Metal Mage 10

by Eric Vall

  “No, no, stay with me here,” I tried, “because think of the blow gun I gave Big Red. Now, I used the air rune Deya showed me to propel the darts, so why can’t I use the same rune, with a little more kick behind it, to propel the bullets?”

  I grinned as I waited for Stan to catch up, and I had the sense he was grinning too because he remained frozen in place for a long moment. Then he clutched his little head in his hands and dropped onto his metal ass.

  “Right?” I laughed. “It’s fucking perfect! I just have to get the air rune up to specs and rig the trigger rune to interact with that rather than the firing pin. This way, I have a clear path to feed the bullets straight through the automaton’s palm into the chamber, and all he’s gotta do is pull the trigger. Easy.”

  I sat back on my stool as I sparked my metal magic, and the first thing I did was to carefully remove the sear, disconnector, and hammer. Then I removed the firing spring, pin, and stopper before broadening the space where these had been so it would be the same width as the chamber it extended into. Now, I had a straight shot through the rear of the pistol, and I could see out of the other end where Stan sent me a little salute of support.

  I chuckled as I went to the cabinet to pull out my engraving kit, and I quickly handled the trigger rune first. I’d gotten used to balancing the elements after engraving this rune five times over in Jagruel, and within fifteen minutes, I’d embedded the copper wiring within the pistol and ran it from the trigger rune to a copper contact point within the chamber.

  Then I sparked my metal magic to split the entire frame in half, and with the inner chamber exposed, I closed my eyes to find the degree mapping I’d used on the rune for the blow gun.

  I refamiliarized myself with the three necessary elements first, and I decided to double the thickness of each line for the initial test run. Hopefully, that would be enough of a kick for the altered pistol to fire similarly to the original, but unfortunately, the space I was working with was outrageously tiny, so instead of having a single copper contact point within the chamber, I added more metal to line the entire circumference with copper at this point.

  Then I closed my eyes and began summoning one element at a time, and by the time I finished balancing all three into cohesion on the copper, I could hear my women beginning to stir in the bedroom. I had the split frame realigned and fused together when Cayla’s arms slid around my shoulders for a hug, and she let out a sleepy sigh as she tucked her chin against my neck.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” I muttered, and the princess let out a soft moan in greeting. “How are your legs doing?”

  “Ouch,” she mumbled.

  “Yeah, I figured,” I chuckled, and I turned around to pull the naked woman into my lap. “In my defense, you told me to tie them like that.”

  “No regrets,” Cayla yawned. “New gun?”

  “Sort of,” I replied as the princess turned the altered pistol over in her hands. “It’s for the automaton. Wanna help me test it out?”

  “When you’re done building it,” she said with a shrug, and I grinned.

  “I am done building it. Here, watch.”

  I shifted the naked princess off my lap so I could grab a few bullets from the cabinet, and once I slid one into the chamber, I handed it over to Cayla.

  “Fire it at the door,” I told her, and she furrowed her brows.

  “But there’s no hammer?”

  I chuckled and turned her around instead as I took my stance behind her, and I steadied her arm with the front door in my sights. Then I pressed her finger down on the trigger, and the bullet shot from the barrel to bury itself in the wood as Cayla gasped.

  “Well shit,” I chuckled. “Guess it’s perfect.”

  “How … what? How is that possible?” Cayla demanded as I released my hold on her. “There’s no firing pin. There’s no--”

  “Magic,” I said with a grin. “Look in the chamber.”

  Cayla immediately squinted into the exposed back of the gun, and the moment she noticed the rune etched into the copper siding, a grin twitched at the corners of her lips.

  “I don’t believe it,” she murmured. “Do you realize what this means?”

  “It means shit’s about to get pretty fun,” I assured her as I took the 1911 back to the table, and I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know the princess was pacing behind me.

  “Mason, this changes everything!” Cayla giggled excitedly. “Assembly time will be cut down, the possibilities are endless, and--”

  “Hold on,” I chuckled, and I caught her by the hips while she passed so I could root her between my thighs. “First, let’s see if I can rig the magazine properly at all. Then we can get excited.”

