Marksmanship II

[Oda Nobunaga]

Now that you've proven your skill with the bow, it's time you test your luck with a rifle! Your lordship has set up a range and given each soldier a rifle, fitted only to their size.

Objective: You must prove your skill with the rifle! Shoot a target from 100 yds away, at least 8/10 shots hitting them in the head. Then your commanding officer will launch bags of sand into the air, and you must shoot them from the same distance, 7/10 shots piercing the bags of sand.

Reward: Up to +3 Dex. Proficiency: Marksmanship - C

Prerequisite: You must have completed Marksmanship Training.

Location: A shooting range in your faction's territory.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Once more, Takehiro found himself out at the range. This time, it was to test out the rifles a Daimyo had recently bought, as he wanted to make sure his goods weren't faulty in any way. Not to mention he was being hired as a shooter, and the man wanted to make sure Takehiro knew how to handle a gun before he would be given one. So this was a sort of double-whammy, testing out the possibly-faulty rifles while proving he was good enough to earn the job. No complaints could be heard from the mercenary as he took up his rifle, taking aim at his target from 100 yards away.

From what he could tell, this might actually be easier than the previous round. Bullets were much faster than arrows, and so there was less to take into account when it came to wind factors, among other things, right? So it couldn't be too hard. Taking in a deep breath, the stock of the rifle came up to his shoulder and he aimed down his sights. One small moment passed before he pulled the trigger. The bullet would rip through the wind, and graze past the target dummy's cheek. It was close... and there was a lot to be learned from that one mistake. Silently cursing, Takehiro lowered his rifle to reload it.

Taking aim once more, Takehiro took just a few extra moments before he would fire his second shot. He would exhale as he pulled the trigger to keep himself from shaking. Once more, the bullet would rip through the wind, though this time it would strike right through the center of the target dummy's head. This method worked, so it would be one Takehiro would keep for the rest of the trial, taking careful aim before each and every shot to ensure he would hit most of the time. By the end of the first trial, he would successfully land nine shots into the dummy's head, having only missed his very first. This seemed to please the Daimyo, and they would move on to the second trial.

Now it seemed Takehiro would have to shoot airborne targets. Bags of sand would be hoisted into the air, and Takehiro had to shoot them before they hit the ground. He would be given another ten opportunities, and he had to hit them at least seven times... this was going to be something.

The first bag of sand was thrown into the air, and Takehiro quickly took aim. Just as it reached the peak of its height he would fire, and the bullet sliced right through the fabric holding it together. Sand would spill out all across the floor, marking the mercenary's successful shot. He grinned, quickly getting ready for his next shot. This time, however, he got a little cocky, and missed the sandbag, earning his first miss of the three he was allowed. He really had to play it safe from this point.

The mercenary would consistently watch the bags and fire just beneath them at the peak of their heights. Each time from then on, the bullet would pierce the fabric and the sand would spill. The point of impact was clearly different each time, but it wasn't hard to see that Takehiro had gotten in enough successful shots to earn his job, and his pay, in turn.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Amakusa Takehiro: +3 Dex

You have received: Proficiency: Marksmanship - C

[Shinomori Katsumi]

It was official. Katsumi absolutely detested guns. She was asked to train her marksmanship in the camp she was working temporarily at, but with... guns. It felt wrong in her hands, and she terribly missed her bow. The sensation of the wood beneath her palm and fingers. It felt wrong carrying something else so heavy and cold, yet... she had to. At least for now to please the head of the camp.

It had taken Katsumi some time to get adjusted to the weapon. They were so slow to reload and she was not used to gunpowder, or how any of it worked. It frustrated the woman with how she jumped back each time when first firing the weapon, wanting to simply toss it on the ground and call it quits, to go back to her bow. And yet she continued to learn, to practice, and two days had passed. Katsumi felt comfortable now after all of the hours spent, but there was no doubt that she would return to archery as soon as this was all over.

