I Am Gamer III

by Gabriel Rathweg

  I watched a few videos again with my Total Recall Skill, making sure I paid attention to the tiny details. Luckily, by using my magical abilities as a work around I could forgo certain parts of the original weapon. I started with the action, which consisted of the trigger, breech, and lock. Then I made the barrel and when it was cool enough, I started on the rifling. This consisted of me creating a small line of Fire Magic and twisting the barrel as I drilled with a small magic infused metal drill piece, until it was hollowed to my satisfaction, and then molded a pair of sights to it, one on the front and one on the rear. Next, I shaped the stock, placed the support bands, and assembled the final product. When it was finished, I accessed the blinking message prompt.

  TRI-ELEMENT BREECH LOADING LONG RIFLE

  WEAPON TYPE – Breech Loading Long Rifle

  DURABILITY – 175/175

  CLASS – Ultra Rare

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

  WEIGHT – 12lbs

  DIMENSIONS – 5’ by 1” Barrel, Full Length 6’

  The quintessential rifle for the infantryman or marine. This long rifle combines the best parts of three of the most successful long rifles use in multiple wars. Easy to load, reload, and even easier to maintain. This rifle is accurate up to three hundred yards and uses Fire, Earth, and Water Magic to aid in its firing and upkeep.

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

  SKILL LEARNED…

  MAGE GUNSMITH (LEVEL – 1)

  A combination of Magical Artist and Mage Builder. You create weapons of war that have the ability to become works of art. Your ability to sense the proper calibers and rifling when creating is doubled. The infusion of magical power into weapons is doubled. This skill will grow as you level and learn new abilities, plans, and skills.

  I closed the information window and admired the rifle. It was beautiful, seventy-two inches of homemade projectile firing goodness. The stock was a brown so dark it looked black. The action and the barrel however were almost blindingly bright. The brass I had used to make them shone like it was polished compared to the dark wood. I grinned at my handiwork and then set it aside and stretched my tired body.

  I had been sitting in the forge for hours and my muscles were tight. Then I noticed a bowl of stew sitting next to me, and the other Mage Builders were back working on their projects again. When had they come back? I shrugged grabbed the stew and ate, pleased at the progress I made so far. After wolfing down the food I got back to work. I had a lot of ammunition, rifles, cannons, mortars, and more to craft after all.

  TRACK 13 – EVERYDAY – LOGIC, MARSHMELLO

  I worked late, well into the night, along with all the rest of the residents of Thrudheim. When darkness came, the resource gatherers switched to helping the builders. There was a large bright moon out and that combined with the plethora of torches around, lit the town brightly. There was nowhere that wasn’t under construction and didn’t need lighting. I was going to have to make some time for some serious civil engineering projects, as soon as I wasn’t preparing for battle. Yeah, like that’ll ever happen. For the first time in two nights, that night, well early morning, I think everyone slept soundly and thankfully there were no burning town dreams of death and destruction.

  I woke up before dawn as usual, after just a couple hours sleep, I headed down and grabbed some stew from Frigg then went to the forge. I was just finishing my fiftieth rifle when Billy and Patty came to the forge both looking like they were as exhausted as I felt. Even though my sleep hadn’t been marred, the constant go, go, go was showing. They stopped at the stack of weapons and each picked up a rifle, examined it, then nodded approvingly.

  “This is a damn sight better than the ones the Sun God had. As a matter of fact, this is probably the best gods damned looking rifle I’ve ever seen.” Patty commented.

  “Aye, it’s quite pretty but a question, how does it, fire?” Billy asked.

  “Actually, I haven’t fired them or the artillery, what do you guys say we go do some product testing?” I asked.

  “If that means fire some cannon and rifles, hell yeah!” Billy exclaimed, echoed quickly by his brother.

  This caught the attention of the three others, and I invited them as well besides I couldn’t carry everything.

  A few minutes later we were standing on top of the south eastern fort wall above the Mississippi River Gate. The cannon had been placed earlier and all we had to bring was ammunition and rifles. All five of us carried a rifle, bullets, and gunpowder horns I had made earlier. I made both sets of brothers carry the cannonballs and cannister for the artillery.

