Fantasy Hunter's Moon: Ascendancy [IC] [CLOSED]

[Dmaster]

"...We have... I mean... the Inquisition has been toying with the idea of wrist mounted weapons for several years. Blades, hatchets, crossbows, pistols, shotguns... I'm sure one of the researchers has something that would fit you perfectly."

Camille gave a genuine smile to Valeria and gave a nod, happy to hear her input. After all she's experienced, she knew that it was the little contributions such as this that meant a lot to the inquisitor. "Well, then it seems like I have somewhere to be after this meeting concludes. If whatever they have is good enough I may not even need to carry my quills around, just various bolts instead," the huntress thought aloud.

When the subject of firearms came up again she rolled her eyes, not up to date on the latest advancements. At this point all she knew was that she did not want to be on the business end of them if she could help it.

 

[Breadman]

Royland had been silent for now. The news of Gyasis' death shook him to his very core. The knight's reaction was hidden underneath the helm and armor, but something inside of him started to burn. The outrage that one of these creatures would make its way and slay one of their gods combined with the anger towards the demonic hordes currently invading along with his zealous hatred for the Icons prevented him from breaking down. It would have the opposite effect as his armored fists tightened together. 'Not here.' Something in his mind spoke out to him in desperation for his better nature to break through. 'Not in the holy halls.' A small puff of smoke had escaped his armor, seemingly unnoticed by the others. 'Wrath and fury are best served for the curs that did this.' Finally the anger gave way to a more reasonable voice. It would still take a while for him to say anything as the conversation shifted from what to do for the remaining gods, the map and now what arms to bring.

"If I recall, Theodore and a few others have been experimenting with different kinds munitions, both gunpowder and traditional. Explosive, corrosive and flammable. Maybe some of his grenade schematics are around somewhere." The knight crossed his arms "I am personally relying on my sword and blessings. The longer range isn't as much of an issue when I close a gap."

 

[joshuadim]

Azathor listened as the group conversed, and occasionally bickered, about the new age of weaponry that they would have to both wield as well as fight against. Azathor had been reliant on Belias' sword for so long now, in her memory, that he felt completely lost when they spoke of firearms of various kinds. However, he was intrigued by them given what he had heard about them and their capabilities. He spoke up after the others: "I'm quite curious about these 'firearms' of yours, I'd like them explained to me in detail." he said, not showing a growing excitement to get his hands on some of them.

 

[K0mori]

Sebastian raised an eyebrow as the demon spoke about his interest in firearms. Given that it was one of the few relevant topics which the soldier was well-versed in, he decided to speak up. "Okay, hör zu..." he said with a sigh, pulling out his Luger and stepping around the table so that he was standing closer to Azathor. "This is a pistol, built in my homeland of Daristein. We have the best machinists in the world, and this is a very recent design, so I want to be very clear that most guns we'll encounter will have differences in operation. Nonetheless, the basic principles will be the same."

Sebastian ejected the magazine and showed Azathor the bullets inside. "This is an eight-round magazine, meaning that there are eight rounds, or cartridges, inside. Once loaded, each time I pull the trigger, a series of actions happens. First, you need to understand what a bullet is- a lot of people use the word bullet as if it means the same thing as cartridge, and I'll do the same, but notice how there's a seam there in the middle. The bullet is actually just the front part. The back end is actually a small explosive charge, while the front is the projectile. It's made of lead encased in brass, so that when it strikes a foe, it deforms and tumbles inside the body, lodging itself in there rather than passing through cleanly. When the gun is loaded, one of these cartridges enters a firing chamber.

"When I pull the trigger, a spring-loaded hammer is pulled back and then released, striking the back of the cartridge in the chamber and causing the charge to detonate. The explosion propels the bullet to high speed as it travels down the barrel. Inside, grooves cut into the barrel cause the bullet to spin," he explained, twisting his arm to illustrate it. "That part is extremely important. Bullets cut through the air so quickly that if we didn't put a precise spin on each shot, they would curve off in random directions. Those grooves are called 'rifling,' and the first guns to have them tended to be the long type held with both hands, which is why those guns, like the Lebel or the Mauser, are called rifles."

Azathor nodded along with the explanation as Sebastian pulled back on the toggle assembly, causing it to unlock and allowing him to show how the spent casing is ejected. "At the same time the bullet flies forward, the explosion also causes a backwards force called recoil. This gun is built to use this force to open the chamber, throw out the spent charge casing, and then load another cartridge into the chamber as it closes itself back up in the blink of an eye. That allows me to load a magazine, shoot eight times in a row, and then replace the empty magazine with a loaded one."

He next pointed out the sights, demonstrating how they're used to aim the gun before explaining that more accurate weapons could come with a telescopic sight. He then put the gun back into its holster. "As I said before, there are many different types of firearms, and they will often use different forms of ammunition and different methods of cycling them through the chamber. Most pistols use rotating cylinders full of bullets instead of magazines. They don't eject their spent casings until you're ready to reload with fresh rounds- they're called revolvers.

