Recurve Bow

Moving over to the sixty-meter target that they had been practicing on, Ava drew the bow and prepared to shoot but was stopped by Vaylah.

Confused, Ava looked at Vaylah with a questioning gaze.

Smiling, Vaylah shook her head and pointed at the twenty-meter target.

Shrugging her shoulders, Ava lowered the bow and positioned herself in front of the closest target. Although she didn't quite get it, if Vaylah wanted her to shoot at the twenty-meter target, she'd shoot at the twenty-meter target. It wasn't like she was focusing on aim at this moment.

Drawing the bow, Ava couldn't help but be surprised at how much heavier the draw strength of this bow was compared to both the longbow and the mini bow she had been using. Of course, while she was surprised, she was rather happy about it, as this was to her liking.

Aiming at the target, Ava released the bow and was startled as the arrow almost instantly found itself in the target.

Tapping her on the shoulder, Vaylah hid a smile and led Ava over to the target to retrieve the arrow.

Looking at where the arrow had landed, Ava shook her head slightly at the fact it had landed at the seven-point mark but didn't comment. Anyways, it was her first time using it. There was no need to be too concerned about the fact that she was slightly off on aim.

As Ava was about to go and grab the arrow, Vaylah once again stopped her and led her behind the target with a mysterious smile. Aquising, Ava followed only to gasp as they saw the back.

The arrow she had just shot had pierced through the back of the four-inch straw target.

Lightly touching the tip of the arrow, Ava marveled at it for a moment before turning her head towards Vaylah inquisitively.

Finally speaking, Vaylah said, "Haha, surprised, aintcha? Recurve bows are all about piercing the arrow into flesh. So although you can shoot 'em' far like a longbow, there's no point. Keep the target in the ten to thirty range, and aim to kill."

Nodding, Ava couldn't hide the slight glimmer of excitement in her eyes. Although longbows and straight bows were nice and all, she had to admit she hadn't found them that interesting compared to her shortsword training or even her dagger-throwing training. The problem was that although a bow was useful, it was mainly for war. In her life, where would she use a bow?

In the close-knit street of the slums? By the time she notched the arrow, who knows where the opponent might have hidden? There were simply too many obstructions, and the terrain was much too complex.

Other than that, the problem with a bow was that it left behind more evidence. After all, if you asked eyewitnesses how many people had come by with a dagger, their guess was as good as yours. If you asked about a bow… well, it was quite hard to hide a bow. Be it the weapon or the wound.

Seeing Ava's excitement, Vaylah once again let out a warm smile before it was tinted with a hint of evil. "Alright, now that you've tried it out, I think it's time for a little break. We'll come back to practice later."

Turning her eyes to Vaylah, Ava couldn't help but judge her for a moment before reluctantly agreeing, allowing the woman to drag her to the rest house not too far away.

As they ate, Vaylah couldn't help but chuckle at how absentmindedly Ava was eating the delicacies and sweets that she normally valued so dearly. Finally, the damn imp was showing some passion. She had really wanted to smack the girl silly for how carelessly she treated the bow despite her astounding talent. Did she really think that being a crude and idiotic swordsman was a better life than being a noble archer?

After teasing Ava for a few more moments and feeding her a few new snacks, Vaylah shook her head and let Ava go back to the train as she could see the girl's mind clearly wasn't at the table of snacks in front of her.

Rushing off, Ava went back to practice.

Sighing, Vaylah rang a bell on the side of the room and watched with an indifferent expression as a steward came in, "Pack everything up, send it back with Ava when she returns."

"Yes, miss, I'll see to it. Should I send anyone to help Miss Ava bring the items back?"

Thinking for a moment, Vaylah shook her head and dismissed the man before heading back out to watch her little protegee train.

After about an hour of training and guidance from Vaylah, Ava had finally gotten the hang of the recurve bow and was able to hit ten out of ten shots at a ten-meter range, nine out of ten at a twenty, and nine out of ten at thirty. Seeing Ava's precision, Vaylah let out a content nod before clapping her hands and saying, "Alright, let's practice on a moving target now."

Panting, Ava lowered the bow in her hand and lightly clenched her fists, and crinkled her fingers for a moment before listening.

Moving over to the side of the range, Vaylah lifted up a burlap covering to reveal a pile of what looked like plates. Seeing Ava's confused expression, Vaylah chuckled and picked one up before tossing it over at Ava.

Subconsciously, Ava moved her hand to deflect it but changed her position to catch it at the last moment. Feeling the somewhat hefty and ceramic feel of the plate, Ava spun it in her hand for a moment before trying to throw it back to Vaylah.

Seeing the projectile hurtling towards her head, Vaylah's lip twitched, and she quickly ducked out of the way and grimaced as the plate shattered against the pillar behind her, and a small fragment flew towards her back and left a small bruise.

Startled, Ava couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "Sorry, I thought…"

Lightly rubbing her back, Vaylah sighed and shook her head to show that it was okay, "It's alright. I shoulda told you instead of teasing you. This is a disk. They're normally made outta wood if you wanna toss them back and forth. These ones fly just as well but shatter easier."

Lifting up one of the disks from the pile behind her, she moved over to the front of the range where a bow had been placed on the wooden barricade and said, while preparing a throw, "And what we're using them for today is this." As she said this, she tossed the disk out into the sky before quickly picking up the bow in front of her and notching an arrow.

After waiting a moment for there to be a clear shot of the disk, Vaylah released the arrow, which flew and collided with the disk, causing it to shatter in midair.