(no subject)

[hecu_marine]

After everything that happened in Voodoo's world, Shephard realized he wasn't entirely sure just what that literally shiny new hand of his was capable of. He's got some testing to do, and he's doing it out back- starting with the longbow he'd originally planned on learning to draw with his teeth.

Kind of odd, the way the string rests against the metal fingers without digging in. Even odder, the way the left arm still bobs a little bit as always, but the silver hand's dead still against his face.

But, hell, he's doing really well with his releases every time he lets an arrow fly, he's not gonna complain...

Comments

[againsttherules]

Jack is out on the range with a pistol, the only weapon he's been allowed to carry while in Ireland. He's picked up some practice ammo from the bar, and is currently running through basic pistol drills at reasonably close range.

He's not bad, keeping every shot within a heart sized area.

On the other hand, he's also evidently annoyed with himself about something, and he certainly hasn't noticed the archer across from him.

[hecu_marine]

After he's fired off a good ten or twelve arrows, Shephard lowers his bow; he'll have to go retrieve shortly and he needs to wait until the fella with the gun-

Oh, hey, he knows him. Okay.

"Bad round?"

[againsttherules]

Jack pauses half a moment, before taking the shot he was lining up anyway.

"Nah, just not as tight as I'd like."

"I've barely fired one of these in the past nine months, so I'm a little rusty."

[hecu_marine]

"Mm. Gon' need some practice for that," says Shephard. "How many you got left, you reckon? I got to go retrieve 'fore I c'n shoot again."

[againsttherules]

"Yeah, being off base for nine months in a foreign country has it's disadvantages, much as I like the study."

Jack weighs the pistol in his hand, "Mmm, about a half a dozen. You go recover your arrows now, though."

Jack then dumps the clip out of the gun, checks the chamber's clear and will be doing speed draws with the safe gun until Shephard gets back, ok?

"You can tell me how you got that hand when you get back up here." He adds as an afterthought.

[hecu_marine]

Shephard nods and heads downrange, bow still in hand. It's not far- the bale's about thirty meters out. Farther than a hunting shot he'd be willing to take, but it doesn't hurt to practice that way.

The arrows are stone-tipped, wood-shafted, and fletched with what looks like goose feathers when he returns. "Long story, on the hand," he says. "Has to do with a friend of mine here."

[againsttherules]

Jack's practicing on a 20 meter target himself, which is why he's not happy, he's used to aiming for a heart sized spread at 50 meters with the pistol.

"Well, I've got time, do tell."

Jack's not a hunter, but those are real old school arrows, so they get an interested look.

[hecu_marine]

"Well," says Shephard, brushing the feathers on one of the arrows back into line, "friend of mine here's a dragon, most of the time. 'Round here she's human, but she ain't what you'd call confined to just the one shape. Shit like that ain't uncommon where she comes from. Her name's Kreyu."

That should do for a start; he holds the arrow out for examination. "Maple shaft," he says. "Ain't the best shaft wood out there but it ain't half bad, neither. The flint's from up one of the streams here. Knapped me that a while back."

[againsttherules]

Jack's eyes go wide at the comments about the dragon, "Oh, wow. Dragon as in a classical European winged fire-breather? or something else?"

"Archery's not really something I've ever done, although I used to see some of the recruits doing it when I was growing up. But, they used to use metal or plastic arrows, as I remember, those look much more like the sorts of things I see in some of the books recording findings from ancient tombs."

[hecu_marine]

"Nope. Wings, fire, fangs, big fuckin' treasure hoard," says Shephard. "Lent us a claw with some of the Combine war, too. You ain't lived 'til you've seen a critter the size of a blue fuckin' whale cut loose'n git angry all over the Combine's ass." He grins crookedly. "Kreyu's got an in or two with the, uh... I swear to God you give me shit for talkin' 'bout fairies and I will feed you your own ass. These ain't the fuckin' Tinkerbell kind, these assholes're dangerous."