She stood among the men, dressed in her usual men's attire to try and fit in, to mask her real gender, but there was no doubt that she was shortest among the rest, and that made her stick out in a different regard. People expected Katsumi to be weak because of that (and for looking so, well... pretty) and she was picked on, and it simply made her glad that they didn't know the truth. Of course, it was no surprise when Katsumi's alias was called out first, and the archer released a heavy sigh.

This was going to be oh so fun.

Her keen eyes could easily make out the targets one-hundred yards away. She was required to make headshots, and could only miss twice. With a bow, this would be a piece of cake. But with a gun? Despite her excellent marksmanship and keen eyesight, Katsumi was nervous to say the least.

Katsumi's gun was already ready and she took aim, being careful so she wouldn't miss. Taking a few extra moments to calibrate everything accordingly, the girl fired and made her target. Now it was time to set up the gun again and she internally grumbled at the process. Soon enough, she was done, took aim, and fired again, hitting her mark. The process was repeated, and each time she spent less time preparing, gaining confidence. By the seventh shot, Katsumi missed her mark because she hurriedly made the shot, and visibly winced.

"Damn it."

Internally backhanding herself, the girl told herself to slow the fuck back down and went back to the strategy she used at the very start, and the rest of the hits were a success. Nodding with content, the archer backed up into the group again and watched as the others passed (or failed) their tests.

Eventually it was time for the second and they traveled to another section of the field. There were numerous bags of sand and Katsumi eyed them curiously. So they were to be thrown up in the air and be shot out. Moving targets, huh? It was a damn good idea.

Of course, it was no surprise that she was nominated first, especially now that she stood out in a positive light, having performed the best out of the rest in the first. Releasing a sigh, the archer stepped forward with her readied gun and, as the bag was thrown up, Katsumi took aim and fired, but missed, struggling with holding the gun so high up and working with a moving target with a gun. The same occurred a second time, and Katsumi was cursing herself.

She needed to pretend the gun was her bow and get comfortable, relax. Doing a few breathing exercises and settling her nerves, Katsumi lifted the gun up before the next bag was thrown, estimating where it would go. She waited until it went a little above where she aimed and fired, and the bag burst open.

Success! Yes!

At the next, she did the same and another bag burst, the corner. Alright. Good! She was gaining confidence, and would have her gun completely and ready, aimed before the bag was even thrown up each time. For a few of them, she would have to follow them a bit as she was too slow to fire when they reached their peaks, but Katsumi was timing them well, and soon enough she made all of the rest, only missing the seventh afterwards.

Releasing a relieved sigh, Katsumi passed the second test. Sand was all across the field, she knew how to use a gun, and all was well. Despite her new skill with the gun, she handed it back and walked off, excited to go back to her bow.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Shinomori Katsumi: +3 Dex

Proficiency: Marksmanship - C

[Ichimura Ryunosuke]

After that crash course on firing with a bow, now the militia commander summoned all of the militia again, including Ryunosuke, to the training grounds. Having taken his leave before, Ryunosuke still felt refreshed. It was time for another training in the marksmanship course, that being the usage of the rifle. Now Ryunosuke had much experience using a pistol in combat, but he had not learned to use a full-length rifle yet. A new drill commander had been selected for this training, and rifles were handed over to each member of the militia. And with that, the militia set out to a forest clearing for training.

Training dummies are erected on the other end of the clearing, while the militia formed lines at the front of the dummies, the nearest man being 100 yards away from each dummy. The militia would fire in serial fashion; with the one who had shot at the dummy will go at the back of his line after the shot. But when Ryunosuke was called, he was still wrestling with the ramrod. Apparently Ryunosuke did not know yet how to use the rod, as his pistol also had a mechanism that replaced the ramrod when he reloads it. It had taken some minutes before Ryunosuke finally aimed at the training dummy with the rifle ready. When he fired the rifle, the recoil made the rifle his shoulders, making him miss the mark. Cursing himself for that miss, Ryunosuke went back to his line for his second shot. On his second shot, Ryunosuke held the rifle steadily, such that even if the rifle recoils, he would not be hurt by the recoil. He fired the shot, and it hit the dummy’s head, but it would be a miss if his rifle swung too much. The third and fourth shots saw the outcomes nearing the center of the dummy’s head, and on the remaining rounds of shooting, the shots passed clean through the center of the dummy’s head.