"Many rifles use manually-sliding 'bolts' to open the chamber and eject spent casings, with some of the most modern ones using magazines, like my Mauser does. Some others use cylinders, like the revolvers do, and still others have large levers on the bottom that are used to cycle the weapon. Most older rifles are usually loaded with a single bullet after every shot.

"Longer guns are usually more accurate and fire heavier, more deadly bullets than the pistols can shoot, but then you have shotguns- which can use rounds called shells to fire a variety of 'shots' designed for different purposes. Birdshot, for example, spreads a lot after leaving the barrel and is designed to bring down fowl without tearing them apart, so it's good for hunting. 'Slugs,' on the other hand, are just like larger, heavier bullets. They're nowhere near as accurate as rifles, but they're extremely deadly."

Sebastian decided to conclude his explanation as it was getting very long-winded. "Last thing I'll say is this: lately, there's been a new type of weapon that I'm glad I haven't been forced to contend with, but where the war has bogged down into trench fighting, you'll find them. They call them 'machine guns.' Instead of firing just one round when the trigger is pulled, the gun can fire one bullet after another, hundreds in a row, if need be. These guns are too large for a human soldier to carry, so they're used as stationary weapons."

 

[joshuadim]

Azathor listened to Sebastian's presentation with great intent and without daring to interrupt what was being spoken as he observed and listened to understand what was being spoken about as best as he could. To be able to fight from a distance and not have to clash in close combat, it was enigmatic as a concept to him given his experience in the past few centuries and especially recently how he and his men had been braving the fighting against Azgon's warriors. Fighting and dying in the dirt and mud next to their enemies. The difference being now that here people died far apart from one another, death being dealt from a great distance.

Once Sebastian finished speaking, Azathor spoke up with his own comment: "These would have helped if we had them back in the Abyss." It was marked with both appreciation as well as a distant sorrow, as many of his comrades would not have perished had they had access to these types of things. But that didn't mean he couldn't use them to his own advantage now in their mission as he shrugged off the emotions as best as he could. "I'd like to use some of these pistols to go along my sword. They seem to work well while moving around quickly."

 

[Damian0358]

With the discussion turning towards the likely necessity for ranged weaponry, Xiaòzhou listened to the others discuss as he considered his own options. Unlike the others, with his mastery of qi and mystic techniques, he already had ranged combat covered, and if he were to need to get up closer, whether to use his fists or to use the staff, his movement options were already better than most present here. Nevertheless, having an actual ranged weapon would serve use if they were to somehow come up against a demon or Icon who can manipulate qi in a similar fashion, especially the qi of others. Additionally, the element of blessings was one worth considering as well in all this.

However, he remained relatively unfamiliar with modern firearms, which seemed to be the most practical option, aside from what he had managed to learn and glean by being in their proximity - even his shadow had relied on a swarm of Sanchangchong matchlock arquebuses after all. And of these newer arms, the only one that had peaked his interest was what had appeared to be a bolt-action shotgun, and that was mainly due to not being aware such things being a thing.

When the newcomer Sebastian began explaining how modern firearms worked, just as Azathor was paying close attention, so too was Xiaòzhou. Truly remarkable the mechanical developments in small arms since arquebuses. Paired with the remarks shared by Royland on munitions, he wondered what the prospects of channeling qi into munitions would be, as to have them be used as remote means of getting mystic techniques sneakily across the battlefield, or even just straight-up firing them out of the gun like a modern handcannon.

 

[Infab]

Adona and the others watched as Sebastian explained what a firearm was to Azathor (and Takato as well), allowing the soldier to speak without interruption. This was all new to Rebecca as well, truthfully, as she had never knew the details of the weapons that these soldiers and others were carrying. She had only ever used a bow and a crossbow in her life.

Once Sebastian had finished, Azathor spoke up.

"I'd like to use some of these pistols to go along my sword. They seem to work well while moving around quickly."

Adona nodded. "Looks like we need to take a trip down to the Inquisitorial Armory. Heads up for some of you, its changed a bit since you last visited it. Make sure to poke around to find something useful for yourselves." said the god, looking to each of those standing in the room. He soon stepped around the table, scooting by Rebecca and Valeria as he moved towards the exit.

The trip was short. Down the stone hallway, turn to the right, down another flight of stairs, then to the left down a shorter hallway. A large vault door stood before them, which Adona unlocked with ease. Simply reaching over and grabbing one of the knobs on the locking wheel, and giving it a spin. The door poppes open slowly, as each of the locks clicked and released.

