by Atlas Kane
Dan hunched over his bride and bucked a few more times. His body finally grew still, and then he released her throat and licked the fur of her neck a few times.
A moment of awkwardness passed as the two recovered themselves, Tessra looking proud and Dan embarrassed. Hoping to help his friend, Cade stood and cheered. “To Dan and Tessra!”
Everyone picked up the cheer and in moments, wine was being poured and the musicians had adopted a new song. Sitting back down, Cade shook his head. “That was insane.”
“That was amazing,” Minda amended, then slipped a hand between his legs.
He coughed in his fist, a flush creeping up his neck into his face.
“I think we should go congratulate the new couple,” Ketzal purred. “And then we should head back to our shelter.”
Satemi laughed, a low and sultry thing. “I agree. It’s time Cade renewed his vows… to each of us.”
Cade swallowed hard.
He was still tired from having battled all day, traversing two levels of the dungeon, and staying up to watch the most bizarre ceremony he’d ever seen.
But somehow, he knew he would be up to the task they’d set for him.
15
Before the Levy Breaks
“On your world, Cade, did you have the technology to record images? And then play them back again?” Minda asked, throwing her thigh even further over Cade’s belly.
“We did. Called them video. Why?”
She snickered to herself and bit him gently. When she let go, she answered. “I’d give almost anything to watch every detail of what passed last night. It was wild… and sexy.”
“Poor Dan,” Satemi said, rolling onto her back and stretching one long leg up above her.
Cade laughed at that. “Poor Dan indeed. I don’t know if I could’ve… performed so well were the tables turned.”
Ketzal stood up from her own pile of furs, naked and glorious. “Yes, you could have. You might not be as tall as Dan, but you’re certainly as well equipped. And you’ve never failed us before.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence, Ketzal. Still, it must have been a challenge.”
Minda reached up and kissed Cade’s cheek before sitting up herself. “No doubt about it. So, any thoughts on what the day holds for us?”
Lying back with his hands behind his head, Cade watched as Ketzal pulled on trousers.
Robust thighs and a devilish ass made her a study of feminine beauty. She caught on to his gaze, of course, and sent him a wink, her inky purple tail lashing the air between them. “Have a few more duties to attend to, Archon? Or did you need another lesson in demonology?”
“No, I’m good, actually. I think I need to recover,” Cade admitted. “No man could please you entirely, Ketzal. I’m just happy I have help.”
Satemi laughed and threw a fur over her shoulder. “Be about it then, all of you. I haven’t slept in for over a week. I think I deserve it.”
So Cade rose with the others and shimmied into his garments. He bent over and “accidentally” bumped into Minda who caught herself on the wall of their shelter. She repaid him with a punch to the arm then sauntered out to breakfast.
“I’m heading to see the boars. Bellows is recovering nicely, but I figured I could give him a little extra rations since we found so much in the dungeon,” Ketzal explained. “I’ll see you later, okay? And Cade, try not to worry. We’re all thinking about her too.”
The kiss she gave him lingered on his cheek long after he left the shelter behind. He waved to the villagers he passed and accepted his meal from the cooks. All the while, he thought of Gemma.
Where could she be? Will she come back today? What will I ever do if she doesn’t? The last thought sent a tremor of fear shimmying up his spine. But it wasn’t a helpful thought, not at the moment. Besides, he’d already spoken to the girls about it. If she didn’t come back by tonight, they would head out in the morning and search themselves. The dungeon could wait if Gemma’s life was on the line.
After bathing in one of the now-private waterfall shower stalls, Cade headed back into town to meet with the brightest mind in Casmeer.
Latsi had taken the Mechanical Technician Occupation despite being cautioned against it. The Occupation was useful, of course, but required so many other supportive Occupations that it was impractical. Yet, after the riches discovered in the mechanical level of the dungeon, she’d been making some serious progress.
