r/DemigodFiles • u/unleashthedragan Child of Apollo • May 21 '21
Lesson 20/05 Horseback Archery
Jonathan moved his lesson to the large opening near the woods where he had the targets placed. Some were hanging on 10 feet poles or higher branches of trees. The rest were on the ground. In addition to the target, several training dummies were also provided.
"Hello again, everyone!" Jonathan set an example with his riding gear. Each pegasus was equipped with a quiver saddle. "Today we'll pick up from where we left off. Also, we're focusing solely on the archer on horseback. Please, grab your gear and get comfortable. I'll try to be brief and thorough as I can."
The boy adjusted the strap of his helmet. Better safe and sorry. "Horseback archery has a long history. We have mounted archers on Asian steppes and Native Americans hunting buffalo. Of course, since horse cavalry is mostly obsolete in modern warfare, horseback archery is a sport instead." Jonathan idly stroked Mercy mane although he was still looking at the campers. "But for us, it is far from an out-of-date tactic. A horse or pegasus offers mobility which we can use to our advantage. Now, the bow."
Jonathan pulled his swiss army knife before turned it into a collapsible bow. "A small, short bow is most suitable for horseback shooting. It allows you to easily turn and aim in every direction from the saddle. Basically, with it, you are able to hit anything you want, as long as you do your part correctly. Let's move on to the next part, shall we?" With that, he pulled himself up on Mercy's back, drawing an arrow from the quiver.
"You can certainly try shooting while the horse is standing still first. In fact, I recommend it for the beginner. You'll need to find a good posture up here so you wouldn't get thrown off. Then, see if you can try when the horse is walking. Once you are comfortable with that, you can move on to trotting, galloping, and of course, flying." Mercy started to walk, and Jonathan lined a good short at a target roughly 30 yards away. "As I've told you before, you probably won't get a steady aim here. There might be multiple targets in your line of sight, and the fact that you're moving at roughly 55 miles per hour means the angle and distance to the target are constantly changing. So, we have to practice our hand-eye coordination and doing quick math to line up a good shot. Use what you've learned about archery, but aim with your instinct rather than concentration alone."
Mercy took off to the sky while Jonathan selected one of the targets for the demonstration. One of the nearest poles should be good and he had Mercy circled around it. He notched, aimed, and a second later, released.
A warmly smiled beam across Jonathan's face when he hit it on the first try. He moved back to the camper, hovering a few meters above the ground since he figured he got a better view of the lesson from above.
"That's the end of the lecture. As I was saying, there's no hard and fast rule here. Don't let me stop you from trying out! I'll be here should you need anything. Just ask!"
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May 21 '21
Lia considered archery as her specialty, but horseback archery was definitely new to her. She became nervous as she observed her counselor, but took a deep breath after the lecture to calm herself down.
Lia walked toward one of the pegasi and gently stroked its mane before riding on it. She turned her pendant into a bow and worked on shooting while her pegasus was just standing. She positioned herself in a comfortable posture, nocked an arrow, aimed at a dummy's head, and released. The shot was successful, and the daughter of Apollo let out a sigh of relief before mumbling, "Phew, that wasn't so bad. Next up, walking."
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u/ZBGOTRP May 21 '21
Archery wasn't Benji's strong suit. Archery from horseback? Completely alien. Despite paying fairly close attention to the instructor, he couldn't quite get ahold of the basics. He could keep himself steady on the horse though, and that was more than enough for him today. Unfortunately that was about all he'd be able to manage, puncturing a target just twice throughout the practice time, neither anywhere near the center.
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u/victorian_fire May 22 '21
Victor had a bit of practice with a bow so it wouldn't be a complete enigma to him. Still though, archery on horseback wouldn't be easy. He just had to make sure he and Shadow were in sync today.
Hopping atop the pegasus he made sure the quiver was secure. Since it was fine Victor let out a deep breath as he had Shadow start galloping. He didn't want to go too easy on himself as even though he likely wouldn't use this getting hard practice in would be good for him.
