Once back in my room and after morning lectures, I start making proper drawings for my first firearm, instead of just sketches. It will be something unexpected, and something for self-defense. A Völva always has a staff or larger stick, and as a Sejdmann I should have something too, but I don't want a boring 'wizards staff' since it will just be in the way and a bother to carry, even though I could hide a lot of 'magic' in it, like a luminous rock crystal or so at the top, and maybe a tazer thing and fire source too. I could probably really trick a staff out, but no. What I can make and carry around would be a cane. A special tricked out cane, partly in steel.

Straight lower tube part, a 120 degrees angled short section halfway up, and then straight up ending in a horizontal grip. A bit funny shape, but properly designed, it is a single shot black powder weapon with hopefully primitive cartridges instead of muzzleloading, where the bottom tube is the barrel, the angled section is the pistol grip with hidden trigger with safety, and the upper part with hand grip is the shoulder stock. The plan is to let a master blacksmith make most things with good excuses for shape etc, but that I do the secret parts and final assembly myself. The lower part will be detachable, bayonet locking with three locking lugs, but it is actually a hidden detachable barrel about 40cm long where I have a cartridge sitting, and I can bring extra cartridges with me, even if reloading kills a bit of the mystery. If I need to reload, the fecal matter has hit the air circulation device, so then its about other priorities and saving my life. Mysticism is secondary to survival.

The ignition will hopefully be piezo electric, as I plan to try using the extra piezo lighter for my gas kitchen. The high-voltage miniature blue-white plasma bolt, should be sufficient to ignite the powder, and it doesn't require a battery. Should be quick ignition without much visible movement like a flint lock on the outside, and it should hopefully be done with a hardened steel needle that pierce through a small paper covered hole at the back end of the cartridge to finer ignition powder. The cartridge case is the second electrical pole, and it will hopefully work well, which includes long storage time in different climates, so I want to prevent moisture from entering the blackpowder charge with a wax seal and so on. Maybe can take away the sulfur and then it becomes almost smoke-free black powder.

If this ignition doesn't work, I will have to solve it later, and there are other methods for more discreet ignition like current thru a thin metal strand or just higher current, even if it requires batteries and the ignition will be slower. Should be enough room in the handle for a small 6V batterypack, or I just use the shoulder stock tube. Will get the blacksmith to make a couple of extra barrels and also put a small outer bayonet lock at the end for accessories like an ice tip for winter and a four cloverleaf tip to hike over rocks and hills. Those accessories are a diversionary maneuver and is never intended to be used as such even though it may be practical, and I can take the ninjaflex top from one of my hiking poles instead. The locking lug at the front can also function as a front sight. The two long parts are steel tubes, connected with a steel reinforcement in the angled grip section, because steel is relatively light, stiff, cool and the barrel isn't questioned. Can also hide things in the tubes, which I intend to have as a reason why they are detachable if anyone is wondering. I sure as hell won't fill the barrel with something.

As I make the final drawings, I realize that in addition to the firearm which is the middle and lower part, I can hide more in the upper shoulder stock section. I have a small tear gas spray bottle in the backpack as emergency protection against animals that I draw a holder for and a hidden protected release for. Its only one to maybe three short sprays it can be used. But why not? Better to have and not need, which is why it has been in the pack for several years. It is also possible to make the handgrip of the cane detachable via similar internal bayonet locking, and can fit a 25cm long rhombic blade with a sharp tip. It can be useful and something the blacksmith might like to do. Its also classic as hell with a rapier in a cane, even if this is much shorter with a slightly stupider handle and only useful as a stabbing weapon or for parrying; but as an unpleasant unexpected surprise? Oh yeah.

In the end: I want to do that because I can, and I like to have backup plans. Also moves the center of gravity up.

After dinner we go into town to get the parts for the monoculars, and on to the blacksmith Olafr and try to get him to make the parts for my weapons cane. Iselin, Ciara, Kari and of course Alith join me.

