CHAPTER 6: THE BOLT-HEATER SYSTEM

**Greg**

By the end of the long sleep, the Lord Tenguri and I raised the sign that we want to cross to the Biorno side to negotiate. The incubi sentries made us wait for some time, ostensibly asking their commanders on a proper response. However, they allowed us in the end.

“I am Tenguri, Lord of the Red Goblins, and commander of the Goblin Legion of the Red Banner.” I let the goblin noble spoke first, since he knew the demon diplomatic protocols better than I do. Then, once he introduced himself, he turned to me and said, “And this is the Lord Greg ‘Kuro’ Santos, one of the new head scholars of the Conclave.”

The moment they learned of my identity, the incubi soldiers glared at me. According to the Lord Gracchio, every member of the Biorno clan and their vassals knew the story of the human who usurped the authority of their beloved master. They were clueless of my name, but rumors were about that I caused Emile Biorno’s death, to make sure that his clan couldn’t ‘retake’ the seat of the head scholarship. The Lord Gracchio and Lady Capaldi, in an effort to exonerate me, put their names on the line to defeat the suspicions.

The time when I had to cross from the Biorno side to the Conclave came back in my mind. I was not aware of how close these guys to capturing me without a fight. Well, I could resist using the god-powers, but I don’t want to, since it could spark an even bigger conflict, which we all wanted to avoid.

“…”

Anyway, with the introductions and mandatory frisking done (to ensure we’re not carrying concealed weapons), the commander of the picket that accepted us ordered his soldiers to escort us to their rear lines. Their lord, a veteran Biorno vassal named Castrio Sargdhenerri, was already waiting for us in his tent.

True enough, when we came to his place, the lord was surrounded by his own circle of retainers.

“I’m waiting for you to come to me,” the demon immediately greeted us. I couldn’t tell if he was referring to me, or to the Lord Tenguri, so I waited for the goblin noble to say something first.

“I’m busy, Castrio,” the Lord Tenguri replied with a grin. “Unlike you, who’s got a lot of free time dabbling in tea ceremonies, I’m submerged solving my mathematical problems.”

“Ah, you goblins never change, my old friend,” the Lord Sargdhenerri smiled and invited us to sit, to which, we obliged. Then, he called for a servant to bring some tea and snacks for us.

While waiting, the Biorno vassal immediately jumped into the conversation, “I presume you are that human they call the ‘Special Scholar’?”

“Yes, milord,” I answered, bowing to show my respect to the demon. “My name is Greg Santos, but I’m also known as Kuro.”

“Kuro?” the Lord Sargdhenerri raised an eyebrow, “You mean that Kuro? The Commoner General? The man they call the ‘Rock of Chersea’ and the ‘Eternal King of Cherwind’?”

“In the flesh, Castrio,” the Lord Tenguri interjected. “We got a living legend with us in this tent.”

“An impressive feat, I must say…” the Biorno vassal stared at me long enough that it eventually got awkward; at least, it’s what I believed.

Well, the more they talked about my supposed ‘greatness’, the more interested the Lord Sargdhenerri became towards me. See, I’m not one to bask in praises; I believe I’m just doing what I should do, as a proper human being. I never intended my acts to be seen as something to be thankful for.

The two nobles continued in their idle talk until the servant appeared with a tea set, and some snacks. The Lord Sargdhenerri offered those to us, reassuring that it was safe to consume. The Lord Tenguri, trusting his old friend, quickly accepted. I followed suit to avoid bad impressions.

“Alright then, I guess we should head to the more pressing issues,” the goblin noble said.

“Yes,” the incubus lord nodded and continued, “I suppose the Lord Gracchio informed our human champion here about our terms?”

“That’s true, milord,” I confirmed. “I understand your sentiments, Lord Sargdhenerri, of your clan’s need to redeem your honor and avenge your slain master. However, as a head scholar of the Conclave, we can’t accommodate your request. A teacher’s responsibility is to his students; as such, we’ll protect them from dangers as long as they are in our school.”

“A commendable determination, Lord Santos,” the Lord Sargdhenerri commented. “But, I must remind you; our master was killed inside the Conclave. When he stepped down as the head scholar, our soldiers were forbidden to enter and protect him, as tradition dictates that no arms would be allowed in the school grounds. Yet, someone else violated that, which greatly disrespected us!”