And soon, they stepped inside. Hundreds of racks covered in weapons were scattered around the room, bearing various tools of death from multiple eras. Handguns, rifles, shotguns, swords, axes spears, polearms, shields... anything could be found here. The room's dull grey walls allowed for weapons to be clearly seen and recognize, helped even more by the bright and newly installed electric light bulbs on the walls above them.

"They expanded the room since the Order was reworked, and increased the inventory thanks to the war. Look around, see what you can find. Ammunition crates are in the back right corner. Make sure you find the right ammo to match your weapons." said Adona, motioning around the room with his hand. He then looked to Camille. "There should be a researcher around somewhere. I'll bring him to you, so he can help figure out what you might can use."

Cassandra didn't hesitate, moving to the more recent looking rifles and beginning to inspect them. Lebels, Mausers, Carcanos, Schmidt-Rubins, Steyr-Mannlichers, Krag-Jørgensens, Berthiers, Mosin-Nagants, Winchesters, Marlins...the selection was immense. "I guess someone wanted their new Inquisition to be well armed." she muttered, reaching into the rack and drawing out a Lebel.

She inspected the rifle, making sure it was in good working condition, before grabbing its matching bayonet from the rack as well. Now, for ammo.

 

[Dmaster]

The explanation of firearms and their engineering was interesting and she could appreciate Sebastian putting it in simple terms, but it was all in service of a subject matter she had terribly little interest in. Despite her preferences she knew these were weapons that had to be treaded with respect, whether they were being used by ally or enemy alike. Once the explanation was through and they began to walk toward the Inquisitorial Armory, Camille began to focus yet again.

While she was used to more ornate weaponry the Marquess did have to quietly marvel at the sheer breadth of weaponry available to them, starting to pace about the section dedicated to swords and knives before Adona spoke to her. She nodded her head at his words, looking back at the swords before replying. "I'll wait for him here, thank you."

 

[K0mori]

Upon entering the armory, Sebastian was immediately taken with curiosity. Although he didn't have any use for another rifle or handgun, he still took the opportunity to examine a few of the ones he had heard about but had never seen up close. It was while holding an Atracan service rifle that he remembered how the Atracans had been spotted fielding a pump-action shotgun on the western front, and so he decided to search for it. Soon, he found it: a Winchester 12-guage with the addition of a bayonet mount. It seemed an odd choice of weapon for war, but he figured there must be merit to the Atracan strategy or else they wouldn't employ it.

Carrying both a shotgun and a rifle wasn't ideal, but as long as he wouldn't have to march on foot for long distances, he was confident he could use both as needed. His next concern was stocking up on ammunition for his three guns- especially if he could find any specifically designed for supernatural foes.

 

[joshuadim]

Just the sheer amount of firearms was impressive to Azathor as he entered the armory behind the others and took some time to look and peruse the wares of the Order. On full display was practically every type of firearm imaginable, both in make and model, that could serve any purpose for an inquisitor. It was odd from the situation alone that a demon would get his hands on such weaponry, but Azathor didn't care as he walked slowly past rack after rack of weapons. While the large varieties of weapons weren't what he was seeking, he still took the time to admire their designs. He also noticed at how standardized everything seemed, near perfect copies of each other developed and produced en-masse it seemed which was a far cry from the hand-crafted and painstakingly laborious processes of making the weapons he's used to.

Once he approached the area with pistols, he took a greater interest in finding the ones that *spoke* to him. He needed something powerful enough to be worthy of complimenting his sister's blade, but also something efficient and reliable in the long term. He ran a finger on the handles and bodies of one pistol model after another, making quick judgements about each from just looks and feels alone. After some time however, he stilled and found himself staring at two near identical handguns whose design he took a liking to. He quickly picked them up, one in each hand, and gave a feel for them. They fit well in his grasp as his fingers wrapped around the grip, and the weight of each was quite good.

He gave them a few twirls around his soon to be trigger fingers, smirking as he made up his mind. He found his winners. Now he just needed to find holsters to house them. And ammo to fill them with.

 

[K0mori]

Sebastian turned and noticed Azathor playing around with a pair of pistols in a design he had never seen before. When the demon had mentioned wanting to pick up some pistols, Sebastian had naturally assumed that he would go for the Luger, since he had just talked up the design and the skill of Daristinian engineers. He watched from a distance for a moment before walking over. "What are those?" he asked. "...Is that an Atracan design?"

 

[Infab]

Rebecca quietly strolled through the armory, watching as the others perused the weapons and picked what they wanted to use. She already had her weapons selected upstairs: her personal longsword and tower shield. But, it wouldn't help to find a crossbow or something. Perhaps a handheld one. She moved towards the back of the room, examining the more ancient weapons that were on display. Several melee weapons were available, along with more defensive tools like bucklers and round shields and such. But then she found the ranged weapons, and began to search.

