Chapter 4.23 - The Old Gun

Nestled a few blocks away from the main square of town, away from the hustle and bustle of the tavern and adventurer's guild, there was a small cafe. Modeled after the traditional Skygge cafes of their home, this cafe served several varieties of tea, crackers and sweet biscuits, and was a relaxing place to enjoy a quiet afternoon.

Today was the first time Serin found himself here. Yesterday the spies left for their external assignments, and today he would work on developing a deterrent for when the announcement came.

This is why he sat with Sute and the man they came to meet, Josef Blomst. Obviously weathered in his appearance, Josef was past his years of adventuring. He still carried himself as someone who could hold himself in battle, but his eyes betrayed a sense of pain that Serin could not understand.

"So you ask me to dust off my tools, and bring back weapons of war that killed thousands of Skygge people?"

Serin nodded. Josef sipped his tea. He looked at the young lybringer girl that was waiting tables, "Lord Serin, my only concern is the happiness of my granddaughter."

At that moment the young lady skipped over to the boy behind the counter, a Skygge who owned the cafe. She turned in her order and smiled at him. It was very apparent that by the way they moved, they were very much in love.

"You see, Lord Serin, my future is in the hands of those two. And my job is to protect them. So I will sit in this shop every day and order tea and biscuits until they are old and wrinkled like me. Then I can quietly pass into the grey."

Serin understood. He thought back to his own family, how after he left he chose not to contact them, for fear that they would become hostages. He thought of Olma, and the fire he would rain from the sky should anyone harm her. He thought of his son Nok. Although a changeling, Serin saw his dreaming expression mirrored in the youngling's eyes.

Serin looked at Josef, "Josef, you have seen the size of our town. We have less than 200 people that have trained to fight. Even with our superior skill and defensive location, if an army arrived with a dedicated plan of attack, we would be sorely matched."

Serin looked at the boy behind the counter. "Even if the armies spared your daughter, they would surely kill her love. Lybringers can pass for humans, but the physical features of the Skygge make it impossible to hide their ancestry. Humans out in the world are not like the ones here. Even here the humans, slaves and refugees, took over a year to be accepting of other races, and the older ones are tolerant at best. It is why we remain hidden. It is why we have the combined education system. It's why I come here asking you for the ultimate deterrent to other nations declaring a war of extermination."

Josef took a breath. He looked over to his grand-daughter, who was chatting with her lover. They were holding hands and smiling. A tear rolled down the side of his face. "Very well, Lord Serin. I will teach you my ways. Please do not use these devices except as a last resort."

***

Serin spent a week learning the methods for what they called artillery. Serin was surprised to learn that behind the device was mostly math. Using angles, direction, and power, it fires a projectile from a few kilometers and farther. The projectile, Serin learned, was a large iron cylinder highly enchanted with 'Detonate'. It was armed after it hit a certain speed, and after its speed dropped to zero, it activated.

Serin looked over the designs, and felt as blueprints started to form in his mind. His advanced crafting skill absorbed the knowledge. Serin looked at Josef, "What's the maximum range of the system?"

Josef smiled, "The largest production devices I helped develop fired around 50 kilometers, but i was working on a device that would fire 100 kilometers when I was done."

Serin looked, "I want to design a system that can fire over 2000 kilometers."

Josef laughed, "Something that powerful would destroy itself before it could fire. A Turret that large would have to be built into the side of a mountain. It's just not possible to build something like that as a moving artillery."

Serin smiled, "It's a good thing we have a few mountains to spare."

Josef smiled, "I will need a special foundry for the barrel, and it will have to be adamantium. Thousands of kilograms. The rounds will have to be mithral." Serin nodded, "You shall have it."

Josef smiled. He understood that this device would be his magnum opus. "I will also need several dozen people to work the device, Compliant and able to withstand the sonic force of artillery."

Serin smiled, "You will have your workers, as well as a second in command. And every mountaintop is at your disposal."

Josef smirked, "The cavern hollowed out at the top of the mountain should suffice."

"How long would it take to build this device, test it, and have it capable?"

Josef smiled, "As I told my last Lord, It will take a year. But by that time I could have six ready or 1 ready. It will still take a year."

Serin smiled, "You will have your year."

***

After Serin left, there was much work to do. For the next two weeks, Serin and Olma traded off between delving into the deeper levels of the dungeon for materials and creating homunculi.

Serin assigned Lord Rezzi to assist Josef with all work pertaining to the development and integration of the new Long Range Weapon. After he had initially encountered Lord Rezzi on Level 40, from then on the elder lich found on the level was not named, but was instead an elder lich incapable of speech. Serin also found he could not enthrall these Lich as when he did they turned to dust. At the time Serin was trying to develop a means of creating an army of elder lich. That plan would have to be on hold.

Was it a limitation of the dungeon? Where did Lord Rezzi come from? These and many more questions swirled in Serin's mind. He wanted answers, but he had a feeling that any single question he could spend a lifetime answering.

***