The forge had been called on to make the tools she needed, and after endless toil, the woman had apparently come up with a breakthrough. She’d asked Cade to drop by first thing in the morning.
When he entered her workshop, a converted portion of the Warehouse, he found her staring at a piece of parchment stretched across the way. Several mind-numbing calculations were displayed, and obscure designs for individual components to something larger. Cade could decipher almost nothing from the blueprints, but had to trust in the woman’s savvy.
Havasham had introduced them shortly after finishing the second level of the dungeon. When they’d deposited the mountain of scrap metal and mechanical components, the woman had nearly gone into shock.
She’d thanked them both then pushed them out of her work space, eyes already lost in thought.
“Hey there,” Cade said, knocking on a nearby bench. “You asked to see me?”
For a moment, Latsi continued to stare at her work, then after Cade cleared his throat, she turned with a nervous smile. “Sorry. It’s hard to let go of a thought… thank you for coming.”
The woman was of average build, and seen from behind, looked quite human. Her eyes though, and practically everything else about her, shouted insect.
It wasn’t as if she had six limbs, and not being from Earth, the woman couldn’t be considered an insect at all. But the plates of stiff exoskeleton along with her diffuse and clustered eyes gave her a bug-like appearance.
Awkwardly, she held out her hand, all eight fingers trembling somewhat. “Shall we shake?”
Cade took her hand and they performed the requisite up and down motion, only once, before she released him. Sighing, and obviously relieved to have the social interaction done with, Latsi spun and faced something in the corner of the room. Pointing, she told him, “There. That is what I have to show you.”
A bulky object lay hidden by a thin sheet of leather hide.
Crossing the room, Cade unveiled the big surprise.
The suspense had been deserved.
“Holy howitzer!” Cade exclaimed, marveling at the sleek display of mechanical prowess. How such a machine could have been made in Antinium, and with the crude tools Latsi had at her disposal no less, was a mystery to Cade.
“I call it the Casmeeri Cannon. Please, Archon, tell me what you think. Is the design flawed to your eye?”
“No, at least I don’t think so. It’s beautiful,” Cade replied immediately. And he meant it.
The cannon was made with the recovered barrel they’d looted from the dungeon. It was perhaps five feet long, the barrel as wide as a tennis ball. Its base was held up by a large tripod. Around the front a shield made of thick sheet metal stretched, providing cover for the gunner, and twin grip handles were set a foot apart. The base of the cannon was set on a ball socket, shining with grease.
Latsi was as lost in admiration as he was, but one question remained. “Does it work?” he asked, biting his lip in fear of the answer.
The technician sighed and glanced to Cade. “That is undecided. The moving parts function nicely, but the final results will be up to you. After all, I have no other Alchemical Engineer at my disposal. You do plan to continue pursuing your own Occupation, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course. I set aside all of this morning to do so in fact. I’ve been grinding away at the basic recipes I’ve happened upon, most relating to medical treatments,” he said defensively, feeling his pride wounded slightly.
She smiled at him, her lips spreading to expose the razor-like plates that
made up her teeth. “Good. Let us begin at once. This is my challenge for you, Cade. I hope you are wise enough to accomplish your goal. This,” she finished, handing him a cylinder of polished steel.
Inspecting the item, he saw at once what it was. An empty shell, just waiting to be filled with munitions.
“I have developed this also. But the Combustion Powder you can currently produce is not potent enough to fire the round,” she said, handing him a second lump of metal. “I have designs for others that will contain fluid or powder in the tip. If you happen upon something that explodes, a stronger acid, or anything else nasty, we can see about devising more advanced munitions. But for now, let us begin with the basics.”
Cade held a slug in his hand, a massive lump of metal that had been honed and shaped to rip down the cannon’s barrel. Yet, as she’d said, the bullet couldn’t fire itself.
The sight caused an evil grin to creep up onto Cade’s face, and he shared a moment of Occupational glee with the woman. Then, of course, they got to work.
