Give the Wizard a Gun. All Wizards should have Guns

Over the next few days, the boys were in their own little world. Their visions became synergetic. Every time they came up with a new design, they’d present it to each other for faithful criticism, take it to heart, redraw, and present again. Dige picked up the art of drafting quickly, and by the end of the second day, he was displaying complex and understandable pieces of art. 

Fuuma’s work was faster, as he had the technology, and it allowed him to present more outlandish ideas to see if they could be made realistic. He was truly impressed by the dwarf’s expertise. As a master of smithing, like all dwarves are, Dige understood mechanical processes even if they existed beyond his understanding of science. His questions were precise and pointed. Fuuma showed the design for a melee weapon, a beam saber, and Dige pored over it with intense thought.

“So, you’re trying to use a field to contain the shape?”

“Yeah, but it envelops the energy, so it doesn’t allow the blade to fully cut. It’s like a dense club.”

“Hmm, have you considered having it emit from a conductor? With an actual blade?”

“What’s the point of that? That’s just a flaming sword.”

“A flaming sword is amazing!”

“Besides, I’d need a metal that can hold shape in that heat while it cuts everything else.”

“Sounds like you need adamantite.”

“I don’t need a fancy rock to-. You don’t even have adamantite!”

“Do I?” Dige was actually asking himself. His orerealm had been surprising even to himself as of late. Did the sweet goddess load it up for him? After some scrounging, he lifted a chunk. “Oh, I do. Isn’t that lovely? Want me to make a bar?”

It was worth a shot, so while Fuuma remade the blueprint, Dige melted the fresh ore in the forge, and once the doc was finalized, Fuuma prepared a mold for the refined element to take shape. A bit of printing and tinkering here and there, a gentle pour and a wait later, and the sword sat before them. Its thin blade and large ball-point tip made it look ridiculous, like a push pin, but it’d have to do.

“Well,” Dige whispered. “Give it a shot.”

Fuuma pressed the button, and the adamantite channeled the energy and emitted it in a four-inch diameter. It was hot, but did it slice? He pressed it into the table, and it went through the metal like soft butter. Thwacking it didn’t give enough time to cut, but pressing slowly worked, so overall, success?

“Success!” Fuuma grabbed the smelly dwarf and tussled his helmet. “It works! I can’t believe it!”

“Whoa, boy!” Dige laughed. “It’s still on! Watch where you’re pointing that!”

Back in real space, Tama was ready to pull her hair out.

“Gah! I can’t take it anymore! How long is this search gonna take!?”

“Will you shut up?” Artemis said, poking the campfire. “I’m trying to cook here.”

But her sobbing continued. “I wanna eat at a restaurant. I’m tired of roots and lizard skewers.”

“Well, I want a soft, comfy bed, but we can’t have that either, huh?”

“Yeah, a nice soft bed, with thick blankets and a fireplace-.”

“And some hot chocolate to go with it and a usable latrine-.”

And much more, until after a minute, the two were babbling and crying to themselves, making the others uncomfortable. All fair, though, given they’ve been exiled for several days and running low on patience and sanity. Their searching had given them nothing other than grit and minor experience points. Something was about to give. 

"Hello, lads and lasses," Dige smiled, emerging from the portal. "Thought we'd say hello before returning to our nice, comfy beds."

"I'm going to kill you!" Artemis screamed, but being the weakling he was, he couldn't. "I hope you've been productive in there."

"Of course I have, here." Dige presented his gift, clasping it in Artemis's hand. "One revolver, just for you."

"A firearm. You gave the wizard a firearm."

"Probably stronger than your spells," Mars grumbled, eating his roots.

"You need this more than I do! You have no ranged options!"

"Don't need 'em."

"I take." Gunch relieved the wizard of his gun and held it. The weight and mild aura emanating from it stirred the lizardman's heart. It filled him with malice and the desire to enact it.

"I knew you didn't want a gun, so I made this." The weapon was far harder to conceal. "A fair gift for ye, orc."

"What the hell did you do to this axe?" The heft and balance were good, and its materials were sturdy, but the head had extra components to it, some vents, and a series of grating teeth on a track. A peculiar button stuck out on the haft he had to press. The teeth spun to a revving engine. "Is this for grinding?"

"I dunno," Dige shrugged. "It was the boy's idea."

This warranted a take from the sisters. If this is what he was coming up with in his spare time, should they be concerned?

Fuuma fidgeted. "I...saw it on a poster once. An orc was on it, too."

That alone made Mars want to toss it back at him, but the gentle rumble of the mechanical device spoke to him. It filled him with malice and a desire to enact it. Best to keep it.

"But I also made weapons for you, too!" With the spare time on hand, he managed to make three beam swords, each with its own corresponding colors. "I changed up the minerals in each base to mix up the hues. D-Do you like it?"

Almost on cue, Kuroni smiled and took her gift graciously. "You did wonderfully, Fuuma."

"I don't like it," Tama said. "All you ever give us are weapons. Why don't you give us something a girl would like?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno, some jewelry? A ring?"

Dige perked up. "I can make those."

"Not from you!"

"Uh, I'll think about it." Fuuma scratched his cheek. There was a social check that went across the whole campfire that only Kuroni, Artemis, and Gunch picked up on. For everyone else, it went right over their heads. Fuuma could feel the eyes glaring at him. He desired escape. "Uh, let's go to bed, Dige."

"Right behind ye."

"Wait, don't I get anything?" Artemis whined.

"You got the gun. Okay bye!" And the two rushed back into their private realm.

"Jackass. He didn't even ask about our mission progress."

"Boy," Mars stated. "You should take the weapon. You're the weak link in this party."

"And not Gunch!? I'm working my ass off here, and I'm getting stronger!" The boy settled closer to the fireplace. "I want to get stronger on my own accord. If I don't, and they come at me again, I'm afraid I'll freeze."

"Listen, boy." The orc attempted to reach for the wizard's shoulder, but a hand slapped him away. The older kunoichi was blocking him. He contemplated what to do to her.

"Sorry, I jumped to conclusions. Forgive me."

Another social skill check took place, and this time, Mars was the only one who took notice. The orc stood from his spot.

"I'm going scouting again. See you in the morning."

Mars had a way of wandering out into the wilderness. Of the five of them, he was the least cooperative, outside of an unbribed Gunch. However, the sisters preferred it this way. The orc wasn't to be trusted. They didn't trust any of them, aside from the human, but the orc Kuroni had particular eyes on. If things go her way, she'll have him killed by the mission's end.