  “No, I’m going to be excited anyway,” she said with a smirk, “because I already know you’ll figure it out.”

  The princess tipped my chin up for a kiss as she stroked her fingers through my hair, and only when I casually slid my fingers around her inner thigh to tease her a bit, did she finally giggle and release me.

  “Will you make me every gun I could ever imagine?” Cayla purred, and her icy eyes glittered at the thought.

  “Always,” I assured her, “but don’t I owe you all kinds of diamonds first?”

  “The meeting!” Cayla gasped, and she was out of my hold and heading for the fountain before I could blink. “There’s so much I have to do to get ready. I bought you four different outfits, and--”

  “I’m pretty sure I only need one,” I muttered as I headed for the automaton.

  “But this is the nobility, Mason! You need options, and if you try each one on, I can--”

  “Just pick one out,” I chuckled. “I’ll wear whatever. In the meantime, I want to get this guy headed to Jagruel before lunch so I can focus on adjusting that lightning rune.”

  Cayla sighed as she scooped water over herself and let it run down her porcelain frame, and I sent her a wink despite her disapproving glare.

  “Fine,” she relented, “but I still can’t decide what I’m going to wear.”

  “I thought you bought something yesterday,” I muttered, and I sparked my metal magic to begin packing the automaton’s forearm with steel as I kept the dimensions of the 1911’s barrel in mind.

  “I did,” Cayla replied. “Seven gowns, and all of them are perfect, so that’s my trouble.”

  I looked over. “You bought seven dresses for one evening?”

  “Seven for me,” she said with a shrug. “Then there’s four for Shoshanne because I couldn’t decide how much cleavage to show off, and there’s six choices for Deya, but I think the black velvet is probably best.”

  “Damn. How many for Aurora?”

  Cayla rolled her eyes. “One. She fell in love with that red gown as soon as she saw the slit, and she refused to let me pick out anything else.”

  “You’re ridiculous,” I informed the woman, and I split off a chunk of steel as I sat back at the table to alter its makeup.

  “You’ll thank me,” Cayla sighed, and as I turned my attention to the steel, I could hear her dripping water all the way to the bedroom.

  Then I began slowly adjusting the malleability of the metal, and once I had a full chunk of spring steel instead, I began forming a stout spring the same diameter as the chamber I’d left in the automaton’s arm. I inserted the final spring into the slim magazine in the forearm, and I used my metal magic to fuse it to the base near the elbow hinge.

  Stan was already rolling the last two bullets on the table over to me, and I patted him on the head before inserting them into the arm as well.

  “Thanks buddy, but we’re gonna need way more than that,” I chuckled, and I pulled a box of bullets out of the cabinet and began filing them into the automaton’s arm. I managed to fit fifty-five end to end, and then I reformed the automaton’s hand so the chamber let out at the base of his thumb to line up with the pistol.

  I was just about to test the altered 1911 once more to be sure the rune didn’t need any twea
king, but then I heard Aurora let out a furious curse, and I cocked a brow at the sound of Cayla slapping her across the cheek.

  “Get up!” the princess ordered, and when I heard Aurora chuckle with enjoyment, my body temperature shot up.

  Then Cayla shoved the naked half-elf into the atrium, and I snorted at the look on Aurora’s face. Her eyes refused to open all the way, and several imprints from her iron chains still flecked her wrists and belly.

  “You’re ridiculous,” Aurora groaned as she was forced into the fountain. “It’s too early for pampering, and Mason kept me up half the night.”

  “Stop complaining!” the princess scolded, and she tugged on one of Aurora’s braids. “You look like a wildling, and how am I supposed to do anything with this when Mason’s seed is plastered in your hair? What will the other barons think?”

  “They will be incredibly jealous he has four beautiful lovers.” Aurora giggled and sent me a devilish wink, but then Cayla abruptly dunked her under the water while she had her guard down. The half-elf gurgled in protest, and when she finally emerged, she swiftly caught Cayla in a headlock and flipped her into the fountain.