Hunting bows, recurve bows, war bows, war crossbows... Ah! Here we are! She reached onto a rack, and drew out a small, metal crossbow. Oddly complex, it was the size of a standard pistol of the current period. She pondered when this type of crossbow was developed, as ones from her time were still rather massive. She felt its weight, inspecting its parts and springs, before nodding. "This will do." she muttered to herself, before turning about to head towards where the ammunition was stored.

As Adona had stated before, the ammunition crates were all neatly tucked away inside the next room, the door to which was in the wall to the rear right side of the armory. Hundreds of crates, full of various munitions were stacked almost to the ceiling, with a mobile crank-style lift sitting off to the side in the event that top level crates needed to be accessed. Some of them looked as though they had already been opened, apparently also featuring holsters and slings for certain weapons. Cassandra was already near one, taking several rounds of Lebel ammunition from inside.

She was tucking them inside several pouches lining her belt beneath her cloak, pausing and glancing up only once as she heard Rebecca's armor clacking towards her. "What'd you grab, Elder Witlock?" she asked, returning to situating her ammo.

"A small crossbow. Where are the bolts located?" she said, holding the crossbow up before looking about at the other crates. Eventually, she saw them. There was a large brown crate at the end of the room, stuffed full of pouches of crossbow bolts. Next to it was several barrels of arrows with a stack of quivers nearby. She moved over to it, inspecting the pouches, before grabbing three of them and fastening them to her belt on the back of her waist.

As everyone moved about, Adona had disappeared back out the door. Departing to search for the researcher that would assist Camille in her search for a ranged weapon. And it wasn't long before the god had returned with someone. He strolled over towards Camille, before introducing the individual following him. "Camille, this is Adrien Frehner. Former member of the Alchemist Union, and currently the head of the Vigilant Order's research and development branch." said Adona, stepping to the side and motioning to the man behind.

Adrien Frehner was a rather tall individual, standing at 6'4" and wearing a black top hat that made him seem even taller. Top hats were popular among alchemists of the Union, to the point where it was practically a piece of their 'uniform'. It set them apart from others, like the Vigilant Order, whom wore more wide brimmed headgear. On his face, however, was something far older.

A mask, shaped like a bird's beak, with two large tinted glass circles for eyepieces. The mask was traditionally a piece of a plague doctor's attire from centuries prior, but this one seemed far newer and differently made. The underside of the mask, stretching from where the mask met the jaw to the tip of its 'beak' was made of a shiny steel. The upper half, was made of a blackened cloth material, while the end of the 'beak' was capped off with a chunk of metal similar in make to the metal coating the underside of the mask.

From the neck down, a black suit with thin red pinstripes running vertically up and down its length. Around their neck, a similarly red jabot. Their hair was visible, colored a light golden brown and cut medium length. Standing out a bit against the rather pale white skin of their neck. Their hands were covered by a pair of black leather gloves, surprisingly clean given their work. Their shoes were black, matching most of their other clothes, and bore an odd set of steel caps at the toe of each. And notably, in the small of his back, was a large holster. The rear of a Daristeinian pistol was jutting from the back of it.

He bowed ever so slightly, reaching up and tipping their hat towards Camille. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, madame! Lord Adona informs me that you need a bit of assistance?" he said, his voice slightly muffled by the mask he wore. He sounded rather cheerful, really.

 

[Dmaster]

The huntress took in the exceptionally tall man, not too perturbed by his looming stature. As expected he was rather lanky, as befitting his scholarly status, perhaps if he were as bulky as he was tall she would have reason to be intimidated. She nodded at Adona's introduction to the man, bowing her head slightly as Adrien tipped his hat to her. "Good to meet you as well. Quite a handsome mask you have there," she jokes with a smirk. With her attire being heavily inspired by corvids as well, she could not help but pay compliments.

"To the point, oui I could use a bit of help. There are quite a great deal of firearms here, though they are far from a weapon I would prefer to use. Have you anything compact and wrist mounted? Something I could use to send projectiles down range further than I can throw them?" Camille asks, trying to be as specific about what she needs as possible.

Reaching to the holster on her leg, she pulls out a long silver needle - one of her stylized throwing knives that were nearly half a foot in length. Quite slender and gleaming in the electric light, she motioned to it with her free hand. "Typically I throw my quills at foes I cannot easily reach, but since Adona tells me we may be in the trenches, well... I am looking for something more sufficient."

 

[Infab]

Adrien nodded, chuckling as Camille spoke of his mask. "Thank you, madame. Custom made! Protects my face, and serves as a helpful deterrent! Idiots hesitate to bother me in the lab, and kids shy away from me because I look spooky." he said, holding up his hands and wiggling his fingers as he emphasized his scariness to children.

