Chapter Two: Gathering Strength [Solo/Private]

The smells and sounds of the port drifted on the afternoon breeze, inciting the anxious bundles of energy that were Diego and Trixie. The air was cool and they could see trees, and lush, rolling hills out in the distance. Diego hadn't realized how much he had missed green scenery. The endless desert surrounding Heliohapt had its own beauty, but this brought back warm memories of his home. It soothed a distant ache with him to finally be back in a similar climate.

When the ship pulled into port, Diego and Trixie made their way off the ship and into the town. The smells of fish, people, and the unpleasant aroma of waste filled the plaza. Trixie's nose twitched as she frantically sorted through the smells, looking for something in particular. She broke from Diego's side and ran to a nearby stall selling a red creature with several long legs.

Diego spotted her after looking around frantically and made his way to the nervous vendor. He gave a smile and pulled out a few coins, "Seems she wants to try your crab."

Seeing Trixie's owner and the coins made the fisherman relax, "Of course, these are freshly caught." He bundled up a few crabs in a cloth and passed it to Diego. "I hope you enjoy them, if so, tell your friends." The vendor smiled warmly.

Diego smiled back softly with a nod, he felt a flutter of longing for his friends back in Heliohapt as he paid them man and left. He carried the bundle under his arm as he walked, Trixie prancing at his side nosing it, eager to eat. The dirt roads were packed with people movin to and fro, horses carrying wagons with passengers, and the grassy chunked remains of those horse's lunch. Diego tried his best to avoid bumping into people, thankfully Trixe seemed to make people give him a wide berth when they neared her. She didn't help him avoid stepping in a giant pile of manure, strings of undigested grass sticking out of it. Lifting his foot up, he groaned and tried his best to wipe it off in the dirt.

Outside of the town, the scenery opened up into a rolling meadow with budding flowers stretching towards the sun. The sky was clear and the cool breeze made the tall grasses danced as it blew. Diego found a tree to sit under and Trixie plopped down next to him. He unraveled the bundle and began cracking the crab's hard shell open with his bare hands. As he pulled out the soft meat, his fingers alternated between between his and Trixie's mouth.

After they finished one of the crabs, Diego wrapped the bundle back up and put it in his sack. He rubbed Trixie's back and thought about his plan. He wasn't sure where Jagang would be, but they still needed to train, they had been lazy on the boat resting instead of practicing. So he made up his mind to get some work in and stood up. Plus, he didn't think it would hurt to go hiking in a forest again. He strapped the sack back on his shoulder and clicked two short bursts at Trixie as he walked away. Trixie knew to follow him at his heel and she caught up to obey the command. He smiled and patted her on the head, letting her know she could walk freely again.

They came to a fork in the road, one led to the forest and the other down through a meadow. Diego followed the road through the forest and Trixie bounded off eager prowl between the tall trees. Diego smiled as he heard leaves and sticks crunch under his feet as he walked under the canopy. He realized that if they were training, he should prowl like Trixie, like his Father use to. He remembered some of the lessons about hunting in the woods that his Father had given him. Walking on the balls of your feet, lowering your center of gravity, picking your path and rolling your body weight to avoid making sounds. He paid attention to Trixie and crouched into a stealthy stance, mimicing her prowl.

After a while, his muscles got sore, not used to manuevaring in that fashion, but he ignored the dull ache. He remembered what his trainer, Shura, told him, that a good beast-tamer fights as his beast does. Looking back, while he made some rash attacks and got into the fight like Trixie does, he wasn't nearly as efficient as her. He wanted to be a true threat in combat like her and he remembered wanting to be a hunter like his Father. Maybe it was time he learned.

