Chapter 39: A Lesson In Hunting
Nimbrethil and Bishop were sitting at her corner table quietly working on replenishing their supply of arrows. The past week had been spent attending to odd jobs for Nevalle, who was now her knight, having replaced Grayson. To be honest, it hadn't been all that bad, for at least Nevalle had some understanding of what it meant to be an elf and a ranger, probably becuase of his time spent with Daeghun all those years ago. It must have been one of the times her father had gone away for a while, for she didn't remember ever seeing Nevalle around West Harbor. He also asked about her upbringing in an attempt to understand her, or so he said, and he never was condescending. All in all, a much better situation for her, and less annoying. Now she had a couple of days to herself and she was making the most of it. She rarely bought arrows pre-made, for she had specific standards to which they must adhere. No matter how good an archer was, a bad arrow meant a bad shot.
"Wow, that sure is a lot of arrows," Neeshka wandered over, eyeing the growing piles. "What do you need that many for? It's not like you just leave them behind after a battle or anything."
"One can only use the same arrow a couple of times before it starts to wear and must be replaced," Nimbrethil explained. She saw Neeshka reaching for one from the smallest pile. "Unless you want to die a painful death I wouldn't touch those, the tips are poisoned," she said in warning. The tiefling jerked her hand back causing Bishop to snort derisively.
"What in the hells do you need poisoned arrows for?" Shandra asked in surprise as she joined them.
"Certain situations may call for their use and I like to be prepared," the elf explained. "Almost every creature one might encounter has a resistance to something. For example, the bladelings that attacked my village are resistant to fire and have very tough skin. Only an arrow enhanced for piercing will penetrate it, so I have arrows for that."
"These two look the same and you have lots of them, surely you have enough?" Neeshka had picked up a couple of arrows from two different piles and was looking at them.
"They may look the same but they aren't," Nimbrethil put down the arrow she was fletching and picked up her bow. She nocked both arrows to the string and held them up for Neeshka to look at. "Okay, tell me what you see." She watched the tiefling stare for a while and then shake her head in confusion. "Take a closer look at the tip of the arrows."
Neeshka peered closely at them and then saw what Nimbrethil was talking about. "Yeah, the tips are in different positions, one is sideways."
"That's because they are used for two very different purposes," the elf saw that everyone had gathered around to listen. "Okay, the arrows are fletched so that they fly straight when they leave the bow. This means they hit the target in the same position as they were fired. The notch on the back of the arrow insures that the point is postioned either vertically or horizontally. This is to insure that the arrow isn't deflected off the ribs of the creature being hunted."
"Okay but why do you have two diffrent types?" Shandra asked.
"I know, I know," Grobnar hopped up and down with his hand raised like he was in school or something, causing Bishop to scowl and mutter about using him for target practice.
"Go ahead Grobnar," Nimbrethil told him, casting a warning glare at Bishop who merely shrugged and went back to work.
"You see, deer and other animals have ribs that go up and down," the gnome said excitedly. "The perpendicular arrow will pass through their ribs and into their hearts and thus you have a successful kill. Now the other type is for hunting creatures whose ribs run side to side, which is most humanoid creatures I imagine."
"Correct," Nimbrethil smiled at him. "The tips on different arrows are also made with a variety of materials and sharpened to specific degrees. Which one you use is totally dependant on what you are hunting. What works against a deer would fail against an orc, for example."
"But, your arrow case isn't all that big," Neeshka pointed out. "You don't have room to put every type of arrow in it."
"That is why I always scout ahead before we charge into battle," Nimbrethil explained. "I need to make sure I know what I am up against so that I can have the right tool for the job. Of course, if all else fails, I can just resort to using my blades, but I prefer not to do that if I have another choice. The rest of the arrows are carefully bundled, wrapped and placed in the carrying pack."
"I've used a bow before but never gave any thought to the arrows that I used with it," Shandra shrugged.
"Well, when you spend your life hunting and tracking, you learn these things quickly, or you have a very short life span," Nimbrethil replied as she picked up another arrow and began working on it. "Most creatures don't respond well to getting hit with arrows and are likely to charge you if you fail to kill them with the first shot."
"Sometimes it takes more than one shot to kill something though," Khelgar pointed out.
"Yes, and that's where my training comes in," the elf nodded at him. "I practiced every day with the bow, firing shots from every position and angle. I also practiced shooting at targets in sequence, one shot per target, and allowing no more than a couple of seconds between shots. This gives me the ability to draw, aim and fire an arrow at any target rapidly and accurately. I also practiced on moving targets that Daeghun set up in the trees for me."
"So why do you need the poisoned ones?" Shandra asked.
"Like I said, different creatures have different weaknesses and many creatures are vulnerable to poison," the elf reitterated. "Not only that, but poison weakens the target considerably, making very large targets a little easier to kill."