Latsi, for her part, was already designing a second device, something smaller that would fire javelins. It was only in the design stage, and so she spent the majority of her time running numbers.
Cade, however, used the more advanced equipment the villagers had provided him in the weeks they’d been building up the town together. The first thing he did was examine his Occupational Menu.
Alchemical Engineer Occupation Menu
Occupation Proficiency: Level 4
Chemical Recipes Known: 7
Staunching Poultice (Requirements: Powdered Scorching Sweet Potato, Tincture of Rinan Root)
Viscous Acid (Requirements: Glow Shroom Paste, Phosphorescent Cave Algae Paste, Tincture of Niyan Grass Shoots)
Combustion Powder (Requirements: Tincture of Sulfur Herb, Tincture of Saltpeter Mold, Distillation of listed Tinctures)
Combustion Powder Advanced (Requirements: Tincture of Sulfur Herb, Tincture of Saltpeter Mold, Distilled and Powdered Natal Ectoplasm)
Powdered Bright (Requirements: Insect Crystal Shards, Cohesive Slime Mold, Powdered Rinan Root)
Shriek Gel (Requirements: Insect Shriek Shards, Cohesive Slime Mold, Tincture of Rinan Root)
Shade Shards (Requirements: Insect Shadow Shards, Cohesive Slime Mold, Boiled Rinan Root)
Suddenly, the world seemed a quieter and more logical place. Cade found himself diving ever deeper into the prospects of what glory he could achieve by creating such perfectly foul chemicals. The first thing he’d have to commit himself to was the Combustion Powder Advanced.
The Occupation system in Antinium was amazing. He didn’t have to study books for hours on end, learn the theory behind what he had to do. Rather, if he chose an Occupation, and had access to the right materials, he could make something. Whether or not he would succeed in the attempt depended on his relative skill level. As he focused on the Combustion Powder Advanced, he knew right away that at skill level 4, he had a 50% success rate. That would have to be good enough for now.
Not only was the powder more important at this point, but it would give him a chance to level up his skill. The Shade Shards were more advanced, and he only had a 10% chance at succeeding. Considering the limited supply they had of those materials, he would make sure he was more suited for the job before attempting it.
He began to work at once, his body guided by instinctual knowledge. Having more suitable equipment at hand, he moved with greater speed and precision than ever before.
Glass was still too advanced a substance to produce in Camp Casmeer, but the sophistication of pottery had come a long way. Cade summoned a large stack of the Sulfur Herb at once, and set about the process of turning it into a tincture. The easiest way to do so was to grind the herb into a thick paste. When he was done, his hand covered in foul-smelling green juice, Cade summoned a large bottle of the Distiller’s Brandy.
Working from within the town’s Warehouse was infinitely convenient. Not only were the items stored within immune to degradation, but he could summon anything held in the Warehouse’s Inventory space with a thought.
He placed a wire mesh screen into the top of a clay jug then filled it with the mashed herbs. When he was done, he spent several minutes slowly pouring the alcohol through the herbs. The process drew off much of the active ingredients within, leaving a slightly blanched lump of pulp remaining. Cade squeezed it out and set the jug aside.
Completing the same steps over again for the Saltpeter Mold, Cade made sure to finish the second step in the process at another table nearby. The chemicals within the mold and the herb were reactive, and though they wouldn’t explode without finishing the process, he knew intuitively that they would heat up and potentially cause a fire. That was the last thing he wanted to do in the middle of one of the town’s most important structures.
Finally, Cade summoned the Natal Ectoplasm. Confirming his suspicion from the name of the reagent, he saw it was the goo that had encased the mothlings within their eggs. Some of the viscous liquid had splashed out during the fire, and he recognized it at once.