Diego was so involved in his thoughts, he didn't notice Trixie's low growl and the sounds of leaves crunching. He barreled into Trixie and she hissed at him before realizing who it was. That snapped him back to reality, but it was too late to do anything, an arrow hit him in the shoulder. He blinked and looked up to see thirty bandits leering at him and Trixe. Trixie roared, fangs bared, muscles tense and all claws. Realizing they were outnumbered, he let out a high pitched whistle, asking her to retreat. Trixie glared at him and bounded off through the trees back to the road, Diego following, zig-zagging between trees to avoid arrows flying towards his back.

They were near the tree line as Diego's vision started to get blurry and his breathing sounded louder. Trixie looked at him as she heard the uneven rhythm in his step. She let out a mewl when she saw him keel over and fall in the dirt. Realizing he was undefended, she stood her ground as the bandits approached. An arrow hit her in the leg and she let out a roar of pain, and tried to retaliate. Diego rolled over and tried to get the strength to call her back, but his eyes were too heavy and it was hard to breath. He saw her slash at one of the bandit's jackets, he had an emblem of a black crow sewn on his shoulder. Then it was black.

-----

The smell of bacon frying and a pounding headache woke up Diego. He opened his eyes, groggily and yawned, "Salmont?" He noticed he was in a strange bed in a strange room and he couldn't find Trixie. He panicked, getting out of bed and looking around. Then, flashes of the forest came rushing back with a blinding pain in his head. He fell to the ground and whimpered, "Trixie..."

He heard a knock on the door as a bear of a man entered the room. The man had a long, greasy, black beard with thick muscular limbs and stern eyes. He spotted Diego on the floor and scooped him up, setting him on the bed. "Now's not the time, son. You need more rest." He looked to the bedside table and frowned. "Wait here." He squeezed through the door.

He came back a few minutes later with a cup of a strange smelling tea, "Here drink this, it'll clear the poison out of your system." He tilted Diego's head back and held the cup while Diego drank, "Good." He put the cup on the table and then sat on the edge of the bed with his hands in his lap. He gave Diego a stern look as he spoke in a gravely voice, "Now, can you tell me your name?"

Diego rubbed his head and tried to clear his thoughts, "Where's Trixie, did you find her?" His eyes looked frantic.

The man raised a brow at Diego, "Trixie? Is that your sister? No, we didn't find her, only you, beaten and drugged on the side of the road."

Diego shook his head, "No, she's my tiger. She was with me when the bandits attacked, I got hit by an arrow and I passed out." He sat up and tried to get out of bed. When the man held Diego back, he yelled, "I have to find her!"

The man chuckled, "You will, she probably got away." His expression got hard, "You said bandits? Which gang?"

Diego shrugged, "I have no idea!" He remembered the emblem on the one bandit, "There was one with a symbol of a black crow on his shoulder."

The man grimaced, "The Night Crows, they are a nasty lot. We'll find her kid, don't you worry, but for now rest."

Diego tried to get up and argue more, but he realized that the man had put something in the tea and he slipped back into a deep sleep.

---------

Diego opened his eyes and saw the man sitting in a chair reading a book. When he saw Diego was awake he smiled at the boy. "Ah, you are awake." He walked over to the bed and checked his pulse, "How do you feel?"

Diego's mouth felt dry and his voice cracked as he spoke, "I feel fine. I'm thirsty." He accepted the drink of water the man gave him. "Who are you?" he asked.

"The name is Gallus." He pointed, "You never did say what your name was."

"Diego, Diego Namez." He looked around and remembered Trixie was missing, "Did you find her?"

Gallus shook his head, "No, the Crow's hunting caravan was just passing through when they found you. They move across the Western Front finding beasts to tame and fight." At the look of worry on Diego's face, Gallus put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I'm sending my best tracker to find their camp, don't worry. We'll find them."

Diego stared at a distant point on the wall, he had lost Trixie. Ishaq was right, he should never have left, he was foolish to think he was strong enough. As he wallowed in despair Gallus watched him carefully.

"You are not from Reim, are you?" Gallus stroked his beard as he appraised Diego. When he shook his head, Gallus asked, "Why are you here, then?"