"So why don't you just buy what you need lass? I mean, you have the money," Khelgar queried.
"It has nothing to do with money and everything to do with confidence in the product," Nimbrethil replied. "If I make them myself, then I know that they will work the way I expect them to. Sand can cast whatever enchantments on them that I might need after they are made. A faulty arrow or bow means a dead hunter."
"It must have taken a long time to learn all this," Shandra mused.
"It took only a few months to learn the basics, but it takes years to master them," Nimbrethil pointed out. "As good as I am with a bow, Daeghun is that much better because he's been doing it for longer. Not only that, practice is required on a regular basis just as with any other type of weapon. If I don't practice then I lose my edge."
"Well, you know lass, you may be good and all with that bow of yours, but it sure isn't much of a weapon against a large group of enemies," Khelgar smiled so she wouldn't take offense at his words.
"Ah, but that is why archers stay in the back behind all the warrior types," Nimbrethil smiled a little in return. "We let tough guys such as yourself take the front line. Of course the possibility is always there that the line could be overrun, which is why many also learn to handle other weapons like swords. Those that choose not to learn to use other weapons generally take up positions that afford them ample cover and retreat routes."
"Sounds like running away to me, and that's just not right," Khelgar harrumphed.
"It is known as a tactical retreat dwarf," Bishop sneered. "Only idiots stand their ground against overwhelming odds. The smarter way to fight is to fall back and regroup, then launch a second attack, preferably from a different spot than the previous one."
"Or even better, thin the enemy numbers before the battle even begins," Nimbrethil stated.
"Eh? I don't get it. How could that be accomplished?" Shandra screwed up her face in puzzlement.
"Simple, a surprise raid under cover of night, catch them sleeping and kill them," Bishop answered.
"Of course you'd think that way Bishop," Duncan growled out, an expression of distaste on his face.
"Actually, it is an effective military tactic used for centuries against large armies by smaller ones, and it is still in practice today," Elanee had been silently observing up till now. "When you are fighting to protect your lands and people, you use whatever means necessary to bring about as quick a victory as possible."
"Elanee's right," Nimbrethil looked her uncle in the eye. "War is not about honor or glory, it is about the survival of your people. The farmer doesn't care how the threat is removed from his lands, only that it is. The merchant doesn't care how the roads are protected, only that they are safe for him to travel. That is what a war is supposed to accomplish, even though it doesn't always succeed."
"Okay, well this was definately not something they talked about in the schools I attended growing up," Shandra said rather shakily. "Where did you learn all this stuff about war and tactics?"
"From Daeghun," NImbrethil answered. "He fought in several wars in the past for Neverwinter and other places. As a ranger, he was well suited for the job of scouting the enemies numbers and location, mapping terrain and obstacles, and coming up with a good travel route for the army. This gave him access to the command tents where such things were discussed. And when the time came he would add his bow skills to the army and fight alongside them."
"So that's why you never learned to play with dolls," Shandra said with a little smile and then it faded as Nimbrethil looked at her in puzzlement. "It was a joke, you know funny."
"Oh, yes of course, if you say so," Nimbrethil couldn't quite keep the confusion from her voice.
Shandra sighed and shook her head. "We're going to have to work on that I see."
Nimbrethil was about to protest when the door suddenly opened and a boy ran over to them. Nimbrethil recognized Wolf, one of the little street urchins that she had asked her uncle to shelter. She hadn't had much contact with them, not really being comfortable around the noisy and rambunctions children. But she had felt bad that they had to risk the streets to survive. Now he stood in front of her trying to catch his breath.
"I'm glad I found you," Wolf panted out as soon as he could. "That funny old scholar, Aldanon, what lives in Blacklake, he asked me to find you. Said something about some shards you asked him to research."
"When was this?" Nimbrethil asked, biting back a groan that her day of relaxation was being interrupted.
"Couple days ago, but you weren't here and none of us kids are allowed into Blacklake where you were," Wolf answered. "Aldanon sent one of his servants to find us and pass on the message to you as soon as possible."
"Okay Wolf, thanks," Nimbrethil told him and watched him scamper off. "I suppose I should go see what the old man wants." She began packing up the arrows and other items on the table. She had managed to get most of what she wanted made and would just have to finish the rest later after visiting with Aldanon. The others left one by one to go do other things until it was just her and Bishop.
"It is getting to be rather annoying, all these interruptions," Bishop growled. "I was hoping to get you out of the city for a while, maybe go hunting," he murmured suggestively in her ear.
"Well, nothing says we can't still do that after the visit with Aldanon," Nimbrethil smiled. "I rather like hunting at night."
"I'll hold you to that elf," he said as he bent to nibble on her ear. "Let's get going. The sooner you finish with the old fool, the sooner we can get out of the city."