“I accept responsibility, milord,” I bowed once again. “I’m here to represent the Conclave, and to appease you and the other faithful vassals of the Lord Emile Biorno. If there’s anything else that can lead to a peaceful resolution of this matter…”

“Then, if you truly meant what you said, we want the return of the Conclave to its rightful authority, the heirs of our master!”

“That…” I was taken aback by the audacity of the demand. If I remember well, the demon school was founded by Alexa to help the demons progress; not to give it to some demon clan. “I’m afraid I can’t immediately consent to that. However, if you’ll permit, why don’t we ask the students if they want the old system back by voting—”

The Biorno vassal slammed his hands on the table, “The Conclave shall and will always be an inheritance of the Biorno clan from our hero, the Lady Cassandra David! Outsiders like you should know his place! This is an utter and grave disrespect to us!”

“Castrio, I know how you feel about the Lord Emile Biorno’s death,” the Lord Tenguri intervened, “but stay calm, my friend. This man you’re talking to is an old mentor of our hero, which is like her, was summoned from their old land.”

“Lies! No, Tenguri, this is where I draw the line! This human appeared out of nowhere, and now he dictates the terms? This is an affront to our noble ancestors, who fought the humans in the past for us to have a better life today!”

“Milord,” I could feel my chest about to burst, as the Biorno vassal was agitated. “Please reconsider. It is not I who forcibly installed himself as the head scholar. The students voted me into the position.”

“So that’s why you’re proposing the vote!” he bellowed. “If there’s voting, then you’re sure to win! You have the students’ support after all!”

Shit! I said the wrong words!

“The students were crying out for reforms, Castrio!” the Lord Tenguri defended me. “You know how the Biornos ran the education system! They made a mess out of Lady Cassandra’s noble goal!”

“Enough of this, don’t waste my time anymore,” the Lord Sargdhenerri then pointed his finger towards the Conclave. “Be thankful that I’m honorable, or by now, your friend would be headless. I implore you, my disrespectful guests, to remove your presence from my sight. This is the end of our negotiations.”

At that point, the Lord Tenguri wanted to say something but stopped short from actually blurting it out. Then he stood up and pulled me, “Stay safe then, Castrio. Next time we meet, our swords will be pointed at each other.”

----------

With the breakdown of negotiations with the Lord Sargdhenerri and the Biorno clan, the need for a modern weaponry for our forces was made even more clear. The Lord Tenguri was worried that—because the teachers of Emile Biorno wielded the M1911s before—his vassals must’ve possessed more copies of the said pistol. I couldn’t agree more, and whenever I see the forces of the Biorno clan and their vassals outside the Conclave’s walls, the fear in my heart was magnified.

If I think about it, the incubi and succubi clans of Cherflammen are considered weak. And for them to press forward with conflict tells something…

“…”

They are confident.

And there’s no reason I had in mind other than the possession of the modern pistol in their armies. Heck, Emile Biorno’s goons possessed it; what difference was there between his lackeys and his vassals? As such, once we returned from the Biorno territory, I got myself working on a design for a gun.

This time, I was determined to come up with something. Shevaun was with me this time, and she was assisting on the blueprints I’m working on.

“It may not look like it,” she told me before we started, “but I love crack horns. I once worked with the Devil of the Grey Parka to perfect the recipe for the crack horn powder, see? And to see you design a new crack horn is a delight for me.”

And with that, I let her help for ideas.

----------

So, the Lord Tenguri wanted a gun that was easy to load, and quick to fire. If I only knew the chemical composition of the modern bullets’ primer, then all the goblin lord would do was to reverse-engineer the captured M1911s, and incorporate its system to his own prototype. But then again, I didn’t even have an idea on the availability of those chemicals in this world, so even if I knew, there’s still uncertainty that we’d be successful.

“…”

So, my solution was to create a new design, taking to mind the resources readily available to the goblins for faster reproduction. We couldn’t afford to wait for the negotiations with the Beastman queen, though I already proposed to the goblin lord to send emissaries to her kingdom. Honestly, the concept I had in mind wasn’t really an original one; I’m just ‘borrowing’ the mechanisms of the guns from my world.