Diego sighed as tears rolled down his face. He missed Trixie and dearly hoped she was ok, "We came here to train and find a man named Jagang. I thought we were strong enough...some beast-trainer I am. I can't even defend myself, let alone save Trixie." He turned his head so Gallus couldn't see the tears streaming down his face.

Gallus grunted, "You're right." He ignored Diego's glare. "You can't defend yourself or save Trixie. Right now. You can learn, though." He stood up and motioned for Diego to follow.

Diego got up and followed Gallus down a long hallway, which led to the kitchen. Diego caught an apple that Gallus tossed him as he opened a door leading outside. Diego was shocked to see a group of kids, shooting arrows. in a line towards a row of archery targets. He watched as the kids seemed to consistently hit near the center of the target. From the look of pride on Gallus' face, Diego realized that he trained these kids. "What is this place?"

Gallus looked at Diego and smiled, "This is my camp, I teach people how to be rangers and live off the land." He twirled his beard with an idle finger, "When you said you were a beast-tamer, I realized you might have it in you to be a ranger."

Diego's jaw dropped, he had just been given an opportunity to learn to defend himself. He composed himself and gave a look of fierce determination. "Please, teach me how to be a ranger."

Gallus clapped Diego on his shoulder, "Good, now, I'm sure you want to get to training." Diego nodded fiercly. "Haha, I though you did, son." He put a finger to his lip and thought to himself. His eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers, "Right, now you see that axe in the stump over there." He pointed with his finger towards the edge of the woods.

Diego shook his head, "No, I only see a huge pile of wood, stacked up high."

Gallus nodded, "The stump is right next to it. Anyway, I want that pile of wood chopped up by the end of the week. When that's done, then we'll start the next phase."

Diego raised a brow, "How is that training?"

Gallus just smiled and dismissed his question with a wave, "Better get started then, lunch is in a few hours." He walked away, ignoring Diego's questions.

Diego heard a couple of the kids snickering at him, but when he turned around they were deep in concentration. Annoyed, he stalked off to the pile of wood. He found the axe in the stump and struggled to pull it out. When the axe finally dislodged, it sent him backwards, rolling a few times. His temper flared and he kicked the stump, immediatly regretting it.

He heard the kids laughing behind him and he took a deep breath. Clearly this was a test, so he calmed himself a little bit and reached down to pick up the axe. It was heavy and he had to struggle to use it properly. He found a rhythm and started chopping the wood, throwing the firewood in a new pile on the other side of the stump. Lift. Swing. Chop. Lift. Swing. Chop. He let all his frusteration, sadness, lonliness, and anger into the work, losing himself in the repetition.

He jumped when he felt Gallus tap him on the shoulder. The bear of a man had a trencher of bread dunked in bacon grease on a plate for him. Diego dropped the axe, becoming aware of the ache in his arms and devoured the bread, licking up the grease as he realized how hungry he was. His arms started getting stiff and his back ached.

Gallus saw that Diego had knocked out two rows of the firewood and grunted, "That's a good job so far." He patted Diego on the shoulder and took the plate with him, "Keep it up."

Diego nodded and went to pick up the axe, but could barely lift it. The thing felt twice as heavy and his back protested. He bent down to get better leverage and pushed himself to lift the axe. Lift. Swing. Chop. Breath. Lift. Swing. Chop. Breath. Breath.

The sun sank behind the trees as Diego chopped down another three rows, his body in agony, but refusing to give up. He heard Gallus and approach and he turned around, his face reflecting the exhaustion and pain in his body.

Gallus whistled, "Son, that's a nice job. We'll go easy on you tomorrow." He smiled and led Diego back to the house.

Diego ate dinner and then made his way back to his room and fell fast asleep. The next day he was given a large stick with two buckets at the ends. He was to fill the buckets from a well down a hill a few hundred meters away and carry the water back to the garden. Gallus assured him it was part of the training and Diego did what he was told. The long venture back and forth as he carried the stick on his shoulders and up a hill, hurt especially after the day before spent chopping wood. The only breaks he got were for lunch and dinner.

