[Ties] Bootcamp 5

"If you want speed, we've got some repeaters here." said the Head Chief, "They're mostly used by Machinists because of their complex structure. Especially since the ones we have are just mere imitations of the original."

The Head Chief had taken the old man's role as Malachi and Arlianne's tour guide. Although, during the while, Arlianne was still seated atop the Head Chief's shoulders, seemingly giving herself up to fate. Malachi, although he was genuinely interested in the equipment, occasionally glanced at Arlianne whenever possible. The old man, however, was no longer with them and had returned to his post at the entrance.

"Imitations? What do you mean?" asked Malachi.

"The originals were actually of a larger caliber." replied the Head Chief, "Able to punch through armor with ease, and deliver enough bullets to stop a knight dead in its tracks. Occasionally, even by sheer luck, it could penetrate tank armor. Sadly, the recoil was huge so it could only be shot for a few times per minute."

"How big were the bullets?" asked Malachi, "And how strong was the recoil?"

"It was around this big." replied the Head Chief, "The recoil was enough to numb a soldier's arm."

The Head Chief showed an approximate size of the bullet's caliber. It seemed around 18 millimeters in diameter. Greater than that of a .50 caliber, even greater than the Soviet PTRS-41. What remained was how repeaters worked.

"Here's how we load a repeater." said the Head Chief.

Before she grabbed a repeater off a shelf, she dropped Arlianne by Malachi's side. After doing so, with the repeater in hand, she snapped open the repeater's chamber and exposed the mechanisms inside.

'What?' thought Malachi as he raised a brow, 'It's just a revolver. Then again, there were Selecta guns in my past life. Still, around 18 millimeters? That's a freaking semiautomatic musket. No wonder the recoil was a pain.'

"This part here holds the pyrocite ignition, and over here is where the propulsion powder is placed." explained the Head Chief, "After that, load up the bullets through here, snap it shut, and rain hell on your enemies. Watch."

The Head Chief went towards a nearby firing range, waving a few engineers off. Seeing the repeater in her hands, they immediately relinquished their stations. The Head Chief, like a veteran in her field, deftly placed the repeater atop a table and leaned over her body. Curiously, the repeater, like the fusil, didn't have a stock to help stabilize it.

"Firing!" announce the Head Chief.

"BANG! click, BANG! click, BANG!"

Three shots were fired consecutively in 9 seconds. With each shot, her body shuddered from the recoil, and the repeater retreated bit by bit. The table, at the very least, helped in stabilizing her aim, but was still insufficient in restraining the monster of a recoil.

"What do you think!?" shouted the Head Chief, "Pretty powerful, yeah!?"

"No need to shout." replied Malachi, "I can hear you fine. The power is too high, this causes a drop in control and, ultimately, mobility. I just realized this, all of your guns are huge. Any reason for this apart from punching armor?"

"Apart from punching armor?" said the Head Chief as she cleared out her ears, "We need the bullets to go far, farther than what this range allows."

Malachi nodded in understanding.

'Huh, so I need to extend the barrel, maybe even make a bullpup, and add rifling.' he thought, 'I also need to change somehow the loading mechanism. This world doesn't seem to use gunpowder, I wonder if I could just recreate the assault rifles back in my time? Their guns could just be refitted as bolt action or semiautomatics.'

Malachi pondered to himself while the Head Chief replaced the repeater on a shelf.

"Well, that's it for the repeaters." she said, "I'm pretty sure you've seen a fusil already, but we also have the pistol variant of the fusil."

"Pistols?" repeated Malachi, "What, just sawed-off fusils?"

"Not entirely." replied the Head Chief, "The pistols are of a smaller caliber, around this big, but the loading is like this."

The Head Chief broke open the pistol's breech, and chambered a bullet. Seeing this,

'It's like a single-barreled shotgun.' though Malachi, 'But... It seems smaller than what I'm used to.'

"The pyrocite ignition is over here, and the powdered form goes through here." she explained, "Now, we fire the pistol."

The Head Chief went back to the range, and raised the pistol with one hand. Her body was parallel to her arm, and her feet were evenly spread.

"The pistol is easier to use because of its size, but the recoil is roughly the same." she said, "Firing!"

"BANG! click."