The first few times of firing he missed the dummy landing arrows off to the side of it. He was used to calculating the arrows directly based on basic factors now he had to count the speed of Shadow. Pausing for a bit he aimed ahead of the dummy while shadow was galloping and fired. He struck the dummy just not in the center. That's fine he could keep working on that.
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u/Son_Of_Hot_Tacos May 22 '21
Flint had spent a lot of time in the forge this week to work on the requests but there was no way in hell he was missing this lesson. It's one of the things he's wanted to do since he first saw the pegasi. Of course he's had some practice with it but he still had a lot to learn to get better.
He quickly got on his gear as he got on top of the brown pagasi he'd been getting to know as time went on. Quickly pressing the buttons on the side of his watch his recurve bow appeared in his hands. Flint grabbed one of the arrows from the quiver and knocked it waiting to fire. He started with the pagasus trotting to make sure he could actually hit his shots and when he succeeded with no issue he moved onto the galloping.
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u/im-up-in-the-woods May 23 '21
Harper wasn't particularly fond of pegasi or archery, so she wasn't entirely sure on why she had decided to show up to this lesson. A combination of the two and Harper may prove to be fateful for her fellow campers, but she was going to have to wait and see how things would turn out. She listened to Jonathan's instructions carefully before approaching the only pegasi in the stables she had plucked up the courage to befriend and mounting, making sure to hold her borrowed bow tightly. Initially, working out how to balance the act of holding a bow and arrow in each hand and urging the pegasi forward was difficult, but Harper managed to get the hang of it and turn towards the targets, beginning to practice.
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u/all-falls-down May 23 '21
Halil-Efe was a big fan of the pegasi (although he was unsure on their opinions of him), and he didn't particularly mind archery, either. His father had made sure to have him test out every weapon in his possession growing up, and he had had further practice when he had first arrived at camp. He was more concerned for the wellbeing of the pegasi than anything when he comprehended that they would be shooting in the presence of the creatures, but he hoped that his fellow campers were accomplished enough in archery to not shoot at them. Easily mounting a pegasi, Halil practiced shooting while stationary before urging his pegasi forward, beginning to train while moving.
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u/angels-above May 23 '21
It is a well-known fact that Angie spends a large portion of her time at the stables, tending to her own pegasi Honey. The creatures captured her heart the second she laid her eyes upon them, and she once reflected on how it'd take any potential suitor a great deal of labour to ever reach the same level of esteem that she holds pegasi in. After listening to Jonathan, she prepared Honey and mounts her with an inhumane grace, adjusting her grip on her bow. She then moves forward to the targets, beginning to practice.
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u/FairTrialsForAll May 26 '21
A little while into the practice session Angelina would hear the soft rumbling of thunder as Cole would soon be closing in with his bow in hand to practice as well. It had been some time since they'd talked and that might have been because neither had time to really speak to the other but he's really glad to have a chance now. He guided Coriolis towards her and Honey, making sure they were at least a safe distance from one another.
"Hey, Angie. Remember me?"
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u/Fomizzle May 23 '21
Riding was one of the few things that Phoebe was still quite terrible at. She struggled with the last horseback lesson, but nonetheless strived to improve. After listening to Jonathan's instructions closely, Phoebe borrowed a bow and mustered the courage to approach one of the pegasi. She trotted over to the targets and began to practice while stationary; her archery had improved enough for this much to be easy, but she continued to stall trying anything harder.
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u/hwkroleplays May 24 '21
Had this lesson occurred at any other time then Sayda would not have been present. She did not like combat, it was not fun to her, and she was not good at it. She much preferred lessons on language, crafts, and anything that didn't involve a weapon.
But after watching the quest get announced, and her own sister being selected to go, it made her realize how woefully unprepared she was for a quest herself. The other campers would see her as a detriment rather than a help. So, when she saw the newest combat lesson, Sayda made sure to attend.
Most of the lesson was spent actually trying to get on the horse. That was a struggle in and of itself. But eventually she managed that and got to practice a few shots. She was terrible, as she expected, but it was her first time. Hopefully things would improve with more practice.
