The Gamer Chapter 1575 – Equipment (Patreon)

‘Must feel… frustrating.’

John was trying to put himself into Ehtra’s headspace, to understand what exactly was going on with the First of Hatred. He understood that she was too proud to show how deep the betrayal went – that there was more than rage caused by Mother Chaos turning her into a failed vessel. To then be utterly dependent on a stranger, not only to be restored but to be given power by, must have been frustrating.

And, John realized, terrifying.

‘700 years lost, pain, a change forced on her body, then I come along and change her in a different way. Even if she understands that I did give her the choice, it can’t be pleasant to feel herself get changed like that.’

When Ehtra and Metra did step out of the side room, the First of Hatred immediately locked eyes with John. He calmly returned the gaze. The last thing he wanted to show her was pity, she was definitely not the type to appreciate it. Instead, he just let these recent events pass by without comment.

“Alright, one more stop before you’re fully prepared.”

_____________________________________________________________________

“Alright, so ya wanna have somethin’ that works with one hand, is ranged, and ya can use with a sword.”

Hailey was walking around the room while she said that. Scarlett and Lee, who happened to be in the workshop when John had entered with Ehtra, Delicia and Metra, were actively putting together a draft via the 3D-display that hovered above one of the many workbenches.

John had no idea what they had been working on before they had entered. Maybe they had just been hanging out. He was going to ask later, if at all.

“A repeating crossbow would be sufficient,” Ehtra commented.

Hailey stopped in her material gathering for a moment, then shrugged. “We can try that. I kinda have a bett’r idea though.”

“You talk weird.”

“Ya gon’ love the first gal when ya meet her,” Hailey answered and returned to Ehtra with a big gun.

To even call it a gun was a bit of a concerning statement. It was more like a box of crudely crafted metal. A handle stuck out on one end and a broad pipe out the front. An empty slot for the magazine was quickly filled by Hailey jamming one in there. A satisfying click confirmed it when it had happened.

“What is this?” Ehtra asked when she was handed the weapon.

“It’s a firearm. Ya pull the trigger and whatever ya point it at disappears.”

Ehtra immediately regarded the weapon with more interest. She turned it in her hands. The main body of the gun was as long as her shoulders were wide and three-fingers thick. “Anything in this room you want to disappear?”

“Nah, but I’ve got test targets right over there.” Hailey pointed at an attached door. John didn’t even question when she had put together a shooting range inside his Palace. This felt like something she had built well before the Palace had been upgraded to full fantasy status.

Inside the shooting range, there were several dummies that looked like they were rejects of Delicia’s attempts to create better bodies for Creator Puppet. John had to raise his eyebrow at them being recycled this way. He had assumed the materials just went back into the stockpiles. ‘Although, I guess this is useful for Hailey’s field tests,’ he considered.

“Alright, lemme give ya a short demonstration of guns before ya start.” Hailey pressed a few buttons. Mechanisms moved three of the assorted bodies to the centre of the shooting range. One was the kind of gelatine body typically used to emulate humans, a second one was similar but visibly reinforced in various areas, and the third was just straight metal.

Hailey grabbed a regular handgun and gave Ehtra the quick rundown on how a firearm functioned. “…So then ya pull back the trigger and…” Bang! The gunshot echoed in the room, before swiftly being swallowed by the padded walls. A second shot followed, then a third. The impact on the metal body ended with a clattering sound, the bullet having turned into a flattened pellet upon impact. “So that’s the hardness equivalent expected from the average mundane, the average Abyssal, and someone in the level 50 range.”

“Hm, useful for the lower ranks,” Ehtra stated, then raised up her own hand cannon. It took her a bit to go through the motions of unlocking the safety and all of that. Emulating Hailey, the First of Hatred held the gun with both hands.

BLAM!

The sound rang in John’s ears. The dummy of the regular mundane was blown into four pieces – too much of the torso missing to keep its arms and head connected to anything. Ehtra’s eyes went wide, a small smile spread around her lips, and she aimed at the second dummy. She pulled the trigger again.

