Chapter 14: Chapter 13- Contest

After a short walk, Etrius and Torie, along with her entourage, arrived at the headquarters of the territorial militia. Having said that, this was simply another of the local militia's. Each town had their own, and although there was no official headquarters, this one was what many considered to be the most important headquarters as it was in the region's capital.

The building itself wasn't much different from what one might expect for a defensive building. A sturdy stone exterior for the main building, with a few wooden offshoots and satellite buildings, being weapons depots, local critical supplies, and a few sparsely populated barracks. In the center of these buildings was a large open space both for sparing and archery practice. Glancing at Torie, Etrius saw a troublesome smile. Glancing at her maid and guards, Etrius had a bad feeling. This bad feeling grew as a group of lightly armored soldiers exited the building to greet them.

 

"Lord Haywood!" Captain Bloom called out. "I see you brought Ranger Washington."

"Indeed." Torie nodded. "After all, you two had agreed upon a match, correct?"

"There's nothing I can say to get out of this, is there?" Etrius asked.

"For someone who walks around town fully armed, you sure seem reluctant to use your weapons." Captain Bloom said.

"I try not to fight when I can avoid it." It said.

"Well I won't force you, but how about a few rounds?" He asked.

 

Glancing at the still smiling Torie, she gave a small nod which even Etrius found difficult to spot. Stepping forwards, Etrius internally sighed.

 

"If I must." Etrius said.

"Excellent." He said. "Though I'm afraid that none of our archers may pose much of a challenge to a ranger, but, many of us are excited to see the legends in action."

"So we're legends now, huh?" Etrius asked. "I can't say that anyone has told us that before."

"Come now, we have some fresh targets set up for you." He said, clapping Etrius on its shoulder.

 

Being led away, Etrius saw a handful of soldiers with bows exit one of the further barracks. Clearly they were waiting on it. Just behind those with bows, several other uniformed and non uniformed individuals appeared with drinks in hand.

 

"So we're making a show out of this?" Etrius muttered. "Lovely."

"Think nothing of it." Captain Bloom said. "Just an average training exercise."

 

This average training exercise was getting far more attention then Etrius would have liked, but there was no escaping this. From the looks of Torie and the Captain, this would have happened sooner or later. On the bright side, Etrius at least had the opportunity to gauge the skill level of the local militia. That being said Etrius, like many of the rangers, didn't appreciate any sort of spotlight. Not only did this give others a clue as to their accuracy with a bow, but also could hurt the myth of the rangers.

The so-called legends of the rangers were a great invention of a time long ago when rangers were more than guards against poachers and smugglers. Back in the day, rangers were tasked with gathering intelligence, hunting down dangerous criminals, and in some cases known only to those in the royal palace, assassination of valuable targets. That generation, forged in the fires of war and tested in battle, were part of a myth that still circulated. But that was before the "Dark Age". Now a days, not many of the newer rangers knew of their long and secretive past.

Even with these days long since passed, rangers were sometimes called upon to fulfill these rolls. The legends of rangers, with many as far fetched as the moon, were vital to their success. When rangers were around, crime dropped even if no further action was taken. During its training and ever since, Etrius had been religiously practicing with the bow and many other weapons to uphold the legends.

Arriving at the opening, Etrius saw human shaped targets at a distance which could be hit by the militia's bows. At such distances, Etrius could easily and accurately reach the targets. As the militia men with bows lined up, Etrius pulled its bow from its strap on its quiver. It was already strung due to a habit it formed long ago. In said quiver, were thirty arrows, six for hunting and the rest were bodkins for armor in three differing weights. A standard amount for a ranger during normal operations or in a peaceful region.

Looking to its left, Etrius saw five bowmen with the somewhat common bows of the kingdom's militias. On their hips, each had between twenty to thirty arrows in leather quivers. A notable difference between them and rangers. They had quivers more suitable for battlefield conditions, though in actual battles, it was not rare to spot them with quivers on their hips and backs. As for rangers, the quiver on the back made travel through the forest easier, or at least as easy as it could be done with a longbow.

 

"Alright men!" Captain Bloom called out. "We have four targets set up. I know that there is not one for each of you but learn to share."

 

Glancing at the line of archers, he turned towards the targets.

 

"These are straw targets with gambeson armor and scrap iron helmets. Today we are not volley firing but focusing on accuracy. Any shot that would disable or kill an enemy soldier is what we are looking for." Captain Bloom paused. "That being said, these targets have no legs for obvious reasons, and have no shields. Any shot that you can land on target will be rewarded in specialty meals. Any questions?"

 

Obviously this reward was not directed towards Etrius and only served to raise the men's fighting spirits. Glancing at the crowd of spectators, a few of them had regretful faces as they likely had the possibility of joining. Though it was much too late for them now.

 

"And boys, be on your best behavior. Lord Haywood is spectating after all." He reminded.