Or another round of training, the drill commander wanted to test the accuracy of the militia towards a moving target by throwing bags of sand upward in the air. The militia again lined up for this task, but now there is only one line. When Ryunosuke’s turn was up, he aimed at the bag as it was thrown in the air. The shot was then fired, but the shot came too late for it to hit the bag, which landed on the ground with no holes. Dejected, Ryunosuke went back to his line and watched the others fire at the sand bags. Apparently those who waited for the bag to come under their aim were more successful than those who did not, and so Ryunosuke adopted that practice. He steadily aimed his rifle at the spot where he thought the bag would pass, and just before the bag passed through his aim, he fired the shot. The bag exploded, scattering dust on the ground. The tactic successful, Ryunosuke tried it again and again, each sand bag that he fired upon becomes either exploded or punctured. Very good, he thought. Now he had no qualms holding a longer firearm, now that he had used it satisfactorily.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Ichimura Ryunosuke: +3 Dex

Proficiency: Marksmanship - C

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

Unlike the last range training, Iemasa felt insanely comfortable here. With a rifle in his hands, the officer felt basically unstoppable, not to mention the beastly visor he obtained from exploring Numa Castle. At 100 yards, even, this whole training felt like it was going to be a piece of cake. But, he was going to go through with it anyway, just to show not only Lord Nobunaga, but every single soldier present, why he was going to be so valuable to the Oda army.

Stepping up to the range, Iemasa adopted a different stance for his rifle than almost everyone else. He would hold his weapon up with a single arm, aiming down the range. His eyes seemed to isolate the target dummy from everything else, and it was like he saw it right in front of himself. Exhaling calmly, he pulled the trigger and with a loud bang, the bullet would soar through the air and pierce the target dummy's head. He grinned, and the men around him seemed surprised. Not only was he able to aim the rifle with just a single arm, but his aim with it seemed impeccable! And, eager to show it was not just a fluke, he was going to do this over and over.

With his second shot, Iemasa would fire even more quickly, and it seemed to be more reckless of a shot, as well. He would swing his arm upward, firing as the rifle was level with the target dummy, and in that split second, the shot seemed to be on target, once again piercing the dummy's head. The men around him all cheered, some in disbelief that he could make a shot like that, others saying he was just showing off. Either way, shot after shot, the dummy's head would be further and further torn apart. By the end of the first part of the trial, it has so many holes in its head, you wouldn't recognize it if it were a person.

This next part of the trial seemed to be a bit more of a challenge, but at the same time, Iemasa wasn't deterred in the slightest. He had to hit a target out of the air from the same distance, at least seven times, but was going to go for all ten.

The moment the first bag of sand was thrown into the air, Iemasa's eyes seemed to lock onto it, and it moved in a sort of slow motion. Raising his rifle, he would follow it, shooting at it just as it reached the peak of its arc, and the bullet ripped through the bag, spilling sand all across the ground. While the first shot itself wasn't overly impressive, the officer would prove that he was not going to miss a single time, as they would each be thrown into the air, and he would shoot them down faster and faster each time, taking even less time to actually prepare his shot. Over and over, the bags fell to the ground, the sand pouring everywhere in a mess that marked his success.

In total, out of twenty shots, Iemasa did not miss once. If that didn't prove he was a good rifleman, he didn't know what would.

[Takeda Shingen]

Tokugawa Iemasa: +3 Dex

Proficiency: Marksmanship - C

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou would head to the firing range when word came to him that they were to test their ability with firearms, finding it slightly strange that his unit were expect to. They had learnt how to use bow, ride horses, at this rate Koboyashi’s unit was going to be a sort of squad of all trades. Men capable of doing a bit of everything. “What on earth are you wearing Yamabara?” Koboyashi would ask as he approached. Looking down at himself, Shou realised how odd the demonic armour he had recently acquired looked hidden un the large loose clothes, he had gotten purely to cover their appearance, it was better than allowing the others to see the armour without it. The mask of the set currently not wore and hidden away. “I’m trying to teach myself how to hide armour under my clothes, it isn’t going very well.” Shou lied pulling the clothes around him tighter.

