“Never thought I’d see a gun again, let alone something that looks a lot like a Barrett .50-cal, if it wasn’t covered in jewelry, that is,” Grognard said.
“Ever used one of those?”
The veteran shook his head. “Those were for special ops teams and some specialists, not for line animals like me. But it looks a lot like it, except it has no magazine.”
“Does the name Dragunov mean anything to you?”
“I think the Russians had a sniper rifle by that name, a sort of fancy version of the AK-47. This looks like a Barrett, though.”
Hawke handed him one of the cartridges; there had been ten of them for the rifle, plus twelve carbine rounds. The lighter weapon had a tubular magazine that could store seven rounds, and used a lever action to ready the next round after firing a shot. It looked a bit like a stylized Winchester rifle. It fired a lighter round, something like a 7.62mm, bigger than what the US Army used back on Earth, but tiny compared to the big .50-caliber cartridges.
“No gunpowder, neither black nor nitro varieties,” Grognard said after examining it. “The case looks like it’s solid metal. Heavy, too. I wouldn’t want to be an infantryman carrying a few hundred rounds of this stuff on my back. Or even a few dozen.”
“Sure, but high-level Adventurers are much stronger than normal. They can handle two-hundred pound loads easily.”
Grognard grinned. “And if the top brass had super-strong grunts, they’d make them carry four-hundred pound loads. Or more. They weren’t happy until they broke our backs.”
“Besides, if they are Eternals, they can put everything in their inventories. Or bags of holding for non-Eternals.”
“You’re right.” Grognard shook his head. “I sometimes forget that we’re living in a world with gaming rules. Especially when I look at something like these guns. If they didn’t have all those fancy ornaments, I’d think I was back home.”
“The round’s casing is actually an inscribed spell,” Hawke said.
“Yep. I actually know the spell in question; it’s a modified Create Wind spell from the Elemental Air school. But it’s been altered to concentrate all its force into a small area. That’s your propellant right there.”
“The barrels are rifled, to increase accuracy and effective range, just like on Earth. The other spells add more power to the bullet, and also imbue the missile with Elemental energies. Earth and Death.”
“The projectile has a copper jacket but there’s something else underneath.”
“Yeah,” Hawke said. “A mithril-adamant core. Harder than titanium or maybe even depleted uranium. The big rounds can probably punch through the side of an Abrams tank. Or even the front; there are armor-piercing enchantments along the barrel and on the bullet itself.”
“Effective,” the former soldier said, placing the magic round back on the worktable. “Expensive as hell, too, I bet.”
“And that’s the biggest shortcoming of Kaiser’s wonder weapon. Each one of those bullets costs something like one-fifty, two hundred gold denars, and that’s materials alone. Throw in the enchantments, and you’re talking triple that.”
“That would be true if he was hiring the work done,” Tava broke in. “But Kaiser has several enslaved crafters under his control, so he only has to pay for the materials, or have his minions gather them. But your point stands, darling. By comparison, the highest-quality arrow in my quiver costs some thirty gold in materials and crafting.”
The Ranger had been watching quietly while Hawke described how the guns worked. She clearly was itching for a chance to use them.
“They must have made practice rounds without most of the enchantments, and using cheaper materials, like copper-jacketed lead,” Grognard said. “Otherwise, they couldn’t have afforded the training they need to use them properly.”
“We should be able to make practice rounds, too. But I’m not sure about the live ones.”
There were six Eternals in the domain who had picked Enchanting as their Arcane Vocation, and none of them were beyond the apprentice level, with the best having a Vocation level of four. He didn’t think they would be able to replicate the bullet enchantments, let alone the ones bound to the rifles, which helped tamp down the energy of the Air spell in the propellant to send the bullet flying without putting too much pressure into the barrel. Even so, it looked like each shot reduced its durability by a couple of points.
They were effective enough. A hit to the head would be an automatic critical, and with its Resistance penetration effects, that would kill Hawke or just about anybody other than the toughest Warrior types. It had taken three shots for him because of his last-ditch protective spells. The ‘assault weapon’ wasn’t quite as deadly, but made up for it by letting the user fire seven shots as fast as you could work the lever. The big gun, on the other hand, took about four to six seconds to reload. It was a limitation, especially in a world where an experienced mage could fire half a dozen spells during the same span of time, but its range advantage made up for it.
“Anyway, now that I have disarmed all the traps they installed in the guns, we can use them, at least until we run out of ammo. I think that concludes today’s business.”
Before dealing with the gun issue, Hawke had met with Helena and the other merchants to see how they were doing. The answer had been, not as well as they’d hoped. Prices in Akila were going up, in no small part because the Nerf Herders’ continuous grinding of the nearby Labyrinth had put too much currency in circulation, just as Thane Stern had been saying. A couple of merchants had asked to borrow money from the town. Hawke had floated them the loans himself. Wiping out the sniper team had netted him a hundred and twenty gold dinars – not to mention over nineteen thousand Experience – which would buy a lot of goods even at the current prices, so he lent all of it plus another hundred gold to the merchants, solving that problem.
