The Bow and the Arrow

[Part ① · Gang Initiation]

To join the Perfume Bottle Gang, you had to do three things. The tools you needed were rope and sticks.

The gathering place was the open square beside the well, beneath the archway in Sloth Town.

The gang's bandit squad leader sat on the ground. He was responsible for passing on his experience to the students, teaching them how to complete these three tasks.

The squad leader was named Sullivan Okopela. He was a local, a redhead, and twenty-one years old.

He had narrow eyes, a round nose, and plenty of freckles. A black cloak concealed his body, while a rain cape shielded him from the sun and hid his skin, whip, and gun.

"If you want to join the Perfume Bottle Gang, the first thing you have to do—"

Sullivan held up his index finger and grinned warmly at the students.

"—is use rope and sticks."

He took out the teaching props from behind him: a strip of wood soaked in lard, a length of sheep sinew, and a wad of cotton and hemp fibers.

"Make a bow."

The students were all young, strong, handsome lads, with fair skin and bright blue eyes. Their curiosity got the better of them, and they all leaned forward, staring intently at the tools in Mr. Sullivan's hands.

Sullivan began making the bow. He twisted the loose cotton and hemp fibers together with the sheep sinew, then rolled them between his nimble hands until they formed a taut cord. Next, he pinned down a poplar branch and used the sturdy cord as a small saw, cutting a narrow groove into the steps of the bar.

Then he fitted the pieces together and pressed them into shape, tying them with a slipknot. Finally, he fetched a kerosene lamp and