  Water sloshed all over the atrium as the two women began to grapple in earnest, and I turned around on my stool to admire their slick bodies while Aurora laughed her ass off through the whole ordeal. I lost track of who’s naked ass belonged to who at first, but once Aurora managed to pin Cayla’s face against the edge of the fountain with her breasts, I finally caught up.

  I was honestly a little surprised at how dirty the two women fought, but Cayla eventually called a dripping wet truce after Aurora bit her ass cheek without reserve, and the princess managed to escape Aurora’s claws with a haughty huff.

  “Well, you’re clean, at least,” Cayla scoffed as she stood beside the fountain with her arms crossed under her breasts. “Now, get out so I can make sure your gown doesn’t need any alterations. Personally, I think your nipples are too close to being exposed in it.”

  “Not until you bring Shoshanne out,” Aurora chuckled with a dirty smirk. “She likes when I wash her off, and I know you enjoy helping.”

  Cayla couldn’t resist smirking despite the half-elf’s sass, and I raised my brows when she strutted off to drag Shoshanne out of bed for her.

  “I love everything about you,” I informed Aurora.

  “I know,” she giggled. “Thanks for cumming on my face last night, by the way. I’ve been wanting you to do that for months.”

  “Always happy to oblige,” I sighed, and Shoshanne let out an equally furious growl in the bedroom.

  “How come you don’t have to suffer the wrath of the princess?” Aurora grumbled. “You are the baron after all.”

  “Because I made a cool gun today,” I chuckled. “You should take notes.”

  I turned back to the table as Cayla began straight up ordering Shoshanne to get out of bed, and by the time the healer was forced into the fountain, I already had the pistol mounted in the automaton’s hand.

  All that was left was fusing the channeling gem into his central wiring hub, but I took my time digging my stash of gems out of the cabinet because I couldn’t stop staring at the women in the fountain. My hand groped blindly through my hoard of ammunition while Aurora slowly lathered Shoshanne’s breasts with soap, and Cayla giggled as she sat on the fountain’s edge and propped the healer between her splayed thighs to wash her hair for her.

  I’d been a little rough with Shoshanne last night after she begged me to go as deep as I could, and I’d given her what she wanted over and over again. So, I fully understood her exhaustion now, but she still smiled sleepily and kept her brown eyes on me while the women cleaned her up, and I could tell by the blush on her cheeks that she was thinking about last night, too.

  “Good morning,” I chuckled.

  “I love you,” Shoshanne sighed, “but remind me to slap Cayla later.”

  “Deal.”

  “You’ll thank me,” Cayla muttered once more, “but you can absolutely slap me as much as you want so long as Mason gets to watch.”

  My hand closed around the satchel of gems just as Aurora began rinsing the bubbles off Shoshanne’s creamy skin, and I almost tripped over my stool while I kept my attention glued on the sopping wet women currently bathing in the middle of my workshop.

  “You’re gonna wash Deya next, right?” I asked in a daze.

  “Only if you finish your work,” Cayla replied, and the commanding look in her icy blue eyes sent me barreling for the automaton.

  I had the channeling gem mounted in the central wiring hub before I could take a full breath, and I whipped around in time to catch the view of Shoshanne rising to her feet in the fountain with Aurora giggling beneath her.

  Then the three naked women’s smiles fell as they gaped past me, and when I turned around, I found myself staring four feet up at the gleaming golden eyes of the automaton.

  “Hey, I’m Mason Flynt,” I informed him.

  The automaton nodded once, and then he looked at the fountain.

  “Those are my women.” I grinned fiercely. “Kill anyone who tries to harm them.”

  The machine-man nodded again, held out his fist, and then I tapped knuckles with him.

  Yep. He got it.

  Chapter 8

  I couldn’t stop staring at the largest automaton I’d built to date, but then Stan vaulted off the table and latched onto my sleeve. He must have been desperately seeking my attention without me noticing because when I looked down, he was pointing urgently at the automaton while he clung to my shirt.