The shot by the pistol went wide, but was still embedded into a stone wall. The Head Chief, after firing her gun, shivered a bit and massaged her wrist.

"A hand cannon, basically." she added, "Most people would have this as a backup weapon."

'No kidding, I may have to retrain everybody from scratch because of your form.' thought Malachi, 'That is NOT the proper way of shooting a large caliber. So fusils are manual loaders, repeaters and pistols are break-action guns. Either I make a lever-action version... No, I may have to change everything and bring about the advent of FMJs and JHPs, cartridges and magazines. The tech right now is too inefficient. The repeaters can stay, though.'

While Malachi was planning his future, an audible release of steam was heard behind them followed by a deep rumble.

"FFSSSSSHHHH... RRRRRRRRRRRRR."

A tank(?) was moving behind them, and an engineer was seated on top of it.

"Hey, Chief!" shouted the engineer, "How about we show those kids the power of our siege cavalry?"

While the Head Chief displayed their equipment to their visitors, the other engineers also noticed this fact. This led to the present situation of a siege cavalry being moved from where it was parked further out to the back where nobody seemed to be occupying.

The siege cavalry was 12 meters long, 8 meters wide, and 6 meters high. It had a large cannon fixed on top of it like some sort of artillery howitzer, and it ran on wide gear-like wheels. Its engine, where the steam was coming from, was built into its rear and had a huge exhaust vent jutting out of it.

'Did I just travel back to the late stages of World War II?' thought Malachi as he saw the siege cavalry, 'Or did someone reincarnate before me and create a working Panzer VIII? Then again, it's not turreted... Unless they actually removed the turret... Still, that cannon is a freaking naval gun! IT. IS. HUGE. Too huge for land battles! Then again, considering that it IS called a SIEGE cavalry, maybe it is used to breach walls?'

Indeed, the siege cavalry's design was similar to the German World War II-era Panzer VIII Maus, a super heavy tank. The gun affixed to its hull was around 200mm big, and was similar to the 200mm cannons used by the Imperial Japanese Navy for their battleships.

'Industrial Revolution, Civil War, World War II...' thought Malachi, 'And here I am planning to fast forward this world into Cold War, Gulf War, and Modern War technologies... Maybe even World War III level. As a future king, I need to secure a foothold in the political arena, even by force.'

The siege cavalry rolled into position. Over in the distance, a group of Steam Knights set up a stone target. With a height of 10 meters and a width of 8 meters, it replicated a small fortress wall. The siege cavalry, with its lack of a turret, had to traverse its entire body to aim its gun at the target.

"Loading ammunition!" announced an engineer inside the siege cavalry.

A hatch opened up from the tank's hull, and a huge cannon ball was manually loaded into it by a pair of Steam Knights. When the ball of metal went in, the hatch was sealed shut, and every unarmored personnel scattered.

"The cannons of the siege cavalry are similar to the smaller cannons we used to have." explained the Head Chief, "Only, think of it as a giant version of the fusil. Cover your ears!"

After shouting a command, everybody, except Malachi, braced for impact.

"Range, 200!" shouted an engineer, "FIRE AWAY!"

"KA-BOOM!"

With an audible click that was heard from inside the siege cavalry, an explosion tore through the mouth of the cannon. Subsequently, the large cannon ball that was loaded flew in a wide arc towards the stone target.

"BA-GANN!"

The cannon ball crashed like a meteor into the wall. The wall, unable to bear the kinetic force and weight of the cannon ball, shattered shortly and left a huge compromising gap.

"Haha! Yeah!" cheered the engineers, "Feast your eyes on that!"

While the majority of the people present were cheering, Malachi went close to the siege cavalry to inspect it.

"Hey, kid!" shouted the Head Chief, "Be careful!"

Everybody was alarmed at Malachi's action. Everybody except Arlianne. Arlianne even went to Malachi's side.

"What do you think, Young Master?" asked Arlianne, "Is it awe-inspiring?"

"I need to see the blueprints of this thing, first." replied Malachi, "Because of how long it takes to deliver an attack, I've already simulated in my mind the things I could do to negate it. It took them 5 minutes to load the cannon, 3 seconds to actually fire the thing, and the flight lasted for 10 seconds. Not including that they have to move the entire body just to aim, I could destroy this 12 times over."

