章 39: Hagall
"Augustia, what the fuck did you just build!?" Yulia shouted in surprise, blended with annoyance.
When she was about to go and purchase the much needed explosive runes capable of decimating a mind flayer nest, Gloria had been more than eager to accompany her inside of the dwarf's workshop.
Lo and behold, in front of her was the reason.
A metallic chrome wheelchair with two retractable shoulder cannons, Its ammunition made from various runes. Usually pentagonal rocks imbibed with mana that are capable of mimicking spells once activated, Augustia made the runes spherical in shapes so Gloria's cannons would have no trouble using it.
Augustia's knowledge on golem craft wasn't the greatest for it is a seperate art on its own, but she was still able to apply a bit of it, the end result allowed the wheels to move by themselves. Its controllers were two half-orbs located where Gloria rested her hands.
Speaking of wheels, rune inscriptions were also prominent on both of its rims. With the magnetic rune in effect, it will allow Gloria to overcome with ease what most would consider the bane of someone using a wheelchair - stairs.
And that was just scratching the surface. With its agileness paired with its destructive capabilities, it was a wheelchair able to lay waste to an entire company of dark elf infantry.
To answer Yulia's question, what is it that the master blacksmith had built?
According to her, it is her….
"My masterpiece! Lighten up, yer the one who told me yer group will raid a drug den. Yer party will no doubt get into a skirmish with them slaver basterds, the mermaid will need the firepower that this baby could bring. Heck, ya can fight a wizard with this thing if ya play yer cards right!"
Gloria wasted no time and immediately transferred to her new comfy cushioned seat. Amusement was apparent on her face as her new ride needed no manual exertions, running circles around the workshop while adroitly evading every mountain of clutter like an obstacle course for the destruction on wheels.
"You have a point. And I don't think I have the heart to separate her from that wheelchair seeing how happy she is with it. Okay Augustia, you win, how much is it?"
"It's free."
Flabbergasted, Yulia pondered as to why the dwarf would give away a wheelchair - scratch that, a mighty weapon for free. Then it hit her, it was another of Augustia's experiments, like that exploding dagger from before.
"But why are you giving it for free? I surely hope that wheelchair she's in won't explode like that crystalline dagger."
"Ya want me to bash ya with me hammer? I admit, it is an experimental weapon but that doesn't mean I didn't forge it with the mermaid's safety in mind!"
Yulia's comment scalded her pride. A bit hurt that her friend would think less of her craft. It's not solely free, it's included in the agreement between her and the mermaid that she would report to Augustia from time to time regarding the wheelchair's performance.
The data will serve as a template on whether or not she would pursue a to build another mobile weapon like the wheelchair but on a more massive scale. Simply put, a fortress on wheels.
"Alright, I'm sorry. I was only worried for Gloria." With how her friend had reacted, Yulia knew she touched a nerve. "Now, will you show me the goods?"
"Jared, bring the chest!"
Emerging from the back of the workshop was jared, in his arms was a huge chest, laying it front of Yulia. With the chest now open, Yulia could see that it was filled to the brim with traditional runes, pentagonal rocks with the Hagall rune carved in the middle. - ᚻ - The rune of destruction which it would bring about in the form an enormous explosion.
"You can totes kaboom a castle with this to the ground, no cap!" Jared gave his thumbs up along with a vibrant smile before returning to where he was before, continuing whatever it is that he was doing in there.
"No cap? Hey Augustia, what did your assistant mean by that?"
"Eh, don't mind him. He's just speaking gibberish. So what do ya think, huh?"
Yulia cocked her head to the side. Right in front of her was a chest overflowing with explosives, a single Hagall rune was enough to reduce a small house into nothing but a ruin. One could only imagine the catastrophe an entire chest of them would bring.
"I don't know, aren't we packing a bit too much firepower?"
"Yer going to collapse a building underground, this chest here is bloody perfect for the job!"
To be fair, Yulia could bring about more devastation than all 10 of the chests combined, but she doubts that blowing up a drug then was hardly a fitting place to unleash her fiery splendor as the fallen angel's chosen. It would be a story for some other time.
