EPISODE 75: XCALIBUR AOP 2! UNION OF THE WORLDS! THE FOURTH SESSION: THERINGS OF OLYMPUS PART VI: THE ARCHER'S AFFINITIES PART IV: THE ARCHER'S TERRAINPART II: WATER
Concordia stood upstream where the steep canal flowed. A bit further downstream, she could see the submerged target practice dummies. The target wasn't at the surface or at the bottom of the stream but rather it was suspended within the stream but anchored so that the quick flow of the Stream wouldn't carry it away.
"Keiran, what is this?" Concordia stared at the Stream.
Keiran assumed a cat-like smirk.
"Concordia, I expected you to challenge the fields in this order, Wind which you've already challenged first, Water next and finally Earth. Since you've overcome the toughest field relatively easily, I've made some adjustments to the other fields. It's got to be challenging or you won't really improve" Keiran laughed.
"That's true" Concordia realized.
"Anyway, I'll be watching you. Have fun. Like you did the first time, you're only allowed to use your Sigil's Andromeda Mode for your training" Keiran said.
"Okay" Concordia said and removed an arrow from her quiver.
She first attempted a shot with her ivory arrows however the steel tip weighed the arrow slightly but the rest of the mass made of ivory which was lighter than the mass of the steel tip caused the arrow to resurface and it was carried downstream past the target.
"That arrow was too light. My steel arrows...hmm...let me try them next" Concordia said and transformed her next arrow to steel.
"Okay sto-o-o-op!" Keiran called and walked where Concordia was.
He was still smiling his cat-like smile.
He used his earth abilities to create a small ridge across where Concordia was currently standing.
"You can aim for the targets downstream however...do not cross this ridge" he said and returned to his seat.
Concordia nodded and took aim with her arrows. She fired however, the moment her steel arrow entered the Stream, the sharp downstream current caused the Water Resistance to alter its trajectory and it was carried in a different direction until it was completely weighed down.
Concordia observed the phenomenon.
"Hmm...let me try this again" she thought and tried a few more times however her steel arrows were both weighed down and had their trajectories altered by the Water Resistance.
"This is similar to the Magnetic Field in the first Terrain but this time...I'm fighting both the River's currents and Water Resistance" Concordia realized.
Keiran smirked.
"Looks like she finally noticed. Now that you've experienced two terrain types that are debilitating to your affinities, it will be interesting to see how you'll overcome this obstacle" Keiran said with a serious smirk.
"The first thing I need to work on is the weight of my arrows" Concordia said and altered a larger portion of the tip and tail of her arrows to steel.
"Next, I need to compare the weight of my arrows to that of the target" Concordia said and walked to the canal.
She dropped her arrow into the Stream. It sank but not completely. The sharp downstream current carried the arrow away but it still missed the target.
"I see. The Stream's Current is sharp but linear because of the sharp Topography. The streamlined nature of the arrow is the reason it isn't turned sideways however, there are still disparities between the weight of my arrow and the weight of the target and I've got to factor direction into where I place my shots otherwise I'd be fighting the River's currents and will miss every time" Concordia realized.
Concordia repeatedly adjusted the weight of her arrows by rationing the weight of the heavy steel parts to that of the light ivory parts. Eventually, she discovered a ratio that aligned the weight of her arrows to that of the bulls-eye. The ratio of the weighted steel head had to be equivalent to that of the weighted steel tail or the arrow would be slanted in the rivers flow instead of straight. Concordia also sharpened the streamlined nature of the tip and tail of her arrows to nullify the Water Resistance that could alter the trajectory of her arrows by shifting the tip or tail of her arrows.
"At this point, it's just a matter of aim. I can use my bow to align my aim" Concordia said as she took aim.
When she fired, the force of her shot carried her arrow along the Stream towards the target till her arrow broke the surface of the Stream and sank. At that moment, the streamlined nature of her arrow nullified Water Resistance as well as a shift in trajectory. Next, the ratio between the light and heavy parts of her arrow aligned the depth of her arrow to that of the target. Finally, the sharp Stream Currents carried the arrow along the path to the target till it finally struck the bulls-eye.
"Whe-e-ew whew! Pretty darn impressive! Pretty sharp shooting Concordia" Keiran congratulated Concordia.
She smiled.
"I feel like I'm improving rapidly" she said.
"The rest comes naturally once you're conscious of your limitations" Keiran said.
"I'm beginning to get a sense of how to apply my affinities in order to gain terrain advantages" Concordia said.
"Like I said, you already have a sense of the application of Wind. It's a fundamental component of Archery. You've begun to learn to read Waves as well so your comprehension of Water has improved as well. Your dominant affinities though were mostly centred on Wind and Earth. All you were lacking was awareness which is what I've been attempting to train all this while. Now you've begun to grasp application. All that's left is the final field, the field of Wind" Keiran said.
"I'll do that tomorrow. I'm a bit tired right now" Concordia said and walked into her house to get some rest.
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