The task of arrow retrieval was entirely self-inflicted, but Wyva refused to acknowledge that.
Excellent exercise, he claimed internally, sinking to his knees to pull a dull-tipped arrow from the soft earth near the hollow log. A thorough inspection of the impact zone ensured the next attempt accounted for ground covered.
A useful distraction.
As the alternative was acknowledging the fact that he, had been outwitted by the red-headed oaf of a friend. Then publicly shamed by an Hurc-Human hybrid.
All within quick succession, might he add.
He gathered his quiver and moved to the patch of ferns he had hit with his intentional miss. As he worked, a dry, measured voice descended from the dense canopy above.
"The purpose of this exercise is not distraction, Wyva. It is accountability," Koa moved as silent as a shadow.
Wyva could only occasionally glimpse the flash of his grey vest or the glint of his knives. Just fast enough to see the assassin move to a different branch.
"Every arrow you fired was retrieved, yes. But I hope it serves to draw attention to your lack of forethought," Koa continued.
"The first shot was smart, you hit ferns, and that served it's purpose. The second was unfortunately let loose with an eagerness that is illfitting of an archer. You revealed your intention too clearly, allowing the prey to deviate. Then of course I have to bring up your murder attempt."
The Alven fought the urge to look at his heavy arrow where it was lying just to his right.
Wyva felt a renewed prick of heat in his cheeks, "Sir, I understand the failure was driven by pride. I acted without precision."
"And without personal planning," Koa added, the word dropping like a pebble into a still pond.
"You spent five seconds adjusting your bow, gauging the wind, setting your aim, then five less evaluating how the target would react to your actions."
Koa skipped to another tree, his voice now parallel to Wyva's back.
"You've practiced on still targets and wild animals out there on your family's praire," the man continued to lecture. The boy could tell that his mentor was pacing as he advised.
"Your enemy knows that he is being shot at and will try his utmost best to prevent that from taking place.
Wyva pulled the bent, discarded arrow that had hit the gauntlet. It was a ruined.
"Before you commit to action, you must commit to consequence," Koa advised, his voice taking on a slightly harder edge. "You are not useful if you are not calm. The moment Relik used cover, you should have pivoted to containment, maybe reposition. Maybe even a taunt in return."
Wyva finally stood, his quiver full and the immediate area clean of debris. The small victory of completion did little to salve his wounded pride. As his mentor was still mouthing off in the treeline.
The Alven sighed, "it's just shy of a week and he's already figured me out and yet I become stagnant."
This was greeted with a long silence, which was only interrupted by a singular and deliberate crackling of a leaf. Wyva turned on his heel to find Koa staring at him. Eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed.
"Can you not shoot?"
"Yes."
"Can you not hit a moving target?"
"Well yes."
"Can you not single out your target in a crowded area?"
"Yes sir."
"Then you've already cleared several stages of proficiency and the gods know that there's a canyon between each level," Koa growled at him, "simply running away has a lower ceiling than putting bow to arrow."
Wyva swallowed, "my apologies,sir."
"Running is the one thing we human have over you Alven and Hurcs," Koa turned his back on the boy and began walking off, "it's the easiest thing for us to magically enhance. So, worrying over Relik's evasion is misplaced sorrow. Understood."
"Understood," Wyva replied quickly then put a foot forward to stop the man from disappearing again, "you still haven't explained to me what an Insinyur is."
Koa hesitated before sighing, "if I tell you what it is you're going to hurt yourself trying to find out how it works. For now we're doing the basics. Trust me."
________________________________________
Relik had attained Guardian status for over a week now, and the feeling of uselessness was starting to curdle in his gut.
Sure he didn't want the responsibility in the firat place. Yet he admitted disappointmen as his activities were of low trust value. All he'd done was run away, he got chased, and wandered around until someone else caused a problem he could, again, run away from.
It wasn't a complaint, far from it, but the sense of being a glorified errand boy who, occasionally survived adrenaline fueled scenario was hard to shake.
He looked down at the bulging, silk-heavy satchel currently digging into his shoulder. Maico was walking a few paces ahead, far enough that only the two of them knew they were headed in the same direction.
"Maico," Relik said, his tone flat, "just out of curiosity really, how is trading a bag of dresses going to help me defend against the forces of evil?"
Maico didn't slow or even turn her head.
An act that forced Relik to frown at the back of her moving frame.
"It doesn't," she replied simply. "But once we acquire coin for the dresses, which are, by the way, high-quality goods from the Hamron estate, we will be off to the deeper end of the woods to begin your training."
Relik rolled his eyes, a familiar muscle strain by now. He had two immediate follow-up questions.
His head bobbed in a series of curt nods, "two things. Firstly, why aren't we just trading the dresses for other articles of clothing? It seems like a simpler transaction if you're trying to get me geared up. And also, why do we need to go to the deeper end of the woods? Wyva was essentially chasing me around the guild's backyard for the last week. That seemed pretty effective and convenient."
Maico finally stopped and turned, the yellow in her eyes glowed a bit more than when he'd last seen them.
"That is because," she stated, without a hint of cushioning, "you are the weakest link kid and Logun advised that I keep you there til you figure yourself out."
Relik just held her gaze for a beat and then slowly, deliberately, rolled his eyes.
Maico provided a singular tear from her left eye, "breaking you will be my greatest honor."
Relik sent silent bids for help to anyone who was holistic enough to collect the message.
They continued on toward the massive structure of the Temple. Once inside the main atrium, Maico stopped. "Give me the satchel."
Relik gladly relieved himself of his bag-carrying duties, handing the burden over.
"I needa bargain with the merchant and your… fashion right now does not seem to inspire confidence in the quality of the goods."
"Understood," Relik muttered, already moving away. He cared little for her resolve, he just wanted some time to himself, womething that seemed to be a scarce commodity in the guild.
He drifted toward the billboards plastered near one of the side walls, immediately scanning the official postings. His gaze snagged on the Burning Tempest's responsibilities for the next week.
Mostly patrolling Samaad and managing the outer gates, responsibilities he'd already heard about from Logun. It gained his attention for a moment, but his focus was quickly lost as his periphery registered her.
The girl.
She was walking along the far perimeter of the hall, and this time she looked genuinely nervous, her gaze darting around as if expecting someone to accost her. That is, until her eyes landed on him, and she froze solid.
She shook her head once, a frantic, almost desperate gesture. Relik felt a familiar pull,a strange mix of curiosity and something akin to a bad omen, and he stepped forward, mostly against his own will.
He covered the distance between them, a bit too quickly for his own liking. As he got close enough, the girl's eyes went wide with panic.
"Please!" she hissed, but even then the sound of her voice had Relik completely captivated.
He felt a new warmth in his cheeks as the edges of his lips curved on their own accord.
Was this what it felt like to love? He thought to himself whilst relaxation set in, If this is then I can see why people do it. Wait, what was she saying!
"Are you even listening," she grabbed his shoulder, "we have to lea-"
Before she could complete her command the floors began shaking violently.
"I was too late," her face twisted as though she had met her limit, "I'm sorry."