The Gate Hopper Series

Chapter 5

Osmet sat watching as the seconds on the timer ticked by. Unsure as to what this trial would be comprised of, he tried to recall everything he knew about marksmanship. How to hold the gun, different sights, proper aiming and the like. He had been reprimanded enough times by his father to have them memorized by heart.

"3...2...1...fire."

Rising to his feet he entered the room that had just opened at a moderated pace. Proper shooting required one's heart rate to be steady, running would just waste more time in the end. He entered a large room filled with a forest. Up in front of him was a shooting range that had multiple red and white targets at varying distances. A raised platform stood between him and the targets with a rifle placed upon it. He spared the forest around him a furtive glance and saw that the plants were a mix of every type. Cactuses and evergreens were intermixed with tall oaks.

Approaching the rifle, he saw that it was black with a wooden stock and iron sights. He picked up the rifle and examined the weapon. Rotating it he went to check the chamber but saw that there was no bolt to open and instead was a small digital display with a blue infinity symbol on it. He put the rifle to his shoulder, aimed down sight and pulled the trigger causing the gun to buck him and launch a blue projectile. All that Osmet could see was a blue streak in the air as it whizzed towards the target. He was unsure if the projectile was made from solid material or energy, but he knew that it kicked like a shotgun not a rifle.

The target, only 5 meters away, was struck directly in its center. The target disappeared and was replaced by an identical one at a distance of 10 meters. He tried to kneel for a better aim but saw that doing so caused a barrier to protrude from the ground blocking his vision. Just like before Osmet shot the next target down causing another to appear a further 5 meters away. He continued striking each target until they reached a distance of 50 meters were he finally missed the center hitting slightly too high. This caused another target to appear in the same location as before. Readjusting his aim, he fired once more hitting it dead on.

Another target appeared at a distance of 5 meters. Unlike the prior stationary targets, this one began to move left and right. This time around it took him longer to hit each target properly as he missed occasionally. Reaching 50 meters again he took the rifle off his shoulder and massaged it slightly. This gun produced a much greater kick than his projectile rifles did back home. He feared for his shoulder and felt pity for his enemies if this is how much power SME weapons produced.

Reshouldering he concentrated and held his breath. Seconds passed as he held his gun firmly not so much as to make it sway. He squeezed the trigger gently releasing the blue bolt striking the target dead center. Relieved, and slightly sore, he readied himself for another target to appear but was surprised when the mechanical voice returned.

"Trial minimum passed successfully. Time for completion 12 minutes 27 seconds. Will you continue for a better completion or proceed to the next trial?"

A screen appeared in front of him that said continue or pass. His legs and arms were still burning from the previous trial. This would give him more time to recover as this one was more taxing on his concentration than anything else. He also wouldn't turn down the greater reward.

Resolutely, he pressed continue making the screen to disappear. He shouldered his rifle once more and saw that the target was replaced with a living deer. Having never seen a real one before, Osmet took a moment to take in its appearance. Sure, some animals on Elkhorn resembled Earth animals but none of them were.

The deer turned to look at him before running around in the target range briefly stopping to turn one way or the other when it reached a wall. Its white tail flared in the air as it ran while its antlers waved in front of it. The hunter patently tracked the animal in his sights waiting for the opportune moment. When it had stopped broadside in an attempt to turn backwards, he shot producing a fist size hole through its heart. The deer fell to the ground dead and disappeared into blue particles. This caused another smaller deer to appear.