BOOK 9: CHAPTER 46: THE PROTOTYPE

“Those rifles would be easier to use,” Captain Essex said, holding the shortsword out and looking down its blade. “We’ve considered basing our defense around them.”

“That’s a mistake,” Carmen insisted.

“It’s a force multiplier, and an easy one for most of our fighters to grasp,” he said. “Most of us understand how to use a gun. All it takes is a little ethera.”

“They’re not really guns. They’re wands encased in a fuselage. All they do is focus ethera through a rune, then funnel the resulting power into a specific spell. In this case, it’s something similar a Sorcerer’s Bolt spell.”

“The point stands. Anyone can use them, even the non-combatants,” he argued. “There’s value there.”

“I don’t deny that,” Carmen admitted, though it felt wrong to do so. She hated the very notion of those so-called rifles, and down to her very core. “By all means, buy some. Use them for a civilian militia or something. But they’ll never be as effective as what I’m talking about.”

“I’m going to need a better explanation than that,” he said, handing the weapon back. “You’re talking about putting our defenses on an entirely different path. I can’t sign off on that without knowing a lot more.”

Carmen shook her head. The pitch meeting was not going well, and what’s more, she’d never been good at those kinds of things. It would have been so much easier if Essex had simply taken her word for it, but she knew he couldn’t do that. He had the city’s entire defense resting on his shoulders. It would have been more worrying if he didn’t do his due diligence.

“Fine,” she said. “So, those rifles you’re so impressed with – they’re just wands.”

“You said that.”

“But do you know what that means?” she asked. He shook his head, so she continued, “It means that, at best, they transfer power inefficiently. Wands are great for mages because they depend on large outflows of ethera, which most mages have. They’re even decent for Healers and some hybrids. But for melee combatants? They don’t have the ethereal stores to use them properly.”

“That’s not what the Seattle representative said. He claimed that they’ve developed a method to ensure people will develop appropriate classes to take advantage of those weapons.”

“They’re mages, just without the versatility of real Sorcerers. They’re practically useless without their little toys.”

“Hmm.”

“But I did get the idea for my plan from them,” Carmen admitted. She’d sprent quite some time wrestling with the problem of how to equip the defenders of Ironshore, and she’d come to a similar conclusion to what Seattle’s leaders had clearly reached. Equipping the city’s fighters was difficult because they were all different. Even the ones with identical archetypes had a variety of classes that specialized in different roles and used different equipment.

So, the first step was obvious.

“We need to start now and train the city’s youth in appropriate weapons,” she said. Then, she flourished the shortsword. “This is the sidearm. Twenty-four inch blade. Double-edged. Good for slashing or stabbing.”

The weapon itself was just a mock-up made from mundane steel. However, because of her abilities, it was far more durable than any blade from pre-World Tree Earth.

She shoved it into its leather scabbard, then grabbed the next item. “This spear is based on the Greek dory, meant to be a soldier’s primary melee weapon. However, due to the enchantments, it will also function similarly to those rifles you seem to love so much. Instead of unformed ethera, it will create an effect I’m calling a light beam.”

“Range?”

“Medium. Wielders won’t be sniping anyone, but it does add versatility,” she said. “I can’t get more specific because I haven’t actually made the things yet. What I can say is that they will incorporate grove wood into the shafts.”

She’d already talked to Nerthus about it, and he’d agreed to grow trees specifically for her purposes. He wouldn’t do so for free, but he also wouldn’t charge more than a nominal fee. After all, he understood the value of mutual defense. If Ironshore was strong, then the grove would be safer.

Or at least that was the idea, and he’d committed to it without much question. Pointedly, Carmen had not spoken to Elijah about it, though she didn’t believe he’d have any issues with the idea. But given his unpredictability, she couldn’t say for that for certain.

In any case, she set the spear aside, then hefted the shield.

“Based on the Greek hoplon,” she said. “Made entirely of metal instead of wood covered in bronze, though. Enhanced Strength should make that more than workable, but we’ll have wooden versions for training.”

“A lot of Greek and Roman influences,” Essex remarked, taking the shield and trying it on. He slipped his forearm through the central strap, called the porpax, and curled his fingers around the antilabe on the edge. He gave it a couple of exploratory swings. “It feels pretty comfortable.”

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“That’s what sets it apart,” she said with a grin.

“Why not other shield designs?” he asked. “Maybe a scutum or a heater?”

“I’ve always been fascinated with Greek culture, and this design is based on one of the most versatile shields ever conceived. Good at formation fighting and in one-on-one situations. We won’t need to develop new techniques, either. Just adjust existing Greek formations.”

“What about armor?” Essex asked.

“A variant of the scale armor I created before the dark elf attack,” she said. “Better materials. Refined runes. And a new ability.”

“What is it?”

“I call it Collective Defense, but it basically boils down to the more of our people are there, the stronger the armor becomes. Higher Constitution bonuses. Better Regeneration boosts. That sort of thing,” she stated.

“You can do that?”

She shrugged. “I think so. I’m still working out some of the kinks with the enchantments, and I’m fairly certain it won’t work unless we use the whole kit. But I’m about ninety percent sure I can make it work,” she revealed. “It’s a whole system of arms and armor.”