The monocular parts are very nice and won't require much work on my part to be finished. Since there won't be a word for it here, I might as well introduce the Swedish word for binoculars or monoculars to keep it simpler, which is 'Kikare' - 'peeker' or 'looker' because your peeking or looking through it. It doesn't matter if its a monocular och binocular, you just add those words to specify if its important, and the same with modern electrooptical equipment as nightvision or thermal.

Olafr is happy to see me, and almost crush my hand in excitement. He's very impressed with the steel I gave him to forge, and seem to be enjoying himself. I was absolutely right that it is special to work with and he is so eager to see what the end result will be, because he's convinced that it will be very special.

I show him my sanitized drawings on the weapons cane and ask if its possible to use the third lump to make the parts for my cane. He becomes worried and hope I don't already have problems with my back or walking, so I calm him with I want to be prepared and every Sejd user needs a staff, cane or wand, and I prefer his craft over wood, even if the grip surface itself will be wood as iron is cold in winter. He completely understands if I want and need to do a little on it myself, he just feels honored and proud to help forge the only known Sejdmann's cane, and he likes that its much more manly than Völva's, Gothi's or Seermann's wooden staffs. A man carries iron, not wood.

There are exact measurements and I brought a small brass container to show what diameter I want on the inside of the pipes, since why not store things in it as candles or something else. The blacksmith looks at my measurements and doesn't really understand them, so I quickly recalculate them after using his own measurements. I really need to standardize measurements and measuring instruments. Everyone has their own, and it might work for a lot of things, but not precision tools and where parts need to fit from different sources.

Returning to the cane, I point out that details that don't appear to be so, are important, so I want it to be exact, and write a small guide in a corner. We discuss the manufacture and its clear that he's thinking through all the steps for the manufacture, hardening and tempering of parts. He has questions, and I answer. I explain the replaceable parts and that I also want him to make 3 straight bayonet sections (weapon barrels), as well as a detachable ice tip and four-leaf clover tip. Also shows the handle with its simpler bayonet mating with a locking tab, that needs to be pushed in, then the grip rotated and pulled out to uncover the dagger. Olafr just nods approvingly at it with a satisfied smile, and of course it appeals to him as a bladesmith that I have a hidden dagger in my sejd cane.

The tubes shouldn't be a problem, but its precision might be, so I have included a sketch of a simple turning machine/lathe and a brotch that can help to smooth the outside or inside. Asks him to prioritize my cane, which he only slowly nods to confirm while studying the drawings. He really seem to like this project. Not something he's used to seeing, but he seems to understand the drawings after all the explainations. He also understands the value of doing something after a drawing with plenty of sketches. He estimates around a week; if he prioritizes the cane then 3 days for those parts and then another 4 days for the first sword should be ready, and maybe a knife too. Tell him to make the extra tips last.

A lot of work, bot easier than I thought to assemble the monoculars 'kikarna' with the cast prism housings. Soldering is more difficult as I am unused to the tools and they're not practical soldering tools, but in the end I get something together that seems both correct and stable. Have used rivets and pressure deformations as well so everything doesn't depend on my solder. Braces and belt. Wish I had screws too. Attaches the front section and its lens, tries to get the distance fairly right to the eyepiece and measures out its length, and shortens down until its good so I am guaranteed to get focus on distant objects. Attaches a leather strap that binds together the parts that can be untied and it also works as a neck strap, so the monoculars can be hung around the neck, or you can wrap it a couple of turns around the wrist.

Quite pleased when the monoculars work and can be focused between infinite to relatively close. A lot of color separation, a lot of distortion and blur, and not exactly a 180 degree rotation in the image and the line of sight isn't exactly in line with the body either, but clearly useful monoculars and it works. It's early evening but okay weather and the sun will be up for hours, and Iselin is sitting on the edge of my bed looking curiously at what I'm doing, so I let her try the first monocular out the window while I finish the second.

