Overwhelming Firepower

Lucen was about to answer when the dwarf suddenly pointed at Lucen’s arquebus. ”What is that?”

”This is a new weapon I created.”

”A weapon, is it?”

The dwarf continued to observe the arquebus. This was shaped in a way that was different from any other weapon he had seen, but based on the design, he had a few guesses as to how this object worked.

”... If I let you in, will you allow me to disassemble that weapon of yours?”

Lucen had already expected the dwarf to say something like this. Like in most of the fantasy genres, even in this world, the dwarves were the best craftsmen; their skills were practically mythical.

This was a race that was in love with creating, mining, and drinking. Lucen had deliberately dangled and showed off the arquebus so that the dwarf might notice it.

Lucen couldn’t help but smile in his mind as he captured the dwarf’s attention in the first step. He had other things in mind, but he did not need to use them for now.

”Sure,” Lucen responded as he understood what it meant for a dwarf to invite people into his forge.

Hearing Lucen’s response, the dwarf opened the heavy metal door wide and entered his house/forge.

The group entered the forge. Robert was the most excited one of all, but he was being held back by Sir Thalos.

The interior of the forge was dim, lit only by the dull orange glow of a banked furnace and several mana-lamps embedded into the stone walls. The air was thick with the scent of iron, oil, and old smoke.

The dwarf did not stop moving. The moment he entered, he brushed past Lucen and Robert, already clearing a worktable with practiced efficiency. Tools were shoved aside, half-finished parts placed carefully into crates without even a glance.

”Set it there,” the dwarf said, jerking his chin toward the center table.

Lucen complied; he needed to do this step to have a proper conversation with the dwarf later. Lucen placed his arquebus on the table.

The dwarf quickly moved and touched the arquebus. ”Oh,” the second the dwarf made contact with the arquebus, he had a look of surprise on his face.

He then started to disassemble the arquebus despite not fully knowing what it was. The way he disassembled the thing with such precision made it look like he already knew what it was beforehand.

Pins were pressed out, not forced. Wooden fittings were loosened in the correct order. Even the angle at which the dwarf twisted the metal parts avoided unnecessary strain, as though he instinctively knew where pressure points lay.

It didn’t take long before the arquebus had been disassembled. The dwarf then examined each part, and after several minutes, he spoke.

”The craftsmanship is passable, which is surprising for something made by a human. Still, this weapon is quite something. I’m guessing it’s something like a crossbow based on the design. There’s something you placed inside the hole.”

The dwarf then took a whiff of the barrel of the arquebus.

”Based on the smell, you’re using something that makes things explode. I think you use a controlled explosion to make something fly through the air. It’s such a simple design but such a brilliant idea.”

Lucen was quite impressed, as expected of a dwarf. ”Everything you said is correct.”

The dwarf let out a low whistle. ”This is such a wonderful weapon. I can help you make it even greater.”

”I already have ideas to make it better, but we can talk about that some other time. I actually came here to ask you for help with something else.”

”Is it as interesting as this weapon? What do you even call it?”

”I call it a gun, but this type I call an arquebus.”

”... A gun,” the dwarf repeated slowly. He rolled the unfamiliar word around his mouth, as if testing its weight. As he spoke, he started reassembling the weapon. ”So it’s a rapier, a sword; this arquebus is simply a type of gun. That means you have more than this.”

”Yes, I do. But as I said, we can talk about that later. I have something else that might interest you.”

The dwarf quickly finished reassembling the arquebus and then looked at Lucen. ”Something as interesting as this? What is it then?”

Lucen then gestured to Bram to give him something. Bram then handed a long parchment. Lucen placed the parchment on the table and rolled it, showing a detailed form of the steam engine in a train he wanted to build.

The dwarf looked at the parchment with great interest. ”Now what is this?”

”This is something I want your help to create. It’s called a train; it will make a giant steel carriage move without horses. Instead, it will use steam,” Lucen then pointed at the steam engine in the drawing.

