The Mechanical Crafter - Book 2 (A LitRPG series) (The Mechanical Crafter series)

by R. A. Mejia

  Raising my Metalworking skill to level 20 allowed me to forge the long iron cylinder that would become the rifle barrel. However, hollowing it out by hand was impossible for me as the dozen or so ruined iron cylinders attested.

  Like any good teacher, Master Deanly saw what I was trying to do and introduced me to someone who could help. There was a machinist in the Crafting District that specialized in making copper pipes, and he had the most amazing boring machine that did what I could not do by hand. The machine was kind of like a long drill press on its side, and it smoothly drilled out the inside of a copper cylinder to make pipes. There were a variety of boring sizes, and I was allowed to use the machinist’s tools for a weekly fee of 5 silver, which I could more than afford with the daily profits from the mining operation. It took countless tries to get the hole bored and centered without breaking too many bits or freezing up the machine, and rifling the iron barrel was even more challenging and required me to make a special guide for the cutting tool that created the spiral inside the iron barrel. But, eventually, I got the rifling done and needed to test the strength and accuracy of the barrel I’d designed.

  I took several potential gun barrels of varying lengths and types of rifling into the dungeon and tested each with gun powder that I’d commissioned an alchemist to make. Apparently, the recipe wasn’t a secret, and instead of making it myself, I found it cheaper and speedier to just buy it, though it was expensive at 1 silver an ounce. Once I had the product in hand, I scanned it to create a schematic so that I could fabricate my own gunpowder if I needed to or found it easier to buy the components separately.

  Black Gunpowder. Components: 0.75 ounces Saltpeter, 0.15 ounces Charcoal, and 0.10 ounces Sulfur.

  I then used all that I had purchased to test my barrels. I made two batches of barrels. In the first batch, each iron barrel had walls of varying thickness. I needed to test which was going to withstand the explosive forces of the gunpowder without breaking but wouldn’t be so heavy that it qualified as a cannon. The other group of barrels had the same sized barrel walls but various rifling patterns. I wasn’t sure how close together the spirals needed to be in order to optimize the rotation of the bullet, so I took all of my experiments to the third floor of the dungeon, which had a wide-open view and plenty of monsters to shoot.

  I set up the first stage of experiments to test for proper barrel thickness and aimed each barrel at a Cactucus. The creatures stayed still until you got close or attacked them, so they made the perfect target.

  To test the barrel, I loaded four times the normal amount of powder after it had been secured to a testing platform. I then poured a measured charge of powder down the barrel, placed a flat piece of paper, called a patch, and laid it across the muzzle, the open end of the rifle. I placed the minié ball, which looked more like a lead cone with a deep indentation at the end, on top of the patch and rammed down the barrel on top of the charge using a ramrod, a long, detachable, specially-fitted rod and then firmly tamped down the ball and wading. Once the ramrod was stored in its place under the bottom of the barrel, I secured the barrel to a testing platform, and poured priming powder into a small hole at the base of the barrel.

  I lit a stick of wood with a Firebolt spell and then touched the flame to each barrel's touch hole, a special hole I’d drilled at the end of the barrel that connected to the tamped gunpowder and ball. There was a pause as the powder inside the barrel lit, then a bright flash and a loud explosion as I felt myself lifted into the air and thrown backwards. I landed with a thud and saw double digit red numbers float away from me towards the dungeon ceiling. As I sat up, I saw that my iron plating was scorched. Smoke filled the air, and I had to use Gust to clear it just to see the results of the experiment. Unfortunately, only one of my iron barrels withstood the powder, and the rest either cracked or the ends of their barrels bent back from the explosive gunpowder.

  The loud explosions also brought a Cactucus down on me, and I had to beat the monster with my bare fists because I’d forgotten that part of my Inventory specialization meant that any weapon that I hadn’t made myself or that wasn’t a tool was going to fail a lot more and not get any damage bonuses. It brought up a real problem that I needed to make a melee weapon that counted as a tool too.