"Is it really that bad?" added Arlianne.

"The power is good for this level of technology." answered Malachi, "But the efficiency is too low, especially once I recreate my time's weapons. Depending on how this thing was built, I could create a smaller cannon that could punch through 150 millimeters of armor, maybe even more depending on the materials. Sadly, computers don't exist yet, so I have to settle for certain designs."

"Kom-pyu-ters?" repeated Arlianne, "What are those?"

"Complex machinery with certain circuits and codes that can execute a variety of tasks." answered Malachi, "Just think of them as human-like machines that are all logic and no ego, just pure brain power."

"Uh-huh..." uttered Arlianne, "I don't get it."

"No need to." commented Malachi, "Hmm, might as well settle for 1945-1960 era designs for the time being."

Malachi and Arlianne left the siege cavalry and went to the Head Chief.

"Thanks for the show of force." said Malachi, "But we have to go, now. We still need to meet up with our Mama."

"Oh, well. Okay." said the Head Chief, "Well, come back anytime whenever you like, all right? Do you need someone to guide you back?"

"Thanks, but no need." replied Malachi, "I know the way back. Farewell."

Malachi and Arlianne waved goodbye to the engineers of the armory. The Head Chief and the rest, after Malachi and Arlianne had gone through the exit, went back to their previous duties. A few minutes later, after getting the siege cavalry back in its garage, a familiar man appeared behind the Head Chief.

"Hey." said the man, "What happened here?"

"Hm? Oh, Lord Grigorio." greeted the Head Chief as she turned to meet the man, "What are you doing here?"

"I've received a report about an unplanned performance of a siege cavalry." said Grigorio, "Know anything about this?"

"Ah, sorry about that." she apologized, "There was just a pair of hopefuls earlier that got brought in by Gramps. The boy wanted to enter the academy, and the girl planned to follow after him."

"A boy and a girl?" he said, "That is still no reason to do an unauthorized activity."

"Oh, relax." she said, "This was a special case since the boy reminded me of You-Know-Who."

"Hmm? Really now?" he said, "Have you gotten either of their names?"

The Head Chief shook her head.

"Sadly, no." she answered, "They were your typical brats, except that the boy wore a pair of tinted goggles. Seeing that this was the furnace, I assumed that it was just protective wear. The girl didn't have anything distinct, though... Ah, except that she seems to act with respect to the boy, despite being seemingly older."

"Interesting." he commented, "Any reaction from them?"

"The girl was expected, but..." she said but momentarily paused, "The boy's reaction was unexpected. I mean, his reaction was flat, like he was unimpressed. Actually, I can't really say, he didn't smile nor have his mouth hang open like the rest."

Grigorio covered his mouth, like he was in thought, and made a wry smile.

"I see." he said, "I might have some sort of idea, but I can't say for sure."

"Oh? You know the boy?" she asked.

"Maybe, just maybe." he answered, "I'll probably know for sure once he enrolls in the academy."

Right before Malachi stepped through the exit, he felt something strange once more.

'There's that cold breeze, again.' he thought, 'Where is it coming from?'

///

By the time Malachi and Arlianne had left the furnace, it was already a few hours past noon. The sun had already passed its peak, and many of the city's populace had food in their hands.

"You have our money, right?" asked Malachi, "Want to grab a bite to eat?"

Arlianne opened a city map, and traced their location.

"Then we will need to pass by Axel's 'territory' again to get to the commercial district." replied Arlianne, "Unless you plan to break your promise, it is the only way available."

"Ehh? Seriously?" he groaned, "Whatever, let's just sprint through it."

The two of them went back through the road they met Axel.

Although Malachi wanted to avoid Axel,

"Hey! You're back again!"

Axel didn't avoid them.

Malachi ignored the boy, and pulled Arlianne with him. Going through another direction, they weaved away from Axel's position. Except, the boy leisurely followed from behind.

"Where are you going?" asked Axel, "Hey, wanna be friends?"

Malachi and Arlianne stopped in their tracks, and looked back at the boy.

"What are you planning?" inquired Malachi, "I don't want to waste my time with someone who attacks strangers like you. Heck, you threw rocks at me twice, then you request that we be friends?"

"Why not?" replied Axel, "You've got nothing to lose, right?"