The rest of the week was spent alternating between the two jobs. Diego spent the day struggling and pushing his body to finish his jobs and fall fast asleep at night. His body constantly ached and he wondered why he kept going, until he'd think of Trixie and push himself harder. Lift. Swing. Chop. He found his rhythm that kept him going, that felt natural and he finished the pile of wood by the end of the week.

Gallus smiled proudly when he saw Diego finish the pile of wood and shook his hand. "Welcome, to ranger school." He sat Diego down and spread his hands, "How do you feel?"

Diego rubbed his shoulder and groaned, "I ache everywhere, I'm tired, and I'm starving." He was glad he passed the test, but if there was more of this, he didn't think he could make it.

Gallus  opened a drawer and pulled out a pouch full of a dried plant, a pestol, and a mortar. "This is the 'Appcha plant, if you grind this up and make a paste, it'll sooth muscles. Remember this plant." He spoke as he made the paste and applied it to Diego. "You're probably wondering what the wood and the buckets had to do with a bow and arrow." When he was done spreading the paste along Diego's back and shoulders he pointed to a bow near the door. "Pick it up."

Diego picked up the bow, his left hand was his bow hand and the right hand was his string hand. He tried to stretch the cord, but found the further he pulled, the more it hurt. He is body flared in pain as the muscles in his back and shoulders tightened, struggling to hold the string back. He let go and let out a deep breath, "Whoa."

Gallus grunted, "Exactly, imagine you doing that before that work." He winked at Diego, "So, what are you going to do tomorrow?"

Diego smiled, "Chop down some more trees and chop it into firewood!"

Gallus smirked, "Good. You rest for these next two days, if you want to train, jog around the camp. I want those muscles rested so you don't stress your body anymore. I didn't expect you to finish the pile." He patted Diego on the shoulder and headed for bed. "Oh, every other day you'll alternate between learning the bow and chopping down wood."

For the next two months, Diego learned the art of archery and how to be a ranger. On his archery days he would spend the mornings shooting arrows at a target and would be constantly drilled on his form. He learned that the rhythm of chopping wood translated perfectly into shooting arrows. Draw. Nock. Aim. Exhale. Fire. He learned to hold the arrow to the bow between two fingers and draw the string to a point at his cheek. Gallus told him to learn the feel of the bow, teach his muscles to learn his flow, and listen to the arrow to learn how to adjust his aim next time.

Gallus also would take the kids on walks to identify plants and their uses. He taught them how to move stealthily through the underbrush, how to blend use the landscape to blend into the surroundings, and how to judge the wind to keep downstream of beasts. Diego would remember everything Gallus taught him as he practiced shooting arrows at targets, creating mantras to let the lessons sink into his head. He thought about Trixie constantly and that drove him on, yearning to get better and know more.

After two months, Gallus held an archery competition for his students. They spent a week practicing their shots. Diego was happy to place second and was glad to make Gallus proud. After a giant feast, Gallus announced that he had found the location of the Black Crows. Diego spit out a thousand questions but Gallus waved them off with a serious look in his eyes. He announced that the Black Crows were a band of bad people and that he was going to take their camp out. Diego was surprised to see everyone volunteer to go with him and he realized that the other kids were getting stronger for their own reasons too. This was a chance to prove something for themselves, just as much as himself.

They spent the next day preparing for the long hike, following Gallus' tracker to the Black Crows camp. Diego was wracked with nerves, hoping beyond hope Trixie was still alive and that he would find her. Gallus tried his best to calm the boy down but gave up when he saw the pain in Diego's eyes. Gallus could only hope the training he had provided Diego to be a ranger would prove useful.

[3354/2000] [Dex Training]

Trixie woke up in a cage, lost, confused, and in pain. She couldn't find Diego and she mewled loudly for him. A strange man appeared and shouted at her, kicking the cage. She hissed, causing him to kick the cage again. She didn't understand what was going on and she yearned to be next to Diego's side. She curled up in a ball and whined softly to herself, falling asleep to her whimpers.