  Once the Cactucus was defeated, I used the broken barrels as material to repair myself and moved onto the next phase of testing. The second stage of experiments went a bit more smoothly since I’d learned my lesson about gunpowder safety and made a trail using some of the powder and lit it from a safe distance. Each of the barrels was loaded with the special minié balls I’d made and just the right amount of powder, not overstuffed like during the stress tests. However, their accuracy varied wildly, and I found that the best accuracy was produced with a rate of twist of 1:38, or one turn every thirty-eight inches when using a barrel length of forty-four inches long. I’d tested a smooth musket ball and found a completely different rate of twist at 1:66 and needed a special paper patch to get it to fit into the barrel tightly. The minié ball didn’t need the patch because the base of the ammunition expanded as it was fired, creating a tight fit, and it also spun much better, making it more powerful. The musket ball did 3 damage per hit, but the minié ball hit punched right through the Cactucus for 7 damage.

  “Wooooohoooo!” I yelled as I threw my arms up and cheered when I saw the difference in damage. The result was a great boost to my confidence that I was on the right track. Part of me had worried that I was spending time on a project that would take me too long to complete, but knowing that both the rifling and new type of ammunition added so much damage made the time I’d taken learning to craft worth it.

  After I was finished, I realized that I couldn’t depend on a rifle barrel made of iron. It just couldn’t withstand the stresses over time and would likely fail me when in battle. As a result, I decided that I’d have to learn to work with steel and pay the cost for the materials. With the ability to forge the proper steel barrel and carve the wooden stock, the only remaining problem I had with the rifle was crafting an ignition system, the part of the rifle with the trigger and mechanism that set off the gunpowder.

  One evening, I met up with Greebo at the Tipsy Minotaur to talk about how the mining was going and generally catch up with my friend and I mentioned my issues with trying to recreate the complex firing mechanism.

  “Just steal one of those fancy guns and copy what you need with your…”--he gestured towards my left forearm--“with that thing. That’s what you do, yeah? You copy spells and weapon designs and remake them.”

  I scratched my head and shrugged. “I’d never thought of it in those terms, but I guess I kind of do. I’m like a master crafting thief.”

  Greebo snorted and coughed up a bit of the beer he’d been drinking. “Don’t say stuff like that, Bolts. You ain’t ever seen a real thief before, so don’t go thinking you’re one. For one, real thieves don’t get caught. That snooty wind mage caught you stealing his spell right off.’

  “Hey, he only caught me because I was trying to save your green ass.”

  Greebo leaned over and punched my arm. “Yeah, I know. Thanks again for that. I don’t think I could have lived with myself if I’d let some pile of mud kill me.” He took another swig from the mug of beer and continued, “But back to you stealing what you need. I know a goblin that might be able to get his hands on a gun. But it’s gonna cost you.”

  “Well, we’ve been doing pretty good at the mining thing. So, I can afford a bit. How much?”

  “It’s gonna be at least five gold.”

  “Dang. That’s a lot of money. I technically have it, but I was saving up for the materials for a mechanical companion. It’s going to cost me at least twelve gold for those materials.”

  Greebo shrugged and sloshed some more beer down his throat. I thought about what my goals were and knew that I needed to upgrade my firepower and this was my best shot. No pun intended. “Ok. I’ll take what your contact can get, but only for four gold
. It’s all I have saved up.”

  Greebo put two fingers to his lips and tried to whistle, but he’d drunk too much beer and was already woozy. Instead, he ended up giving me a weird raspberry. He looked down at his fingers and stared at them accusingly as he called out, “Cousin Stan, come out!”

  A voice to my left, almost next to my ear, warily said, “What’s the point of establishing code signs if you’re not going to use them, Greebo?”

