Sweat drained down his face as he dropped onto the ground. He slowly began pushing his remaining mist into his two shockblasters. His mist levels had drastically increased from the practicing, and he could almost fill one of his guns completely. The mist swirled out of his body, slowly filling most of his weapons.
He still needed more practice.
He always could use more practice.
Red heard the sound of sand crunching behind him and turned to find Zara walking across the field. She must have already returned from planting the bomb. Red hoped she had hidden it well. Derrin was supposed to wait until the final day to plant his explosives to ensure they weren't found.
"Did it go well?" Red managed to stumble upwards from his exhaustive heap.
She shrugged, "As well as can be expected, I suppose. They shouldn't find the bombs in the next few days unless they know to look for them."
"That's good at least."
They fell into an awkward silence.
"You're rushing your shots," Zara finally said after an uncomfortably long silence.
"What?" Red was startled by the sudden change of topic.
She stepped up beside him, "You shoot far faster than you need to. When it comes to close-range shooting, you need to be patient even during the thick of a fight. It is harder to master than patience with a sniper."
Red scowled, "If I'm patient, then I am going to get shot or stabbed or something."
Zara laughed, "You know how many people have said that exact same thing. Nearly everyone…me included. When I say patient, I don't mean slow. You still need to fire when it's time to fire. What I mean is you can't see an opening and just jump for it. It is important to think about the possibilities in a fight as well. Oftentimes, it is better to fight patiently with shock weapons and wait for your enemy to become restless."
"How long were you standing there watching me?"
She shrugged, "Not very long. I know you want to do something other than sit around. The only way for that to happen is for you to improve. I have no problem with helping you become a better fighter. I just won't let you out until then."
"Okay. If you're going to critique my form, then what else am I doing wrong?"
"Just about everything."
"That is not in the least bit helpful."
"Well, you did ask."
"Next time I need assistance, I'll talk to a wall. Thank you very much."
"I can move out of the way for you."
Neither of them spoke for a moment. Red shook his head, then snorted, and they both burst out laughing.
When it faded, Red exhaled, "I'm serious, though. What else am I doing wrong?"
"There are a few things, but they will come after you get some more practice. First, and most important, is breathing. You tense up before you shoot, and I've noticed you often hold your breath. That will tense your body up when you should be loose and moving during close combat. It'll take practice, but you should try to time your breathing with your shots instead of just holding your breath."
Red thought about that and realized that it was exactly what Derrin had told him. It was important to keep breathing steadily during combat. In fact, timing one's strikes or, in this case, shots with each breath was a good way to keep a rhythm. It was a hard skill to get used to, but it was worth practicing.
"That makes sense. It is similar to what Derrin says about hand-to-hand combat."
Zara nodded in agreement, "Yes. There are many basic lessons across all forms of combat that can apply to shooting. Breathing is one of the most important ones because it helps you remain calm. That being said, it's also very difficult to master, and you will need to focus on your breathing for a long time to make it a habit."
"From what it sounds like, that seems like most combat practice. Repeat, repeat, repeat, until you hate doing it so much that you just do it on instinct so you can get on with your life."
"Really?" Zara asked behind raised brows, "That sounds an awful lot like something else."
"Like what?" Red asked curiously.
She turned away and coughed, "Engineering…"
Red made a rude gesture, and she laughed.
"Honestly, I think that the best advice I can give you, but the one that you can get the most from is learning to adjust to the gun's wobble."
"The gun's wobble?"
"Yes. When you are aiming, you need to accept that your gun isn't going to be perfectly flat. Especially with a pistol at close range, your arm is going to shake because you are more than likely moving. Even when standing still, it is much harder to keep your gun from moving than to just accept the wobble."
"Accept the wobble?" Red scratched his head, "Seriously?"
Zara sighed, "Okay. Think engineering for a moment. When you are an engineer, you are often faced with problems that you aren't sure how to solve. There are usually two ways around it: take the problem out entirely, which is usually impractical. Or simply work around the problem. Build your device with the problem in mind."
"So, you mean that I need to accept the wobble and aim with the wobble in mind."
"Exactly. Your gun may move, and you just need to be ready for it. If you can master the wobble and plan accordingly, your aim will majorly improve."
"And let me guess, that takes a lot of damn repetition to master."
"You're never going to master it. Why do you think I moved to sniping? I don't have to worry about the wobble at all, most of the time," Zara stuck her hand out, "Can I see your gun?"
Red paused before handing it to her. She took it and carefully felt the weight in her palm. When she got the balance right, Zara lifted the weapon to her eye level as if aiming down the sights. With that done, she turned to the smallest and furthest target with a grin.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Three quick shots rang out, each of them directly impacting the distant target.
"Okay, now you're just showing off."
"You're damn right I am."
"I swear you must have enhanced vision. I don't think I could even hit that target."
Zara just grinned, "Enhanced vision, huh? Who would've thought?"