Then he nods. "Made this shit myself," he says. "The bow, too. Baby brother of mine was gon' go to college'n git money from the lumber companies to learn wood science'n work for them when he grew up. Didn't happen on account of the Xen shit and the Combine, but when they came'n told my folks I'd been declared dead at Black Mesa, he went out'n planted an Osage orange tree in my memory. Good bow wood. The bow's made from part of that tree, on account of me spending twenty fuckin' years in suspended animation while it grew. Figure it's around fifty-five, sixty pounds of pull easy."

[againsttherules]

"Oh, nice." Jack says, "No point giving you shit about something that looks pretty real to me."

"Nice work, then. Although, didn't they used to pull 180, back in the day?" Jack gives Shephard a smirk as he says it.

[hecu_marine]

"That's a war bow," says Shephard. "Them bows they pulled out of the Mary Rose? Those were hunnert-fifty, hunnert-sixty pounds. This here's hunting weight. Ain't gonna need more'n sixty pounds for most game. I ain't a professional bowyer anyways, so it ain't real likely I could make a bow that heavy without fuckin' up the tiller along the way. Wouldn't want to use osage orange for it anyway, I'd want yew or lemonwood or shit like that."

He nods, and flexes the silver fingers. "Anyways, Kreyu got the two of us into some kinda fucked-up fairy dimension kind of thing, 'n we had a shitload of tests'n all to pass 'fore we got to their master smith. He sent me out to kill a four hunnert pound wild sow with a short sword and a shield and a dog, and if I brought him back the hide I could have the hand."

[againsttherules]

"Ah, true. Going through plate armour needs a fair bit of power behind it, compared to just flesh."

"Wow, that's an impressive kill with just one hand. Fuck, that'd be an impressive kill with both hands."

[brave_kreyu]

"The testing has begun, I see," Kreyu calls during a pause with a pleased smile. "How do you fare?"

[hecu_marine]

"Hey there, Kreyu," Shephard calls, glancing up. "Doin' all right so far. I swear, I ain't never had a hand this steady in my whole goddamn life. This thing don't move at all less'n I want it to, not even the shakes you git just from bein' alive."

[brave_kreyu]

"Interesting," she muses, peering at his arm. "I wonder whether it was specifically crafted thus, or whether such steadiness is merely due to the lack of flesh and bone..."

She chuckles. "Not that I would get a straight answer from the maker either way." The fae are like that.

[hecu_marine]

"Dunno," says Shephard. "Knocked a man out with one punch with it the other day. He was down a damn long time, but they tell me he recovered just fine, 'n that's more'n I ever used to be able to do with a one-hit KO."

[brave_kreyu]

"Impressive," Kreyu remarks with a grin. "Have you tested the strength in that hand yet?"

[hecu_marine]

"Li'l bit," says Shephard. "My shoulder gits tired from the resistance bands before the hand gives out, that's for damn sure."

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu nods in understanding. "I can help you test the strength of that hand, if you are willing."

[hecu_marine]

"Sure, why not?' says Shephard. "Better to find out now than by surprise."

[brave_kreyu]

"This shape lacks sufficient mass for my purposes, I'm afraid," she apologizes.

Then, she stands way the hell back and resumes her original shape.

"I believe it would be prudent for me to cast a charm or two upon you, if only to ensure that the rest of you does not fare ill from the testing."

The human body is sturdier than most people think, but it is not as sturdy as metal.

[hecu_marine]

"Fine by me," says Shephard, who's put the bow and the arrows properly aside. "I'm ready when you are."

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu casts a charm to keep Shephard's body in line with his hand and to mitigate the potential damage of his body getting flung around in the air.

"If you would please grab take hold of my tail near the end and hang on tightly, we shall see how strong your grip is." Good thing she's shape- shifted the barb off of her tail, or that would really hurt.

The end of her tail should be about the thickness of a human wrist, easy enough for someone Shephard's size to get a good grip on. Once he's on, Kreyu lifts him bodily into the air to about her eye height without any apparent effort on her part.

[hecu_marine]

"Huh," says Shephard. "Well, all right, I- fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck."

No, no, she's just lifting him, they're not flying. It's cool, it's cool, no need to freak out, he's good with this.