  I nearly jumped out of my seat at the sound of the voice. I turned to see a thin goblin wearing skin-tight leggings, a black long-sleeved shirt, gloves, and a black mask that covered everything except his eyes and the dark green skin around it. “Goblin Ninja!” I exclaimed.

  Stan looked at me and raised his eyebrows and asked, “Ninja? What’s that?”

  “Uh, it’s a thing where I’m from. They’re a group of highly-skilled and deadly thieves and assassins. They dress in all black just like you, and no one ever sees them unless they want you to see them.”

  Stan tapped his chin and mulled over the explanation, and then his eyes brightened. “Yes. I like this name. I am Stan the Goblin Ninja.” He held out his hand, “It’s nice to meet one of Greebo’s friends.”

  I shook his hand but didn’t have the heart to tell Stan that a real ninja would have disappeared in a puff of smoke after introducing themselves. Or at least that’s what they did in the old movies. Instead, I said, “It’s nice to meet you too. So, can you procure what I’ve been looking for?”

  Stan looked at Greebo with narrowed eyes and said, “You said he’d already agreed to buy it if I could get one.”

  Greebo raised his hands and said, “I knew he’d agree, Stan, I just had to find the right moment to bring it up is all.” Turning to me, Greebo gave me his best smile and continued, “I’d seen you eyeballing those guns every time we passed a weapons shop and asked Stan here to see if he could find one that he could sell to you at an extremely discounted price.”

  “I find it very suspicious that you arranged all this,” I said.

  Greebo took another drink of his beer and then said with unashamed pride, “Hey, it's one of my best traits to be able to figure out what someone needs and connect them with someone that can give them what they want.”

  “All out of the kindness of your heart?”

  “Well, for a small finder’s fee,” Greebo said with a wink and a shrug.

  I shook my head at my friend and wanted to give him a grin but settled for giving him two thumbs up. I really shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d seen my interest in firearms or that he’d try to use his connections to get me one. He’d often been able to tell what I needed before I did. It was how we first met after all. I needed a guide in the dungeon and he made sure he was the one I found. He’d even made it seem like I chose him when he’d actually marked me as a target in advance.

  I turned to Stan. “Ok, let’s see what you have for me.”

  The thin goblin reached into the black backpack he’d unslung from his shoulder and brought out an object covered in silk. He placed it on the table and carefully unwrapped it. The object was a flintlock pistol and was about eighteen inches long with a foot-long smoothbore barrel. It would have looked beautiful with the etchings on the copper plating and lighter carvings along the dark stock and handle except that the barrel was cracked and the wooden pistol grip was blackened and charred from the explosion that damaged the barrel. Still, I used Inspect to see if it was salvageable.

  Broken Great Steel Flintlock Pistol

  Damage 0-0

  Weight 2.5 lbs

  Durability 0/22

  “Darn it, it’s broken. I can’t repair something if it doesn’t have at least one point of durability,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s a real shame too. This thing is gorgeous, and I can only imagine the damage it did at great quality.”

  Greebo tapped the flintlock firing mechanism with a black fingernail and said, “If it worked, you couldn’t afford it. But you don’t need all of it. You said you needed to know how this part works. The thing that makes the sparks.”

  “Yes, that all works, friend,” Stan said. He then took the gun in his hands and demonstrated that the flintlock worked by cocking it and pulling the trigger, creating sparks as the flint was released and struck the steel frizzen.

  I considered the technical merits to what they suggested. The flintlock was the same for both a pistol and a musket. The only difference was that each was custom made for their particular size. But the pistol itself operated on the exact same principles. I could indeed scan the weapon and get the specifications for the lock, the firing mechanism. I already knew how to make the barrel and had even decided that I needed to upgrade to steel over iron. The only thing I’d need to make then was the rifle stock. If I did that, I’d have everything I needed to make my rifle: lock, stock, and barrel.

  “I’ll take it,” I said, and I began counting out the four gold that I’d agreed to. It hurt my miserly mechanical heart to part with that much money, and it left me with only thirty-five silver in my inventory, but this broken weapon would be key in helping me make my own rifle.

