Chapter 18: Meditation Facing the Mountain (1/2)
The cold wind blew across the wilderness, making the cruel night ever so frigid. Two people sat around a warm, crackling fire as they munched on their dinner — a hot, steaming, grilled rabbit. Letho sipped from his Est Est and blurted out, “I remember you asking for some pointers on using crossbows. I have some time to talk to you about that now.”
Roy was a self-taught crossbowman. He’d been wishing for some professional training. After starting his journey with Letho, Roy could feel Gabriel getting limited in its use. He could use it to kill normal animals, but not monsters. The only way to break the impasse was through an improvement of his skills.
Letho asked him to take Gabriel out and talked about crossbows. “Can’t talk about Viper School’s crossbow skills, since that’s not our specialty. I’ll tell you about the experience a friend from the Cat School shared with me.”
“You know people from the Cat School, Letho?” Roy asked curiously. If he remembered correctly, Cat School witchers had problematic personalities after taking their special-made decoction during the Trial of the Grasses. They would walk an extreme path, and being a witcher exacerbated that, for they were shown the darkness of the world. Left unchecked, they would spiral into madness.
There were six known witcher schools: Bear School, Wolf School, Griffin School, Cat School, Viper School, and Manticore School. Only witchers from Cat School would accept assassination requests publicly. Because of that, the Cat School was rejected by the other schools and society, making them persona non grata* everywhere. Cat School had a complex relationship with the Wolf School, and was the only one accepting female disciples.
PR/N: Definition of “persona non grata”: In diplomacy, a persona non grata (Latin: “person not welcome”, plural: personae non gratae) is a status sometimes applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection by diplomatic immunity from arrest and other normal kinds of prosecution. Also… I want to join the Cat School xD.
“Everyone says that the Cats are madmen.” Letho rubbed an old scar on his left forearm, and reminiscence showed in his amber eyes. “But that’s obviously nonsense. There are witchers from the Cat School who can coexist with others in peace, but I digress. Let’s talk business. Tell me what you think is most important when attacking with a crossbow?”
Roy fiddled with Gabriel and made an aiming pose. “I aim… then I shoot? Oh, the most important part is the time I pull the trigger. It’s the shooting, isn’t it? That’s the deciding factor between hitting or missing the target.”
“You’re not a total idiot, boy. Yes, everything you do before you shoot is for that exact moment — the moment you pull the trigger.” Letho circled the campfire and paused for a moment. “The details can be complicated. There are five steps to follow if you want to shoot a crossbow: how you hold it, how you position yourself, how you load the bolts, how you aim, and how you shoot.”
Roy remained calm despite the complicated explanation. He was already ready for that, for he knew complex details were hidden behind every simple task, and they were only revealed when a professional searched for them.
“We have time, so take it slow. Let’s start with the basics — holding the crossbow. Hold it like how you always do.”
Roy was used to holding Gabriel with one hand since it was smaller than standard crossbows, but he could hold it with two as well. Roy followed the instructions and stood up straight, then holding the lower-middle part of the crossbow with his left hand, he held the handle with his right.
Letho started pushing down on Roy. “You didn’t learn from a master, did you? Your movements are all wrong, but it isn’t too late to correct them.” He told him the crux of the skill. “Remember, you have to center your gravity and relax. Understood? Your shoulders have to be level, and you’re not supposed to support the crossbow with any part beside your hands. Since you’re right-handed, you should point your left elbow and tuck it in. Don’t ask why you should correct your movement every time. You’ll know why after your ten thousandth shot, because the guy who told me this shot at least a million.”
PR/N: Casually notes this down.
The movement sounded easy, and it was simple to follow, but it was hard to maintain at all times, at least enough for it to become second nature. Practice would be boring.
Roy kept cheering himself up though. Keep this up, Roy. This is the first step to gaining power. If I can’t even take this, how am I supposed to pass the Trial of the Grasses?
More than one hour of practice later, Roy was drenched in sweat, but he was starting to hold his crossbow the right way. Letho then went on to talk about how he should load the bolt. “If you want to learn how to shoot, then preparation is key. First learn how to hold the weapon and how to load it.”
Three hours had passed after Roy had learned how to do the second step. As the moon rose to its peak, Roy was starting to stagger from the exhaustion. According to Letho’s way, he had to use his foot while loading the bolt. It took more out of Roy, but it was safer and more efficient compared to loading with hands.
Roy didn’t complain throughout the session. Even though he was already drenched in sweat, he was focused on his training. Letho was happy with his attitude, and he thought Roy might just have a chance to pass the trial.
“That’s it for tonight.”
When Roy was drying his clothes by the campfire after he had washed himself off, Letho said, “It’s almost time to sleep. Since you asked, now you have two choices. One, I’ll use Axii to hypnotize you. You’ll fall into a deep sleep which will help you recover from your fatigue quickly. Maybe you’ll even get something out of it. Two, you try to recover on your own.”
Roy recalled the good sleep he’d had last night. “Are you trying to sneak more knowledge into my mind, Letho?” he queried.