11 Some Really Shit Development

We're still halfway up the mountain. There' some snow here and there, slightly cold, but not something to worry about. We made sure to wear some thick clothing this time.

While Hadvar and Ralof are suplexing each other into the snow, I sat down on a boulder nearby while Bob stood in front of me. Aria is at the side, wiping her greatsword.

"Alright, time for your archery lessons. Don't feel bad if you're not good at first. Remember, practice makes perfect." I solemnly nodded at him.

"Yes! I'm sure you spent years practicing the bow to be so good with it." Bob smiled brightly.

Little does he know...

"Alright alright, flattery won't get you anywhere." I waved my hand. "First, let's start with the stance."

"Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Imagine there's a line drawn from your feet to your target."

"Like this?" Bob fumbled a little, but he eventually got it.

"Good. Now, with your non-dominant hand, grab your bow. Hold it in front of you. Don't grip too tight, make sure your fingers are relaxed. Just like this." I grabbed my bow and showed him. He mimicked my actions, holding his bow out.

"Now, nock the arrow."

"Like this?"

"Now, pull the string back to your cheek, right by the corner of your mouth. This is called the anchor point. Remember, your hand should be close to your face but not smothering it." I demonstrated, pulling the string back.

"T-this is... kind of hard..." Bob struggled to pull the string back. Which is kind of expected, everyone goes through it.

"You'll get used to it." I hummed.

Bob eventually managed to pull the string back, resting his hand near his face.

"Now, aim." I examined the surroundings. My gaze eventually landed on a nearby tree. "See that tree? Try to hit it."

"Gently release the string. No pressure, just let it go naturally." I added.

Bob released the string and the arrow flew out. As expected, it went down the mountain, missing the tree by about 7 meters.

"I missed." Bob looked sad.

"Don't be disappointed, it's normal. Now, try to do it again. This time, try to as close as you are to your previous position. You need to be consistent in your stance first before moving on to accuracy." I smiled at him.

"Shoot 10 arrows. Try to make your stance as consistent as possible."

Afterwards, Bob shot 10 arrows. None of them hit the target, of course, but his stance is slightly consistent already. The only problem is his hand holding the string. It deviates from position slightly often. It seems to be because he's having trouble with pulling the string.

Well, he'll get through it eventually.

"Now, time for accuracy. This part, it is important to only work on adjustments one at a time. If you're hitting too high and to the right, only adjust your aim to be lower. Once you're done with that, start with the next issue." I nodded at him.

"Remember, you need to be consistent with it. Keep training, shoot arrows until you get used to it. I still have some spare if you ran out."

"I see. Thank you, Adam!" Bob smiled brightly.

"Keep practicing." With that, I left him alone and went towards my bag of mead.

Sitting down near the bag, I popped open my seventh of the day and watched everyone do their own thing.

Ralof and Hadvar seems to be dead, laying on the ground without moving. Aria is practicing swinging her greatsword. And Bob is uh... he's still struggling. Eh, he'll improve one day.

Well, now that I'm alone, I can think in peace.

Alright, so, the Dark Brotherhood is targeting me. That's shit. I have my bow and gun, but I don't think I can do anything if the assassin attacks me on close-range. I have the other to rely on (except Bob, who would probably just talk to the assassin and tell them that violence is never the answer) in case that happens, but I won't be with them every single time.

I am pretty much a sitting duck waiting to be butchered when fighting at close-range.

I need to take care of that flaw.

How should I do it?

I can learn using another weapon, one for close-range. A dagger, perhaps?

Might be a good idea. I can even hide it in my sleeve, taking it out when the assassin tries to ambush me. Besides, a dagger isn't that heavy. I can surprise the assassin by swiping at them when they come close, then gaining distance while their stunned before using the bow.

Yes, that's a good idea. I should start practicing.

First, let's get a dagger.

"Hey Aria!" I called out to the Dragonborn.

She turned around, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you have a dagger? I'm gonna learn how to use it so I at least have some protecting at close-range."

"Is that so..." She was silent for a moment, staring at me deeply.

Uh, what?

"Here." She grabbed a dagger from behind her and handed it to me. It even has a sheath, nice! Just what I needed.

"Alright, thanks!"

With that, I went back to my corner.

I remember the hidden blade from the Assassin's Creed series. I'll be doing the same thing. I'll tie the sheath on my wrist, hidden by my sleeve. Then, I'll attach a string on the handle of the dagger and tie it to my finger. So, when I flick my finger, the dagger would slide up and appear in my hand.

"This is gonna be so cool!"

With a giddy smile, I started working on my hidden blade.

~~~~~~~~~~

Observing her target, her eyes examined every single details. He seems to be busy with something, letting out a childish laugh every now and then. She wonders if her target is crazy, but she shook the thoughts out of her head.

Grabbing her sword tightly, she planned how to attack. A backstab seems to be the best way to deal with him. He looks pretty relaxed, not really paying attention to anything else. He's also sitting near the ledge, she can throw him down afterwards to secure his death.

The target this time is quite unnatural. He has a weird weapon that could kill a giant in one hit. It was extremely powerful. Not to mention his skill with the bow. From her observations, he can be considered the best archer she ever knew. She's curious just on how much the Empire or the Stormcloaks would pay to have him as their soldier.

But well, he's a target now.

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she steeled herself to finish this job.

She opened her eyes, revealing a pair of emotionless orbs. With a gaze filled with apathy, she started her assassination.

Dashing silently, with her sword in her hand, she, an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood, instantly appeared behind the target.

With a swift and elegant motion, the sword pierced through the target's back, the tip of the sword appearing from his chest. As the target grunted in pain, she let go of the sword.

The target turned his head around, his eyes containing fear, shock, and most importantly, confusion.

As his eyes met his executioner's, his face only had a single expression. She doesn't need to hear him talk to know his head is full of one question:

Why?

But she didn't have to guess, the target spoke himself.

"Why... did you..."

The blood dyed his clothes crimson, the tip of the sword still sticking out of his chest. Looks like her mission this time is a success. But well, it felt quite a pity to end their adventure together this early. What can she do? She's raised by the Brotherhood. Their orders come first before everything else.

Including her friends.

"Why... Aria?"

She didn't have to do anything as the target fell back, falling down the mountainside. Well, it doesn't look like he'll survive that. He is definitely dead. Yet another assassination done.

Now, she needs to report back.

Sister Astrid must've been looking forward to her return.