Cade found a wide metal pan the cooks had abandoned, too shallow for their needs, and poured the ectoplasm inside. He took it to the forge and found a way to heat the pan slowly, preventing it from boiling over. The best method so far was to hold it above one of the open-air forges and fan the bottom to ensure the heat was evenly distributed. The Natal Ectoplasm bubbled slowly for half an hour till it turned first into a thick tar and then dried out enough to become a powder.
He walked back to the Warehouse and scraped the pan, grinding the chunks of dry ectoplasm until the powder was smooth and free of chunks.
It was only by adding the ectoplasm powder that he was able to mix the two reactive tinctures without fear of burning the house down. It mixed almost instantly into the Sulfur Herb Tincture, and after stirring it for a time, he poured that into the second Tincture.
All that remained was for the alcohol to evaporate. Obviously, the hotter it was the faster it would evaporate, but there was inherent danger involved. Boiling flammable-ass booze above a forge was a recipe for disaster. Instead, Cade placed a few flat stones in one of the forges, and stoked the coals for a few minutes. When they were hot, he set them on the ground, amid a patch of very green and very moist grass nearby. Then he put the large pot that held the caustic mixture on top and stirred it.
Aside from the fumes, the job was as enthralling as every other task he’d completed so far. He reflected once more that the Occupation system must interact with the mind in some way, for though each step was simple and repetitive, he found it mesmerizing as well.
When he was done, he was left with a few cups of gray and chalky dust. He knew it would work. Though there was a 50% chance of failure, the powder had the right kind of coloring and texture that he’d expected. Glancing at his Occupational Menu once more, he was pleased to see his skill level had been raised to 5. There was now only a 35% chance of failure.
The prospect of packing the shell with powder and firing the great cannon made his heart race. But there was little point in doing so yet. Rather than pull Latsi away from her work, he completed four more batches of the powder. The second one he attempted failed, but the third was another success. His skill level rising to Level 6, and the chances of failure dropping to 20%, he made a gamble and tripled the batch size.
This final process took much longer, but when he was done, Cade had enough powder to pack over a dozen cannon shells.
He’d skipped lunch in his fervor, and of all people, it was Latsi who pulled him away from the work bench. She took a tiny pinch of the Combustion Powder Advanced, winked at him, and walked toward the cook fires.
When they arrived, the two told the cooks to back away and she tossed the powder amid the flames. A quick, flashing whoosh ignited the dust, and they were both pleased to see how effective it was.
“It burns,” Latsi said, “but we must still see how well it performs in the shells I’ve designed. Wors
t case, I can decrease the weight of the round.”
Taking a seat beside the woman, Cade ate like a savage, drawing out a laugh from Latsi. She ate precisely and cleanly, one thin slice of meat at a time. It was, of course, very bug-like, but considering his own manners, he was loath to complain.
Belching, Cade slouched in one of the comfortable chairs that had been erected around the general dining area. Latsi was telling him her hopes for the smaller weapons she was designing. “I think I’ll call them Pocket Ballista. They will still be relatively large compared to a bow, and will rely on the same mechanism to generate force, but I’ve devised a few modifications. You see, each end of the bow will connect to a pulley system. When the bow flattens out after it is fired, the javelin will have one final push as the pulley system accelerates.”
“Sounds like a compound bow,” Cade noted, impressed. “We use them in our world to hunt with. Some are so small and efficient that even Tessra could fire one.”
Latsi’s face wrinkled in disappointment. “Yes, well, miniaturization, on any scale, is challenging. Though more materials will be required, it is easier to build one of these than to apply the same principles to a bow.”
The woman continued to chatter, going into the potential ammunition they could develop, and Cade felt the initial wave of a well-deserved nap coming on. If I just close my eyes and doze off, will she get the point? he wondered. Or is she going to keep on rambling regardless of what I do?
He indulged himself, closing his eyes, but listening and nodding occasionally. His plan was working wonderfully so far, yet he did fear he was close to passing out.
But a distant cry made his eyes pop open in surprise. “The hunters!” someone shouted in the village. “The hunters are back!”