”Using steam?”

The dwarf’s eyes widened, and he leaned closer to the parchment, squinting at the intricate lines and annotations. His fingers itched to touch the drawing, but he held back, as if afraid that the design might vanish with a careless press.

”Tell me how it works? How can steam like the one coming out of boiling water, could move a carriage made of steel?”

”How about instead of explaining, I can show you.”

Lucen had expected one of the ways this conversation would go was in this way, and had prepared something else. He asked Bram for the bag where several parchments were. He looked at each and eventually found what he was looking for.

”Can you make this? With this, I can show you how steam will be able to move a carriage.”

The dwarf’s eyes flickered between the parchment and Lucen, a mixture of suspicion and curiosity playing across his weathered face. He rubbed his beard slowly, clearly weighing the audacity of what Lucen was asking.

”Hmph, asking me if I can make something. A dwarf can make anything as long as there are enough materials. Fine, let’s see what kind of thing this is.”

The dwarf looked at the drawing in the parchment and asked Lucen a few questions. After he understood enough, he started working.

The dwarf worked with astonishing speed, cutting, hammering, and fitting pieces together with uncanny precision.

Sparks flew from the anvil as he shaped a tiny metal wheel, bent thin pipes to guide steam, and twisted rods into a crude piston.

Lucen watched carefully, noting every step. Even on this tiny scale, the dwarf’s craftsmanship was flawless.

After a short while, the dwarf slammed the final piece into place. ”Done, I told you there’s nothing a dwarf can’t make with enough materials.”

On the worktable now sat a small contraption: a squat, cylindrical water container with a narrow spout, connected to a tiny piston and a crank mechanism that turned a single metal wheel. A little carriage sat atop the wheel, its frame made of thin iron strips.

”Okay, now show me how this works.”

Lucen nodded his head, and he poured a small amount of water into the container and heated it over a tiny flame.

Steam hissed as the water warmed. The piston shuddered, moving back and forth, turning the wheel. Slowly at first, then with increasing speed, the carriage rolled across the table with a satisfying clatter.

The dwarf’s face broke into a wide grin. ”Ha! It moves! By Kalderos’s beard... It actually moves!”

Even though Robert had already seen a different demonstration of how steam makes an object move, seeing this smaller version of the train Lucen wanted to create made him feel excited once again.

He was also quite impressed at how the dwarf was able to create something so small and intricate so fast, as if he had made one before.

As for Sir Thalos and Bram, they were also impressed, but not as much as the others. Since the two did not understand as much as the others in the room.

Lucen allowed himself a small, triumphant smile. ”This is the principle. Steam can generate motion. With the right scale, it can move something much larger.”

The dwarf continued to look at the toy that fell from the table and stopped. He then started stroking his beard.

”You have truly shown me something very interesting. So you want to make a bigger version of that.”

The dwarf gestured at the fallen toy. He then once again looked at the drawing of the train with the steam engine.

”So are you interested in helping me create this?”

”... What do you call it?” The dwarf didn’t answer and instead asked a question.

”I was planning to call it a train.”

”A train, is it? Your ideas are incredible, but your naming sense could be improved.” The dwarf spoke while he stroked his beard as he continued to look at the drawing.

”This thing is something no human can make with their skills; you really need a dwarf to create it. You got me interested, lad.” The dwarf then looked at Lucen and, with a subtle grin on his face, nodded his head.

”Fine then, I, Durik Mudrock, will help you create this so-called train of yours.”

”Welcome aboard, hope we have a pleasant cooperation,” Lucen said with a wide grin on his face.

”Aye, lad, I hope we do.”

”So, when do you think you can leave with us to head to Ironhold?”

”I have a few things I need to do first, before I can leave this place. In fact, how about you help me finish what I have to do first, so that we can start making that train of yours.”

Durik’s eyes gleamed with excitement, happy that not only was he going to create something interesting, but some free helpers arrived.