The Dangers of the Multishot Maneuver
A case study of do’s and don’ts by a leading expert in the ranged arts
Special thanks to the Scribe of Deneir and Areven who kindly put life in harm’s way for the betterment of all.
It comes to no surprise to anyone, dear reader, that the mastery of magics is, by far, the greatest achievement one can obtain in life. Oghma did not bless me with such a gift right out, my guess, a punishment for not respecting the gods as much as I should. But I digress, if it was not for the afford mentioned, I would not be able to grace you with knowledge of the second greatest ability one may have in combat, archery. Ah, the sound of a loose arrow, musical as it coasts along the wind to its target. There is a certain, I dare say, magic involved in its magnificence. But with all flying objects, there is a certain risk those who use sharpened metal swung will not understand. This becomes far more apparent when, like me, many people refer to you as friend. Some may not be so lucky, but take heart, one does not accidently shoot imaginary friends. I am simply blessed to have the sort of friends who will take an arrow in honor of further study.
The multishot, a well-known trick that involves knocking two arrows at once. Once released, they zing to their destination, providing half the time, if you’re as skilled as I am. Most, I’m afraid, are not, so I would like to provide you a few simple do’s and don’ts to better assist you in your travels.
Firstly, firing two arrows at once is far less accurate then firing just one. You dare say this is knowledge everyone has? Well my foot speaks a different tale from my infant stage of the craft. Knock too high, you’ll miss.. to low, well you’ve heard the tale of my foot already. One must master the bow prior to attempting this maneuver unless he wishes unforeseen consequences.
This leads me to the second rule; do not fire until you are sure your target is in your sights; instinct and repetition is not your friend in these cases. A loose arrow is cause of alarm, two is cause of an argument. While I note, many of my friends can easily deflect and block such attacks, some are still poorly trained in this. A split second pause can elevate and save precious time from having to debate who shot who.
A final note, if you are like me, and your skill has grown far greater than those around you, you’ll want to refrain from incorporating your friends into your trick shots. Will they not be impressed? Rightfully so they’ll be impressed, two arrows zinging past both armpits or zinging past their head. With an unpracticed move though, unforeseen mistakes are common place in all great works. In my experience, friends are far more likely to forgive a stray arrow from three hundred meters away, then two arrows at two feet. Make sure it’s not in vein though, and document the wounds, angel, and depth as you attempt to dislodge the arrow. Even if the worst case comes to pass and the wound is far too grievous to repair, you may take heart in the fact knowledge was gained and disaster diverted for someone else. Friends are important, so never attempted a failed experiment twice with the same friend.
While not everything, these are the most important lesions I, Windwalker Rhoe, can teach you about the art of the multi-shot. To master it is difficult, and there will be mistakes along the way. Just remember what I taught you, and know it is possible to remove two arrows from one’s neck, a foot deep, and have them live to tell about it!