  The deal struck, I dropped the broken weapon into my internal inventory for safekeeping. Stan said his goodbyes, and I thought I saw a flash of silver as he and Greebo shook hands. Then Stan just faded away into the shadows, which was quite impressive considering I was looking directly at him as he did it.

  I turned to Greebo and said, “You have a pretty cool cousin.”

  He nodded, “Yeah, but he’s going to get a big head now that you gave him a nickname like ninjo.”

  “It's ninja, and he just happened to fit the description. I mean, he could use some smoke bombs and ninja stars, but other than that he’s golden.”

  “Ninjo, ninja. It doesn’t matter. He’ll be a ninjerk for a while now.”

  I chuckled at the pun, and after Greebo finished his beer, we walked to the Institute so that I could get started on my nightly routine of deconstructing the ore Greebo carried back from the mine.

  When I returned to my room, I immediately got to work on my own project. I scanned the broken flintlock pistol and examined the schematic it created. Just like the name implied, the schematic was a detailed collection of information on the weapon. It had to be comprehensive if the fabricator was going to recreate it, after all, but that also meant that I could look at all the details of any schematic I had, including measurements, material tolerances, and more. Not only was I able to make a schematic for the pistol as a whole, but I also took apart the weapon and scanned each piece. By doing so, I learned how all the parts fit together and their functions so that I could recreate each part individually. Sure, the barrel was broken beyond repair, but all of the parts of the firing mechanism were in perfect working order.

  After I finished analyzing the firearm, I went back to my nightly routine of deconstructing all the ore that Greebo had left me with. I was only too thankful that I’d already completed the class quests I’d needed since, when Greebo showed up the next morning, I only just barely finished and hadn’t even started crafting to gain XP.

  Chapter 18 - Testing

  Mudmen were my target of choice for the final testing of my completed crafting project. All that time spent learning blacksmithing, woodworking, and experimenting with how to use machine tools resulted in the creation of something new. It was so new in fact that upon finishing it I received a special notification.

  You’ve created a first of its kind item. Because of your class ‘Inventor’, you receive one bonus skill point for inventing a new item. Would you like to name the item?

  I chose to name the item and briefly considered calling it a number of silly names. I’d always been one of those gamers that gave pets and characters odd silly names when I played games. I considered Boom Tube, Boom Boom Stick, and Explody Metal Tube of Doom. But then I considered that this wasn’t a game but my real life and that I didn’t want to be known as the guy that invented the Boom Boom Stick. So, I
didn’t get overly complicated or creative with the name and just chose ‘Flintlock Rifle’.

  The free class skill point was just icing on the cake for me as I held the weapon in my hands. Though unadorned with any of the intricate scrollwork or engravings that the muskets in the rich Eastern District shops had, it was still a thing of beauty to my optical processors. The smooth dark wood of the wide rifle butt seamlessly joined the steel firing mechanism and hard cold barrel that had taken me such a long time to forge and rifle. To me, the weapon looked as much a piece of art as a tool of destruction.

  I also forged a custom blacksmith hammer that had a five-pound head that was flat on one end and wedged on the other. Blacksmiths used the flat side to pound away and flatten metal while the other was used to cut through hot metal by holding it against a piece while a second hammer banged away at the flat side of the tool. For a warrior, the tool didn’t do nearly as much damage as the flintlock rifle or even a comparable quality sword. It wouldn’t be worth his time to even pick up the tool as a weapon except as a last resort. Yet, it was the opposite for me. One of the class effects of specializing as an Inventor was that I just missed more with traditional weapons. It was a trade-off of being better at crafting in exchange for being worse with traditional weapons. However, the loophole there was that I retained any attack bonuses gained through normal leveling if I used a “tool” as a weapon. So, I made a custom two-handed tool that I could use when the fighting got close.