It's funny as she's seen how they are built, it's just a little glass and brass, but it just works. Confirms its not sejd, just application of knowledge in an area called optics, and works by a similar principle that makes an angled branch in water appears to be at a different angle under the surface. She stands there and looks alternately through and out beside the monocular, moves her hands in front and seems to be quite fascinated by at least optics. Offer to teach her what I can about optics in the future, and she immediately accept.

When I have finished the other monocular an hour later, we go out into the garden and on the way I ask everyone to come along, including Kari, and then I let everyone try the monoculars out in the garden. It's very entertaining, and they look from the reverse way as well after Kari and Alith tries. I just barely stop Bodil from fucking up her eye.

"No! Do not look at the sun! It is dangerous and you will go blind. Never look at the sun through Kikare, monoculars, telescopes or any lenses. You all know how warm the sun's light feels on your skin right now? Let me show you what happens when that heat is concentrated to small point." Then I light a leaf on fire. "You do not want that to happen to your eye."

Bodil suddenly looks scared to look at anything through the monocular, but after a while with the assurance from me, they all understands that only the sun is dangerous, and Bodil doesn't even look in its vicinity. Fire, candles and torches won't damage their eyes, but they have much more respect for them. We go on two shorter evening walks so that they can use the monoculars as much as they want. Two walks, so both Bodil and Alith can accompany on different walks and so each get more time to play with the monoculars.

After a while, Kari seems less fascinated by what she can see through the monocular, and more by the monocular itself. She knew there are magnifying lenses, and considering how she shows how they're used, it looks like she means magnifying glasses. She has seen a person use such things to read a book or look closely at something. The king has such a lens in a wooden holder, although he doesn't use it. Obviously she understands that there is a lens at each end but she doesn't understand how its possible to see through it as the big lump in the middle is in the way and the tubes arn't in line.

"Robert, can you actually explain why this works? Because this isn't sejd - its what you once called technology?"

Feeling my smile widening. "Someone has been paying attention. Yes, it's technology. And yes, I can explain why it works, and why, for example, things look a little funny where they get mysterious shimmer of colors through the monocular. I can also explain what you can do to reduce and also prevent it, but it is very difficult. Everything is knowledge in a much larger area which in Midgard is called optics. Simplified it is the knowledge of light, lenses and substances, and how they interact with each other. Optics explains why a branch put in the water seems to be angled, and why the rainbow is always the same 42 degree angle from incident light and is the same reason why the monoculars work. It would have been possible to make a monocular of ice if the ice is clear enough. You can actually light a fire with ice and sunlight in the winter by having clear ice and using the warmth of a hand to shape it into a lens, and focus it as I did on that leaf. I can explain what light is, what colors are, both when it comes to fabric, leaves or just the rainbow. How a mirror works, and why you can see yourself in a water surface or window, while being visible underwater or from the other side."

"Can you explain the rainbow? This is knowledge you will share with you at the Academy? Arn't you worried about how it can be used as a weapon or similar? If anyone understands how this works, they might be able to make their own things. Maybe better than you."

"Yes, it's not that hard to do something better, just saw this as good enough and an experiment to see what I can make here right now. I expect it will be made more and that knowledge will be spread around the world. It unfortunately has great use as an accessory in war. To better see a battlefield, identify troops and ships, and discover things from a distance. But it isn't a weapon that kills if you don't club someone to death with it. The value is greater outside of war. Because you can look at things in nature and the sea, see stars, and the moon. It helps to figure out the world and its mysteries."

Sketch a little more but I lack motivation right now and it's starting to become too dark in the room anyway, so I just lie down in bed and think. Hope the parts for my weapon cane, sword or knives will be good, and that is my last thought before Iselin comes in, undresses and crawls down and joins me in bed. It's so much nicer when she's my fiancée. I like her personality and initiatives, but I'm aware that I like smart and competent women with their own will and humor.