“So what exactly is on today’s agenda?” He asked as a deflection.
Koboyashi picked up an unused rifle and bandoleer and threw them at Shou. “Ten shots, eight in the head. And ten shots, seven hit versus a moving target. Quite like the archer training really. Plus the men already know how to load a gun even if they aren’t a very good shot.” Koboyashi explained as Shou caught the weapon and slung the bandoleer over a shoulder. “Doesn’t sound too hard and I don’t even use a gun.” Shou said confidently, the armour demonic influence made him feel unstoppable a little practise even with a weapon he wasn’t use to seemed like a walk in the park.



Arrogant to a certain extent, Shou walked to the line loaded the weapon as he did so, pulled it up with barely aiming and fired. Recoil hit him, totally unexpected throwing his aim off completely. The shoulder of the target next to the one he had been trying for breaking as the small steel ball of his weapon hit it. “You were saying. Take things seriously messenger boy.” Koboyashi ordered, causing Shou actually blush to himself at the folly of his over confidence. Reloading the weapon, Shou aimed properly the second time and fired. The weapon struck the target in the chest and Shou made note of how much the recoil threw off his aim.


Reloading once more and now knowing how in accurate the weapon was, Shou would take the task ahead seriously as ordered. Pulling out the mask from where it was hidden and placing it on, he suddenly felt more focused. Lining up his shot each time with what looked right, and then slightly changing his aim to compensate for the recoil of the weapon before firing. Eight more shot would ring out from his rifle, not fast but slow and purposeful. Each ball hitting the intended target in the head as was the idea. Shou turned to the others, putting his rifle over his shoulder. Only to be greeted by the sight of shocked faces and a few of the guns aimed in his direction. “It’s still me guys.” Shou said pulling up the mask. His hair would suddenly shorten and return to being black. “It’s meant to scare the enemy armies into fleeing like dogs.” Shou lied once more, not liking doing so, but sliding the mask back on. Wearing it gave him an edge he needed.


“Well it’s scaring the men. Keep it off Yamabara.” Koboyashi ordered, causing Shou’s eye to cringe under the mask, but Shou followed the order. Removing the mask and putting it away. So much for that edge, Shou thought to himself. “Get back to it men.” Koboyashi ordered, heading back over to a nearby pile of sandbags alongside another man. “You ready Yamabara?” Koboyashi asked, Shou nodded in reply having already reloaded and ready the rifle. Koboyashi and the other man launched the bag into the air and Shou tried to follow it and fire, missing completely. The lack of mask and the power the demonic set of gear seemed to give him, seriously being missed now.


The next bag would come and much like the previous training with the bow, Shou tried to lead the bag firing ahead. However the much greater speed of the rifle’s round causing him to shoot in front of the bag rather than hitting it. The next he tried the same but stopped his aim and fire as the bag passed by, catching the corner of the thing and causing sand to spill through the sky. Those that followed he found the sweet spot of when to fire, pulling the trigger of his rifle just before the bag would pass in front of his aim. Each shot better than the last. Hitting the bag more directly, causing it to burst open more and spill more of its sand before it hit the ground. Finally done, Shou went and replaced the man helping the captain throw the bags, so that the rest of the unit could take their turns.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Yamabara Shou: +3 Dex

Proficiency: Marksmanship - C

[Morei Haji]

Guns. I didn't like them. They seemed rather impersonal, and despite how unwieldy they were, I had a horrible feeling they would one day make us samurai obsolete. That said, I could see the practicality behind using one, you didn't have to be up close to your target to kill or defeat them. It didn't break your soul as much as stabbing someone would. You don't really see the consequence of your actions. The user was a lot safer too, the lack of personal risk made it more appealing to most, I was sure. Nevertheless, as an odd jobs man, I was tasked with improving my proficiency in every category that I could. This included weapons such as these.

