Capítulo 14: Cole, Pyrotechnics, and Guns
"Mate, mate, wake up," someone was slapping Del's face.
Del opened his eyes. The back of his head was aching. The first thing that he saw was that demon, Cole, was slapping his face. He continued slapping Del's face until Del grabbed him by the hand.
"I'm okay. I'm only exhausted. You don't need to slap me like that," Del grabbed his hand.
"Oh, sorry, what's the thing that you hold on your hands anyway?" Cole pointed his hands at the rifle.
Del thought of a lie, "It's a magical tool. It's powered by combustible powder, that's why I need you."
"Oh, I see. What kind of combustible powder that you need anyway?" Cole asked.
Del tried to remember for a second what the powder inside of a bullet was called. He remembered that it was called a powder. He wasn't sure whether it was called smokeless powder, odorless powder, or colorless powder.
"Can you make odorless combustible powder?" Del asked.
"I'm afraid it's a little bit impossible to make a combustible powder that doesn't create a stinky byproduct. However, I know the ingredient that can make your armpit odorless," Cole said.
Del sniffed his armpit, "Is my armpit smells that bad?"
"Well, probably above the average? But yeah, it smells," Cole said.
"Alright, let me be more specific on my request. I don't think the name of the powder is odorless anyway. I need a powder that will create a lot of gas, but the gas must be colorless. Do you have any idea on how to make that?" Del asked.
"Oh, I know a certain chemical reaction that creates a lot of gas. I'm not sure what chemicals that you want though," Cole said.
"Great, is the ingredient easy to get?" Del asked.
"Easy or hard is rather relative. I'd say that it depends on what kind of chemical reaction that you want. All of them create byproduct, but the effect differs from one another. You got the byproduct that will be very stinky. There is another recipe that will create a toxic byproduct. There's also the powder that will combust when touched," Cole said.
"Emm, Cole, can you explain it more simply?" Del asked.
"The powder is either stink, poisonous, unstable, or expensive as hell," Cole said.
"I thought you can make me something, but I think I have put my expectation too high," Del sighed.
"It's chemistry, not magic, what do you expect?" Cole asked back.
"Right… right…"
"Anyway, do you have a status plate or something? I need to assess what's your strength and your weakness," Del asked.
"No, my stuff is lost when those bandits attacked me. I managed to push all of them away, but the wound practically immobilized me. To make matters worse, both my medical supplies and magical energy had run out back then," Cole said.
"I see," Del said.
Things became harder now. Without the status plate that almost everyone in this world had, there would be no way to assess the usefulness of Cole inside of combat. Del didn't want to put him outside of danger either since he still owed him for saving his life.
"About the explosives, can you make explosives that can be shaped like clay?" Del asked.
"Perhaps…" Cole looked unsure.
"What's with that expression?" Del asked.
"One of the ingredients for that kind of thing is the milk of a Nulalupe," Cole said.
"Nulalupe?" Del asked.
"You know, that animal that looks like a cow but actually not. That animal would explode when killed that no one wants to hunt that animal down. The milk from Nulalupe is highly volatile, but when mixed with the right ingredient, it will make a controllable explosive," Cole said.
"Milk? You can drink something that flammable?" Del asked.
"Well, I won't try, but you can try, I guess?" Cole said.
"You want to kill me?" Del asked.
"Perhaps?"
Del headed out of his room with his rifle in his hands. His rifle was also equipped with a sling so he could store it on his back. He brought the ammunition for the rifle inside of the pocket of his pants. Cole followed him from behind while observing the magical tool on his back.
"Pidma, how to use a Kar98?" Del asked.
[Please get out of the inn first]
"Alright, I see," Del said.
As Del got down the stairs, Lisa looked at him again. She seemed to be confused, "Del, who are you talking to again?"
"Cole."
"Who is Cole?" Lisa asked.
"Did you forget? This demon is called Cole," Del said.
"I see," Lisa continued working.
Del left the Inn and he went to the grassland on the back of the inn again. He wanted to test the Kar98 against a weak enemy like a slime. Besides, there was also something that Rina ordered back in the day. She wanted to make food out of the dead carcass of a slime.
"Alright, Pidma, teach me how to use the rifle."
[Hold the bolt handle, pull it backward]
Del held the bolt handle with his hand and he pulled it backward, "put the bullets right?"
[Right]
Del put in the bullets one by one from his pockets into the rifle.