An assault rifle mechanism is too complicated for the demons to reproduce with the level of their technology, and knowledge.

A percussion cap firing system is modern compared to the matchlock system of the crack horn. However, it’s obsolete when facing the modern guns like the M1911.

A gun operated by magic is just redundant. I mean, they can just use their wands to cast a powerful spell, so why should they use it on a gun?

“…”

And so, with options and possibilities stricken out, only one remained on my list: a system that was relatively easy to reproduce, yet had nearly the same fire rate as the M1911. Yes, I was thinking of a bolt-action system.

It was a popular firing mechanism during the late 1890s and early 1900s of Earth. In fact, I read that there were three major types of bolt-action systems: the German Mauser, the British Lee-Enfield, and the Russian Mosin-Nagant. For the design I’m working on, I preferred to achieve the fire-rate of the Lee-Enfield, which could fire 10 bullets compared to Mauser and Mosin-Nagant; each had five.

However, the bolt-action system was successful because of smokeless powder. And, as I said before, I didn’t have an idea of the chemicals used for the production of primers for such kinds of weapons. So, I’d improvise for now…

The goblins can develop it further anyway…

“…”

Of course, the gun would had to be breech-loaded; any muzzle-loading weapons were hopelessly slow to reload, and in a battlefield fought with modern guns, an army with muzzle-loaders would surely be outgunned and murdered with impunity.

The sketch I was working on was finally taking a distinct shape. I already did the appearance of the gun, complete with its bolt, and integrated magazine. The bullets would be loaded with a metal strip. Nevertheless, I still had some problems…

How will the bullet look like? How will I solve the primer problem?

“Milord…” Shevaun called out to me.

“Yes?”

“How about we make the bullet hollow at its bottom end?” she suggested.

“Hm? What for?”

“See, you say the crack horn that came from your world uses as mechanism where the hot gases from the ignition of the primer expands the bullet,” the demon chamberlain explained. “However, as we have no idea reproducing the powder used for the bullets’ primer, we have to make-do of what we currently have.”

“Well, yes…we got no other options.”

“How about this?” Shevaun took a pencil and drew something on a paper, “Your crack horn’s design will have a firing pin, right?”

“Yes, that’s what I had in mind.”

“Then, similar to a slow-match, how about we make the firing pin with an ember at the end?”

“Is it even possible? A heated metal is prone to bending.”

“Not if we use a pre-heated mithril for our firing pin. See, we heat the mithril to the temperature hot enough for it be molded for the first time. Then, the firing pin we produce out of the pre-heated mithril can be reheated repeatedly without it bending.”

I was surprised by the suggestion. True enough, a ‘virgin’ mithril could be used, as that metal was way too sturdy once it was first melted. But there’s another problem, “Err…isn’t that a precious metal in this world? It’s rare stuff after all!”

“I think the goblins have a stock of mithril from Cherwind? It may be limited, but we can ask the Lord Tenguri if we can use that supply. Besides, it’s their army who gets to benefit the most once our design is successful.”

Shevaun made a point. I guess it would be agreeable to the Lord Tenguri if we emphasized on the part that it would benefit their Goblin Legion. Mithril was something you don’t use often as part of an expendable weapon like an infantry gun.

“But there’s another problem,” the demon chamberlain revealed. “Now that I think about it, the crack horn parts vary according to the artisan who produced it. As such, their sizes, and designs are different, so this can pose an issue to the hole of the bullet. It’s been on my mind ever since we started.”

“True. However, I know of a method to solve that.”

“What is it, milord?”

“The goblins have an industry, right?” I raised that point. “So that means, they have factories. What if we repurpose one or two for the new crack horn production, building its parts? That way, there’s only one size for the parts that can also be interchangeable once one of the weapons have defect, or malfunctioned in the middle of the battlefield.”

Shevaun stared at me as if I just told her the most outrageous thing. However, as the idea sunk in her mind, a smile formed on her lips, and her eyes brightened, “Milord! That’s a great idea! Why I haven’t think of that? I should note this; the Usarveds can benefit from this concept, too!”