Things on other fronts were progressing somewhat better. Korgam’s initial talks with his fellow Dwarves had generated a lot of enthusiasm. Over three hundred miners and craftsmen from not only Clan Stern but allied factions, along with their families, were willing to come to the Domain and settle in the abandoned Spider Empire city which currently housed Korgam’s mining operation.
The Dwarves would build a settlement and officially join Hawke’s Domain. By building temples, keeps and other structures, the new Dwarven village or town would increase the valley’s Mana generation, besides the benefits increased trade and services would entail. In return, Hawke agreed to build a Ley Line Portal to the settlement, allowing for instant travel between it, Orom, and his Stronghold in the mountains.
The first team of colonists, several dozen in number, would depart in a day or two. Hawke had written a letter of introduction to them, adding the Prefect and Lord’s seals to it. The rest would follow over the next few months. When his caravan made its return trip, it would probably have fifty to a hundred Dwarves coming along.
Those weren’t the only recruits he’d been hoping to find. Helena had made discreet inquiries with her contacts in the city, and found as many as a hundred low- and mid-level craftsmen, both Arcane and mundane, who might be willing to settle in Orom. While there was a lot of money in the big city, competition was fierce, and Hawke was offering a signing up bonus that would make it worth their while. If he could bring a complete set of Arcane Craftsmen who could train the valley’s Eternals and anyone else with the aptitude and dedication, things would improve for everyone in his Domain. Katro might not appreciate having more blacksmiths in town, of course, but the growing population would need more than what the smith, his son, or even his Eternal apprentices could produce.
Helena had heard that hundreds of farmers might also be willing to move. All the good land around Akila had been taken under the plow long ago, and the younger sons of local farm owners or tenants had few prospects other than stay on in the employ of their elder siblings or try their luck in the city as common laborers. There was plenty of land around Orom that was ow
ned by the town, and even more of belonged to his Domain, free for him to lease, sell or grant as he wished. He wanted to settle the land between the valley and Akila as well, which would make trade between them far easier. All he needed was a few weeks of peace to make things happen.
Hawke checked the time. It was getting late, and he had a meeting in the morning and a sewer crawl before lunch. Busy, busy, busy. He and Tava exchanged a glance and a smile. Before heading for their bedroom, they took the time to place a telepathic ‘call’ to their Drakofox babies.
They are still learning the ropes, he sent back, although he had to admit a couple of the Eternals he had rescued were even further on the dumbass scale than he was, and they didn’t have the advantage of an ancient sentient sword telling them when they were doing something stupid.
I’m glad you aren’t bored and upset, he added.
Could be, he said, although inwardly he was terrified of the idea of Blaze or Luna coming into range of Kaiser’s gun teams. While flying, they would be tough targets, but on the ground they could be killed before they could see their foes.
Stay safe, he told Blaze, and wished him good night.
“These guns worry you,” Tava said.
He nodded. “In open terrain, it gives them a huge range advantage. We got lucky, though. Kaiser was in such a rush to show me his new toys that he played his hand too soon.”
“His foolishness was our boon, then.”
“For now. If we can’t deal with the Herders now, we’ll have to fight them in our home grounds, sooner or later. There isn’t enough room in the Realms for both of our guilds.”
“Let us see to tomorrow’s problems tomorrow,” Tava told him as they went to bed, hand in hand.
Twenty
“Allow me to introduce you to my new friend, Heketa, leader of the Green Coven.”
Jake Duchamp had shown up to the Stern manor with a new companion, a short curvy woman with wild gray hair, wearing rough homespun robes that didn’t look particularly clean. The guards at the manor house had reluctantly let her in because of who she was with. Hawke had seen immediately that the homeless act was just that; the robes were covered with magical enchantments that hid her true self from most forms of detection, including the fact that she was a twenty-third level Witch.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Hawke said as he and Korgam sat down with the two visitors. The Dwarf Adventurer was there to act on behalf of the Sterns.
The woman stared at him and giggled. “Something new under the sun,” she said. “I have never seen your like, Hawke Lightseeker, and I have walked the Realms for many a lifetime.”
“Heketa marches to a different drummer,” Jake said. “But she has a stake in this situation. Her coven was framed for the attack on the Tower. The city has half a legion out in the swamps to the east, trying to hunt her down, along with her co-religionaries.”
“City folks hate us, for we worship not their gods but Naturea herself, Demiurge of Untamed Life, whom even the Fae fear.”
Awesome. Another Maker.
“The Coven was easy to frame. They had a few run-ins with my Council, back in the day. Not something I approved of, but I was outvoted. After the Tower fell, I reached out to her.”
She flashed a savage-looking grin at the Eternal. “And I tried to kill you, but you were ornery and tough, like a great ‘gator, so after a while I grew tired, and we talked instead.”
