." She considered it.

"That's weird. GG, I guess." He laughed and walked toward the group. Parmo walked over and Phil clapped him on the back.

"Nice one, mate."

"Cheers."

"Good shooting," Leo said.

"Yeah, man, congrats," Sam said. Luka grinned.

"GG." Parmo laughed at that.

"Well done, Brandon." Rika stepped forward.

"I knew you could do it." Shai nodded.

"You were impressive out there."

"Agreed," Torren said. Parmo looked at all of them looking at him, and his face began to turn red.

"Right, yeah, cheers, it was just, I mean, the targets weren't, it's not like—" Phil started laughing first. The others followed.

"Shut up," Parmo said, which made it worse. Then he went still. The grin faded. His eyes lost focus.

"That your award coming in?" asked Sam. He read for a long moment. Looked up.

"It's like with Leo. I have two," he said.