Well, it’s a good thing that my old world had gone through this phase. I mean, back in the late 1800s, the development of industry and appearance of factories made the mass production of goods possible, including weaponry. Another best part of it was, with machines cutting, molding and/or helping with the creation of items, its precision gave rise to the ‘standards’ Earth was benefitting from nowadays.

----------

In any case, the design took some time. We only noticed that we haven’t ate anything the entire day when the bell rang for the hours of long sleep. The chamberlain got up, and told me that she’d prepare something in the kitchen. I took a moment’s break, as well; but in the end, Shevaun and I produced a working (theoretically) gun concept. I guess it’s a good thing to have someone who had knowledge of things you’re focusing on, even if it’s for a little.

Two heads are better than one. The only question now will be, how much black powder will be put inside the cartridges to make a powerful bullet round?

“…”

Well, we have no idea. However, I guess this part of the work should be left to the goblins; they know their Math.

“What are you doing, milord?” Shevaun asked when she saw me putting some diagonal lines on the barrel in our blueprint.

“It’s for the rifling of the gun,” then, I explained to her its importance. According to what I read and watched, the rifling of the modern gun’s barrel made the slugs spin, achieving a stable flight towards the target, and making it more effective in long distances. In comparison, during the Napoleonic Wars, smoothbore firearms—the infantry weapon of choice of the belligerent nations of the time—dominated the battlefield because of its simplicity and ease of operation.

However, its range was limited and accuracy much to be desired, making it less effective unless it’s fired in volleys. There were rifled guns during those times, used by skirmishing units to harass their enemies. But, as firearms of old was muzzle-loaded, it was difficult to load.

Cherflammen, however, won’t be experiencing those problems, since this design—if successful—could bring our forces skipping from 16th century European army standards to pre-World War 1 military levels. Still a far cry from the automatic assault rifles of the latter half of 20th century Earth; nevertheless, it’s a huge leap of technology compared to what my old world experienced.

“…”

After putting in some final touches and notes, we brought our design to the Lord Tenguri, who remarked, “Hm…a breech-loading crack horn, eh? And a factory-produced set of parts for these? Pretty interesting concepts you have here, Lord Greg and Lady Shevaun. I’ll see what I can do with my fellow engineers.”

Heh, we couldn’t help but be proud of what we did. I mean, I suck at Mathematics, and Shevaun had no idea about modern firearms, yet we designed a potentially-working gun. If successful, it would surely change the way wars were fought here.

I hope we can get the other demon clans united under the Usarveds by then.

“…”

“Lord Greg, Lady Shevaun, by the way…”

“Yes, milord?” Shevaun replied. “Is there anything else that needs explanation?”

“What do you call this firing mechanism, is what I want to ask.”

“Oh…” she paused for a bit, and exchanged glances with me, trying to come up with a proper name.

Then, it was I who told the goblin lord, “How about ‘the Bolt-Heater System’?”

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***The Biorno clan camp, several distances away from the Conclave’s walls***

The news about the results of the negotiation between the Biorno clan leaders and the new Head Scholar of the Conclave spread among the Biorno soldiers like wildfire. Because of this, tensions shot up, and everyone anticipated that Cherflammen was only hours, possibly minutes, away from the resumption of hostilities. The forces manning the pickets were put on high alert, and the main army of the Biorno clan was mobilized.

Amidst the great expectations, the Lord Gaius—donned in his usual hood that hid his face—came in with several crates of M1911 pistols and thousands of rounds of its ammunition, and presented it before the Lord Castrio Sargdhenerri.

“Here it is,” he told the demon vassal. “My promise of powerful crack horns, at your disposal. All that you need to do is to agree that you’ll accept these.”

One of the Lord Sargdhenerri’s aides took a gun and handed it to his master. The demon asked, “So how do we use this thing?”

“I’ll teach you,” he offered. “It’ll be easy for me, a former deity. But first, you have to agree that you accept these from me.”

“What’s the catch? Aren’t you fighting against us demons, wishing for our annihilation eons ago? A mere mortal like me do not wish to offend you with my questions, but what’s with the change of heart, milord?”

