I Am Gamer III

by Gabriel Rathweg

  “Oh, you know the usual, some extra workers to build roads and handle supplies, oh and then some falconets and harquebuses.” I replied, nonchalantly.

  My sisters paused mid-step, sharing a wide-eyed look, which turned into devilish grins, then they hurried to catch back up with me. Each rattled off questions and ideas of what to do with them as we walked. I shared their enthusiasm this was a literal game changer. As Law would say, we’re going to kick some bubblegum’s ass and take its name then chew it, and I’m all out of gum ass, or something like that.

  CHAPTER 12 – STRAWBERRY BUBBLEGUM – JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

  I had given Freak instructions to find mines for Silent Mouse to get workers to for a steady stream of ore. Piles of different metals were now placed neatly around the forge area. I had used my Total Recall skill to bring up videos of different types of cannon. After searching thoroughly through my memories, I had decided on two different types of cannon to make for the fort. Then, I had decided on one type of gun for everyone to use, until I had a chance to do more. I reread the information on the cannon types.

  I played the videos over in my mind’s eye as I prepared the first pair of molds for the two pieces of artillery. I was taking a chance trying to create something this advanced, but I was hoping the forges bonuses and having just leveled my building, mage builder, and inventor skills up, it would be enough.

  When that was ready, I moved over to the different ores accessing the War Shaman submenu t check my stores of resources, as I did so.

  WAR SHAMAN

  RESOURCES COLLECTED

  Wood – 1000lbs

  Metals – Iron x 250lbs, Gold x 15lbs, Silver x 55lbs, Tin x 10lbs, Copper x 400lbs, Zinc x 145lbs,

  Food-Abundant, Enough for 100 days

  Animals-Horses x N/A, Cattle x 45, Sheep x 65

  Good stuff, I used my Metallurgy skill and identified the piles of Copper and Zinc, these were the two specific metals I had wanted, they created Brass. I had been a real artillery buff and deep dived this for a while. There were differing opinions on whether cannons were made of bronze or bass back pre, American Revolutionary War, but I decided on a combination of both. I would make my artillery and other guns with a mix of Copper, Zinc, and Tin. It should give me the malleability and strength in better quotients than just one or the other. That combined with my Total Recall skill and the cannon casting video’s I remembered, along with my magical ability, this should make building these weapons theoretically possible.

  I took a deep breath and got to work. I activated my Fire Magic and started blending the melted metals. Something felt off and it was like my magic was a little askew. I active Earth and Water Magic as well, then the feeling went away and a sense of peace and rightness hit me, like things were balanced now. Focus returned to me and I saw that the metal was now all melted together and swirling in a slow small whirl, fluctuating with the three magical colors. I poured the metals into the separate molds and added bursts of magical energy as they were needed. My Fire Magic prevented me from being burned as it surrounded my arms and torso like a second ski. This allowed me to move and touch the burning liquid metal in many different ways.

  I was able to bypass the need for specific types of machining tools and other needed things using brute strength, intuition, my memory, and most of all magic. It was like my magic was finding any problems and fixing it according to what I felt and needed. My attention was almost completely focused on my smithing, but I barely noted that the three other Mage Builders had stopped what they were doing and were staring at me intently. That was ok, hopefully they’d pick up on what I was doing, and they’d be able to make these as well.

  The molds were cooling, and I used Water Magic to help the process along. When they had sufficiently hardened, I pulled the casts out and began the task of boring them out. This was tough, but I was able to brace the brass monstrosity in my arm and using Fire and Earth Magic enhanced tools to rifle the barrel and then turned to the task of shaping the outside. I had decided on American Revolutionary War style, a modification on the traditional 4-Pounders and made a slightly larger 6-Pounder. They had limited rifling and the styling was pretty standard and with my Sculptor Skill it wasn’t too difficult. Besides, the payoff was worth the risk, I just kept picturing an army of Kuku’s and Chenoo’s attacking. I shuddered at the thought and then returned to my work.