Taking my position, I would aim my rifle down the range, the stock pressed against my shoulder as I looked down the sight. Pulling the trigger, the bullet would fly quickly with a loud boom, narrowly missing the target. Damn. My aim wasn't as steady as I'd have liked. Reloading the gun, I took aim again, this time taking a deep breath as I fired. The bullet flew out and struck the target almost completely dead center. Woo!

Reloading my weapon again, I took aim once more. I fired, and missed. It seemed my previous success had made me far too overconfident, and I frowned. I took a breath once more, firing my weapon after concentrating. The bullet would find its mark once more. Repeating this pattern of concentrated shots and deep breaths, the rest of my bullets would strike the targets without fail. 8 out of 10, wasn't too shabby. I narrowly passed this test, however.

There was another task waiting for me. This time I had to shoot bags thrown into the air. Moving targets, joy. Taking my position, I would make sure my weapon was loaded, taking aim higher than I was previously. The bags of sand were thrown into the air, and I would follow them, firing my gun as it started to fall. I missed. Damn it. I got a good idea of what I needed to do from this though. Maybe if I fired just as the bag reached the peak of its height...

"Alright Haji, you can do this..."

Another bag was thrown up into the air, and another shot was fired. This time, I pierced the bag of sand, seeing that sand spill out into the air as a symbol of my victory. Yes! I repeated this same tactic, firing shots every time the bags reached the peak of their height. I only missed one more time, but I hit the rest of the targets. 8 out of 10 when I needed a minimum of 7.

I got up with a sigh of relief, placing the gun at my shoulder as I walked to return the rifle. My task was complete, now I just needed to get my pay.

[Takeda Shingen]

Morei Haji: +2 Dex

Proficiency: Marksmanship - C

[Wakeshima Shoji]

[[Making this fit a bit more with Kurai's fucked up dad and Shoji. ^^;]]

Being a samurai who focused on melee, Shoji had been entirely unfamiliar with guns. Certainly he had seen them, but the man had never personally used them. They were loud and slow, and he much preferred the sword. In fact, Shoji would rather use a bow than a damn rifle. What good would a gun do? Plus, they felt even more impersonal than a bow, and that was simply wrong to the high-functioning psychopath.

Shoji scoffed at the idea of using the weapon, but Kurai's father insisted he at least learn how to use one, and so he agreed. Over the last five days, the man had been learning how to use a gun, assemble them, take them apart, and shoot. Especially in the first few days, it was a grueling, arduous task, but by the sixth morning, Shoji felt at least comfortable with the weapon. And so now it was time to be tested.

Oh boy...

By mid-morning, Shoji walked out onto a field with Kurai's father. There were ten men kneeling on the ground one-hundred yards away, bags over their heads and foot and hands bound, and someone stood out there at the side near them. The sound of crying and pleas filled the air, and it brought both Shoji and his goddess's father pleasure. At least they held that mutual feeling and Shoji didn't need to hide his true nature. Well... at least not fully.

Nodding at being instructed over what to do, Shoji picked up the loaded weapon and took aim at the man at the end. Waiting several moments, he fired and blood splattered from the back of the man's head, and he fell onto the ground. Grinning, Shoji reloaded the gun and moved onto the next target. Taking aim again, he made the shot, and by the fourth he was feeling rather giddy.

The fifth target was shaking his head fearfully and Shoji had difficulty taking aim, and upon firing missed entirely. Shoji cursed himself and the ninja out there among the others went up to the man and slit the missed target's throat. He fell to the ground, drowning in his own blood, body convulsing. Shoji looked on longingly, wishing that could have been his job.

Releasing a sigh, Shoji reloaded and made sure to carefully aim again, and he fortunately made the head shot, killing the sixth man Kurai's father wanted dead. Or was it for amusement? He couldn't be sure, and didn't particularly care.