“We had a bit of a tussle,” Jake admitted. “Kinda rearranged a lot of swampland before we worked out our differences. But she has agreed to help you when you go hunting for the Undead.”
“I’m grateful,” he said.
Having a powerful spellcaster along could come in handy, although it could do more harm than good. His people hadn’t worked with her, and coordinating properly was as important as the strength of your magic and gear. His A-team had spent a lot of time training together during the trip to Akila. Still not enough to satisfy Grognard, but everyone was doing a lot better at working together.
“Are you coming too?” he asked Jake.
The wizard shook his head. “Not today. I have to attend to my fellow Councilors. They survived, but not unscathed. Soul Jars don’t retrieve your items, unlike Reincarnation, and my fellow practitioners are a lot less effective without their rings, staffs, and other doodads. And my fellow Eternal decided to flee to another Realm and I’m trying to convince him to come back. Plus we need to talk about finding replacements.”
“I understand,” Hawke said. “We’re just doing recon, so we probably won’t need a lot of firepower anyway.”
“Don’t count on it. That’s why I’m suggesting Heketa comes along, just in case. After that is done, I will testify against the Nerf Herders,” Jake concluded. “The priesthoods will join in.”
“Why not do that now?” Hawke asked. “Deal with Kaiser’s gang first, then have the City Watch go into the sewers in force and clear out the Undead?”
“City Prefect Orelio and the Watch Tribune still don’t believe there is anything, or at least anything major, going on in the sewers. We need proof.”
“How much evidence do they need? A single wandering Undead in the sewers?”
Jake shook his head. “One or two zombies will cause concern, but they’ll just think they need to reinforce their wards. The authorities need to know this is something serious. Eyewitness testimony will suffice, if it comes from someone like you, Hawke. But you need to see something first.”
“Keep exploring until we run into a zombie horde. Got it. Kinda hard on my team if that happens.”
They hadn’t planned to fight Undead in Akila, so Hawke hadn’t brought any priests along. He had finally picked up Mass Blass Undead, but he was the only person in his group with the spell.
“Which is why Heketa will come with you. She knows a variety of anti-Undead spells and will also provide you with plenty of protection magic as well.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Hawke said.
The crazy-eyed woman must know more lore and magic than Hawke or anybody else in his group. He would let her do her thing with minimal interference, and hope for the best.
Hawke nodded. “It is settled, then. We’ll leave in half an hour. We’ll follow one of the canals to a sewer outlet, and walk underground from there.”
The Sterns had provided them with their most up-to-date schematic of the sewer system; eight years ago, one of their Arcane Engineers had performed a survey for the city, a profitable if not exactly glamorous assignment. Hawke had added it to his personal map app, making navigating the tunnels relatively easy. It was dry season, so the danger of flash floods hitting them was nonexistent. All they needed to worry about were the stench and the Undead.
Time to have a quiet chat with the older Eternal. The two of them stayed behind in the meeting room. There was no assurance that the Sterns would not overhear their conversation, but they’d be speaking English, and in any case nothing he was planning to ask Jake Duchamp would be of much interest to the Dwarf clan.
“Bet you’re itching to ask me a hundred questions,” Jake said.
“Yeah, but I’ll try to keep
them to the bare minimum. You’ve been here awhile, but only made it to the high twenties. Why?”
“I figured the game was rigged and stopped playing it. You want to hear the short version of the story?”
“Sure.”
“I came here in ’46, like I told you earlier. I was in Germany, still a G.I., trying to run down some unrepentant Nazis out in the boondocks. My squad ran into something, all right, but it wasn’t Nazis. Four of us ended up in the Realms. Never found out what happened to the rest of our guys. Our guns didn’t work, and we didn’t know what was going on. Then a message appeared in front of us, floating in the air like something out of The Wizard of Oz. No yellow brick road home, though.
“Of the four of us, two died for good and one stayed on the Path and must be in the highest Realms, unless something killed him along the way. Me, I bounced around. Been married three times. Widowed three times, too. Went heavy for magic, explored the Elemental Realm until I lost the third wife, spent some time in the Battle Realm. That’s when I decided to step off the conveyor belt and come back to the Common Realm.”
Hawke could tell the glib words hid a lot of pain; you could see the haunted look in the man’s eyes as he spoke.
“Done a lot. Killed more men than Dillinger and Billy the Kid combined. More than one of them A-Bombs over Japan, maybe. And for what? You win the toughest fight in your life, and it only sets you up for a bigger fight. Over and over.”
He leaned back on the chair. “It’s not worth it, kid. It’s just another rat race, and you never win, you just earn a spot on the next go-round, until you run into someone tougher and you die for good. I came back and found a place to settle down for good. Better to be a big fish in a small pond, if you catch my drift. Joined the Council. They are – were, most of them – a gang of greedy, lazy bastards, but they’d all reached the same conclusion I had, and decided being top dog in the Common Realm beat having to start over again and again.”
Guilds at War: The LitRPG Saga Continues Page 15