  When I was finished, I set the cooling cannon down and moved on to the next weapon. The process was similar to the first, same metal but these were a bigger risk. I was making mortars. They are a simple design used to fire up and over a wall or into a trench and come down on an enemy. These were a gamble as well, as I was going to have to make the ammunition for them, but that was for another day, tomorrow specifically. I had come to an epiphany in the night and I would see if it translated into what I thought it would with the ammunition. A half hour later I set the finished mortar down next to the cannon and then moved on to the next task.

  I had asked for wood to be delivered as well and now I began making the carriages for the two pieces of artillery. This was a bit more difficult but using the same process of magic and woodworking I eventually had both carriages completed. When finished, I grabbed both completed cannon and mortar and placed them in their harness and stepped back to admire my handiwork. My periphery blinked and I accessed my messages.

  THREE ELEMENT 6-POUNDER BRASS FIELD CANNON

  WEAPON TYPE – Field Cannon

  DURABILITY – 250/250

  CLASS – Rare

  UPGRADES – Earth Strength, Water Resistance, Flame, Fire Resistance

  WEIGHT – 275lbs

  DIMENSIONS – 6’ by 1’ and complete under carriage.

  This cannon is a lighter weight version of the original. It uses ingrained magical infusion to harden and increase its durability. Fire Magic is infused and replaces the need for an outside source, just active Flame will ignite the cannon when loaded with gunpowder and shot. A modification makes it a rear breechloader for ease of use and firing. Water Magic keeps the weapon from over-heating and misfiring. Greatly reducing the chance for accidents.

  Forge Bonus – Infused magic acts as power, any of the three kinds, Earth, Fire, or Water can activate.

  THREE ELEMENT 6-INCH BRASS MORTAR

  WEAPON TYPE – Mortar

  DURABILITY – 200/200

  CLASS – Rare

  UPGRADES – Earth Strength, Water Resistance, Flame, Fire Resistance

  DRAW WEIGHT – 60lbs

  WEIGHT – 15lbs

  DIMENSIONS – 4’ by 6” with double adjustable stability arms.

  This mortar is based on the modern three-inch version but scaled for a larger and more primitive round. By infusing Fire Magic, it has a permanent firing power in the bottom the activates Flame when a round is dropped inside. The gunpowder inside uses a Water Magic shaper in the mortar that controls the force of the blast, launching it much the way a modern mortar would.

  Forge Bonus – Infused magic acts as power, any of the three kinds, Earth, Fire, or Water can activate.

  I grinned as I closed the screens the three Mage Builders came to my side and admired the two shining pieces of weaponry.

  “Those are pretty amazing Law, but they look different than the ones we took from the Sun God.” Thunder Foot said.

  “Ugh, don’t say that stupid name, but you’re right they are different. They should be better, stronger, faster, and all that.” I replied, ecstatic my skills had worked so well. Then I turned to the men. “Do you think you could make this?”

  “Maybe, if we all worked together.” Thunder Foot replied, a little questionably.

  “You should make a couple more then we would get the hang of it.” Lightning Fist offered.

  “I think they are both right.” Smoking Bluejay added.

  “Alright, sounds like a plan.” I said cheerily.

  I repeated the process three more times which was coincidental because on the third time each of them said they receiv
ed a message. My own periphery flashed, and I checked it as well.

  THREE ELEMENTS FORGE HAS LEARNED NEW PLANS… PLANS NOW ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL MAGE BUILDERS…

  I closed the window and grinned at my comrades. They all looked pleased as well and we shared a round of cheering. When we were done, I said goodbye and headed out to my next task leaving them to their work. A mental command to Freak and he responded flashing where he was, I pulled up my mini map and adjusted course. He had been tasked with finding me caves for bats because I needed to make some gunpowder.

  About a half mile away I found my familiar and head scout standing in front of a large cave. Silent Mouse waved as I approached.

  “Hey Law, found a large cave full of bats, already went inside, tons of batshit.” He said, pointing back into the cave.

  “Great, I dropped a handful of watertight hide bags I had crafted and grinned at the smaller man.”

  He looked back at me not understanding for a moment then his eyes boggled as the realization hit him. He was going to have to fill bags up with batshit and carry them with me.