By the ninth shot, Shoji grew a little cocky again and missed, although he did hit the man. The bullet instead hit his shoulder, and he fell onto the ground, crying out in agony. Shoji scowled at missing the head, and the ninja brought the squirming man up, ending his life. The psychopath glanced over at his lover's father, who looked at Shoji incredulously.

Shit. He really had to make this next shot.

When reloading the rifle and taking aim, this person was really squirming and Sho bit down on his bottom lip, chewing at it. Releasing it, Shoji took his time and waited, to ensure that he could time it just right. After nearly a minute passed, beads of sweat slipping down the back of his neck and down his forehead, Shoji fired and hit the head. Because of the area, the man fell onto the ground, convulsing for a few moments before stopping.

"Phew..."

That was a close one, and Shoji smiled nervously, the other simply nodding and motioning Shoji forward to go to the next trial. The psychopath had half-expected to see animals or newborn babies flung up into the air, but instead they were simply bags of sand, and Shoji wasn't sure whether he should feel relieved, because they wouldn't move quite as much as a living creature, or disappointed from the lack of blood there would be.

Shoji hadn't practiced with moving targets and so the first two he missed, first shooting too early and the second time shooting too late, and Shoji cursed himself for it. Fuck! He only had one more chance! Reloading the gun, the tall man took aim and waited until the bag went above where he aimed, reaching its peak, and then fired. The bag burst and Shoji immediately smiled. Victory!

So that was what he needed to do. Okay. Shoji made sure to continue to aim as he did previously after reloading, waiting for the bag to reach above the end of the barrel of the rifle and reach its peak. Each time he fired, the sand went flying from the bags getting hit. It seemed Shoji was getting pretty decent with it, only grazing the side of one of the bags the seventh time around before he had put a little bit too much gunpowder in the rifle and the recoil was more than Shoji expected. It wasn't a direct hit and clearly hadn't pleased Kurai's father, but the remaining two shots were done beautifully, hitting right in the center of the sandbags. He certainly finished strong and performed much better than his first two shots.

Lowering the weapon, Shoji turned to face Kurai's father who expressed his approval and the tall man bowed respectively. "I am glad I pleased you, sir."

"Shall we have a drink then, kid?"

"That would be lovely, sir. Thank you."

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Wakeshima Shoji: +3 Dex

Proficiency: Marksmanship - C

[Sanada Yukimura]

Rifles. Yukimura wasn't exactly the most fondest of it, but he also knew having the ability to wield and use one wasn't exactly a bad skill to have either. Which explained why he was standing in front of the firing range in Lord Takeda-sama's territory, a rifle in his hands. Located in front of him, about 100 yards away, a target had been set up, his goal being to shoot it in the head with at least 8 out of 10 shots. Taking a deep breathe before raising the rifle up, he would close one eye and take aim, before firing off a shot... which hit the target in the shoulder. Lowering the rifle and frowning, that wasn't his target... at all. Reloading and taking aim once more, he would fire another round, this time hitting the target in the other shoulder. That wasn't his target either.

Realizing his hands were shaking, not just from being unused to wielding a rifle, but also from nervousness, he would take a moment to calm himself down, taking in deep breathes with his eyes closed, before slowly opening them. Wielding a rifle was no different from wielding a bow and arrow. Sure, the bow didn't have a kick-back like the rifle did, but the aiming mechanics were the same. With this in mind, his nerves steeled, Yukimura would once more raise the rifle up, and taking careful aim, would take his time, before firing a shot, hitting the target in the head. A smile forming on his face, he would take aim and rapidly fire and reload at the target in front of him, his remaining seven shots fired hitting the target in the head in rapid succession. With his first goal completed, now came the more difficult part. Under the watchful eye of Kōsaka Masanobu, one of Lord Takeda-sama's Three Best Masters, Yukimura would have to shoot bags of sand launched into the air by the vassal, making at least 7 out of 10 shots. It was difficult, but not daunting.

