Sniper

At the Colosseum's far end, the Marksmanship Trial awaited the participants, a test of precision and skill under the watchful eyes of the judges and spectators. The air buzzed with anticipation as the competitors prepared to demonstrate their prowess with both traditional bows and modern firearms.

The shooting range, meticulously arranged, featured a variety of targets placed at distances of 10, 20, 30, 50, and 100 meters. These included static bullseyes, moving targets, and pop-up targets, each designed to challenge different aspects of marksmanship. The elevated observer platform provided a clear view for the judges, who would be evaluating every shot with sharp-eyed scrutiny.

Participants began with traditional bows. Recurve and longbows in hand, they faced static bullseyes at 10, 20, and 30 meters, aiming for the center to earn maximum points. In this first segment, points were awarded based on proximity to the center of the bullseye.

Bullseye: 10 points.Inner Ring: 8 points.Outer Ring: 6 points.Outer Target Area: 4 points.

Participants took turns shooting. It was Muke's turn. She couldn't help but throw an angry glance at the Acolyte. She took her recurve bow, locked onto her target, and let go. The arrow was launched at the target with great speed.

Bullseye.

Muke smirked, looking at the Acolyte. She drew again.

Bullseye.

Bullseye.

She got perfect scores. She took the longbow and got perfect scores once more.

More participants took the stage and took their shots. The crowd watched in hushed silence, each arrow's flight a testament to the archer's skill.

It was finally Sizwe's turn. He took the bow. He looked at it and weighed it in his hand. He drew the string a little.

Sizwe was a sniper, not really an archer, but it shouldn't be that hard. Even as a weapons manufacturer, Sizwe had never made bows, crossbows yes, but never bows.

He took his arrow and drew his bow. He took a deep breath and let loose. The arrow flew towards the target and hit.

4 points.

"That was embarrassing," Sizwe laughed at himself a little.

He drew a second time and took a shot.

6 points.

"Not bad." He was getting a feel of the bow.

He drew a third time and let loose.

6 points.

It was not bad, considering that he was not a bowman.

On the other hand, Muke was ecstatic. The Acolyte was finally getting what he deserved.

Nkazi, who also got perfect scores, was looking at the Acolyte. He was very sloppy, but something fearsome was happening in front of his eyes. Nkazi was very observant and noticed that every time the Acolyte took a shot, he adjusted his ways. Before every shot, he would weigh the bow in his hand and pull the string. It was like he was learning on the go how to properly take the shot. On his third shot, he got closer to the bullseye. Although he still got 6 points, one had to consider that there were three different distances. It was 10, 20, and 30 meters. On the first target, the arrow landed on the outer target area, giving him 4 points. On the second target, which was now 20 meters, he actually improved a little, getting 6 points. The marksmanship of this man was scary because, on the third target, he got 6 points, but the target was even further, and although the arrow landed on the outer ring, it was a breath away from the inner ring. As someone who was a marksman himself, he could notice these small details. He gained new respect for this Lazy Acolyte.

Sizwe took the longbow into his hand and weighed it. He drew the string a little. The longbow was different from the recurve bow; the limbs of a recurve bow curve away from the archer when unstrung, giving it its distinctive shape. This design helps store more energy and deliver it more efficiently to the arrow. The longbow is a simple, straight, or slightly curved bow. It typically has a D-shaped cross-section and does not have the pronounced curves of a recurve bow.

In terms of performance, recurve bows are generally more powerful and efficient than longbows due to the curved limbs. They provide a faster arrow speed and a flatter trajectory.

On the other hand, the longbow's straightforward design is easy to use. The longer limbs of a longbow also provide a smoother and more consistent draw, which felt more comfortable in Sizwe's hands. He felt like he would be more accurate in his shots.

He finally drew ready to shoot. The arrow nailed the target.

6 points.

He took a deep breath and took another shot.

8 points.

Sizwe weighed the bow in his hand again and drew the string multiple times. He took the shot.

8 points.

Muke frowned a little.