“And the mages? Archers?” he asked. “What about healers?”

Carmen nodded, then explained what she had in mind for the rest of the defense force. Everyone would wear the same armor – even the weakest Sorcerers had enough Strength to bear the weight with ease – but their armaments would be quite different. The mages would be given staves and wands, while the archers would get the same gladius given the infantry. In addition, the Rangers would get crossbows and pavises – a lighter weight tower shield popular among archers from the late middle ages.

“I’m going to need to speak to Ramik and the rest of the city’s leaders before I can commit to this. It might be a hard sell,” Essex admitted. “It seems there’s an aura of independence among most fighters in the multi-verse. They all believe they’re the heroes of their own stories.”

“That’s idiotic. History has proven that uniformity in an army is beneficial, and not just because of the equipment. It creates a bond and an identity,” Carmen stated. Before she was a Blacksmith, Carmen had been an academic and a historian. Certainly, she’d specialized by studying primitive living, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t learned a few lessons from military history. “If you’re going to have a cohesive army, they need that. Professional soldiers can’t be individuals. They need to be part of a whole.”

“I don’t disagree on that point,” Essex stated. Carmen had expected as much from the man. She didn’t know his entire history, but she knew enough to recognize a military background when she saw it. In Essex, she thought she’d have an ally, which was why she had chosen to make her pitch to him instead of to Ramik.

At first, she’d only wanted to improve the general level of equipment in the army, but that had soon blossomed into a massive shift in their whole philosophy. They didn’t just need weapons. They needed to become an army. It was all so clear to her.

“I can tell you that they’re going to resist this. The soldiers will, and so will the civilians. Especially the settlers.”

“Then convince them. Make compromises if you need to. Maybe the elites will be different. Maybe there are other programs. But I’m convinced this is how we compete with the rest of the world. With the rest of the multi-verse if necessary,” she explained. “We have an advantage most people don’t have. That Forge of Creation over there gives us an opportunity to be the best equipped army in the world, and it’s only going to get stronger. We will attract the best of the best in terms of crafting. And I think it’s silly not to take advantage of that. I’m willing to invest my time into this, and for very little personal benefit.

“I won’t get a lot of experience for it,” she went on. “I definitely could make more money making powerful gear for strangers. But this is about protecting the people I care about. I’m sure you can support that.”

“I do,” Captain Essex stated. “I’m certain that you’ve already anticipated the inevitable question.”

“Why don’t I just build the best armor for each individual?” she asked.

“Indeed.”

“Time and money are big issues,” she explained. “I won’t spend the rest of my life doing this. I have other projects. With this, I can stretch mid-grade materials into something truly powerful. But all of that takes a backseat to what I was talking about before. The cohesive identity of an army. Pride. Patriotism. Intimidation. Our enemies will see our army coming for them, and they’ll lose before the battle even starts. It just makes sense.”

“Assuming they agree, what would that look like?” he asked, sitting on the edge of his desk. “What would you need to make it work, and what kind of investment would you require?”

Carmen knew she had him. She was no great negotiator, but she could tell when someone was hooked. The only issue was that Essex didn’t have the final say. At the end of the day, he was still viewed as something of an outsider. A useful one, sure. But he hadn’t been there since the beginning, and so, he hadn’t earned the implicit trust of Ironshore’s leadership.

That was one of the reasons she’d nearly taken the plan to Ramik instead. His word carried far more weight, but he’d be a lot more difficult to convince. Having Essex on her side was only the first step on a long road to getting what she wanted.

So, she explained what she needed. The first step was to allocate a certain portion of the mine’s ore to her purposes. Carmen already knew what alloy she intended to make – arcane bronze – and the materials were available in the mine. However, they were also valuable, so using that ore for her purposes would lower the city’s overall profits.

A necessity, but not an easy one to swallow.

Next, she explained the details of her compensation. In short, it was enough to make it worth her time, but certainly a lot less than she could otherwise earn.

And finally, they discussed the timeframe.

Carmen had yet to work out all the details, and she’d need a few dozen attempts before she could guarantee the results she wanted. However, once all of that was done, she felt certain that she could create at least twenty-five full sets each month.

“Maybe double that if they don’t need to be perfect.”

While she could mass-produce them, that would lower the quality. A nice ability if rapid production was necessary, but not a route she would choose with such an important goal.

“You’ll also need to pay Nerthus,” she said. “He prefers seeds and spores – the rarer, the better – but he will take etherium as well.”

“Reasonable prices?” Essex asked.

Carmen nodded. “He understands what’s at stake.”

“And your brother-in-law?”

“I can take care of Elijah. He’ll support this. I guarantee it,” she said.

“Then I’ll take this to Ramik, and I’m sure he’ll discuss it with the others,” Essex stated. “No promises, but you’ll have my support.”

Carmen grinned. “That’s all I wanted.”

But she was eager to get started. After all, once she started in on a new project, she had difficulty focusing on anything else. And she’d definitely latched onto the notion of equipping Ironshore’s army. Hopefully, it would work out like she hoped.