BLAM!

The smile became wider, as the recoil of the weapon made her braids tremble. The second dummy had a notably smaller hole blown in its chest, which was still enough for the head, no longer supported by a spine, to miserably tilt backwards until the entire thing collapsed.

Ehtra changed her stance, only holding the hand cannon in one hand now, while clutching her sword with the other.

BLAM! BLAM!

The first bullet went wide, taking a chunk out of the wall. The second struck the target in the shoulder, blowing the arm straight out of the socket and leaving it attached only by something like sinews.

“Impressive,” Ehtra admitted, “but I cannot see this being useful to me. I could do more damage with a bow.”

That was indeed the bottleneck when it came to the Abyss and guns. Guns were the great equalizer in the mundane world because everyone died to being shot and the gun released bullets of the same devastating power no matter who pulled the trigger. Neither were true in the Abyss.

“Yeah, lemme try somethin’ there.” Hailey grabbed the gun from Ehtra, who relinquished it without a fight. Placing it directly on the table that separated the shooting position from the targets, Hailey channelled her magic into it. The gun disintegrated into its individual parts, revealing a complicated network of runes on the inside of the thick casing. Runes that were, however, larger than what John had seen before.

It seemed like Hailey was tackling the issue of having her artifice guns break after every use by simplifying the runes and spreading them over a larger surface area. John also noted that there was no mana crystal in the handle. “How were those bullets powered?” he asked, dreading the answer.

“Ya know, mixed in crushed mana crystals with the black powder,” Hailey answered. “Takes part of the strain off the barrel. Casings disintegrate on use, so that’s useful. Just have to leave gas vents.”

“I sponsored it,” Scarlett chimed in, before John could start calculating the costs.

“…Alright,” the Gamer relented.

They just watched Hailey do her enigmatic work. Her magical ability had improved notably, allowing her to work on the gun in its disintegrated state. Parts could be switched out for different ones that had the same dimensions. Utilizing that, Hailey rapidly replaced or repurposed various bits. Most drastically, she replaced the entire handle with a new one that did have a mana battery in it.

The hand cannon pulled back together. “Try it now.”

BLAM!

The bullet did to the third body what it had originally done to the first. Arcane smoke rose from the muzzle of the weapon for several seconds after the fact. Ehtra’s smile was still right on her face. “I love the recoil on this thing,” she stated. “It’s like the moment a skull caves in.”

“Ain’t that a purrdy visual,” Hailey drawled sarcastically. “Anyhoo, what I did there is give the gun the ability to draw from your energy to add your strength and stuff to the projectile. Ain’t workin’ for most people but I figured you’d be able to handle it. Barrel might not tho.”

“So, this is still flawed?” Ehtra asked.

“It’s in research and development. It’ll probably hold better once ya pick it as your weapon and Skills start applying to it.” Hailey shrugged, her blue coverall stretching over her large breasts. “It works in one hand. I’d appreciate it if ya picked it up so I can get more field tests. Gonna promise to keep ya maintained and supplied.”

John did actually run the numbers in his head. Using the cheapest market prices and assuming he had caught everything that was currently in that gun, it was worth as much, in Tokens, as half the daily production of the Guild Hall’s metals and they had fired enough ammunition to feed a family of four for three days. That was before the manhours that went into it.

Then there was the factor that each shot did take some of Ehtra’s HP. It seemed this bit of artifice was inspired by or at least functioned similarly to the Scourge enchantment on Tiemarath. That made it usable for someone like Ehtra who had the HP regeneration to deal with it.

‘Still far from being usable for the average person… Bows and other projectiles will remain superior for a long time to come,’ he considered. For Ehtra, however, he was willing to sponsor this kind of work. Because it was going to be useful to Hailey’s research… and because he was supremely weak to attractive women in maid outfits.

BLAM!