  “Thanks, Silent Mouse you’re a real good dude.” I said over my shoulder, as I headed into the cave.

  Freak huffed at the smaller tribesman sounding almost like he was laughing, which he probably was.

  An hour or so later I was back at the forge. After that first trip I had enough of the joke and delegated the task of poop collection. I had cleaned up at the bathing area and was working on my next project, gunpowder. Piles of the ingredients I had asked for were now here and I grabbed the batshit and started. I poured the poop into a large clay vessel and began feeding Fire Magic into it, slowly at first and then increasing, until it boiled down to what I wanted, Potassium Nitrate. When I finished converting all the guano, I pulled up the resource menu again.

  WAR SHAMAN

  RESOURCES COLLECTED

  Wood – 1800lbs

  Metals – Iron x 450lbs, Gold x 150lbs, Silver x 255lbs, Tin x 410lbs, Copper x 800lbs, Zinc x 345lbs,

  Minerals – Sulphur x 20lbs, Charcoal x 190lbs, Potassium Nitrate x 59lbs

  Food-Abundant, Enough for 130 days

  Animals-Horses x N/A, Cattle x 45, Sheep x 65

  Ok, good, now I had all the ingredients necessary, so I retrieved the Sulphur, charcoal, and nitrate. First, I cleared my throat and all three of my apprentices looked at me, pausing in the making of the cannon they were currently working on.

  “You guys should take a break, go get some food, you may not want to be around for a bit.” I said. “I might make a mistake or two.”

  “Mistake, what would that entail?” Thunder Foot asked.

  “Maybe, catch the whole forge on fire and blow us all up into tiny bits?” I replied.

  The three nodded to each other and then set their project down.

  “We are going to get some lunch.” Lightning Fist said, walking after the other two who hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye.

  It was just as well considering I wasn’t joking. Well, not really joking, I could very well blow myself to kingdom come. A few deep breaths and then I pulled up my memories on gunpowder. YouTube was full of so many DIY gunpowder videos it was ridiculous. The only catch was on half of them they ended up with unintended consequences, the loss of fingers, hands, arms, and sometimes the whole kit and kaboodle went bye-bye, I shit you not.

  “Dr. Stone don’t fail me now.” I said, under my breath.

  I began the process of combining and refining the ingredients with the help of my magical abilities. Still, I was careful, extra careful even. I slowly ground the ingredients together fusing my three different forms of magical energy into the concoction. I kept adding my magic power and grinding the ingredients until they were a coarse color changing powder. My periphery flashed and I grinned as I accessed the message.

  THREE ELEMENT GUNPOWDER

  ITEM TYPE – Ingredient

  CLASS – Rare

  UPGRADES – Flame, Water Stability, Fire Resistance, Earth Strength

  WEIGHT – 0.00lbs

  This scientific concoction is infused with the Magics of Earth, Fire, and Water. This makes it more stable and more powerful than its normal cousin. It also responds to magical pulses and it less likely to explode or become unstable. The amount needed is less than normal as it is more concentrated and magical in nature.

  Forge Bonus – Infused magic acts as power, any of the three kinds, Earth, Fire, or Water can activate.

  Nice, I closed the window and moved on to my next project. It was time to make ammunition. The first thing I made were cannonballs. I grabbed the scraps of ore that were around and began smelting it. While it was in the forge, I made a mold with spaces for six cannonballs. When the molten metal was ready, I infused my magical power into it and poured it in said mold. I kept my magic moving and when it was cool enough cracked the mold and my periphery flashed.

  THREE ELEMENT CANNON BALL

  AMMUNITION TYPE – Magical Cannon Ball

  CLASS – Rare

  UPGRADES – Flame, Earth Strength, Fire Resistance, Water Stability

  WEIGHT – 6lbs

  DIMENSIONS – 6” by 6” Round

  This cannon ball holds magical energy giving the ability to project more force when hitting. It is able to be fired with the Flame skill on either the ball or weapon. With Water Magic the cannonball is still able to fire in wet conditions.

