Xenia had long since had her attendants set up her rooftop terrace for the shooting competition. The electronic targets were set up in the distant mountains and distant bay, sandbags were available for the shooters to arrange the barrel upon, and refreshments were available.
Although Xenia officially referred to her property as a ‘villa’, it was truly massive with tens of thousands of square feet, and as such, the rooftop terrace was the size of a football field. The edges of the rooftop were infinity edges. Instead of ledges, there was a three-foot wide perimeter of water that fell to the level below.
Xenia relaxed in the shade of her sun umbrella sipping a mimosa with Peter alongside her as she waited for 3:00 pm to arrive. Before long, the royal guard unit appeared at the stairs leading to the terrace. Xenia held her glass up and welcomed them, “Welcome! And congratulations! So many men would rather run than face death like you have today! I applaud your courage even if it is misplaced.”
Felton ignored her and proceeded to the nearest table where he slammed his black duffel bag down. He unzipped the long bag and removed his very own, personalized Barret .50 caliber M95 bolt-action rifle complete with a 10-bullet magazine and long-range scope sighted in to perfection.
He then removed a fresh box of 50 caliber rifle rounds with each bullet measuring over 5 inches in total length.
He smiled and looked to Xenia with a confident look, “We will be shooting with this. A .50 caliber M95 Barrett rifle. It is bolt action. It is-“
Xenia stood with her mimosa in hand and said, “Spare me the details Captain. I’ve shot one before. I’ve shot many before.”
She saw his smile fade just a bit, and she took a sip of her drink through her pink straw as she smiled. She then gave a refreshed sigh, “What? Did you think I had never shot a rifle such as this. I am a Grandmaster 10th degree black belt, a general, and now a warlord. Of course I have a shot this rifle.”
Felton managed to chuckle, “You may have shot this rifle once before; however, the question to settle is whether you can shoot it better than me. Not only that, but it also seems you have chosen to take this challenge with a bit of alcohol on board.”
Xenia looked at her drink, “Oh this? Please. My healing abilities are so amazing that I can hardly get drunk unless I pound shots. My body cleanses all toxins, alcohols, poisons, and more the instant they enter my body. Admittedly, it is an unfortunate side effect of being such a gifted ki user.”
Xenia then said, “As you can see, to the East lies the BloodStar Empire Castle. To the South lies the city center.”
She turned to the West and said, “And to the West lies our targets scattered throughout the mountain side.” She shifted North and pointed, “And should we need it. To the North lies the ocean where I have several yachts set up with targets. The degree of difficulty shooting at targets on the water is absurd.”
Felton frowned, “Shooting at targets on the water? That is absurd. We won’t be able to hit anything with the motion of the waves.”
Xenia smiled over her shoulder at him, “You may not be able to hit anything.”
Felton shook his head to himself as he thought, “She’s crazy. Powerful individuals always let their arrogance go to their heads.”
He then loaded the 10-bullet cartridge into the rifle, and he turned to Xenia, “Let’s not waste a second of our precious time. I’d like to get started if that’s okay.”
Xenia motioned for him to move ahead of her, “I quite agree. Guests first.”
Felton carried the rifle over to the infinity ledge and said, “First round will be prone fire. Second round will be standing fire. Are these targets standard digital targets?”
Felton looked to the mountainside to see ten silver metal targets with bright red bullseye centers.
Xenia responded, “Correct. A direct bullseye scores as 100 points. Anything outside of the bullseye loses value the further it moves from the center. The score will be read out and tracked on the corresponding digital board here.”
Felton nodded, “Very well. Let’s begin.”
He assumed a prone position and placed sandbags under his barrel to stabilize it. He then turned the scope sightings to adjust it just ever so slightly. Next, he used a range finder to know the exact range of each target. Lastly, he calculated for the wind.
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Like a true professional, not a single nerve in his body focused on the outcome should he fail. Instead, he steeled himself to win at all costs. He maintained a perfect technique with his legs placed to stabilize the recoil. He then lightly placed his finger on the trigger, took aim, held his breath, and… fired.”
The rifle sounded with a large ‘BOOM’ as it fired the first round of the competition. In the distance, the first target lit up green and subsequently the digital readout near him dinged with a ‘100’.
He pulled the bolt back to release the empty shell. He then masterfully slid the bolt back into place loading the next bullet to be fired.
He took aim at the second target. ‘Ding!”
Felton landed another bullseye as his score racked up to ‘200’ on the board. He effortlessly slid the bolt back once more ejecting the empty shell and proceeded to hold his form time and time again with bullseye after bullseye on the mountain targets.
