Despite Velariah’s eagerness to head out, we couldn’t skip donning our armor, that was minus my chest piece which was in Dworag’s hands. Elly left at the same time we did, taking Gray with her on a walk, and I of course couldn’t help but give him some attention before we split up.

In the treemender’s workplace, the huge oak, there was more activity than usual, which mostly had to do with some of the injuries that were sustained in the battle against the trolls and goblins. None of the curtains were closed, however, and despite bandages on display, it couldn’t be that bad.

But I knew that even minor injuries such as sprains could lead to needing a lot of rest so I was in no position to question the experts here.

Pylanor and Valtheril were nowhere to be seen, but the door to the back room with all the equipment of an alchemist’s wet dream was heavily guarded by a grand total of three of the General’s soldiers. There was no guessing where they’d gone off to.

Velariah made a beeline to the three men and started asking them a question. A nod followed which led to the elf’s next inquiry. After receiving an answer she walked back to us.

“A few minutes more. We might as well go to the guild hall to pick up our rewards and whatnot.”

Nodding, we followed her.

Unfortunately for us, Eric wasn’t present. In fact, the place was surprisingly empty. I’d expected it to be filled to the brim with adventurers eager to spend their newly-acquired coin, and while I did notice one drunkard who seemed to live up to that, there wasn’t a whole lot to see here.

“Huh, that’s interesting,” I commented. “Where did everyone go?”

“How much do you want to bet they already spent their money yesterday?” Seralyn asked. “I’m gonna assume that’s what you were thinking about. Was I right?”

“Hate to say it, but you were. Still.”

I turned my head to the quest board to see that the wooden panel was almost completely empty. I could imagine people having taken available quests, but it would not surprise me if there just wasn’t anything in the first place. The board being empty told me little.

“Or,” Velariah said, “Hear me out. People drank so much, they got the worst hangovers and are all staying at home.”

“Hm, that seems plausible.”

She chuckled and walked towards the lore keeper who was always present without a fault, holding a pouch she just fished out of Draco’s backpack. Moments later, she was filling it with a bunch of silver coins, and I believe I saw a couple of gold ones too. All in all, the pay was handsome, but for us, and in a way unfortunately, it paled in comparison to what I could do with this body.

Being able to create money with what was basically my butt still didn’t sit well with me in a way. My friends were understanding, but there was no doubt I’d earn the ire of others if they knew. Not just that, not working hard for money just felt less rewarding on a spiritual level. Though, I did fully understand the value of having better armor and equipment. It could mean the difference between life and death, and as such, I wouldn’t complain.

“Well, that’s that,” Velariah happily exclaimed after turning around, a heavy pouch stretched outward. “I hope you have fun dividing this later.”

“I don’t see why not,” Draco replied as the knight deposited the pouch where it originally came from.

“Now, let’s hope my father is about done.”

I smiled as she left the building again, her energy radiating onto all of us in the form of wide grins as we followed.

It took another minute or two of waiting in the oak, but then finally, the door opened and Valtheril and Master Pylanor finished their talks. They spotted us waiting, and the General made his way to us while the treemender gave us a smile before walking to one of the patients.

“Seems you are eager to see me. What’s up?”

“Father, can we have a moment of your time?”

“I’m all ears.”

“I just want to ask something. Can we do that in private?”

Velariah pointed at the backroom and her dad nodded.

I figured it was the smartest move to do it like this. Perhaps he would know more about Dworag’s willingness to help with our plans and perhaps his loyalties, but the dwarf had never struck me as dishonest. I’d much prefer to ask him over Coldanus.

It didn’t even take a minute and the two already returned, with Velariah nodding to us, seemingly to convey that he had agreed. They then led the way towards the dwarf’s workshop.

Valtheril entered while the rest of us walked around, halting in the alley, all while my mind was working overtime once again.

“Did he state any terms?” I asked Velariah. “Did he agree just like that?”

“He did. And there are no terms.”

“There’s no need to explain to him what I intend to do with Dworag’s work?”

She shook her head.

“Nope. I explained a couple of things and he’s respecting your desire for secrecy.” She chuckled. “I daresay he likes and trusts you.”

“I mean…” I let out, unsure what to reply. “Wasn’t expecting that, but I suppose there’s a good deal of trust involved.” I looked at her and let out a sigh. “I want this to be a tool of self-defense for myself. We’ll find out whether it’s beneficial or of any use for Seralyn. If, and that’s a big if, it’s useful, we could consider using it in private settings like dungeons, but there are many things we’ll have to take into account if we want to do anything like that.”

“It’s okay,” Velariah said reassuringly. “We’ll find a way. We always do. I think part of my dad’s thinking is that he also wants to give you plenty of freedom to make you feel more at ease. It’s no secret to him that you’ve been of significant impact on the village as a whole.”