The former god chuckled, “I told you before that you won’t understand the wisdom behind my actions. But, alright, if you’re so wary on cooperating with me, I’ll tell you some reasons. You know of the ‘Knights of Cassandra David’ and their goals for Cherflammen?”

“Of course, milord. I lost several of my kin fighting them in the past.”

“Then it’s all good that you still remember why you should fight them. See, those people back in the Conclave are fighting against the Knights, as well. However, one of their leaders, the human they call ‘the Rock of Chersea’…”

“The Lord Greg Santos?”

“Yes, that’s him,” the Lord Gaius paused, waiting for the Biorno vassal to say anything else. But, sensing that the demon was all-ears to him, he continued, “He may have the best intentions in mind, but he’s driving your people into weakness.”

“Meaning?”

“Isn’t he keeping your youths inside the Conclave?”

“Now that you mention it, yes, the Lord Santos is barring our access to our children. We did send letters asking for their return…so far the Conclave replied that there’s an ‘ongoing school’, and they can’t be released. We haven’t talked about that issue in our negotiation, for it broke down even before we touched that matter.”

“You want to know why? The Lord Santos claims that he’s looking after the welfare of your children, but his actions are leading your people to weakness and ruin. See, his methods as a scholar-teacher are too soft, making the future demon generations less warlike and weak. I, personally, couldn’t care more, for this is a boon for my favored people, the humans. However, once your clans become weak, the ‘Knights of Cassandra David’ can rise again and overwhelm you.”

“And war will break out between our sides…?”

“Not only that,” Gaius grinned. “You know about their beliefs; they put their faith in the ‘potential’ of the combined blood of humans and demons, halflings! Would you like that to happen? The blood of your people, tainted by the blood of mine.”

“The ‘Knights’, huh?” the Biorno vassal was contemplating the former god’s words. “Their existence itself is an affront to everyone. And a human-demon offspring? Such blasphemy!”

“Now, you understand why I’m doing this.”

The Lord Sargdhenerri nodded, “Though you’re our people’s old enemy, I guess cooperating with you to prevent the ‘Knights’ is the right path to take. Even I can’t fathom the existence of halflings in our land! Cherflammen is the land of the demons, and it shall be until the end of ages!”

“Great. Now that you agree to me, let me lay down my condition.”

“Speak. Let us hear your proposal, milord.”

The Lord Gaius grinned and said, “My request is simple. See, if you’re going to use the weapons I provided, then use it all the way to the end.”

“You mean?”

“Annihilate your enemies. Leave no one alive, save of course, your clan’s children.”

“Even if they try to surrender?” the demon vassal raised an eyebrow.

The former god nodded.

The Lord Sargdhenerri fell silent. Though he was fierce in battle, he was also noble. And cruelty wasn’t the mark of a noble warrior, according to their tradition and culture. He couldn’t think of doing harm to a vanquished opponent, much less kill him when he was already on his knees, powerless.

“Ah, I know that look,” the Lord Gaius chuckled. “You’re torn between your code of honor, and my condition.”

“I’d rather kill myself, than to become a merciless demon,” he reiterated. “We’re fighting to redeem our lord’s honor—and ours, too. It’s such an irony that we’ll resort to deceitful tactics to defeat our foes.”

“Worry not, Lord Sargdhenerri,” the former god gave him a pat on the shoulder. “You’re not doing anything dishonorable. Look, isn’t it that these people defying you are the ones who disrespected and killed your master? Where’s the honor in that? Where’s the honor of the Lord Emile Biorno, as he lay dying on that carriage where a dishonest Tambara child murdered him before everyone else? Isn’t it the reason you and your faithful fellow vassals are angry?

The Biorno vassal remained unconvinced. Nevertheless, he didn’t let go of the gun in his hands.

“You’re just returning them the favor,” Gaius whispered in his ear. “For a deceitful action, an equal measure is to be taken, is it not? The Biornos and their allies are not kind and weak; they are honorable, and brave. Anyone who witnesses what you did and is wise, will understand; in fact, they might even praise you for it.”

“…”

“I shall teach you and your men on how to use it,” the former god then uttered a spell that made his hands glow. Then, he touched the Lord Sargdhenerri’s head; in a blink of an eye, the demon vassal could use the pistol like he trained with it for years.