Chapter 19: Weapon that can Change the Game

Weeks had passed since Adi's arrival in Niziari. Al Mussad, his duties as an Elder now resumed, found himself back in his office, surrounded by files, reports, and data. The Blenders, ever vigilant, kept him updated on potential threats, their reports a constant reminder of the dangers lurking in the shadows.

A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts. He gestured for the member to enter. The member, bowing respectfully, announced, "I am a messenger from the Supreme Master. He wants you to go to the armory. The thing you want is finished."

Al Mussad, his face lighting up with excitement, wasted no time. He rose from his chair, a surge of anticipation coursing through him. He rushed out of his office, his steps quick and purposeful, heading straight for the armory.

He burst through the door, his eyes scanning the room. On the table, amidst scattered diagrams and papers, lay the musket, its parts spread out in a manner that suggested intense research and experimentation. Adi and Hadid stood over the table, their faces serious, their eyes focused, their minds engrossed in their work.

"What did you do to my musket?" Al Mussad exclaimed, his voice laced with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. "I thought you already fixed it."

Adi and Hadid, so engrossed in their work, didn't even notice Al's arrival. Adi, his eyes fixed on Hadid, his voice filled with a quiet intensity, said, "How about we cut it in half?"

Al Mussad's face contorted with horror. "No!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the armory.

Finally, Adi and Hadid noticed Al's presence.

"Oh, you're here," Hadid said, his voice a low rumble. "Your musket is at the back of the door."

Al Mussad, his face red with shame, turned towards the back of the door. There, leaning against the wall, was the musket, its parts reassembled, looking brand new.

He turned back to Adi and Hadid, his expression softening, his voice filled with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "So, how's the research going?" he asked.

Hadid, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of curiosity and excitement, gestured towards the musket. "Let's go back to basics first," he said, his voice a low rumble. "How does this musket work?"

He began to explain, his words flowing effortlessly, his knowledge of the weapon evident in every detail.

"Loading: The musket is loaded from the muzzle, the open end of the barrel. A measured amount of gunpowder is poured into the barrel, followed by a lead ball. A wad of cloth or paper is then rammed down the barrel with a ramrod, pushing the ball and powder into place.

Ignition: The musket uses a flintlock mechanism to ignite the gunpowder. The flintlock mechanism consists of a hammer, a flint, and a steel plate. When the trigger is pulled, the hammer strikes the flint against the steel plate, producing sparks. These sparks fall into a pan containing a small amount of gunpowder, igniting it.

Firing: The ignited powder in the pan ignites the main charge of gunpowder in the barrel. The expanding gases from the burning powder create pressure that propels the ball down the barrel. The ball exits the muzzle at high speed, traveling towards the target."

He paused, his eyes fixed on Adi and Al Mussad, his expression a mixture of admiration and concern.

"So, it has great firepower," he said, his voice a low rumble. "But..."

He sighed, his face falling, his expression filled with a hint of disappointment.

"The reloading takes time," he said, his voice laced with frustration. "We need to ignite the powder manually, which means it doesn't work on rainy days. During firing, its accuracy isn't that great. If we cut it in half, it's still the same, and the range will just reduce. It means it's just like having a hand cannon."

Adi, his mind racing, his eyes gleaming with a hint of inspiration, had an idea.

"What if we put the powder in a shell?" he asked, his voice filled with a quiet confidence.

Hadid, his eyes widening in surprise, looked at Adi, his expression a mixture of curiosity and skepticism.

"A shell?" he asked, his voice a low rumble. "Tell me more."

"We need a better ignition system," Adi continued, his voice filled with a quiet determination. "And we need a shorter reload time."

Hadid, his eyes fixed on Adi, nodded slowly, his expression a mixture of admiration and understanding.

"I get your point," he said, his voice a low rumble. "You want a small musket, something you can carry around during missions, something that can kill the target without you having to swing your blade at the enemy, right?"

He paused, his eyes twinkling with a hint of amusement.

"Mine is different," he said, his voice laced with a hint of pride. "I want a musket that can hit its target, even if it's far away. No need for us to go near the target."

He gestured towards the wall, where a series of portraits of past Supreme Masters adorned the armory.

"As you can see, my predecessors did great while they ruled as Supreme Masters," he said, his voice filled with a sense of history, a sense of legacy. "I want my legacy to etch the history of Niziari too. I want to make a weapon that will revolutionize our way of eliminating targets. No more useless deaths to our members."

He paused, his eyes filled with a steely determination.

"We need a weapon that can strike from afar, a weapon that can change the game."