The next time she awoke, she was in her cage and she felt like she was moving. She noticed she was in a long wagon, buried in a stack of cages with other creatures. The creatures either made sad, whimpering sounds or made angry roars and yowls. The Black Crows spent a week moving their caravan, further out west, to put their new toys to the test.

Trixie and the creatures were taken to a hidden town, beyond a forest and nestled in a valley where the main Black Crows' town was located. They had built a hidden base of operations, building bobby-traps in the forest around them, to prevent anyone from finding it. She was taken to a large building, housed with all kinds of beasts. In the center was a small arena, where the bandits bet on fights.

Trixie's first fight was against a pack of foxes. She fought fang and claw to survive that fight and surprised the bandits when she emerged victorious being outnumbered. Every other night for the next two weeks, she was put into the arena to fight a harder beast and she struggled for her life. Memories of Diego's passionate eyes and warm touch, drove her to win, to fight to the bitter end. After the fights, a tall, lanky bandit would visit her and nurse her wounds. When she had survived the two weeks, she was moved to his house, where she could roam. Thankful not to be kept in a cage, she did her best to keep the bandit happy, but wished it was Diego petting her and feeding her.

He had a pack of dogs that he'd train her with, having her try to attack them while they dodged and countered her. When he started pointing out specific areas of the dog's bodies with a certain command, she remembered her training with Diego. She remembered the areas and tried to connect the commands to them. There was also an obstacle course that she'd have to run through, the bandit pushing her to finish it quicker and quicker. There were small wooden tubes that she'd have to crawl through and walls to climb. It was designed to make her full muscle range to move quickly through, with odd angles to improve her reach and work her muscles to pull her body through.

After a month, Trixie had improved, being able to clear the obstacle course in a time that pleased the bandit. She could even catch the dogs with her claws and fangs, preventing them from dodging or slapping their counter away. She also proved that she had learned his commands for where and when to attack, as well as general movements. When the results of his training satisfied him, he took her to the arena for another fight.

Sensing the nervousness of the bandit, she gathered that the opponent would be a challenge. Before the gates to the arena rose, the bandit smiled at her and ruffled the hair on her head. A memory of Diego flashed in her mind and she remembered the bond they shared. She felt a determination to survive and find him again. She stepped into the arena, with a hunger for victory. She would see Diego again and be able to curl in his lap, his safety.

A giant bear that towered over her approached from the other gate. Fear lanced through her body and she panicked back to the gate, but it was already closed. She thought of Diego and calmed herself. She eyed the bear, looking for the spots of its body she learned were its weak points. They circled and stared each other down, waiting for the whisper of a movement in the other's body. Trixie saw the bear's muscles tense before it charged at her, swinging its claws at her rear. Trixie dashed around the bear and swiped her claws in front of its hind leg, tearing through the skin, to get to its intestines.

With a roar, the bear spun, hitting Trixie in her side and throwing her into a wall. She let out a pitiful whine as the breath was knocked out of her. She quickly recovered, getting on her feet and leaping into the air. She landed on its head and sent a jolt of bio-electricty through her limbs and into her claws and she slashed at the bear's spine. The bear twitched, losing its balance and collapsing to the ground. She jumped off its back, spinning around and caught the bear's neck in her fangs, clamping down with all her might. The bear struggled against her as she curled around him, kicking her claws deep into the bear's hide, tearing open massive gashes.

The crowd was stunned at the display of bio-electricty and her bandit roared with laughter, clearly pleased with her performance. She allowed herself to let go of the dead bear's throat and feel happy that she made him proud. She knew Diego would have been proud of her. The bandit took her back home and continued training her.