Afterwards, he listened carefully to Camille's specifics. "Ahhh, you're looking for a wrist crossbow, or dart thrower. I finished work on improving some old designs of former Vigilant Order member Theodore Boivin. Fits securely to the underside of the forearm, and allows one to fire off a small bolt at targets using a release paddle that juts out into the palm. Once fired, can be reloaded quickly by fitting another bolt into position and pulling it up your forearm till it locks. Each bolt has an accurate killing range of around forty to forty-five meters, but can shoot as far as five hundred if you don't care about hitting anything or losing a bolt!" explained the researcher. As he spoke, he made physical movements to show what he meant. "To put it away, you simply grasp the arms, pull them together, spin it a round in a clockwise motion till the weapon is folded away. A strap around the forearm keeps it secure in place until its needed again."

He then chuckled again. "Devious little device. One of the many designs Theodore left behind when he left. Though, I never will understand why he was so intent on blowing everything up. A third of his designs bore the word 'explosive' on them somewhere."

He glanced over towards where Sebastian and Azathor were, noticing one was holding a pair of new pistols. "Ah! Those are the experimental Colt M1881s! Produced just this year! Uses the new .38 ACP cartridge! The Atracan military is looking to adopt it, and have fielded a few thousand of them for testing. We managed to procure a few for testing ourselves." he stated, before pointing to Azathor. "Let me know how they handle, will you?"

 

[Dmaster]

A hand went to her hip while the knuckle of the other went to her chin as she pictured the design and operation of the weapon in her head, and it sounded much more appealing than the standard bow or crossbow. "Forty to forty five meters as a baseline? Well, that sounds very useful indeed," Camille replies with a nod and smirk. "I think that is more than a worthy weapon to add into my repertoire. And made by Theodore as well? I can imagine that he's left whole stacks of designs behind here. Were he in it for the money you would think he could have patented those and sold them rather than... teach school children."

She shrugged her shoulders at that thought. There was no doubt the vertically challenged scholar did great work, and her saying that out loud now has her thinking to commission him for a project or two depending on how well this device works out. "Explosions do make quite an impact. Literally. While there is merit in trained hunters finding their mark and exploiting a supernatural's weaknesses to gain the upper hand, disintegrating them completely can also be a viable solution."

Adrien seemed rather enthusiastic about the pistols selected by Azathor, her hands back to her hips as she looked to the researcher. "Please bring out the weapon whenever you are able, s'il vous plaît. I would like to get some practice in before we depart."

 

[K0mori]

Sebastian looked at the Colt pistols one more time intently, as if he didn't quite believe what he was seeing. He had been under the impression that the Atracans were still years away from a practical semiautomatic. He shook his head and walked away into the next room, where he found Cassandra and Rebecca. He carefully stepped around the two of them, not exactly comfortable speaking to either of them for practically opposite reasons, and set his backpack down on the floor. Opening it up, he moved a few things around to ensure there was plenty of room, and then began loading as much ammunition as he could carry for his three weapon types.

Along with standard issue rounds, he also found bullets in gold and silver jackets, as well as iron slugs and incendiary shells. The slugs, he loaded into his shotgun immediately, while a handful of silver rounds went into a spare Luger magazine that he then slipped into his pocket. Then, he hoisted his pack onto his back, a solitary grunt escaping him and breaking his troubled silence. He was certain that this was as much as he could carry.

 

[Infab]

"Explosions do make quite an impact. Literally. While there is merit in trained hunters finding their mark and exploiting a supernatural's weaknesses to gain the upper hand, disintegrating them completely can also be a viable solution."

"Well, yes! But it leads to the battle ending far too quickly, and leaves little left to study." pointed out Adrien. "Plus, there's also the risk of collateral damage!"

"Please bring out the weapon whenever you are able, s'il vous plaît. I would like to get some practice in before we depart."

He held up a finger. "Wait here a moment. I'll bring it over from the weapons lab. Rather not expose you to the diluted sodium hypochlorite in my chemical lab beside it. Really strong smell. It will make you all sick, save for some of those that are of the supernatural variety like myself." he stated, giving Camille a nod. He then quickly spun about and strolled out of the armory, leaving Adona standing nearby with his arms folded.

About three minutes later, he would return. In hand, a small suitcase. "Here you are. Please! Take it out and try it on. I'll help you secure it in place." he said, holding out the case and popping the lid open. Inside, the weapon as described. A small box, half a foot long and about four inches wide. Several straps hung off of it, all of which would secure the device onto Camille's arm. "Its left-handed, by the way. Theodore thought it best to keep your dominant hand free for other things. That is, if your dominant hand is your right hand!"

 

[Breadman]

The armory had grown significantly over the years, but Royland was not someone who was fond of the new toys the inquisitors got to play with. His affinity was geared towards the cold steel in one's hand. Something that is steadily on its way out. He had seen the evolution of hand cannons into their modern form, but could never quite incorporate it into his own arsenal. But a warrior like him needed to keep an edge if he were to remain useful. It was time to innovate.