“Perhaps that’s true,” I said as I started walking again. “I’m thankful either way.”

We stepped into Dworag’s work area where the forge was all heated up. Several pieces of armor that I recognized as the soldiers’ were laying around, apparently already fixed as they were in pristine condition. Among them, I found my own chest plate, as good as the day it was first made.

“Hot damn,” I let out. “He sure works fast, doesn’t he?”

I couldn’t help but make my way over to my equipment, picking it up and inspecting the metal. There had once been a massive dent, but there was not a trace of it remaining.

“Impressive.”

“Not as impressive as those eyes of yours,”

I sighed, then smiled and chuckled as I shook my head.

“Dworag. How’s it going?”

He approached us from the back of his shop, Valtheril following him closely, and with an inquisitive look directed at the dwarf. I was impressed that the short, bearded man still dared to flirt with me even with the general right there.

“Good, and it appears you have yet another request.”

“A special request, yes, and I hope Sir Valtheril has made you aware of the contingencies related to it.”

“Aye, he has, and I agreed to the terms. I’ve been working for hours now to get all this armor fixed, yet when I was made aware of this, my hands started itching, curious to see what you’d like done.”

“Wait, are you done?” I asked.

“For today, yes. There are a few more items left that I’ll work on tomorrow, but I’ll gladly work on anything you come up with.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Valtheril suddenly interrupted. “I’ll be back home if you need me.”

Velariah thanked him as he left through the alley, leaving me to think about the design of one of the most primitive types of firearms - the matchlock rifle. There were still a few problems I was facing, such as the stock and trigger, but the base could be worked out. In fact, since we had the day off, we could try to create a stock out of a piece of wood. I knew just the perfect candidate for that job.

“So,” Dworag said, his hands on his hips. “What needs working on?”

“So,” I started. “I need a tube, made from strong steel that can withstand quite some force. Do you have any kind of rod at hand so I can explain better what I need exactly?”

He nodded.

“Just a sec.”

He walked into his shop and returned momentarily, a rod, or rather, a large iron pin in one of his hands.

“Will this do?”

“Yeah, it will do just fine.”

I then instructed him on the specifics, about the hole that would have to be created going down the rod, about how it should be as straight as possible and not all the way through. Then, there’d also have to be a small hole at the side to allow ignition of the powder inside and a small bowl of sorts; the pan. In addition to all that, the walls of the barrel would have to be quite thick. I had no idea whether his steel would be adequate, but I also had no idea about the chemical makeup of the normal steel we used.

I figured just any strong metal would do.

Additionally, we needed a rod that would fit inside the tube. Whether it was wood or metal didn’t matter much.

Dworag scratched his head. He clearly had no idea what this was going to turn into, which was probably for the better. It made me realize that perhaps it was not a good idea to ask him for the metal balls that would be used as ammunition.

“I can get that done before the end of the day, maybe even before the end of the afternoon. About payment…”

He seemed to think for a few moments.

“Two gold coins isn’t ripping you off, is it?”

“That’s fine Dworag,” I said with a smile. “Don’t worry about asking too much. I mean, you know.”

“Oh, that reminds me of your chest piece.”

“How much was that?”

“Three silvers.”

I turned my head to Velariah, who giggled as she reached for Draco’s backpack. The lizardman had seen the writing on the wall already and had turned his back to the elf. After she paid the smith, I took my piece of equipment and had her help me put it back on.

“Fits like a glove… again. Thank you Dworag.”

“Happy to see it being put to good use. Kind of an odd thing to say, but you know what I mean.”

“I know. Don’t worry.”

We said our goodbyes and then, on my suggestion, went off to the lumber yard. On the way, I described what I wanted as best I could. We’d need a sturdy piece of wood that could still be shaped with either tools or just a sharp knife. I showed the dimensions of what I was looking for with my hands and Velariah assured me something like that wouldn’t be rare at all.

“This is getting weirder and weirder,” Seralyn commented as the four of us waited outside.

“Wait until you see the finalized result,” I said with a grin. “Also, Nira, I’m going to need your skills when it comes to woodworking.”

“Eh?” She let out with a yelp. “Are you sure?”

I nodded.

“I’ve seen your work back in the cave. I have no doubt that with some proper tools, you’ll be able to make exactly what we need. If you want, of course.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll be glad to help. It’s just that this whole thing seems a bit complicated so I’m not too sure.”

“I’ll just draw what I have in mind… and then burn that piece of paper right after you finish. It’s quite simple and doesn’t have to be perfect at all.”

“Okay,” She said, a bit more sure of herself already. “If you say it will be fine, I trust you.”