  The sun was up now as dawn had come. The sky was a pretty patina of pinks, yellows, oranges, and blues. The surrounding area was an open rolling plain a couple hundred yards around the fort and river, dotted with trees, bushes, and other small bits of flora intercut with the river. It was big, open, and sparse, making for a pretty damn good firing range.

  “Ok boys let’s start with the rifles then move on to the cannon and finally the mortar. Sound good?” I asked.

  “Aye, that’s fine but you go first. I’ve seen to many new weapons misfire and explode upon testing. Remember that smith in Barcelona Billy?” Patty said, looking at his brother.

  “Oh, shite yeah, that guy, what was his name again? One armed Willy?” Billy said, looking back at his brother a giant shit eating grin already plastered across his face.

  “Yuck it up you guys, you should have called him one nut Davey or something, that’d have been a bit scarier.” I rebutted.

  Then, I loaded my rifle, placing the bullet inside and pouring a small amount of powder into the breach. Ignoring the troll Irishmen, I sighted down the barrel and focused on a small boulder about five feet tall and almost as wide, that was fifty feet away.

  The brothers laughed even louder at my response but then I pulled the trigger. The hammer came down, the Fire Magic igniting the small bit of powder I had poured in, and the gun boomed. It was loud as hell and the rifle kicked like a mule. But it also hit like a motherfucker. The five of us stood with mouths open as the bullet hit the boulder towards the top righthand corner and it exploded. Dust and rock created a small cloud but as soon as it dissipated a good two feet of rock was gone. Only a jagged corner of the boulder was left to show where the bullet had struck.

  “Holy shite…” Patty said softly.

  I nodded in agreement. The rifle was way more accurate and powerful than I thought it would be.

  “Ok, my turn.” Billy said, repeating the actions I had just done and now sighting down the barrel and aiming at the same boulder.

  We watched, this time with hands over our ears as Billy fired. The same boom sounded and then the opposite corner of the boulder became a cloud of rock and dirt. I shared excited grins with my companions. The MOBs didn’t stand a chance. As soon as the whole tribe, shit all the tribes were armed with these we’d be unstoppable, and we hadn’t even tested the cannon and mortar yet.

  Thunder Foot went next, followed by Patty, Smoking Bluejay, then Billy, and me again. I don’t care who you are, when you are shooting guns it’s just plain fun. Get five hotblooded men together and give them some guns, just see how big the smiles on their faces get. We were no exception as grins split our faces from ear to ear. There was plenty of ammunition and gunpowder, so we practiced firing at different targets and then speed firing.

  The rifle was accurate out to three hundred yards, depending on the shooter’s skill, which Thunder Foot and Lighting Fist turned out to be the best shots. We were also able to fire between six and seven shots a minute also depending on skill, before the magic in the weapon ran out and it had to recharge, or you switched to your own magic power. We continued in this vein until we were out of ammo for the rifles then switched to the artillery.

  “Cannon time gentlemen.” I said, with boyish enthusiasm that was echoed all around me.

&nbs
p; This wall had carriages setup for four cannons and two mortars spaced evenly out along the length. We surrounded the closest cannon and loaded it with cannonball and then poured powder in the breech. I had designed the cannon so one person could operate it. But if you wanted speed two people were ideal as one had to load the cannon ball while the other poured in the gunpowder and closed the breech, the other then sighted on the target a final time and fired.

  Billy and Patty had taken care of placing the carriage as they had seen and handled plenty cannons before. The five of us took our time and made sure it was loaded correctly. Then I motioned everyone back, especially from behind. The rifle had kicked like a mofo, so I wasn’t taking any chances. I didn’t want any of my people legless or dead due to my carelessness. I was about to fire the weapon then paused as a thought hit me. I had zero practice aiming artillery.

  “Hey Patty, do you know how to aim a cannon?” I asked.