[Close the bolt and pull the trigger. Mind your stance this time, will you?]
"Alright," Del aimed his rifle at a slime in the grassland.
He pulled the trigger of his rifle. 7.92 Mauser round flew from the barrel of that rifle and penetrated the slime body. The bullet penetrated right into the core of the slime itself and exited the body of the slime.
The slime exploded from the force of the bullet alone and all that was left was a green gelatinous substance that was scattered across the grassland.
"HOLY FUCK, what was that?" Cole was covering his ears with his hands.
"This is the magical tool that I'm talking about, Cole," Del said.
"I meant, how the heck did the thing explode that slime to pieces?" Cole said.
"Kinetic energy," Del said.
"Kinetic energy? I know what kinetic energy is, but I never see a thing like that before in the demonic continent, to be honest. If you sell it, you will get a lot of money, I bet," Cole said.
"Hell no, this is my weapon and this weapon is mine. I ain't going to sell this to no one, understand?" Del said.
"Alright, alright. You don't need to be that stingy, man," Cole said.
Thinking about it, Del had an idea. He would take a more dangerous quest from the guild to cover his expenses. He asked Cole to tag along and Cole didn't have any option but to agree to Del's request.
Both of them walked together to the guild building. The whole town was looking at them. Cole stood out because of his horns. If not because of his horns, no one would bat an eye. They might think that the demons were preparing for an invasion or something.
Del entered the guild building and the receptionist immediately hid under his desk.
"Relax, he's my slave," Del said.
"Oh, I see." The receptionist came out of his hiding. "What can I do for you, Del?"
"Do you have any quest that will yield me one gold coin at the very least?" Del asked.
"Emm, do you have a death wish or something? After second thought, you have a demon slave so I think you might be able to handle it. I shall give you an explanation that the rank of a quest that will yield you one gold coin is around D-rank at the very least, do you understand?" the receptionist said.
"What do you have in mind?" Del asked.
The receptionist looked at the guild's book. He searched for the quest that would give Del one gold coin at the very least.
"Anyway, Del, why don't you take an examination so you can increase your adventurer rank?" The receptionist asked.
"What's the advantage of increasing my rank? I still can take a B-rank quest if I want to, right?" Del asked.
"That's true. However, by being an E-rank, you will increase your social status. There's also a privilege in the form of a discount from the guild for any items. You will also get a special job request every once in a while," the receptionist said.
"I'll think about it, what quest do you have right now?" Del asked.
"I have a request for goblin extermination, bandit extermination, high-risk delivery job, bounty hunting, dangerous ruin exploration request, item search request, dangerous animal hunting request an escort request," the receptionist said.
"What's the bounty hunting request?" Del asked.
"The kingdom wants a certain merchant to disappear, do you think you can handle that?" The receptionist said.
"Just give me the details," Del said.
The receptionist put a piece of paper on top of the table, "You know, you should join the mercenary guild if you want to become a bounty hunter."
"Why?"
"Let's just say, the job options are rather "dark" and "illegal"," the receptionist said.
Del read the paper that the receptionist gave.
▬▬▬▬▬▬
[The Scamming Merchant] [Difficulty: Low-End D]
Osmond Menzie used to be a merchant that sells paintings and ancient furniture to the royalty of the Elbanian Kingdom. However, Osmond Menzie just sold a fake piece of art for 1,000 gold coins to Count Dela Rose.
The Elbanian Kingdom has ordered a punishment for the scamming merchant which is execution. Osmond Menzie was last spotted in his hideout between Alder and Midham. He operates with four of his bodyguard. Treat him with caution.
Appearance: Short stature. Brown Hair. Always wear a white robe. Wear a gold ring on his pinky. Have a beard.
Threat Details: Osmond Menzie is not a threat. The bodyguards are approximated to be around level 9. One of them is an archer. One of them is a mage. Two of them are knights. The mage Is known to cast deadly ice darts from distances. The archer can engage a distance below one hundred yards. The knights are just regular knights. Be careful of the mage.
Reward: 1 Gold Coin, 10 Silver Coins.
▬▬▬▬▬▬
Capítulo 15: Planning For Hunting Down Osmond Menzie
In the inn restaurant, Del was having his dinner after taking a bath from the nearest bathhouse. In front of him was Cole eating his dinner with such an appetite. Besides him was his Kar98 rifle loaded with ammunition.
