"God, the string of this bow is so tough," Jenni said, putting her utmost effort into drawing the string. Considering the fiend it was about to kill, of course, the bow would be tough to handle. She just never practised with something like this.
"Lift your right shoulder a little bit more," Gale advised. "No, not that much."
Jenni listened carefully while her eyes stared at the enormous lizard on the path. Although she kept her eyes on the prize and her hands steady, she was not too confident in making the shot.
"Have you had any training in archery before?" he asked, noticing her indecisiveness.
"I had the bare minimum," she admitted. "Ahh, my fingers are getting stiff. I'm gonna shoot..."
"You're going to miss the target at this rate, and the explosion will cause it to flee."
"You are not making it any bit easier," she complained.
Gale couldn't watch as a bystander anymore and supported her hands. He made sure her right shoulder was well-supported and lifted the other elbow just enough to get a straight trajectory.
"Now!" he commanded and withdrew his palm.
Jenni couldn't wait any longer and shot. The golden arrow flashed through the spewing darkness and lodged into the head of the lizard. The next moment, light exploded out of the arrow, splattering the head of the creature instantly.
"I made it!" Jenni lunged into the air in cheer. "That was awesome!"
Gale felt the essence come. A lion's share went to him, just because he charged the arrow with explosive power, while the rest flowed into Jenni, her expression stiffening with the essence of a fiend-rank creature.
"Ohh, I got 2.4 points in strength and 0.4 in spirit," she beamed and gave him a quick hug before going to Dawn. "Go, now it's your turn."
She handed Dawn the bow. Unfortunately, the rest of the lizards had fled when one of their companion's heads exploded.
"Don't worry, they will come again," Gale told them, staring at the headless corpse. "Well, considering we have bait right now, they will come quicker than before."
"Are you ready for shooting?"
Dawn focused on the monster. "Y-yes!"
"I'll let go on the count of three," Gale said and began the countdown. "One... two... three!"
Like the first time, the arrow did not miss its target, exploding another head of the fiend. Another colossus body joined the ground, while the rest of its companions fled.
"Thank you," Dawn said meekly, her back pressed to his chest, head bowed.
"Show me your fingers," he said. She acted as though she didn't hear him. So he turned her over and clutched her palm. As he feared, the bow was too much for her fingers. It had cut her index finger, sharp enough that the bone was showing.
Thankfully, her regenerative power was better than her physical prowess, as the blood had already stopped oozing out, the wound closing up slowly. Gale boosted the process, pushing a few tendrils of silver radiance essence.
"Thank you," she said softly, head bowed. Her cheeks turned a shade of pink, making her appear even cuter.
He was reminded again of what June had told him about her. Gale had considered talking about it with her, but he was so unsure how to go into it that he never bothered with it yet. But if she continued to have this one-sided...
Well, June didn't seem to mind, the thought crossed his mind, but he shook his head instantly. It wouldn't be enough if just June agreed to it... Dawn would have to have as much say in it.
"Ahem!" Jenni coughed, breaking their trance. "If you guys are finished with your teenage lovey-dovey romance, we have more lizards to kill."
"Jenni!" Dawn raised her voice and broke away from him. Her cheeks couldn't be any more flushed. She didn't meet his gaze for most of the rest of the night, and he only had the little girl to blame.
Gale sighed. At least she didn't say no to shooting more of those lizards, even if her fingers hurt.
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Sorry for the hiatus... I have been mostly busy chilling around and working on another project. Anyway, 16 chapters will be removed from the privilege tiers, and the tier price would come down to one digit from tomorrow...
Thank you for sticking out to the story...