  “Aye.” He said, nodding in response. “But I ain’t lighting this fucker, are you daft? Just shoot the damn thing and see if it works. You’re the gunsmith it falls on you to test it. Besides, I remember this one gunsmith Senor Uno Testicale in Spain.”

  He said the last with a grin and everyone laughed but that didn’t stop the four of them from stepping back a few more feet.

  “Thanks dicks.” I said, jokingly but not quite.

  “That’s right dicks, we’ll still have them.” Billy quipped.

  That brought on another bout of laughter which I duly ignored and refocused on my cannon. I took a deep breath then looked down at the cannon, no time like the present, placing my hand on the breech I channeled a bit of Fire Magic into it activating the Flame Skill, it caught, and a small wisp of smoke hissed. I looked back at my friends and they shrugged, so I turned my attention back to the cannon and then it fired.

  The shot was ten times louder, if not more, than the rifles had been. A gout of flame three feet long shot out of the muzzle and then cannon ball followed it. But at the same instant the carriage and cannon itself shot backwards, flying off the wall as the cannon ball flew out into the distance. The five of us didn’t see where the ball hit as all our eyes were glued to the carriage and cannon which crashed into the middle of the training ground behind us.

  Luckily, no one was around as the spot we were in had been quickly emptied of people when we started our tests. The tribe’s folk had shown a good sensibility as soon as we started firing.

  “I think we might need to adjust the carriages.” I said, staring down at the heap of wood and metal.

  Four heads nodded in agreement.

  “So, should we try the mortars now?” Smoking Bluejay asked, innocently but his grin and the rest of the similar faces showed we weren’t going to quit now.

  “Oh yeah, mosdef.” I said, nodding my head in anticipation. “This time though, let’s be a bit more careful. Make sure the legs are sturdy and everything is set up properly, let’s not destroy it like the cannon.”

  We all glanced down at the conglomeration of wood and metal below which had been a brand-new cannon just a minute earlier. For this next trial I took my time and made sure the mortar was setup correctly, giving orders and double then triple checking everything. When I was satisfied with all the legs and the angles, I motioned for everyone to get back, which they all did without hesitation. It was go-time. I activated the mortar round with a little bit of Fire Magic and dropped it in the tube then covered my ears and crouched turning away from the weapon.

  A subdued thwump sounded and then quiet, I opened my eyes and turned back and saw the mortar tube was still there with smoke wafting from the top.

  “Law look!” Thunder Foot said, pointing out into the distance.

  I followed the line of his hand and couldn’t see anything for a second but then with my enhanced vision I caught site of a small speck in air coming down almost a half mile away. Did it go that far?

  Then it hit the ground and I saw a flash of light and a second later the boom hit us. If anything, it was louder than the cannon had been, and I just stared mouth agape. My brain not quite comprehending what had just happened.

  “Well fuck, this changes things.” Billy said, softly.

  Nods answered him and I knew he was right. The mortar was a game changer, it was more powerful than I had thought possible. All the weapons were better than I had hoped.

  “Guys we need to get back to the forge. We are going to need more ammunition, rifles, and mortars, and…” I trailed off, shaking my head. Then I cleared my throat and looked at my brothers in arms. “You guys start pulling workers off whatever they are doing and get them trained on these. Start with our crew and then move on to whoever you think is best and so on.”

  “Aye, that’s a good idea.” Patty said, nodding and then he and Billy gave a two-finger salute and turned, striding off already talking about new tactics and ideas.

  “Alright you three, let’s go.” I said, grabbing the leftover ammo and heading back to work with a new sense of excitement.

  TRACK 14 – ESCPAPE (PINA COLADA) – RUPERT HOLMES

  ARUN

  We pushed ourselves to the brink of exhaustion. My small flotilla had covered almost twice the distance we normally would have if we were travelling normally. The trip, which usually took about three days, only took us one and a half as we didn’t stop to rest and paddled throughout the night.