'I could lose time and effort.' thought Malachi secretly, "What's in it for you, though?"

"Nothing, really." answered Axel, "Only, I guess I'll have a friend of the same age?"

"Same age? You look younger than me, though." argued Malachi, "Besides, it's hard to trust someone who previously held ill will against oneself. Why not apologize first, eh?"

"Urk... Before that..." muttered Axel, "Is she really... Are you REALLY siblings?"

Malachi raised a brow. He went next to Arlianne and hugged her.

"I'm not giving you Arlianne, if that's what you're after." he said, "She's mine."

"Young Ma—mmph!?" cried Arlianne but was silenced by Malachi.

"Hey! What are you doing to a girl, an elder especially!?" shouted Axel, "I knew it, you are a knave!"

Axel picked up another rock, and was about to throw it when suddenly,

"Nope." muttered Malachi.

Malachi released Arlianne and swiftly ran to Axel's position. He grabbed the boy's hand, and Axel's grip on the rock loosened.

"You need to have a stock of rocks hidden away." said Malachi as he lifted Axel's hands, "Just picking them up will waste a lot of time."

"Unhand me!" bellowed Axel.

Malachi released his grip on Axel, and retreated back to Arlianne. Axel massaged his wrists, and warily watched Malachi's next action. Occasionally, Axel would also glance behind him. Malachi noticed this, though.

"You have someone watching you, huh?" commented Malachi, "You attack me, you have secrets, and you want to be our friend. What do you think, Arlianne? Is he trustworthy?"

"I cannot say since I am not the victim of his attacks." she replied, "Although, I am a victim of your attacks. I would like to have a friend that could oppose you, though."

Malachi frowned at Arlianne. He then looked at the the place behind Axel.

"I won't do anything bad to Axel." he said, "Just keep watching from a distance if you don't want to be known."

Silence permeated their surroundings, except for a low gurgling noise from Axel's stomach. Hearing that, Axel blushed at his hunger.

"Y-yo-you heard nothing!" he shouted, "I'm not hungry!"

"Arlianne, let's go." declared Malachi, "I'm getting hungry."

"Hey! Come back here!" shouted Axel.

Malachi turned to leave and pulled Arlianne with him. Axel was left behind, but the boy hurriedly got up and went after the other two. As for whoever was watching Axel, the same young man secretly followed them.

///

In the commercial district, Malachi had Arlianne in tow, along with Axel who just followed behind them.

"What do you wanna eat?" asked Malachi.

"Anything is fine." answered Arlianne, "Just as long as it is within the allotted budget."

"What about you, Axel?" he asked, "Got anything you'd like?"

"I'd like to have some blackfowl stew... Wait..." answered Axel, "That's not what I meant, hey!"

"That's some pretty high class taste for ya." commented Malachi, "Let's see, it seems to be within the budget if we get one each. Oh, but will your bodyguard be fine?"

"Wait! Why are you treating me?" asked Axel, "You hadn't even accepted my offer to be friends."

Malachi stopped looking around for a place to eat, and strode towards Axel. He leaned forward and brought his face close to the boy. Axel froze and, with Malachi's face too close for comfort, paused his breath.

"Fine then, rather than being just your friend, seeing as you were hostile earlier..." whispered Malachi, "Are you a friend today and an enemy tomorrow, or will you be a friend now and forever?"

"Huh?" muttered Axel, "What do you..."

"As it is." said Malachi, "Just from the existence of your bodyguard, I can draw multiple conclusions about your identity. Depending on which conclusion is true, and on which actions I take, our interactions and relationship will most definitely be affected. Whether it be now or far into the future. This is true, especially in my case."

"Your case?" asked Axel, "So you are a noble's child?"

Malachi smiled.

"Hoo? So that's the conclusion you drew up, eh?" said Malachi, "I'll tell you this now, even if we do become friends, we will still be keeping secrets from one another. Only, depending on your answer from my earlier question, these secrets may gradually come to light. Understand?"

Axel nodded carefully.

"Y-yeah, I understand." he affirmed, "I... I am a friend... Now, and forever."

Malachi smiled, his lips forming into a grin.

"Right then, I'm Malachi." he introduced himself, "Glad to meet you, Axel. Betrayal will end deliciously."