The vassal launching the first bag of sand into the air, taking aim, Yukimura would pull the trigger and fire, hitting the bag of sand and ripping it open, sand pouring out. The next couple bags of sand launched into the air one at a time, Yukimura would repeat his action for each of them, and when Masanobu realized Yukimura was having little trouble with it, would launch the fifth and sixth bags into the air in one right after the other. Adjusting his aim, Yukimura would quickly shoot down the bag that was falling first, then take out the other one. This no trouble for him either, Masanobu would decide to finish off the exercise with a bang, and launch the remaining five bags of sand into the air... all at once. Frowning at the vassal's final hurdle thrown at him, he would take it in stride though, and would systematically take the bags out one by one, starting with the bag that would reach the ground first, then work his way upwards, tearing rips into each bag. By the time he was done, the firing range looked more like a mini desert, with the amount of sand that had poured out from each bag. Resting the butt of the rifle on the ground, he would survey his handy work, having already flicked the lock on. Safety first, kids. At least now he knew that he was more than capable of handling a rifle, and the skill would definitely come in handy should he find himself without his spears or blades and all there was for him to use was a rifle in a confrontation.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Sanada Yukimura: +1 Dex. Whoops, that wasn't your target. +2 Dex. Oh, that wasn't your target either... You get +3 Dex

You have received: Proficiency: Marksmanship - C

[Deleted]

“Finally,” Juubei shouted as he caught wind that his commanders were finally giving him the opportunity to display his prowess with firearms. Juubei was there on time and was the first person to begin loading his rifle in preparation for the first shot. With everything ready, Juubei raised the rifle upwards, settled into his firing position, and took aim. His hands weren’t as steady as they should have been, so he refocused his aim, controlled his breathing, and got ready to fire again. Juubei knew exactly where he wanted to his the target and this carried through into his first shot, which hit exactly where he wanted it to, that place being right between the eyes. Juubei was now faced with a dilemma. He could simply complete the task or he could show off a bit. Juubei remembered how things had gone during the first marksmanship training and decided he’d better outdo his previous performance. The weather was quite perfect on this day. The sun was up and to his back, the sky was clear, and there wasn’t a breeze to be felt. He could hear birds chirping in the background and for a moment Juubei felt as though he was home, practicing under the supervision of his father. It brought out his trademark grin in a slight manner.

This was why the next ten shots that Juubei fired were in such a tight grouping that all the holes combined to form a large hole about an inch in diameter in the head of the target. These rifles weren’t exactly known to be the most accurate of weapons, so doing this was actually quite the feat. Juubei earned cheers from his fellow mercenaries. The next step was aerial targets and this one was going to give Juubei some trouble. He’d never practiced shooting at thrown targets before and his confidence wasn’t at the same level it’d been at just a few minutes ago. The first shot went well and Juubei had struck the tossed sandbag squarely in the center. The next shot grazed it on the side and caused all the sand to spill out in a dramatic fashion. Not too accurate, but it was good enough. The next five shots were much the same as his second shot, with a single miss thrown into the mix. Juubei had three bags remaining and he only had to make one more accurate shot to complete the training. The tenseness in the air was so palpable that you could cut it with a knife. Everyone was on the edge of their proverbial seats as they watched on with wide eyes as the boasting mercenary took aim.

Nerve racking would be an apt word to describe how this went as Juubei missed his eighth shot. Lady luck was apparently smiling on Juubei this day, because it thankfully didn’t come down to his last chance. On the very next shot Juubei struck the bag right in the center. A decent number of people applauded Juubei on being the first to complete the marksmanship training and even asked him some questions to learn about how they could increase their odds of completing it. Most of them had only experience with the bow and arrow and very few were even known to use firearms on a regular basis like Juubei. He told them as much as he could and patted them on the back before they stepped up to take their turn. Some might wonder why Juubei would bother helping these people, but the answer was simple. Although they were only bound together by a common love for money, at some point each of them might have to rely upon the other to make it through a tough situation. In the vent that time came, Juubei wanted them to be as prepared as possible. That, and he legitimately just enjoyed helping people.

[Takeda Shingen]

Kurosawa Juubei: +2 Dex

Proficiency: Marksmanship - C