Blood Bound

The Kid That Shoot Arrows

"Am I going to fight with this?" Henryk walked around the training room, a simple spacious room, with grey walls, and the floor have been left un-tiled, still rocky and rough. On the left of the room, a part of the wall can be opened and you'll see collection of weapon, and many kinds of arrow gun that Bess and her mother really liked. Henryk, ran his hand on the biggest arrow gun.

Bess scoffed. "Not that one kid, take the very left." 

He frowned and can't take his hand off the biggest one. 

"But--"

"You're not even going to be able to hold it up." Bess mockingly smiled at the boy.  

"Oh, I'm not that weak." He tried to lift the one he set his heart on and the weapon doesn't budge. He cleared his throat, and lift it again with more strength, it's lifted a little before he gave up and put it back. 

He finally took the smallest crossbow on the very left, and took a couple step back. The moment he's searching on the crossbow, Brook came, closing the door and took interest in the biggest arrow gun too, and he took it up with his left hand and Henryk tried so hard to hold his mouth closed. 

"It's nice you're interested in this one." Brook brushed the top of the gun to clean any dust on it, and aim front with it. Bess walked to the side of the room to press a button, and the lights in the room turned on, and revealed targets on the very end of the room, standing side by side. Brook took several steps back before lifting the arrow riffle up to level with his eyes--still with one hand--and pull the trigger. 

Henryk jumped from the sharp swoosh of wind sound, and he quickly tried to look far to the targets, and he saw a hole right on the middle of it's head, the arrow is nowhere on his sight

"That's why we rarely use it for fight, this is for a long range battle, use it close we can skewer them like a schaschlik in one shot, not fun." Brook put the gun down and took it back to it's rightful place. 

"Why do you guys chose this crossbow for your weapon? I mean you have enough technology to make uv bullets, it's easier to use." Henryk heaved the crossbow in his hand that's starting to feel pretty heavy. 

"Level twos that lurk in area like Serbab, Nox, or around here, couldn't be killed with uv bullets anymore. Because there are sun everywhere and less forest, so they would be soaked with uv all the time, it doesn't bother them anymore." Bess took another gun, that's on the upper area of the wall, filled with black big guns. 

She took the uv mags from the drawer underneath, fill it and aim it to the target, she fired around the heart, while Henryk's trying his best to cover his ears. 

"Like that..." Bess walks closer, and when she's done Henryk can see holes of bullets formed around the heart area of the target, forming a perfect circle. 

"And..." Bess groan and throw a punch right to the middle of the circle, sending a piece of the metal to the wall behind it. 

"That. They're pretty much dead, their heart will flew out." Bess sighed, putting the gun back to it's place. 

"But you know, using crossbow will keep you save, and deadly at the same time." Bess took the other crossbow that's slightly bigger than the one in Henryk's hand and aim it to the only target that's still 'alive'. 

"Stand in front of me." Bess called and the kid quickly ran towards Bess, standing several inches in front of her. 

"You watch the forehead area, allright? I'll shoot there, and that's the deadliest part you can hit with your crossbow, you do that, any target you shoot will be dead." 

Henryk gulped, and watch the target closely. Bess took a step forward to stick Henryk to her body, and hold on his shoulder so he won't jump surprised from the wind sound. Bess shoot, and Henryk did still jump a little, but he managed to keep his eyes open and watch the spot Bess shoot, right in the middle of the forehead. 

Right. In the middle. Of it. 

Not long after, the target sink down to the floor and replaced with a new undamaged target. 

"Come on, try." Bess pull Henryk back several step, and the kid try to aim. 

His heart suddenly beat faster, he never hold up a weapon before, neither killing something. It's still a dead, cold, metal target, but he can't help but imagining shooting more alive target. 

"J-just shoot?" He asked. Bess hummed. 

"Yeah, of course. Aim, and when you think it's going to hit the spot that you want, pull the trigger." Bess cross her hands in front of her chest, watching him closely. 

Henryk nods his head, and aim again, he want to aim with one hand like Brook--he thought it looked cool--but he can't lift it without shaking, so he took it with both of his hand, and lift it to his eye level. 

His body keeps on swaying, making it hard for him to target, but when he thought he stop on the perfect spot, he pull the trigger and the force from the gun make the weapon bounce a little on his weak grip, hitting his forehead a bit. 

He gasped and quickly rub the stinging spot, but he quickly look towards his target and unfortunately doesn't see any hole on the target. 

"Ouch, too bad kid, your forehead is alright though?" Brook come over and land his big hand on top of the kid's head and push it to make him look up to Brook, and he found a small red spot near the kid's eyebrow and giggle instead. 

"Okay, you'll live. Don't be too disappointed, it's your first time shooting." He ruffled the kid's hair and took a step back. 

"Alright, try again." 

Shooting practice took hours, Henryk tries his hand on every weapon he can lift, and at least damaged a few of the target, not on the vital spot, but at least it's there. 

"Okay, stop for a moment. Dinner should be served by now." Bess lift her hand to look at her wrist watch that Brook gave her. 7PM. 

Henryk sighed and his body slump. His hand can't lift another weapon, even if he can, it's shaking terribly, and his muscle burns. 

He walked slowly towards where the gun was stored, and put all the things he took out back in it's place and walk out of the room, following Bess and Brook. 

They walked towards the dining room, but Bess and Brook stopped right after they open the door, still like a doll. Henryk, on the other hand, can't see anything that he's views are blocked by the siblings in front of him. He's going to question the sudden movement when Bess called out loud,

"Grandpa? What are you doing here?"

Henryk heard an old man's voice after that. 

"Arabess and Brooklyn? I'm supposed to be the one asking." Bess stepped inside, and Henryk hesitatingly reached for the door, to peek inside, hiding half of himself behind the door. 

"Come on, kid." Brook see him, and pull the little guy with him inside. 

"Nice to see you, Grandpa." Brook hug his old man, and the older man seems happy, hugging his grandson back.

"Good to see you too, Brooklyn." He let go of his hug, and when he did, his eyes met Henryk's, and the little guy scoot closer to Brook on reflex. 

"And who's this young man?"