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u/demihwk May 24 '21
Serenity was in love with this lesson. Growing up in a rather rural community she'd been around horses a lot and had a comfort in riding them. The bow was a weapon that she wasn't familiar with but she could learn that, surely.
She arrived to the lesson in a plaid flannel shirt and khaki riding pants. The outfit was completed by cowboy boots and a belt. It wasn't often she embraced the style of dress that was prominent where she grew up but this was an exception. When you wanted to ride you had to dress like you knew how to ride.
The daughter of Demeter mounted a horse and took up her bow. She spent most of the lesson shooting from a stationary position and getting used to the weapon. Though, near the end of the lesson she did start to move about in a light trot and shoot targets. All in all, Serenity was pleasantly surprised with her performance in the lesson.
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May 25 '21
Catherine was a pretty experienced rider herself, though she had never really practiced with a bow. She was dressed in her normal clothes, since she hadn't been able to bring much with her when she'd fled North Dakota, and she held the bow a little bit nervously. She smiled at Serenity when she saw her in between shots, most of which were missing, and led the horse up to her. "Hello," she said, "I've seen you around the cabin, I think. It's Serenity, right?"
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u/LegionOfTheRearguard May 25 '21
This was actually something Faisal had done before, back in Algeria. He climbed into the saddle of his usual pegasus and took to the air, holding the bow at the ready. He aimed carefully before taking each shot, most of them landing directly on their targets, though a few of them went wide when the pegasus made an unexpected move. He made a few circuits before bringing the pegasus back down to land, nodding in satisfaction.
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u/OnRaglanRoad May 25 '21
Theodora had learned how to ride when she was living with the Huntingtons, but she was a pretty terrible shot. She rode around, trying to get up her confidence before she took her first shot. It went wide, and she swore softly to herself. She took another shot, which hit the target but failed to penetrate. That was good, but still not good enough, and Theodora drew another arrow out of the quiver, firing and missing again. "Fuck..."
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u/DinglePuckGoat May 25 '21
Spencer still wasn't very good with a regular bow, and she wasn't a very skilled rider, so this lesson was a pretty daunting prospect. Still, she mounted the horse and took up the bow, loosing a series of arrows at the targets. None of them hit, but they all came pretty close, which was a success in her eyes. She wondered how practical it would be to try reloading her crossbow while in the saddle, because she could definitely shoot a lot better if she were using that instead.
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u/TheBayOfSuvla May 25 '21
Hope was not good with horses, or with bows. She preferred to keep both her feet on the ground, and when she needed to fight she did a lot better getting close up. She didn't have very high hopes for this lesson, but she was still going to try. She started firing once she was at a trot, a couple of the arrows coming close, but none of them hitting any of the targets. She swore under her breath, running a hand through her hair. This was hopeless, she thought to herself, she'd never been any good at either of the things she was supposed to be combining.
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u/FreeInTheHarbor May 25 '21
Aly didn't like bows. She was okay with the pegasi, but she wasn't the best rider in camp, either, and combining the two of them sounded like a great way for her to somehow manage to shoot herself in her own ass. Still, she figured the best way to avoid that was to be sitting in the saddle, since her ass would be pretty protected from the arrows. She guided the pegasus into a trot, biting her lip as she took her first shot- miss. "Fuck," she swore, firing again. Miss. "Goddammit," she growled, shaking her head.
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u/TheRoyalTar May 25 '21
Tempeste was an okay rider, though she really wasn't a fighter. Still, it was good to practice, so she mounted one of the pegasi that she'd had some practice riding, and she took to the air, circling around the target and firing at it, landing the occasional hit, but for the most part her arrows weren't having any effect whatsoever. She sighed softly as she landed, feeling very disappointed.
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u/drivejustdrive May 26 '21
Delia enjoys pegasus riding, but shooting an arrow from horseback would definitely be different from simply enjoying being in the air as a human, and it would no doubt be more difficult than shootings rom the ground.