Royland walked towards the armory following Camille. He didn't see a problem with letting the huntress upgrade her own arsenal first as it would give him time to think about what he would need to do for himself. The alchemist had a certain trait he could sense. The mask was an obvious clue, but there was something else. He quickly shook off the feeling as it didn't matter. He was still working for the church and trusted enough to be around its weapons and inventory. His mention for admiring Theodore's work irked him some, but it was for the engineering field rather than anything else.

"I have a request if you're up to it." The knight finally spoke. He clasped his palms, then separated them and through a puff of smoke and some flame a chain materialized with a spearhead dangling from one end while the other coiled itself around his left forearm. A noticeable stench of sulfur could be felt shortly after. "A fine trick that has served me well over the years. Useful to catch someone or something, but it relies on my own brute strength to be useful." He held up his arm to show the weapon dangling, the head decorated with runes not of mortal nature. "We are to fight demons and they tend to come in different shapes and sizes, some larger than myself, so pulling and flinging would be harder. Anything you have that can help would be appreciated."

 

[Damian0358]

Xiaòzhou followed as they made their way to the armory, still pondering on what sort of small arm would be best for him. A Sanchangchong is out of the question, though he doubted they had one here (though he briefly wondered what had happened to the last of his shadow's, given he doesn't recall what happened after he knocked the last out of his hands).

The selection of weapons was impressive, but he only needed to concentrate on firearms. He followed Cassandra, Sebastian and Azathor over to the newer armaments, and began going through the available options. Once more he spotted a bolt-action shotgun, but it appeared to be a different make compared to the one he had seen in the Abyss. Though he could see the potential of its use, this particular shotgun appeared to only have one per shot, and was rather sizeable. A nearby shotgun that seemed to feature a folding function could resolve that issue, appeared to have six rounds too, which he held in his hands and attempted to figure out how to load. Looking over at Sebastian and Azathor once more, he noted the latter adopting handguns instead, and considered the smaller size compared to the shotgun he had in hand, so he put it down and moved to look over those options.

Making his way over however, a rifle caught his attention. It appeared to be a revolving rifle, but unlike the few other revolving mechanisms he had seen, something appeared different around the cylinder. Grabbing a hold of it, he examined the cylinder and attempted to cock back the hammer, only to notice that the cylinder was moving forward, as if sealing the round it was firing, and the back of the cylinder being covered by the rifle. It was not ideal size-wise, but Sebastian had mentioned that longer guns were generally more accurate and fired heavier. His earlier thoughts on sneakily using mystic techniques in the gun itself would prove far simpler with a design such as this, the cylinder allowing easy insertion of whatever conduit he was about to use for his qi (even easier if he used mystic techniques for even quicker reloading), without potential fear of it falling out and being identified. And with nine shots available, it did seem ideal aside from size. Perhaps allowing the stock to fold would help?

He looked over at the others, unsure how to join the ongoing discussion with the rifle in hand.

 

[Dmaster]

Camille did agree that the major downside to Theodore's preferred method of expunging foes from existence was the collateral damage such implements caused. To that end she offered a nod of agreement, and any further debate on the matter could be done by the short scholar himself. She knew that he was rather meticulous when using those bombs if he would have to avoid damage to buildings and populations. If he could help it.

The huntress paused as Adrien casually mentioned his supernatural nature, raising a brow as she started to give him a slightly scrutinizing gaze. Not necessarily a measure she was taking to defend herself and her family, as it would be rather stupid for the researcher to attempt anything in the Grand Cathedral with Velin still in it. This was all out of mere curiosity so that she could determine what he was.

All of those thoughts were put on the backburner as he came with the suitcase and assisted her in putting the weapon on, her eyes on the strange device the entire time as she took in the process of how to equip it. Her hand was held out and her arm was straight to make the process easier. "That's quite fine, I've more or less trained myself to be ambidextrous. Most of the time I throw my quills left-handed, so this shouldn't be too big of an adjustment. Have you any bolts to load into it?"

 

[Infab]

Adrien removed the device from the case, taking it and placing it on Camille's outstretched arm. As he strapped it on securely, careful not to make it too tight, he listened as she spoke again.

"That's quite fine, I've more or less trained myself to be ambidextrous. Most of the time I throw my quills left-handed, so this shouldn't be too big of an adjustment. Have you any bolts to load into it?"

"it should be able to use pretty much any bolt constructed for a hand crossbow." he stated. "There are plenty of packs full of them in the ammunition room behind you! I'd suggest bringing along different packs. We have iron, silver, and gold capped bolts, and I'm currently working on new types of bolts as well! The most promising one of my own design at the moment is a type of flash bomb! Attached to the bolt shaft is a bulb full of flash powder. Fire it into a crowd of enemies, and when it hits something solid, the bulb shatters and a small device inside the bulb creates a spark which lights the powder upon dispersal. It creates a brilliant flash much like what is used with cameras occurs. Blinds everyone in the area temporarily, so make sure to look away before impact!"

