A Sword For Gold

Chapter 21 - Nowhere

"This time, Cora, don't use the Infinite Arrow!" yelled Maraxus from deeper into the water, as he dove back in.

"Alright, my bad!" Cora apologized, as she nocked another arrow unto her bow.

The two of them were trying to catch as much fish as they could from the water, with Maraxus thrashing around under the surface, trying to make fish jump out of the water so that Cora could score them with her arrows.

Too bad one of the fishes that they would have caught had gone to waste. Make no mistake, Cora was deathly accurate with striking the leaping fish with her arrows, but the first time she did so, she had used the Infinite Arrow. It ended up blowing the fish into bits and pieces and splattering its blood all over the surface, and some of it unto Maraxus' annoyed face.

Cora sheepishly placed the Infinite Arrow back into her quiver, positioning it such that she would not accidentally grab it from inside without looking. As Cora grabbed another arrow, she immediately nocked it unto her bow, pulling the bowstring and focusing and waiting patiently as Maraxus tried to force a fish or two to leap out of the water for Cora to strike dead with her arrows.

Finally, a sizeable mackerel leaped out of the water, and, without missing a beat, Cora struck it clean through its guts with the accurate shot of her trusty bow and arrow. Maraxus immediately caught the arrow-stricken fish and threw it back to the shore, landing amongst the three fish that they had already caught prior.

"Two more, Maraxus!" Cora yelled from the shore, as she nocked another arrow unto her bow.

Taking a huge deep breath, Maraxus once again dove back into the water, and mere seconds later, this time, a pair of mackerels leaped out of the water, and Cora was forced to make a decision whether to choose one or the other.

Both. She chose both, unhesitant to shoot her arrow, and when Cora did, the arrow struck both fishes at once, putting them in a skewer and making them fall into the hands of a rather impressed, yet not fully surprised Maraxus. After all, he knew Cora well, and he knew full well that Cora White would always take the best possible shot when it came to bows and arrows.

"Nice shot!" commended Maraxus, as he began to swim back to the shore of the small island with the pair of mackerels skewered with one arrow in his hand. As Maraxus made his way back to Cora, Vaelia joined her by her side, striking up a conversation about Cora's newly discovered capability.

"You should learn to control the Infinite Arrow," stated Vaelia.

"I have no idea how to do that," answered Cora with a clueless expression upon her face, "It's an Unwieldable, Vaelia. I barely even know how to control energies. All I can do is heighten my senses or perform Flicker Steps to an extent. This... this magical arrow... it's something else..."

"Damn right, it is," echoed Vaelia, "That's why you need to learn how to wield it. It's an Unwieldable that chose you for some reason. Your bowstring did not break when you tried to wield the Infinite Arrow; you're meant to wield it, Cora. You have to take advantage of what you're capable of."

"But I don't know how," argued Cora.

"Neither do I," said Vaelia, "I have no idea how to wield an Unwieldable, much less, control it. My sister, however, is able to lift half of the Star Sword and somewhat control the Master Key to an extent. Perhaps you could ask for some tips from her. Regardless, Cora, you need to manage your Infinite Arrow. Control its spontaneity. Find the balance between its elegance and chaos, and you will be stronger than ever with that Unwiedlable in your arsenal."

Cora shrugged. "I'll try my best," she said, just as Maraxus finally reached the shore, placing the last of the fish they had caught amongst the others, and lying down on the coastline's white sand and taking a deep breath after having gone for a swim deep in the seawater.