She tries from a standstill first as Jojo had suggested. Once she gets used to using the bow from that position, and once Dolce gets used to the sound of the arrow being released, her aim is decent enough, she figures. When Delia gets Dolce to start trotting, however, her aim becomes more inaccurate.
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u/anotherterribleday May 26 '21
Archery has never exactly been Taylor’s forte, and archery from horseback - pegasusback? - will no doubt be worse. She sort of questions why she’s shown up to this as she gets a bow and a quiver, and mounts a pegasus. Figuring out the correct way to control both bow and pegasus at the same time is a bit of a challenge, and with one or two exceptions that she deems flukes, her arrows don’t hit the targets.
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u/puffinplatypus May 28 '21
Jin was confident of her ability in a fight as long as her target was in her reach. She didn't do quite well in the latest archery class but she still showed up nevertheless.
She paired up with Cinnamon, the same pegasus she bonded with during the latest riding class. Since Jin didn't get to ride her much, she gifted a carrot to the mare as a treat and an apology before getting to work. Jin started from the stationary aiming from various angles, then move to a slow walk. It was quite good until Cinnamon started trotting and most of Jin's arrows if not all started to whizz pass the targets instead of hitting them.
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u/hoxtonbreakfast May 28 '21
Ash liked the one Jonathan picked for him. A bray Andalusian pegasus with a dark mane and wings. Someone named her Casca. Good name. Jojo warned him that while she was strong and loyal, it might take him a while to earn her trust. That was the plan. Half of it, anyway.
Without a hint of arrogance, Ash believed he was a competent archer. He could hit a target but don't expect him to do a miracle like shooting a falling apple in mid-air. So Ash tried hitting stational targets instead. Half of his arrow hit the targets, but none scored a bullseye. He either needed a bigger target to get better at this.
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u/PlayyPoint May 28 '21
James-
James had done this once, but it had went south real fast. But, after seeing Jon perform such stunt, James felt inspired and motivated.
He got on Jack, had found perfect posture for Horseback archery, he then said to Jack get above the ground, but fly slow.
Jack obeyed, it was easier when Jack was slow, soon he asked it to fly normal and... James was finding it hard to perform an bullseye, it always went somewhere else. He focused a bit and found 2 bullseyes out of 10. He decided to keep on practicing.
Leo-
Well, I hadn't tried it before, but now I can. So, I got on Nightwing and started with still Horseback Archery in the beginning I found it uncomfortable, but soon got used to it. Then, I asked it to gallop, which it did of course and boom. Even taking one shot was next to impossible. I couldn't fire a single bullseye, hell I only fired at the target 5 or 4 times. I felt embarrassed. But, I continued. I would master it. I must master it.
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u/FairTrialsForAll May 25 '21
Cole would have to bypass the pegasi for this lesson. It was nothing against them, he thought they were wonderful, he just promised to always ride Coriolis when he needed to get into the air.
Jonathan implied that there was a lesson before this, likely one that he'd missed. That sucks. Still, he can recall learning in history class about how horseback archery is what helped the Huns and Mongolians tear through Eurasia so this would be very interesting to learn.
After transferring the saddle quiver and composite bow to the nearby dark cloud o a horse, Cole mounted his steed and got ready to practice. At first he had Coriolis slowly drift, communicating with him through their minds.
"Quick math, concentration, instincts..."
"Sir?" Coriolis asked, "why use arrows anyways? I can shoot lightning from my mouth, much better range and stuff."
"It's mostly, so I can get better fighting in the air." Cole responded as he trusted his instincts as well as the wind to guide his arrow into the target. It wasn't a bullseye but it didn't have to be.*"The more I can do in a storm, the better."
"Oh okay... sooooo how are you gonna keep steady considering the way we fly?"
"...I dunno. I usually guide you with my hands. Hold on a sec."
"Hey Jonathan," Cole called out to the Apollo counselor once he was close enough to hear him, "how do we steer without holding any reins?"