GATE - War of Two Worlds Part 1

V12 - Chapter 142 Training Day

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--- Fort Minick, Training Ground ---

February 3rd, 2026

It is nearly 0900 and Sharpe is walking along the firing line.

Across the line is his Rangers conducting their daily practice. They are lined up firing their rifles at targets down the range.

Today is slightly different. This time the 'Girls' are with them. Rory Mercury, Lelei La Lalena, and Tuka Luna Marceau are lined up and firing at the targets down the range.

Each one of the girls has their own special way of fighting. Rory being a melee fighter, Lelei being the team mage and then Tuka being his scout and archer. He does not want to take away what makes them special and unique on the team. Their differences have made the team more efficient.

Still, he wants them to have a sidearm just in case they need it. And it will be good to get them more familiar with more US technology.

He already gave the girls a lesson on the SIG M17. The safety, how it works, the basics, and now they are firing downrange.

The firing range is a semi -outdoors facility. Where the soldiers stand is covered and leads into a building. The actual range part is outside with a four-foot wall all around. There is a roof over the range with a track to allow soldiers to adjust the distance of their target.

He looks downrange and sees the 'Girls' targets. It is the standard target you see at ranges. All three of them are getting used to the firearm. In the beginning, it is key to get the user comfortable with the weapon.

He has to do that with Selina early on(1). He had to teach her how to respect the weapon and how to properly use it. He is hoping he can multiply that lesson to the girls and Knights.

He looks over to his right and sees three Knights on the firing range. It is Pina Co Lada, Beefeater E Caty, and Boze Co Palesti. He ordered Pina to find two others who she trusted to learn the firearm.

As he watches, he sees most of them are missing or barely hitting the target. It is their first time and he expected it. Today is more about them learning the basics.

Rory seems to be getting used to her M17, getting close to the target center.

To his surprise, Tuka seems to be doing the best of them all even though this is her first time. She has been the closest to hitting the target man in the head or chest. The skills she has learned from being an archer clearly has spread over. The only issue he sees becoming a problem is that she takes too long to line up her shot, treating it like a bow.

And then there is Lelei. She has been struggling the most between the Girls and the Knights. During the first round, she never hit the target. The second round she did hit the target but on the outer rim of it, never hitting the man on the target.

The range drill sergeant blows the whistle telling everyone to stop firing because they all finished unloading their magazines.

"Ceasefire. Safety on and place your pistol on the table beside you," Jacob orders.

As everyone sets down their M17s for safety reasons, he walks over to Lelei. "Hey Lelei, how are you feeling?"

Lelei looks at him frustrated. "I suck at this. I don't understand why. I am telling it to hit the target, but it refuses to do so."

"No, no," He replies. He thinks about why she is struggling and then he gets an idea. "Lelei, when you use your staff what is going through your mind?"

Lelei thinks about how to answer his question. "When I am about to use a spell, I visualize what I want and how it works. I have to think about what the spell is and all the elements I need for the spell to work."