  My boat was in the lead with the rest spread out behind me in a triangular formation. I used my Water Magic ability to adjust the current around us, so we didn’t have to fight it the whole way. By switching rowers in shifts we were able to paddle nonstop. Every member of my tribe had some limited magical ability and they were able to use it to help enforce their stamina. So it was, that just before dawn of day two we were only an hour from Asgard, if it was still there.

  I had used the time to get used to the interface, Law called it, and now was comfortable enough with my skills and new abilities. It was extremely useful to see how much Magic Power I had, although seeing my life measured in Hit Points was going to take some getting used to. I quickly looked over my sheet once again.

  NAME – Arun Thorson

  RACE – Human

  ALIGNMENT – Neutral Good

  CLASS – War Leader

  EXPERIENCE – 1943/2500

  LEVEL – 3

  HIT POINTS – 45/45

  MAGIC POINTS – 11/24

  SKILLS – War Cry (Level – 2), Shield Wall (Level – 1)

  The Companions to Jack-of-all-Trades are their own entities but gain bonuses from being a companion. The War Leader class gains abilities that effect groups of warriors with buffs and debuffs. The amount increases with level. Class gets own experience and upgrades different than Jack-of-all-Trades.

  A call from my helmsman jarred me from my study and I turned my attention to him.

  “Arun there is fog ahead.” Rabbit Foxson said.

  “Slow the flotilla.” I commanded, squinting and looking ahead into the mist.

  We were so close to our goal that I hated to stop but my mother didn’t raise an idiot. My boat slowed to a stop in the center of the river, those behind us doing the same, and then something began to resolve itself from inside the fog.

  “Ready yourselves.” I commanded, in a low voice pitched to not carry far over the water.

  Whatever it was, we were going to be prepared for a fight. I was under no illusions that we would make it in time to join the towns defense, but I thought we’d be able to make it in time to help any of my tribe that escaped. This could be my people fleeing or the monstrous army already on their way to Thrudheim.

  The warriors in the surrounding long canoes grabbed weapons and stood ready. Slowly, the darkness in the mist became bigger as it approached. We all waited, tense as it grew closer. Then the object exited the fog and I relaxed. It was a long canoe, just like ours and on it were members of my tribe, foremost among them my sister.

  Relief flooded through me and I looked her and her
crew over. All of them looked fine, if a little tired, their hide clothing and armor seemed ok. It was as if none of them had been in a fight. My sister was the same as always, long blonde braid, hazel eyes, and tanned skin. She was armed with bow, shield, and ax as usual.

  “Stand down.” I called, lowering my hammer and smiling widely.

  “Brother when did you become such a scaredy cat?” She called, from her position on the bow of her long canoe, a smile that mirrored my own on her face.

  “Freya, I am glad to see you, are mother and father with you? Who else escaped?” I asked, looking around to see if other boats were coming behind her.

  I didn’t see anything else in the fog and looked to my sister for answers.

  “They are at home where they always are. Why would anyone else be with me? I came to visit you in Thrudheim, we just left a little while ago.” She said, with a quizzical expression.

  “You mean the town isn’t gone? The army of monsters hasn’t come?” I asked, hope in my voice.

  “Are you crazy? What army? Everything and everyone are fine.” She answered, now looking askance at me.

  “Then we made it in time.” I said, relief flooding through me, then I looked hard at my sister. “Come, we must hurry back to Asgard, time is of the essence.”

  I called out orders and the flotilla began moving again. My sister asked questions of me and I told her I’d explain on the way, and I did. She listened as we rowed towards the town. An hour later we were passing under the river gate and heading towards the main lodge. I issued orders to the rest of the long canoes to begin the evacuation and my sister and me went to see our parents. The vessel bumped the dock and we hopped off making our way up the rise, eventually striding up and through the wide double doors of the lodge.

  It was darker inside the lodge even with the fire burning in the pit in the center of the room. My eyes quickly adjusted, and I looked around at the familiar surroundings. The walls were decorated with weapons, shields, and hunting trophies, and in the rear of the room stood my parents in conversation. They hadn’t noticed us yet and I used the time to look them over.