Ehtra shot the weapon again. John could feel the recoil in the air and see it in the way Ehtra’s boobs jiggled. Distracted by the weapon, the First of Hatred missed his leering this time around. “It is usable with one hand, ammunition is easily carried, its weight is not too cumbersome, and its shape makes it comparatively easy to carry,” Ehtra analysed and nodded a few times to herself. “I will put my trust in you, royal smith.”

“Now that’s a title!” Hailey laughed.

“Don’t inflate her ego too much,” Lee requested. “We already have to play catch-up with her shenanigans… Plus, smithing is the thing she’s worst at.”

“Name’s Hailey, by the by.”

“And she deserves all the ego inflating,” John chimed in and put a kiss on Hailey’s cheek. She grabbed him by the collar, all but demanding more. Powerful as the move was, she let him lead the second engagement as well. Their tongues found one another.

“So that makes three?” Ehtra asked out loud. “Metra, you, and this first girl you mentioned?”

“Uhhh, no, there’s also these two and…” Hailey shook her head and then just took the short route. “There’s like 23 of us?”

“HOW MANY?!” Ehtra faced John with the intensity of a forcefully locked camera. “Do you take women as trophies when you conquer territories or ho-“

She stopped herself when John’s expression darkened. “I do not take women as trophies, I’m blessed to add their light to my life,” he stated warningly.

Ehtra chewed on the inside of her cheek and looked around as the rest of the women in the room surrounded John. To add weight to his words, Metra and Hailey nuzzled right up to his sides. Lee and Delicia stuck similarly close. Only Scarlett kept a bit of distance, but not nearly enough to be seen as conservative.

“You really should give it time,” Metra recommended. “It’ll make sense eventually. Trust me.”

“…Alright,” Ehtra relented. Then raised the gun again. Something subtly changed about her posture. Her arm became straighter, her eyes more focused. She adjusted her aim slightly, then pulled the trigger several times in succession.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Each shot hit the increasingly smaller target, reducing it to nothing but rubble and stone dust. Arcane mist rose from the muzzle and vents along the side of the weapon. The edges of the barrel began to glow with incandescent blue when Ehtra stopped. “Interesting, now I… know when the weapon is about to overheat.”

There was still an undercurrent of concern for the various abilities she unlocked without her personal input, but she just kept on moving with the flow.

“That’ll make my job easier,” Hailey agreed. “Ya care to leave that here for now? I wanna do some measurements to finetune the energy translation. Also need to make a holster and stuff.”

“I will rely on your craftsmanship. It’s good to meet people that can do proper work.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Ehtra stood at the edge of the Palace’s roof. The green area that surrounded the massive plinth of the Statue of Liberty gave ample space to oversee the entirety of the Guild Hall. Below them was the main body of the Palace, followed by the star fort that had also been integrated into its magical network. Then, beyond that, there was water and the rest of the Guild Hall.

For a little while, Ehtra remained motionless. There was quiet in their mental connection. Then, she took a step forwards and dropped over the edge.

Seconds passed.

On grey wings, the First of Hatred rose again. The colour of lead and almost too large to fit with her frame, the angelic wings beat. The feathers reflected the light of the sun dully, giving the plumage barely more than a sheen.

Ehtra kept her exploration of the air short, gaining altitude and then landing back where she had started. Her impact was heavy, much heavier than Momo and even Beatrice. Her wings formed a barrier of sharp feathers around her back and sides, while the force made her legs buckle and her spine curve forwards. Swiftly, she caught herself and went into a nimble twirl.

Her wings formed an extension of her every movement. Possessing twice the reach of her arms, the Astrotium feathers covered a great area. Their point of attachment to her back necessitated that she used her arms in tandem with some motions of her wings. She punched the air in front of her and the wing curved around her side, the longest quills jutting forward as sharp thorns.

The First of Hatred moved with ever greater certainty with her new wings. It was like watching a genius musician of many years discover a new instrument. The approach to her movements was methodical and it took barely any time before there was a fluidity to them that was expanded further until she created her own tune to dance to. Soon, her sword joined the motions.