As he finished securing the device to her arm, he continued. "I'm also developing more explosive types of bolts. One uses a small stick of dynamite which lights upon launch. Detonates after four seconds. The other is similar to the flash bomb, but it is encased in a fragile tin shell and filled with gunpowder. The spark detonates the gunpowder, which in turn shatters the shell and sends the shards of tin out in various directions as shrapnel. I'm sure I can convert it to use metals such as silver, gold, and iron as well!"

When he finished, he stepped back and placed his hands on his hips. "Done! Undo the strap holding the arms in place, and grab the tips of the arms there. Pull them open counter clockwise around the front of the box." he said, watching as Camille did just so. The device opened up, the arms moving into position with a thick cable connecting the arms together. A pair of rather strong springs were also revealed, connecting the arms to the box and providing the needed resistance to be able to sling the bolts. A slot in the center of the box became visible, as well as the small notch that would lock in place once the bolt was pulled all the way back. And finally, the launching paddle slipped out. Right into the center of her palm.

"And now you're ready to go! Just load in a bolt, pull it back as I instructed before, and pull down on the paddle with your middle and ring fingers when ready to fire." he finally said, nodding once at Camille before turning his attention to Royland.

"I have a request if you're up to it." The knight finally spoke. He clasped his palms, then separated them and through a puff of smoke and some flame a chain materialized with a spearhead dangling from one end while the other coiled itself around his left forearm. A noticeable stench of sulfur could be felt shortly after. "A fine trick that has served me well over the years. Useful to catch someone or something, but it relies on my own brute strength to be useful." He held up his arm to show the weapon dangling, the head decorated with runes not of mortal nature. "We are to fight demons and they tend to come in different shapes and sizes, some larger than myself, so pulling and flinging would be harder. Anything you have that can help would be appreciated."

Adrien stepped over, examining the chains for a moment. "Hmm...Yes! I do have an idea. I've been working on a grappling device, to allow hunters to reach high locations with ease. It would be in pistol form, but I did toy with the idea of a wrist mounted one as well. Lucky for you, I built that idea too! I can rework the design slightly to allow for you to launch your chain, as well as force it to retract without you having to tug on it. Estimated weight that it can carry is around... a ton, I believe." he said, motioning towards Royland's arm with his hand.

"The method of launch would be a blank shotgun shell, of the 20 gauge variety, for the pistol. For you, with it being a heavier chain, I suggest two blank firing 12 gauge shells filled with a large amount of powder. I can fit a third atop your wrist that would be an actual buckshot or slug firing shotgun shell. That way, once the foe is pulled in close, you can punch them and fire the deadlier shell straight into them at point blank range! Now, the method of retraction would be a rather complicated system, but I'd rather not bore a man like you with the details. Just know that it would clamp onto the chain and pull it back in rapidly and with great force."

"To rearm it, simply flip a lever to pop open the receiver on the device. The shells will automatically eject, so you simply load two more blank firing shells into place and press it closed. The same goes with the actual deadly shotgun shell on top. I'll color code the shells for you, so you know which is blank and which isn't." Adrien then nodded. "I'll have it ready for you by the end of the coming week. I'm sure you'll be quite busy with whatever Adona has you doing until then."

Adrien then noticed the looks Takato was giving them. And made a guess based on how he was looking at the revolving carbine in his hand from time to time. "...Would you like for me to make a folding stock for that? I can place it on a hinge, which locks in place when fully extended." he asked. "That, or I can remove the stock entirely and replace it with a folding wire stock. Depends on your preference!"

As he finished, Cassandra rounded the corner from the ammunition room. Stepping through the doorway and making her way towards where the group was standing. Her eyes were locked onto Adrien, however, head cocked slightly as she eyed him. She had sensed an aura moments ago, having followed Adona's godly one. And it seemed awfully familiar. "...So the Order has other supernaturals amongst its ranks now? Quite surprising, considering the hell the Order put supernaturals through over the past few years." she commented, stepping up beside the others.

Adrien chuckled. "Yes, well... I'm not thrilled about that either, mind you, but I'm here because of Undite. She offered me the opportunity to work with the Church and Order's resources, and I couldn't turn that down! I haven't had a lab of my own since the Union kicked me out." he soon responded, before glancing to the others.

"Pardon me, perhaps I should explain a bit." he breathed, "I am a Dhampir! Half vampire, half human! My mother is of the Polidori bloodline, while my father was one of the first Alchemists that joined the Union when it first formed a little over a century ago." He then glanced back to Cassandra. "I was removed from the Union two years ago because I discovered the solar weapons program they were working on in Kolnstadt, and attempted to impede its progress through various means. My attempts failed, and I was discovered. And shortly afterwards, removed from my position. My words afterwards fell on deaf ears, as most thought the Union wouldn't stoop that low."