A few more weeks passed and her training had made her more precise at targeting specific areas of the body. The bandit seemed pleased and decided to bring her on the next hunting trip. He wanted another strong beast to earn him money and he figured if something could give Trixie a challenge, it would be a cash cow. Trixie was excited to leave the bandit town and enjoyed the trip.

They made a stop in a place that seemed to smell familiar, but she thought nothing of it. She stayed near the bandit as they made their camp and got cages ready for the next wave of beasts. When they were done, her bandit and few other left on some horses. They came back with some other men who were tied to a stake within camp. Her bandit gave Trixie commands to his specific areas in the body. She hesitated, unsure of attacking a human without cause, Diego had always stressed to be gentle to humans unless they were threatened. The bandit kicked her and shouted the commands again. Afraid of making him upset again she listened, but the sounds the humans made as she attacked them left her feeling sad.

When she was done, the bandit rubbed her head and gave her a treat. She wasn't hungry, something felt wrong with what she had just done.

[Trixie B-Tier Training: 1145/1000]

Gallus raised his fist, signaling the group to stop. Diego crouched down lower, hiding his presence as he stared out the treeline at the camp about 100 meters away. Two scouts passed in front of the trees without seeing the group. Gallus nodded to Diego and he nocked an arrow, aiming at the closest one. Exhaling, he released the arrow, seeing it sail to its mark and quickly drew another arrow. He pulled the string back and watched the other scout turn around to see why his friend collapsed. Deigo released the air and hit the scout in the neck, taking him out.

Gallus grunted, "Good job." He turned back to look at the camp as Diego and another kid drug the bodies into the treeline, concealing them from the next patrol. When they got back, Gallus signaled several points for the kids to move to in the treeline that surrounded the bandit's camp. Diego stayed with Gallus and looked for any signs of Trixie. Not seeing her, he shrugged that concern off his mind. He would hopefully find her, but worrying would make him lose his focus.

They waited until the next scouts came out to relieve the other ones before they attacked. As the scouts approached, looking around for their missing comrades, Diego let loose an arrow, hitting one in the chest. Gallus followed up with another arrow to the scout while Diego reloaded. They both took two more shouts and Diego let out a whistle, signaling the kids to rush forward and attack the camp. Two of the kids lit their arrows on fire and sent them into the camp, igniting tents.

The alarm rose in the camp and bandits rushed out towards the group, yelling threats of vengance. Gallus had trained his students not to be phased, but instead listen to the rhythm of the bow. One by one, the kids picked off the bandits, whittling down their forces as they came out of the camp.

Diego was about to tell Gallus something when he saw a flash of white leap from the tall grass and tackle one of the kids. Diego's eyes went round when he realized it was Trixie and she savagely tore into a kid he just spent the last couple of months training with. He put his fingers to his lips and gave a piercing whistle. He watched Trixie freeze and look around. When she spotted him, she stopped what she was doing and bounded towards him. They met in a tackle of fur and skin, rolling through the grass.

He kissed her before noticing the blood on her muzzle. He held back bile rising up in his throat and ran to the kid. Gallus was already there, he had ripped off his shirt and tied it around the kid's arm. Thankfully, Trixie had just tried to disarm the boy and not fatally wound him. Diego hopped on Trixie's back and clicked his tongue. She took off and circled the camp as he shot arrows at the remaining bandits. It took him several arrows to get used to firing while moving, but he was able to take down one. Meanwhile, the rest were taken out by the other kids.

Gallus had the kids load up the wagon with supplies and had the wounded kid lay in the back. He let Diego know he was happy he found Trixie and told the group he was proud of how well they performed. He got the horses ready and they went back to the ranger camp.

When they got back, their was a massive feast to celebrate their victory. Trixie wouldn't leave Diego's side, much to the amusement of the other kids. Diego was just glad to have her back and he never stopped petting her. Everyone went to bed with a full belly and a smile.