  Forge Bonus – Infused magic acts as power, any of the three kinds, Earth, Fire, or Water can activate.

  The next project was cannister for mortars. I repeated the process that I used for the cannonballs but scaled the size down to musket ball size but were shaped as bullets. My new mold let me make fifty per sheet. My periphery flashed again when the forging was finished.

  THREE ELEMENT BULLETS

  AMMUNITION TYPE – Bullet

  CLASS – Unique

  UPGRADES – Flame, Earth Strength, Fire Resistance, Water Stability

  WEIGHT – 0.1lbs

  DIMENSIONS – 2” by 1”

  These rounds are large and contain all three Magics of Earth, Water, and Fire. You can fire the round by activating the Flame ability in the round of weapon. The bullets are stronger and carry more magical force than a normal round. They are strengthened by the Earth Magic. The Water Magic makes them able to be fired in wet conditions.

  Forge Bonus – Infused magic acts as power, any of the three kinds, Earth, Fire, or Water can activate.

  When those were done, I moved on to the shaped cannister round as it would be holding the bullets. This was pretty easy as the shaped cannister mold consisted of three stages, the holder, cover, and tail. I made each infusing magic as I went, when they were done, I popped the pieces of the mold out and looked them over. They really looked like three pieces of a tiny bomb, albeit the main piece looked more like a large bullet with a tail.

  My bottom piece was a shaped six-inch by three-inch hollow cylinder, with a one inch by three-inch lid, and three-inch by four-inch tail. I filled the can to the brim with bullets and then poured in gunpowder till full and capped it off. Next, using my Magical Power I carefully sealed the lid with a mixture of Water and Fire Magic. When I was finished, I received a message notice and quickly checked it out.

  THREE ELEMENTS MORTAR ROUND

  AMMUNITION TYPE – Shaped Cannister Mortar Round

  CLASS – Unique

  UPGRADES – Flame, Earth Strength, Water Stability, Fire Resistance, Water Resistance

  WEIGHT – 3lbs

  DIMENSIONS – 6” by 3” body, 3” shaft and 4” tail.

  This round of ammunition is infused with three elements. Earth Magic gives it more power and durability. Water Magic lets it fire in wet conditions. Fire Magic allows it to me be more stable. The ammunition can be activated by Flame skill on weapon or ammunition. A shaped magical charge is at the bottom of the cannister full of a Fire Magic trigger that is surrounded by Earth and Water Magic to keep the charge focused.

  Forge Bonus
– Infused magic acts as power, any of the three kinds, Earth, Fire, or Water can activate.

  I closed the window and got back to work. Now that the cannon, mortars, and other ammunition were all done I could move on to something more interesting. It was personal firearms time. This had been on my mind for quite some time and I had been thinking about the best type of firearm I could make with a few major factors. They needed to be easy to use, durable, accurate, and have stopping power.

  The oldest firearms were horribly inaccurate and were mostly used for things like scare tactics. Blunderbusses and even the harquebuses we used were just tubes that sent a ball of iron shooting out the barrel from a contained explosion. This wasn’t going to work for me, I wanted rifled barrels and the ability to shoot the weapon faster than every minute and farther most of all.

  My plan was to basically do what I did with the cannon but just on a smaller scale. My impetus was the Revolutionary War long rifle, or Flintlock Jaeger Rifle, but it was going to be an amalgamation. It would be a rifled breechloader with the same design as the Ferguson Rifle, since I wasn’t making self-contained cartridges. You would still have to pour gunpowder in the rifle, but it would go in the rear breech along with the bullet, no need to pound it down. By pulling the trigger guard down, the breech opened and lowered allowing easy access for loading and reloading.

  I began by making molds for each piece. The weapon consisted of the barrel, the action, and the stock, then supporting bands. This was part of what was going to make it work like the cannon and mortar, magic would act as catalyst for the bullets instead of a firing pin and such. So, when the hammer struck the pan after the trigger was pulled a little bit of Fire Magic would activate the Flame Skill, surrounded by a water magic safety net, and reinforced earth magic in all the parts to keep them from warping or exploding. This was the plan, now it was time to see if it would work.