  “Oh, right! Sorry, buddy,” I chuckled, and I scooped him into my palm to raise him high above my head.

  I kept chuckling, too, because he immediately took a power stance with his hands propped on his hips as he rose several feet into the air.

  “This is Stan,” I announced. “He assisted in designing your weaponry, but don’t let his size fool you. He’s my number one guy around here.”

  Stan gave a decisive nod and snapped a crisp salute, and after a pause, the automaton returned the gesture. Then Stan gave the signal, and I slowly lowered him back down to the table while Cayla giggled behind us.

  “I’m gonna move you to the clearing outside,” I told the automaton. “Then we can start testing your range of movement and weaponry and go over your orders. Aurora, could you draw me a map to Jagruel? If I get a mental image of it, I can channel the directions into his gem so he can head out.”

  “I’m coming with!” Cayla blurted as she sloshed out of the fountain, and the other two women swiftly followed while they left puddles all over the floor.

  By the time I got the automaton raised out of the atrium and set down in the clearing between the house and the infirmary, my women were clutching sheets around their midsections and sprinting out of the house to get a look at my new magic robot.

  I grinned as I sized him up and took a turn around the entire machine to be sure everything was in place, and the automaton remained standing at attention with his golden gem pulsing like a beacon in his chest. His gleaming eyes burned unblinking behind his helmet, and this combined with the 1911 in his hand suddenly made me a bit uneasy. I’d never given my sentries semi-automatics before, but I reminded myself this was my own killing machine, so I should be able to trust it. At least I wouldn’t be coming up against him myself.

  “Alright,” I sighed as I came to a stop in front of him, and Cayla sent me an eager grin.

  “Gun first?” the princess begged.

  “Orders first,” I corrected, because it seemed more important that his loyalties be firmly instilled before he started playing around with a death machete and a gun with nearly sixty rounds in it.

  So, I raised my palm as I sparked my Terra Magic, and I let my powers connect with the automaton’s channeling gem. It was one of the gems Grot had given me in Jagruel, and while it wasn’t any bigger than a pocket watch, it had a frequency as strong as Big Guy’s. Something about its presence felt a
little less serious than his, though, and I figured this would be good because I’d come to think of the ogres less as brutes and more as damn good partiers, so I had a feeling they’d appreciate his vibe.

  “Okay, buddy,” I began.

  “Name him Maximus!” Aurora called. “He’s the biggest one! Maximus is perfect!”

  “I have a cousin named Maximus,” Cayla said with a nod. “It’s a respectable name.”

  “Hey, me too,” Shoshanne giggled.

  I smirked and started again. “Okay, Max, your orders are as follows. You are to travel to Jagruel and patrol the forest and hunting grounds of the region. The ogres are under your protection, and they’re relying on you to prevent any attacks or abductions. Take no prisoners and destroy any and all threats to the ogre region. Do not interfere with their own kind, though, because they tend to fight regularly amongst themselves. Keep your focus sharp, never let down your guard, and if you sense a dark magical force within anyone who enters the region, that’s your primary target. Understood?”

  The automaton nodded diligently.

  “Cool,” I said with a smirk. “Take care of yourself, too, though. This is a big job, and I’m counting on you to ensure the safety of my allies in the west. Use your ammunition sparingly, and keep your aim direct to avoid any waste. I’ll come out there to replenish your supply every once in a while. Now, are you ready to test out your functionality a bit?”

  Max didn’t hesitate to unsheathe his massive sword, and I ducked just in time to avoid having my head mounted on the steel blade.

  “Damn,” I muttered, “uh, alright, let’s have you work out your blade a bit on that tree over there. Run through the basic maneuvers and--”

  That was all I got in because Max was already whirring toward the tree line, and I tentatively followed after as I assessed his mobility. Regardless of how huge he was, he steered himself around with incredible precision, and he came to a clipped stop in front of a stout oak. Then he raised his sword to strike, and in a single blow, the trunk was sliced in half. My jaw unhinged as a low groan creaked across the clearing, and the branches of the surrounding trees snapped as the oak crashed down into the forest.