Ariel Valemont was the half-hawkwoman Bastion had met when he was first sent off to mingle with the masses. His impression of her during their first meeting was that of a beautiful and elegant young woman who simply wanted adventure in her life. She was also his top pick at the time.
She stood at 5'8" (173 cm) and looked like the ideal angel. A beautiful woman with long silver hair, silver eyes, and white angel wings, with a feather sticking out above her right ear. Her figure was athletic, with a bit more curves than expected. She was also the daughter of an ambitious baron who wanted an elevation in status or land in exchange for her hand in marriage.
Like a cliché princess trapped in a tower, her father forbade her from leaving on her own. He wasn't physically stopping her; he simply didn't provide any benefits that would allow her to start an independent life. She had received no training, no combat knowledge, and no opportunity to spar, leaving her completely unprepared for any battle she would inevitably face in the wilds.
Her lack of physical strength, combined with her lack of practical knowledge, was a shackle that kept her from trying to change her situation. Even though she was a phenomenal archer, she didn't have the confidence to survive on her own. This fear reinforced the belief that she needed a husband to protect her rather than striking out independently and risking death. No matter what anyone said to persuade her otherwise, her deep-seated fear of facing danger alone kept her dependent on her father, forcing her to rely on him to arrange her future through marriage.
The reason she hadn't been married off yet was that her father demanded a price far beyond what the average noble could give up. Land was incredibly valuable to nobles because it determined their wealth and income for life. Giving away such generational wealth for a single woman simply wasn't worth it; with most nobles enjoying long lifespans, it was practically giving up a limitless source of income.
'What are Seraphina's plans?' Bastion asked Elyra through telepathy.
'She wants you to get married as soon as possible to save her from her horrible father.'
'Is this because of the knowledge block? How bad is it?'
'Yes. Seraphina tried to convince her that she was powerful enough to survive on her own during their meeting, but the dependence she has on her father was too significant. It seems she has been psychologically conditioned since she was young.'
'Alright. Tell her to set it up. I'll accept any arrangement she makes regarding this matter.'
'Yes, Master.'
"What happened?" Lilia asked once Bastion came to.
Whenever Bastion conversed telepathically, he would wear a blank expression, with only the occasional flicker of emotion. The girls had already gotten used to this state and knew to give him time to receive Elyra's reports.
"It seems we're making a few guns instead."
"More guns? Didn't you say you already have enough?"
"It's for my new wife."
"The half-hawkwoman?"
"That's the one."
"Seraphina has been dying to get her to marry you, but she's been waiting for me to marry you first."
"She didn't force you or anything, did she?"
"There were some persuasive conversations, but nothing forceful."
"Good. She's quite eccentric, so don't let her push you around. At the end of the day, she means well."
"I know. So, what kind of gun are you making now? Another cannon? Or an autocannon?"
"An autocannon of the same make as mine, and a smaller variant for mobile use."
"Won't that be too strong for her? The ground would shake every time you fired, and I remember Seraphina saying that her physical attributes were on the lower side."
"The autocannon shouldn't be an issue for her, considering she can fly. The smaller variant, however, will use the weaker formulas Seraphina developed. It should allow her to shoot it so long as she has 30 points in Strength."
Humans from Earth with roughly 20 points in Strength could shoot hand cannons with relative ease, so someone with 30 points in Strength should be able to do the same for a 20 mm hand cannon, especially when the explosive used is below the Rank 1 standard. After a few levels and a few points added to Strength, it shouldn't matter anymore. Once she reaches Rank 1, the pucks can be upgraded accordingly.
"So, you want me to do the enchanting?" Lilia asked.
"That would be great. Try and copy the enchantments on the autocannon while I handle the gun itself."
"Okay."
With that, the pair got to work on building a copy of the autocannon.
Lilia set to work replicating the application methods for the enchantments, including heat resistance, shock resistance, rotation, and magical sights. She made sure to carefully note the exact placement and medium of each enchantment as it was applied. After all, placing them in the explosive chamber carried the risk of the enchantments being erased.
As for Bastion, he simply disassembled the autocannon, made molds from the parts using a special clay, fired up the furnace, and used Rank 1 Blood Iron as the metal. After a week of setting, cleaning, and polishing, he had finished his side of the weapon, except for the magazine.
"This will take a bit more work," he observed.
The trouble Hammerfist had with the magazine was the many individual parts that made up the chain. Essentially, the reason an M61 Vulcan can fire at 6,000 bullets per minute was because its magazine was a meticulously engineered, rotating link-and-feed system that continuously staged rounds for the cannon, ensuring a seamless flow of ammunition without jamming. Each component had to align perfectly; even a minor misalignment could stop the entire chain, which is why Hammerfist was struggling to replicate it on a smaller scale.
Bastion, however, had the advantage of the golems. As long as he managed to make a single perfect piece of the chain, he could simply feed that experience into a golem to replicate it. This was a major advantage that Hammerfist lacked, since he had to craft each individual piece of the chain one at a time, which could introduce imperfections.
The chain consisted of two parts for each link, a housing exterior and an interior component that held and slid the bullets along. Both had to fit together with near-perfect precision, or the rounds wouldn't feed smoothly. Even a single faulty link could jam the entire system at high speeds, so the materials and enchantments had to be flawless.
Once Bastion was able to make the perfect pair, he continued producing more until he had achieved sufficient consistency. He then fed the experience to his golems, who began mass-producing the chain links. Even when some links were faulty, there were enough golems to compensate, so it didn't take long to finish.
Once the links were completed, he had Lilia enchant them for heat resistance and shock resistance. He then attached them to the gun's enhanced rotation rune, which could now fire at 6,000 rpm, to synchronize the feeding rate with the firing rate. Finally, he loaded everything into the magic magazine and completed the build, upgrading both his autocannon and Ariel's own.
All this took merely a week given the pair's experience when working with Rank 1 materials.
"Now for the new guns?"
"Now for the new guns."
The new guns Bastion designed were a pair of hand cannons chambered for 20 mm. They resembled oversized Desert Eagles and featured a sliding mechanism without a hammer. There was no trigger either; all that was needed was a wisp of mana to fire them. This inadvertently improved accuracy, eliminating the jerking motion caused by squeezing a trigger. Each hand cannon also included a compact magic magazine capable of holding several thousand 20 mm bullets, and they were enchanted for heat resistance and shock resistance, further enhancing stability and reliability.
The hand cannons were semi-automatic, which was understandable given the user's limitations. They were powerful enough to take down Rank 1 opponents. With one in each hand, she could handle close-quarters combat with ease while simultaneously engaging enemies at medium range, aided by her exceptional hand-eye coordination.
"They're heavy," Lilia complained.
"You have 4 in Strength, so yes, they are heavy."
"I thought Ariel had low Strength. How is she supposed to level up while using these?"
"These are just her emergency weapons for close combat. Her main weapon is the autocannon."
This particular project didn't take the pair more than a week, bringing the total to three weeks of work on both autocannons, both magazines, and both hand cannons, just in time for Alex's negotiation for Ariel's hand in marriage.
"Are you really going to give up peerage or land for her hand in marriage?" Lilia asked.
"I'm willing if they're persistent and thoughtful. If they just want it for personal gain, however, then I wouldn't give it up even if he denies the proposal."
"So you're just giving up on Ariel?"
"No, but I have something else in mind."
"Like what?"
"A deal that someone interested only in personal gain won't be able to resist."
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