 

Though many of them know this, all of them looked to Torie who waved in response. As for how many of them she actually knew were there, Etrius wasn't sure as she was not wearing her glasses yet again. It was a bad habit of hers that certainly was not helping with her eyesight.

 

"Now than, anything to say to them?' Captain Bloom asked.

"Hmm…" Torie took a moment to think. "How about whoever takes off one of their helmets gets to have dinner with me?"

 

And the crowd went wild. Hope filled the bowmen's eyes and rapid conversations shot between the spectators. As Torie smiled innocently, her maid and guards frowned at the rashness of such an offer. Etrius on the other hand was troubled. It very much wanted this prize, but it didn't want to look desperate to win this prize. That being said, it absolutely did not want any one of the archers to have dinner with her. How could it win this prize, or at least make sure that no one won it at all?

You are reading story The Ranger: Curse of the Wise at novel35.com

 

"Now, isn't that quite the offer? If I wasn't married, I would join just for that." Bloom laughed. "I won't keep you. Let's get started right away."

 

Before Etrius could formulate any plan, those besides it let their arrows fly. Out of the first five arrows shot, two went wide and the rest were short. Their second shots were closer. One of which even landed on a target's upper chest. Trying not to panic, Etrius calmly pulled out one of its heavy bodkins and let the arrow fly. The target on the right, was its target. The arrow, flying true, pierced the thin plate of the helmet. With a single spin, the helmet fell off the target with a black arrow sticking out of it. The bowmen at it's side stared at the helmet with wide eyes. The spectators were silenced at once.

Already, Etrius won its prize, however a question was still in its mind. Turning to Torie, Etrius spoke it.

 

"Are we limited to one meal?" Etrius asked.

"I- I suppose not." Torie said, seeming shocked.

"Good to know." Etrius nodded.

 

Taking another arrow, Etrius took another shot. Again the arrow struck true, though did not penetrate. With another helmet spinning on the floor, Etrius drew another arrow. The others seeing this very quickly took aim and shot off their own arrows. Perhaps due to the surprise of Etrius' shots or the panic of the promised dinner being lost, their shots were not as accurate as they wished. As more panicked arrows were sent down range, more arrows missed their targets.

Etrius on the other hand was carefully aiming its shots. After all, nothing would be more embarrassing if it missed its next shots after what it had said. Taking another shot, its arrow spun the helmet, though it did not fall. Acting like this was all according to plan, Etrius looked to the panicking bowmen.

 

"A bit low that one was." Etrius muttered, as if it was someone else's problem.

 

Aiming higher, Etrius took another shot, and this time the helmet fell from the target. Grabbing its fifth arrow, Etrius took special care in its aim. Releasing the arrow, once again the helmet spun, and after a moment, fell from the target with a clang. Etrius lowered its bow and looked at the man next to it. With his arrow nocked, he lowered his bow and let out a sigh of admiration.

 

"Better luck next time." Etrius said.

"Sir Washington, that was amazing." He said.

"Just Washington." Etrius corrected. "I'm no knight."

"Well done Washington!" Captain Bloom laughed. "I suppose those legends are true after all."

"Glad to hear that I lived up to expectations." Etrius said.

"Rangers with their bows are a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure." He said. "I don't see why people like you are wasted chasing poachers."

"I'd rather be chasing poachers than have someone with a hammer trying to cave my skull in." It responded.

"I'm sure anyone would." He said. "Next, might you try a quick sparring match with any one of our boys?"

"Sword fights aren't really our thing, so I'll refrain." It said.

"That's a shame. If you ever change your mind, you know where to find us." He said.

 

Clapping him on his shoulder, he turned towards his men.

 

"Alright boys, let's clean up this place and try again!" He called out. "And someone bring Washington her arrows!"

 

With them starting to move, Etrius removed its quiver to fix its bow back to it. With practiced movements, the bow and quiver soon found its way onto its back. As soon as it was done, one of the soldiers handed Etrius the arrows that it had expended. Once that was done, Etrius turned to Torie and her entourage.

 

"That was some excellent shooting Ranger Washington." Reindl said.

"For a ranger, it wasn't bad." Etrius said.

"If that wasn't bad, I'd love to see what good shooting was." Ethan said.

"It would seem that rangers have different standards than us." Reindl said.

"So it would seem." Torie nodded. "And what, if I may ask, would are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"I planned on bringing my horse to the stables before it starts snowing." Etrius said. "Aside from that, I suppose I'll be awaiting those invitations for dinner if you no longer need me as an escort."

"Ah, yes of course. I'll send one as soon as I become available. I only hope to find the right opportunity." She said.

"I'm sure you will." It said. "Until next time."

"Until then." Torie smiled.

You can find story with these keywords: The Ranger: Curse of the Wise, Read The Ranger: Curse of the Wise, The Ranger: Curse of the Wise novel, The Ranger: Curse of the Wise book, The Ranger: Curse of the Wise story, The Ranger: Curse of the Wise full, The Ranger: Curse of the Wise Latest Chapter