In the morning, Gallus revealed to the kids that he had been working on bows for them, with a set of his custom hunting arrows. Everyone was surprised to hear that he was a skilled bower and fletcher. They were honored that he would dedicate that much time to them and gave their appreciation. He shrugged off their thanks and told them he made each personally for the recipient. He built it with their essence in mind.

To Diego he gave him a bow he called Determination. Diego hugged Gallus and thanked him for his wisdom and generosity. Gallus chuckled and passed him a set of arrows. After months of trial and struggles, Trixie and Diego were reunited with strength they previously hadn't had. It was the best thing Diego could have hoped for.

[776/500] [Diego C-Tier Dex]

Diego grabbed a quiver of arrows, with his bow on his shoulder, and followed Gallus to the target range. The sun was just starting to set behind the trees. Diego approached the line that marked the appropriate range to fire at the targets.

Gallus grunted, "I want you to try something new. This is a trick shot that will greatly help practice accuracy." Gallus withdrew five arrows from his quiver and nocked them at once. He exhaled and let them loose, all of them finding the bulls-eye of a row of five targets. He saw Diego's stunned expression and nodded, "Let me know when you get that down." He left Diego to his practice.

Diego had trouble adjusting nocking five arrows at once, some of them slipping out from between his fingers as he drew the string back. He spent the rest of the evening until dinner practicing, only able to successfully fire all five one time, though he missed the targets.

After a week of training, he was finally able to hit the targets. They weren't close to hitting a bulls eye and it frustrated him that he couldn't seem to get it. It seemed to him that he needed to practice hitting two targets with two arrows and then work his way up.

Days of training passed and the practice started to pay off. By the second week, he could hit three targets with three different arrows at once, striking them in the center. The improvement helped his confidence and he started working his way up to five arrows.

By the end of the third week, he was able to hit all five targets, sometimes managing a few bulls-eyes. Gallus seemed impressed with that and told him that he had another ranger trick for him.

[Training D-Tier: 297/250]

Training: Multi-hit:

Gallus passed a quiver filled with strange arrows to Diego. The arrowheads were larger than normal and made of clay. "You should test these out on one of the targets over there. Use the same technique as before, with five arrows."

Diego pulled an arrow out, feeling the weight as he balanced it in his hand. He slid the quiver over his shoulder and grabbed his bow. He nocked five arrows and slid back the string, noticing the difference in weight than he was used to. He inhaled deeply as his fingers gripped the string  by his cheek, aiming each arrow at a different target. With an exhale, he loosed the arrows and sent them sailing at 15 meters per second.

The arrows fell short of their intended targets, hitting the ground with a splash of water. Diego looked to Gallus with a brow raised, "Water arrows?"

With a nod, Gallus grunted, "I remember you mentioning Trixie could shock people." He pointed at the targets, "If you can't hit your target, though, it might not be useful."

Diego realized that Gallus was showing him a way to utilize his ranger training with Trixie's attacks. With a determined nod, Diego pulled out another five more arrows and knocked them. He adjusted his aim to be higher, accounting for the weight and stretched the string back farther, pulling his muscles to their limit, hoping the extra force would help. When he released the arrows, they sailed forward and only three managed to his the target, drenching them slightly.

Diego looked at Gallus, "I'll let you know when I'm ready." Gallus nodded and left Diego to his training.

Diego spent two weeks practicing his shots. Whenever he seemed to run out of the arrows, Gallus would have more made in his small workshop. Diego thought to himself that Gallus seemed to take great joy in everything about archery, from making bows, fletching arrows, and even the art itself. Hours were spent with Diego chanting his mantra. Nock. Inhale. Pull. Aim. Exhale. Fire. The weight of the arrows had taken him a while to adjust to, but with practice him aim and the power which he could send the arrows, increased.

Gallus nodded approvingly when Diego had shown him what he had learned. Diego asked for another lesson and Gallus chuckled. "Part of being a ranger is learning from your experiences. I've shown you some uses, now it's up to you to find the abilities within you."

[Training D-Tier: 413/250]

Training: Water Arrow:

Exit