She stopped for a split second, focusing her green eyes on Metra. They flashed a bright emerald colour, bordering on white for a moment, before dimming. Above her head, the red halo formed.

Without a word spoken, the two Metracanas charged at each other. Rex Magnar roared a friendly challenge when it slammed against Ehtra’s sword. Brilliant iridescence locked with the polished grey of the longsword.

Metra eyed the angelic additions carefully, but they weren’t like Eliana’s bone wings. They were flexible, but she could not stab at something right in front of her. To give herself a boost when she pulled away, of that they were certainly capable.

One heavy beat of the wings, reinforced by the magic required to lift an entity of her weight, and she was out of retaliatory range. That was, until Metra revealed the first trick up her sleeve and Ripped her sister right back down.

Ehtra seemed to have considered such shenanigans, using the pull to accelerate her dive. The two ancient weapons slammed into each other in a renewed engagement. One clash of weapons turned into many. Ehtra attempted to stick as close as possible, to deny Metra the advantages of her halberd.

As they fought, armour encased their forms. Modular layers of grey covered Metra in the well-accustomed, cruel-looking armour. Only her bound hair and the wolf tail remained colourful – those and the two dots of plain green that shone past the gap in the helmet.

Ehtra’s armour was a notably heavier plate than Metra’s. Each part was thick enough to add to the size of her body. Where her joints and muscles demanded flexibility, the gaps were filled with layers of leather-like materials. The majority of the armour was plain black, the segments outlined by deep grey rims. Her pauldrons, gauntlets, and leg armour all followed this design scheme.

Only the chest plate was different. Still black at its base, the segmented midriff was the canvas for a gold-grey representation of her sword. The cross guard extended as golden laurels, underlining the shape of her large breasts. The hilt rose as a dividing element between the two metal-covered mounds, giving the centre enough of a rise that the most offending structural concerns about the shape of the armour were addressed, while retaining the highlighting of her chest. The hilt ended as the point of a tall metal collar.

Glowing green flowed out of the eye sockets of her helmet, a grey mask covering her skin, letting her hair fall freely and disappear behind the rim of the collar. Already the white had the first tinges of red to it, as the crimson halo above shone with baleful life energy.

Ehtra managed to get a wing between Rex Magnar and her body. A terrible idea for regular wings, but the Astrotium feathers formed an overlapping barrier that not even the Fusional weapon could cut without a proper swing. A proper swing that Metra was not afforded. The wing opened up wide, forcing Metra’s guard open in the same motion.

Ready to capitalize, Ehtra brought down her blade with both hands. The smooth edge of the weapon morphed into jagged teeth. Screaming aggressively, they began to whirl at such speed that they turned borderline smooth in appearance again. That there was no chain nor a bottom for the teeth to revolve around did not matter to the magic.

The chain sword slammed into Metra’s shoulder. Astrotium bit into Astrotium, metal shredding metal, until Metra slammed a clenched fist into the chest of her sister. Ehtra was driven back, the whirling stopped.

The two stood at a distance from one another. A notable gash between Metra’s neck and shoulder knit itself back together. “First time you drew first blood,” the First of Wrath complimented.

“You’re toying with me, Metra,” the First of Hatred responded. The mask on her face retreated into her collar, and revealed a crooked smile. “Less than before. Still, you’re toying with me.”

Metra shouldered her halberd and shrugged. To have a duel with the blonde berserker and come out victorious was plainly impossible for Ehtra. The First of Wrath was the strongest individual Metracana. This had been unchallenged for all of history. Now, the argument could be made that Ehtra was her equal in the big picture, considering the lesser restrictions put on the First of Hatred.

In a 1 on 1, Metra remained unchallenged.

Ehtra turned her blade, its edges returned to normal, and rammed it into the ground. Armour and halo disappeared. The maid outfit underneath was still intact, conveniently. All she retained of her transformation were the wings, which shrunk somewhat to be more reasonable for a humanoid walking with them.

“Now bring me up to speed,” she demanded. “I’m tired of surprises.”