"Okay, we'll take it."
+++
"Whatever you do, DO NOT channel any mana into this chest, unless you want us to get blown into smithereens."
Before returning into the driver's seat, Yulia warned the rest of team valhalla as she nestled the chest inside of the stagecoach.
As the carriage soon moved, Stefano shifted uncomfortably. Why wouldn't he? There is now a chest of explosives resting near his feet, capable of blowing them sky high.
The two lovers in front of him were giggling about as they were lost in their own world while the mermaid sitting next to him was too busy watching the passing scenery by the window.
"Am I the only one bothered by this?" Stefano pointed at the chest.
"Are you planning to channel your mana into it?" Ellamir replied with a hint of sarcasm. Her position was parallel to Stefano, so the chest was close to her as well. But unlike him, she wasn't making a huge deal out of it.
"Of course not!"
"Then there's no problem, it's not going to go off even if I kick it, see?"
The thud produced by Ellamir's kick drained to color from Stefano's expression. He was already mortified just by being close to the chest, the dark elf woman might just make him faint.
"Can we please not kick the chest containing dozens of explosives!?"
Gloria stopped sight seeing for a bit so she could laugh at their cleric who looked like he was ready to pull his hair out at any moment. "Friend Stefano, relax. Augustia said it have timer, no explode right away."
Even Antani wanted to be helpful…"Look, if I were you I would copy what Gloria was doing and go focus on the view by the window. Absolutely don't dwell on the chest capable of mass destruction, alright? Avoid thinking that it can turn you into ash in an instant, okay? Whatever you do, expel from your mind that right beneath your feet is a chest able to collapse an entire underground base."....but the urge to mess with their hysterical party member was too good to resist.
"Alright, stop it with the analogies, please!"
Stefano swallowed the lump on his throat, as he gazed on the chest for one last time before turning his attention to the passing buildings.
This trip might just be the longest two days of his life.
+++
Underneath the Underdark's castle, Queen Zorla walked down a dark corridor. A kind of darkness is so thick, giving the impression that even light would have trouble penetrating it.
The acrid smell of rusted metal chains and blood hang in the air as Zorla passed by several torture rooms.
In its innermost depths lay a special room reserved for an important individual.
The door creaked open to reveal a dark elf, her wrists chained above. Countless bruises and whip marks appeared on her skin, telling of the horrid abuse that she went through.
"Maesha, it's about time you manifest your shadow armor. If you don't…"
Queen Zorla's lips arced into a sinister half-moon.
"... I'm going to have to keep torturing you until you do."
The mad queen couldn't help but let the enjoyment leak from her words. She would continue breaking her daughter until her innate power awakened. Again and again, while wearing the same cruel smile on her face.
Zorla moved closer, with her sword she cut both of the chains supporting her battered daughter.
Maesha fell onto the ground, the strength to support herself was something she could no longer muster.
Yet there is a different kind of strength brewing inside of her….
From her innermost core, she could feel her twisted emotions were about to be given form.
Pain. Anger. Sadness.
Like a river carrying all sorts of filth, the negative emotions wash over her.
"Raaaaaaah!"
With a single shout, shadows exploded from Maesha's skin. Swirling into a vortex around her until it congested into its intended wicked shape. The shadows now latched onto her skin, covering Maesha from head to toe. Her very own shadow armor.
Maesha rose, her new power surging within her veins. Her injuries were forgotten as she could only focus on the high that her new power brought. She felt nigh-invincible, it was intoxicating. Still, she is aware that there are still heights to reach, that the power it provided was still incomplete.
Zorla cackled.
"Kyahahaha! It feels good doesn't it? When I manifested mine for the first time I almost had an orgasm. Well done, perhaps you are not as useless as your sister."
Maesha had no reply to her mother's crude congratulation for she was under the duality of relishing the euphoria that her new powers brought about while getting reminded of the unspeakable torture she went through at the hands of the person in front of her.
"You will accompany me soon, we shall see to it that my production of mind flayer dust is going swimmingly. If not, then I will kill Shahira so you could take her place."
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