The Gauntlet - Main Page (Sparta Verse)

[lovesrain44]

Title: The Gauntlet (Sparta Verse)
Author: lovesrain44
Rating: PG, Gen, violence, angst, hurt, but not a whole lot of comfort

Verse: Sparta Verse
Pairing: None
Word Count: 13,740

Summary:  Sam’s stitches come off and the crossbow training starts, much to Dean’s delight and Sam’s dismay. This story is a sequel to Soldier Son.

A/N: This story is dedicated to amothea who has been begging for more Sparta Verse for quite some time, and to charmedstrange1 , who has so kindly provided me with much discussion about the summer from hell, and who has begged for Otter Pops for Sam. Sorry, my friend, not this time around! And also, it's dedicated to the lovely anon who posted the SPN secret not too long ago, bewailing the fact that I'd not posted any Sparta verse in over a year. Thanks for the kick start, anon. : D

The Gauntlet - Part 1

The Gauntlet - Part 2

Also, in case anyone's interested, and as usual, I've done some research on the subject of crossbows and scythes. Here is the info about crossbows:
 

Place the crossbow's stirrup on the ground.

1. Slip your foot through the stirrup and brace it firmly. Make sure that your foot is all the way in the stirrup and will not slip out while you cock the bow.
2. Grab the string with both hands. Pull it upward using the same amount of force on both sides. If you pull harder on one side than on the other, the string will be off-center, and your shot will not be accurate. Some crossbow manufacturers sell cocking aids that use cranks or elastic straps to make cocking easier.
3. Pull the string all the way to the cocking mechanism. When the bow is cocked, you will hear a loud click. Make sure the string is completely cocked before letting go.
4. Place a bolt in the groove, making sure that the end of the bolt touches the string. One of the feathers, or fletchings, should be in the groove.

Firing a crossbow safely requires several precautions:

• Remember that a crossbow is a weapon, not a toy. Many crossbows are used for hunting large animals and can severely injure or kill a person. Do not point one at anything you do not plan to shoot.
• Make sure nothing is in the path of the bow's string or limbs. The limbs will move forward and out and the string will move forward very quickly. The limbs and string can seriously injure any part of your body that is in their way. If a moving limb hits an obstacle like a tree trunk, it can damage the crossbow.
• Do not release the safety until you are ready to fire.
• In addition, you should never dry fire your crossbow or use it with bolts that are lighter than those it's built to use. A crossbow is made to move very quickly while pushing a bolt, and if that bolt isn't there, the extra energy could break the crossbows' limbs. Dry firing voids nearly all crossbow manufacturers' warranties.

And some links:

http://www.geocities.com/gunversation/bowsversuscrossbows/bowsversuscrossbows.htm
http://www.ninja-weapons.com/Library/Weapons/crossbows/tips.shtml
http://leehayward.blogspot.com/2008/10/learning-how-to-shoot-crossbow.html
http://www.thebeckoning.com/medieval/crossbow/xbow-def.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/crossbow.htm

And some links about the scythe, which, on account of the price of oil, could make quite a come back!

http://scytheconnection.com/adp/video/index.html

http://scytheconnection.com/adp/video/oil.html

Enjoy!