On the other hand, Nkazi was in awe. The last arrow was just at the threshold of hitting the bullseye. It was amazing. Throughout this event, he saw this man improve. At the start, his posture was horrible, now it was pretty good.

"What the hell did I just witness? Was this man faking? Or did he improve as he shot?"

He couldn't know. On the other hand, Sizwe was proud of himself. He was starting to like bows now. Maybe he should start carrying one around.

Next, the competitors transitioned to divine weapons for the speed shooting segment. There would be flintlock pistols already loaded. Pop-up targets appeared at random intervals within 20 meters, requiring quick movements and accuracy. Points were awarded based on how swiftly and accurately each target was hit, with reaction time being crucial.

All of these recruits had only held prop guns, and now in front of them were real divine weapons. Most recruits were excited, especially Nkazi. He could finally hold a real divine weapon. He had been trained with props on how to hold and load the weapons. Although he had not shot a divine weapon before, he was confident he would not be terrible.

His turn finally came after so much anticipation. He took the flintlock pistol into his hand. It was heavier than he thought, but it fit nicely in his hand. He was beyond ecstatic; he could finally feel the power of the gods in his hands, the power of life and death.

He finally took aim, locked onto the target, and pressed the trigger. Flames ignited, and the sound of thunder roared as the bullet shot out of the gun. The feeling of holding power in his hands washed over him. He felt the kick of the weapon and the power it had. He quickly picked up another carefully placed flintlock pistol and shot. Another target popped up, and he shot.

He was not so bad; he missed one shot, but the other two landed on the target. He got 4 points and 6 points. It was impressive.

He went and sat down feeling proud of himself and watched other participants. Some did well, and some did horribly. Some were startled by the pistol as it fired.

Another person who was impressive like himself was the girl. She got the same scores as him.

Next was the Acolyte. The Acolyte took the pistol, weighed it in his hand, and studied it a little. When the whistle blew, with lightning speed, he shot the first target.

8 points.

Bang!

10 points.

Bang!

10 points.

Sizwe took a deep breath of the smoke and smell of black powder. This was up his alley; he was a sniper in his days. This was a piece of cake. He felt excited to shoot again without worry of ammunition. Nkazi was aghast; the Acolyte almost got a perfect score. It was amazing to see. The Acolyte almost reminded him of the Commander he had witnessed fight the Hound.

After a while, they moved on to the next round.

For the long-distance marksmanship segment, participants wielded rifles, aiming at targets set at 50 and 100 meters. The challenge intensified as smaller targets offered higher points, demanding exceptional focus and control from the shooters.

In this round, Nkazi did better than the last one. He was getting used to holding a divine weapon; all his training was paying off.

Looking at other participants, no one came close to the Acolyte. He was getting perfect scores. He was like a veteran of the weapons, the way he moved and shot them. He was focused. Nkazi had never seen anything like it; this was a true marksman.

Next was the moving target challenge, which combined the use of mixed weapons, testing the participants' ability to hit targets moving at various speeds and directions. Whether with a bow or a firearm, the competitors had to adapt quickly, earning points based on the difficulty of the target's movement and the weapon used.

Things became harder for the recruits. On the other hand, Sizwe was having a blast. He had an excited face; he was feeling nostalgic. He lost himself in the craft; this was where he belonged. He was shooting like a madman, with an unsettling grin on his face. Granted, the bows threw him off a bit, but he didn't care.

After a while, it was off to the next test. Muke was nervous and a little upset. The Acolyte was doing better than her; she was even third since another man had bested her too. She was fuming.

The final test, consistency, required the participants to maintain their accuracy over ten consecutive shots. This segment emphasized not only skill but also endurance and concentration, with points awarded for consistent performance.

Throughout the trial, the judges evaluated each participant based on accuracy, speed, consistency, and overall performance. The Marksmanship Trial was not merely a display of technical skill but a testament to the competitors' ability to remain composed and effective under pressure. As the day unfolded, the Colosseum buzzed with the thrill of competition, each shot bringing the participants closer to proving their mastery and advancing in the tournament.

The Lazy Acolyte was the honored sniper.