 

[Damian0358]

Adrien then noticed the looks Takato was giving them. And made a guess based on how he was looking at the revolving carbine in his hand from time to time. "...Would you like for me to make a folding stock for that? I can place it on a hinge, which locks in place when fully extended." he asked. "That, or I can remove the stock entirely and replace it with a folding wire stock. Depends on your preference!"

After hearing and witnessing some interesting technology, Xiaòzhou was glad to have finally gotten his turn in the discourse.

"...yes, a folding stock would be preferable! Having it more compact would be of great use. Whether I wish for it to be replaced with one made of wire, what would be the benefits of doing so?" the hermit asked in such a way it made clear to Adrien he was a newcomer to all this too, "And, if I may ask, how much tension can this 'cylinder' withstand if, say, one were to use it to fire magic? Would it be wise to have it replaced with a more sturdy metal?"

 

[Breadman]

A lot of the explanation went over Royland's head, mainly pertaining to the firearms and its munitions. Despite that, he was elated that the alchemist would prepare something for him soon. The knight released his grip on the chains and with another puff of flames it disappeared. Soon enough, Adrien would move on to the others, but also not shy away from revealing his true nature.

"I had a feeling there was something different about you." He was rather satisfied that his senses were not deceived. "If your mother is a pureblood, would that mean that you would have similar traits to one, then?"

 

[Infab]

"I had a feeling there was something different about you." He was rather satisfied that his senses were not deceived. "If your mother is a pureblood, would that mean that you would have similar traits to one, then?"

"No." responded Adrian. "Basically, we dhampir are about the same as regular vampires but with less weaknesses and most of the strengths." He held up his hand, listing things off as he raised a finger for each point. "We drink blood once to twice a month, unlike vampires who need to consistently feed. I don't drink human blood, preferring that of cattle. We can also eat normal food, like your average human, but its less filling. We can walk in daylight, like a pureblood. We lack the incredible speed you've come to know vampires being capable of, but we are incredibly strong like vampires and have similar reflexes. We have to breathe, unlike vampires and purebloods, but can hold our breath for twenty to thirty minutes at a time. And silver tends to burn us instead of slowing us down like vampires. Really hurts, like someone holding red hot metal against flesh, so we have to wear gloves when handling it."

He soon lowered his hand. "Oh, and my mother was a regular vampire. Not a pureblood." he added at the end, with a chuckle.

"...yes, a folding stock would be preferable! Having it more compact would be of great use. Whether I wish for it to be replaced with one made of wire, what would be the benefits of doing so?" the hermit asked in such a way it made clear to Adrien he was a newcomer to all this too, "And, if I may ask, how much tension can this 'cylinder' withstand if, say, one were to use it to fire magic? Would it be wise to have it replaced with a more sturdy metal?"

Adrien then turned his attention back to Takato. "A wire frame stock is far lighter than a stock made of thick wood, and still offers the benefits of a full length stock. As for the tension in the cylinder, that's a good question! I've never thought about infusing magic into weaponry such as a firearm." he stated, before motioning to the weapon in Takato's hands. "...I say try it out in the field! If it cracks or suffers other catastrophic damage from use, then I'll build you a new one with stronger tolerances!"

 

[Damian0358]

Adrien then turned his attention back to Takato. "A wire frame stock is far lighter than a stock made of thick wood, and still offers the benefits of a full length stock. As for the tension in the cylinder, that's a good question! I've never thought about infusing magic into weaponry such as a firearm." he stated, before motioning to the weapon in Takato's hands. "...I say try it out in the field! If it cracks or suffers other catastrophic damage from use, then I'll build you a new one with stronger tolerances!"

Xiaòzhou smiled and nodded as Adrien explained the benefits of a wire frame stock, so it would be clear to him that he'll be opting for that. However, the answer to his second question was one of, uh, 'surprise'. He looked down at the cylinder, and examining the cylinder shielding on the rifle proper, surmised that it likely wouldn't hurt him if it did break. After a few more moments, he spoke.

"..alright, I suppose!" he could only muster. It seems he was taking this rifle with him. He continued: "And what of handguns? Would one with a mechanism similar to the one on this rifle be functionable too, if I were to also use it with magic?"

As they discussed the matter, Adrien was also speaking to the others about his nature as a dhampir. He did not really have much to comment on that, though hearing how dhampir were effectively regular vampires with less weaknesses reminded him of how he had wanted to fight vampires as he had heard about them back home only to be disappointed for the last century or so of being in Adonia each time he happened to run into a 'nightwalker', with that only recently changing with the expedition to the Abyss. He briefly pondered whether he had run into any dhampir in the past century, only to conclude he hadn't.