"Cole, we need to form a plan," Del said.
Cole kept eating.
"I am thinking of attacking them from a distance. First of all, I really need to kill the mage first. After that, I will kill the archer. I hope you can deal with those two knights when I engage the ranged units. Do you have anything to add?" Del said.
Cole kept eating.
"Do you have any questions?"
Cole kept eating.
"Perhaps, you have any suggestion for me?"
Cole kept eating.
"I will also add that it will be a good idea that you act as my meat shield. I think it would be best for me if you distract those two knights that are highly likely to hunt me down first. I hope you don't mind," Del smirked.
Cole stopped putting food inside his mouth, "What? Are you crazy? Do you want to get me killed?"
"Well, you don't give me any input so I have to do what I have in mind. Unless you can give me a better input, I will force you to do what I'm planning to do no matter what the condition is," Del said.
"Alright, alright, let me think what I can do. Do you have any idea where this gang is located?" Cole asked.
"Finding them won't be hard. The road between Midham and Alder had little to no place to hide a little hut where Osmond is hiding. Besides, the only reason why he is not hunted down is that nobody takes that contract because the pay is simply too low for a D-rank adventurer," Del said.
"One gold coin is too low?" Cole asked.
"Yes, on average, a quest for a D-rank is ranging between one to five gold coins in reward," Del said.
"Really?" Cole asked.
"Yeah. I might be a novice adventurer, but I am more than well-aware of the payment of each rank," Del said.
"I see. Back to the main topic, I don't want to become your meat shield. I am an engineer, not a knight," Cole said.
"I think I still need to remind you that I own you. Anyway, I don't like to use the ability of the collar on your neck. Do you have any suggestion that will make sure that the enemies come after you instead of coming after me?" Del asked.
"Well, I think I can burn the grassland so that our enemies would be focused on running away instead of fighting us," Cole said.
"It would be a good idea if the fire wouldn't spread to Midham or Alder. However, in this season, I think you will accidentally create a wildfire that stretches from Alder to Midham. That's not a good idea," Del said.
"I think I don't have any choice, do I?" Cole said.
"I think so," Del smirked.
"Fine, I'll become your meat shield on one condition," Cole said.
"What's the condition?" Del asked.
"Give me your sword," Cole said.
"Fair enough," Del said.
It was the same cheap steel sword that he used to kill Alberto anyway. If Cole accidentally lost it, he could buy a new one as long as Cole managed to pull the operation without making any blunder. If Cole made a blunder, Del doubted that both of them could come back to Midham in one piece.
Still, even though Del wanted Cole to be a meat shield, he didn't want to leave Cole to death. He would still treat him if he became injured from the battle. After all, even though Cole was his slave, Del still considered him to be a friend that needed to be kept on a leash.
Del and Cole finished their meal. They went back upstairs to their bedroom. Del opened the metal box and put his Kar98 back into the metal box. He went into bed shortly after that.
"Del, where should I sleep?" Cole asked.
"Well, you can sleep on the floor if you want, but I think my bed should fit one more person," Del said.
"On second thought, I'll just sleep on the floor," Cole said.
Del threw a pillow to Cole, "If you want to sleep on the floor, just make sure that you use this."
"Thanks," Cole said as he laid down on the floor.
Del turned off the magic lantern that was hanging on the wall and he closed his eyes. It didn't take too long until Cole slept. It seemed that even an injured demon would require some sleep. Del eventually closed his eyes.
[Del]
"Yes?" Del opened his eyes again after seeing that screen.
[Why are you taking this demon as your slave? Won't he be an extra problem for you? He needs to be fed after all]
"I have one simple reason. I need someone who can back me up without asking me many questions. Cole also seems to be very educated although he is a moron in some conditions," Del replied.
[I see. Will you give Cole a gun?]
"For now? I think the answer is a simple no. I can't trust him for that matter," Del said.
[I see. Del, what do you think of demons in general?]
"They're just another race. I don't care about stereotypes of this world. If Cole proves himself to be a good man, I will trust him, that's all. He only needs to gain my respect," Del said.
[Are you scared of him?]
"No."
[Do you need anything else?]
"No, thanks for asking. Right now, I only want some sleep to be honest. Pidma, good night," Del closed his eyes.
[Good night, Del]
======
I'll post the continuation soon. Hopefully, in under 12 hours. Thanks for reading and have a nice day.
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