The remainder of his fourteen men of the royal guard unit looked on with pride as their captain racked up a perfect score thus far. One of the soldiers said, “The captain is really going to give the Warlord a run for her money! You can’t top a perfect score!”
With his last shot, Felton aimed true and ended his round with a perfect 1000 score with 10 bullseyes in a row.
He left the rifle in place on the ground and stood with a proud face but did not smile just yet. He knew this wasn’t over until it was over.
He looked to Xenia and said, “You have your work cut out for you Warlord. If you need any assistance loading the next cartridge in to the rifle or setting your scope, I am happy to help.”
Xenia flipped her hair and let out a, “Pffff. Get out of my way. You are still a dead man Felton.”
Xenia loaded in ten 50 caliber rounds into the cartridge herself with relative ease and expertise. She then loaded the cartridge into the rifle and kicked the sand bags aside in favor of holding the rifle steady with her other hand.
The royal guard looked on questioning her technique, “Here comes amateur hour. It would be impossible to score a perfect 1000 without the aid to stabilize the barrel at this range of fire.”
Xenia took no time in firing her first shot. A loud ‘ding’ could be heard as she hit her first target’s bullseye.
Although they weren’t rooting for her, the royal guardsmen couldn’t help but notice her perfectly toned body in her leather outfit as she lay prone on the ground. She fired again and again; however, the soldiers were oblivious to her score as they watched her perfectly-shaped ass jiggle with the recoil of each shot.
Only moments later, Xenia stood with the rifle in her hand and smiled at them all, “Enjoying the show?”
The guardsmen looked to the scoreboard to see a tie score of 1000 to 1000. They were floored that Xenia could fire with such accuracy in her unorthodox form.
Felton grimaced, “We will alternate who goes first each round. You are up for the standing fire round. Take your time and begin when ready.”
Xenia was already halfway through re-loading the cartridge. It wasn’t long before she slammed the cartridge into the bottom of the rifle and said, “I need no breaks. I can hit a bullseye anytime, anywhere.”
She winked at Felton and turned. She began to fire immediately in a standing position hitting the first three bullseye with ease. She then started taking slow steps to her right as she moved with each target.
To the amazement of the soldiers, she was able to continue hitting bullseyes even as she moved with the rifle in her hands. They had all severely underestimated her skill.
After ten shots, Xenia had ten bullseyes. She walked over to Felton and aggressively shoved the rifle into his chest, “Pressure is on Captain. Don’t forget it’s not just your life on the line.”
She looked to the soldiers under his command, and she gave a devilish smirk before walking away.
Suddenly, the men weren’t so cheerful. They looked on as Felton took his position confidently. He prepared as he had before adjusting the scope, testing the wind, and perfecting his form. His preparation was unlike Xenia’s who barely had any preparation before she began firing.
Felton took aim and fired his first shot. ‘Ding!’
His first shot was a bullseye. The air ringed with more bullseyes until he had fired his last shot. The scoreboard read 2000 to 2000. It was still a tie game. He breathed a huge sigh of relief. For the first time, he had felt anxiety while competing against Xenia. He couldn’t help but think, “Have I let my confidence get the best of me? Am I in over my head? How the fuck is she so capable with a sniper rifle?!”
Xenia slow clapped from the side, “You are without a doubt a world-class sniper. You really could win against anyone else. It’s a shame you’re competing against me.”
She walked over to the North ledge and folded her arms under her big boobs as she looked off to the yachts below in the bay, “These targets are different. These targets are prisoners of mine. Don’t let that deter you.”
Felton and his men looked over the infinity ledge to see several yachts below with scattered prisoners tied to rails, stairways, chairs, and more. Each had a large brown sack over their head.
Felton took a big gulp. He was prepared to kill others for the sake of his own men; however, this was a step into uncomfortable territory for him.
His men looked on knowing that whether they survived or not… someone was going to die today.
Xenia smiled as she looked down, “Don’t worry about damaging the yachts. I will have them repaired. Simply focus on the targets. Are you practiced shooting targets on the water? The currents and waves of the bay don’t make it easy. The downward trajectory is tricky too.”
Felton grimaced again, “We will be lucky if either of us hits a target. The water is difficult enough as you say, but those targets are a mile away.” He clenched his jaw and then said, “When this round is over, the score will still be 2000 to 2000. What then? What will the tie breaker round be then, Xenia?!”
She smiled and laughed, “A tie breaker round won’t be needed. That I can assure you. From the sounds of it, I like my chances Felton.”
She paced by his soldiers and said, “Don’t worry men. I will make your deaths very quick and painless.” She then turned to Felton, “But him. His death is going to be… more painful.”
She held her gaze and eye-contact with a terrified Felton, “Please. Begin when you are ready, Captain.”