“Then, there is one more thing that needs to be done…” I said with a certain hesitation. “A crucial piece of the puzzle…”

“And what may that be?” Draco asked, his eyes as innocent as ever.

“Guano,” I said, trying to sound convincing without embarrassment. “And I know just where to get that.”

“What the actual fuck,” Seralyn said in utter disbelief. “Hold on, you mean to tell me you create a weapon from poop?”

I nodded.

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Don’t let anyone else know, though.”

“This…” Seralyn said. “I don’t know why, but I need to see this for myself. This just sounds ridiculous to me.”

“I just hope I get the method to do it right on the first try. I’ve never actually done it, just read about it.”

Velariah exited the building with a block of wood of an excellent shape and a smile on her face. It quickly changed into a grin when I told her about the next part. We’d have to make a quick stop at the treemender’s oak again to get some filtration paper, and then get a container from home, and some cloth to wrap it in. I imagined walking through town with a stinky bowl would attract attention.

So the next fifteen minutes were spent on getting that all solved. We managed to get the paper from Pylanor without issues and then dropped off everything we’d collected so far at home before taking a bag and the largest wooden bowl with us from the kitchen. The others then stayed behind as Velariah and I went off together to the edge of the forest where I could get at least a bit of privacy when emptying my… I didn’t even have a clue what organs spiders had down there on the inside.

One bowl full of guano, and not a single comment about it from Velariah later, we made our way back to the mansion, during which I explained what had to be done with this. We’d have to mix it with warm water, filter it, and then leave it for a good while. If my memories served correctly, we’d have white crystals form over time in the solution that remained.

“How, and why do you know this?” Velariah asked curiously after Elly opened the door and greeted us, returning to the other room afterward.

“That’s a good question,” I replied. “Why are we interested in certain things? It’s a bit of a philosophical question and I suck at those. This matter just fascinated me, as did the seemingly mundane process of creating it.”

“That’s exactly the reason why you want this to remain a secret, right? The simplicity of something so destructive?”

“Yup,” I said with a sigh. “The ingredients are so common and easy to come by. Normally, sulfur, the yellow stuff I harvested from the volcano, would perhaps be the hardest to come by as these white crystals can be harvested from feces. Though, if you don’t have guano, it’s much harder to get decent yields, I’ll admit it. There’s one more ingredient and you won’t believe how easy that is to get.”

“What is it?” She asked as we were halted in the hallway to unequip our armor.

“Charcoal.”

“You gotta be kidding.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not.”

“That’s just crazy.”

“I know,” I said. “If it wasn’t clear why I’m being very very cautious about all this, maybe now it is.”

“It was clear already, but now it is even more so. Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

“I am. There are too many instances where this will be beneficial to us when going down in dungeons, and there’s the self-defense portion as well in case we are ever attacked by other adventurers or soldiers. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, but if it does, it’s better to be prepared.”

“Fair,” She concluded as we finished. “I’ll take this to the kitchen. Can you help our Nira with your awesome drawing skills?”

“My drawing skills suck, and you know it.”

She giggled as she took the bagged bowl and took it to the kitchen, all while Seralyn stared her down.

I made my way over and saw that Nira had already been given a few tools in the forms of a chisel, a small hammer, and a small knife that seemed to be specifically made for this purpose. Some paper and a pencil lay ready for me as well.

It seemed Elly had spoiled them with a cup of coffee and a platter of cookies, of which I grabbed one as I took my place at the table.

“Everything went well, I hope?” Draco said.

“Yeah. a good part of this is going to be a matter of time,” I replied. “Including this.” I took a piece of paper and laid the block of wood flat on the table next to it. “Don’t feel pressured, Nira. I really appreciate your help.”

She shook her head, while petting Gray at the same time. The pup had been sleeping in the corner of the room and had apparently woken up when Velariah and I entered the room.

“It’s okay. I’m happy I can help.”

I smiled warmly as I took the pencil and started drawing.

“This might be pretty hard to make, so just take it easy.”

She nodded as I drew the stock, then the trigger, and the barrel as well. Those were obviously not for her to work on, but I used them to explain about recoil and that the wood had to withstand it. I didn’t know if it was anything she’d need to take into account when working on it, but I figured it was better to mention it, just in case.

“That thing looks so weird,” Seralyn commented.

I was intentionally leaving out the specifics of how a gun worked, just to play around with the archer some more. It was clear she was starting to become more and more anxious about having to use something like this the longer she was kept in the dark and I just felt delighted about it all.

Did that make me evil? Perhaps.

“Let’s try,” Nira said as she took the hammer and chisel. “It looks easy enough.”

“It doesn’t have to be perfect,” I said. “As long as it does the job, it’s good enough.”

“Alright,” She said as she got to work.