A day passed and Concordia assembled Aera's Archers. They were out in the Desert Training. Aera's Archers seemed excited to be learning directly from Concordia.
"There are three Major Components to Archery" Concordia said.
"Three Major Components? I thought all you needed to do was hit your target" one of Aera's Archers said.
"And how often do you land a kill with that logic?" Concordia asked.
"Most often, as long as we don't spook our prey before releasing our shot, we are able to land a kill" the Archer said.
Her name was Mimi.
"And do you always land a kill even when the prey isn't spooked?" Concordia asked.
"No, not really. There are times we fail to land a kill even when the prey isn't spooked" Mimi said.
"There are three major components to Archery that you'll need to master if you wish to have a higher rate of success during Hunts. The first component is the Senses. The second component is Balance and the third component is knowledge of the Material Composition of your Arrows" Concordia stated. "What you stated earlier Mimi about landing a hit without spooking your prey falls under the first component of Archery namely, the Senses. Mastery Of One's Senses grants one multiple ways of perceiving their environment. For instance, I granted you the element of Water as one of your Affinities. The special type of Extra-Sensory Perception attached to this affinity is called Depth Perception which allows one to perceive multiple realities linked to the habits of one's prey as well as their environment. I also granted you the elements to Wind and Lightning allowing you to potentially awaken Zone Perception which will eventually grant you a vast field view of your environment while Hunting. I also granted you the element of Earth potentially allowing you to awaken Magnetic Perception that will allow you to navigate your environment via the magnetism generated by the Earth's Poles as well as the Earth's Magnetic Field" Concordia explained.
"I see" Mimi paid close attention.
"One important component of Archery particularly tied to the Senses is the Perception Of Wind. Specifically, one must be able to sense the direction of the Wind and must always approach their prey from downwind. This is because one's prey usually has a strong sense of smell and approaching one's prey from upwind usually allows the Wind to carry one's scent towards the prey alerting the prey to your presence within its environment and potentially spooking it thus foiling the Hunt in the process. It's for this reason that most successful predators usually have Whiskers especially those from the Canine and Feline Families. Their Whiskers help them sense the direction of the Wind and alerts them to changes to the Wind's direction allowing them to always approach the prey from downwind and thus avoid spooking it. This technique is one of the prerequisites for a higher rate of success during Hunts" Concordia explained.
"I see, the Wind huh?" Mimi realized.
"Exactly, changes in the direction of the Wind can also affect the accuracy of your shots which brings me to the second component of Archery which is Balance" Concordia stated.
"Balance, how?" Mimi asked.
"Every weapon by virtue of its form has a particular way it affects one's centre of gravity and thus has an appropriate method of wielding it. When utilized in a manner that defies its form, there is an increase in its effects over one's centre of gravity thus reducing its accuracy and usefulness. For instance, Spears, Javelins and Arrows are predominantly used to deal piercing damage but are not as useful in dealing slicing damage. Swords on the other hand are more useful for dealing slicing damage but due to their weight may not be as efficient in dealing piercing damage as a Spear can. Even amongst Swords, there are lighter Dual-Wielded types that emphasize Speed and heavier Single-Handed types that emphasize Power. A heavier Single-Handed Sword may fail to execute Speedy Attacks just as lighter Dual-Wielded Swords may fail to execute Power Based Attacks. The Rule Of Balance is to utilize the weapon as an extension of your own Body. To that effect, Knowledge Of One's Body Type is Key. The weight of the Weapon must never exceed what one's Body Type can handle or it will throw you off balance in the middle of a crucial battle creating an opening for your opponent to strike" Concordia explained.
"I see but how can this be achieved? I mean, how can we come to a knowledge of our Body Types?" Mimi asked.
"Every person has a specific elemental affinity which carries a trait and a set of tendencies. These traits and tendencies determine what tasks a person is likely to succeed at as well as what tasks a person is likely to fail at. This also determines the type of weapon a person is likely to succeed in mastering. For instance, it is conventional for Wind Types to wield Speedy Weapons like Dual Swords or ranged Weapons like the Bow and Arrow as well as Javelins. Earth Types on the other hand usually wield Heavy Weapons like Single-Handed Swords, Axes, Tomahawks or Polearms as a result of their great Physical Strength while Lightning Element Users usually prefer weapons with tremendous piercing power such as Spears through which they can channel conductivity and enhance their destructive capabilities as well as Scouting and Information Gathering Tools" Concordia explained.
"What about the final component of Archery? Material Composition Of One's Weapon?" Mimi asked.
"Material Composition Of One's Weapon is the third component of Archery. It is a form of Customization that determines the Accuracy, Range and Power of One's Weapon. For instance, a person of lighter build might utilize Arrows made out of Wood or Ivory. This enhances the Speed of their Shots as well as their Range and allows them to take down prey that have a less armoured or muscular build. On the other hand, to down a prey with an armoured or muscular build, one would need a heavier weapon such as Arrows constructed out of Steel or Iron which possess greater penetrative force. However to utilize such a weapon, the user would also need great Physical Strength or their Range, Power and Speed could be reduced and their balance could be thrown off creating multiple openings for a foe to counterattack in the middle of a crucial battle. Now we will begin to practice each component of Archery" Concordia declared.