Note: This is a rewritten chapter from the original story, occurring before the events of Traitor of the Abyss

 

“Hey ████, what are you doing?”

 

“Hey Nicole, just working on something.”

 

It took a while but I finally got permission from the local guild. That Johnston guy let me borrow the local forge. I have to admit, this place was certainly overwhelming initially but I think I got used to it. Now it's time for me to make the weapon that I’ve been excited about recreating ever since I came to this world.

 

While sketching out the blueprints Nicole walked in. 

 

“Umm… ████, what is that?”

 

“This? It's called a charging handle. You pull it back and it loads a round into the chamber.”

 

Nicole looked at me with a puzzled expression. Guess it makes sense, none of these words would make sense to anyone in this world, there were even some adults in my old world that did not understand how these work.

 

I grabbed a nearby piece of paper, written on it were some mock blueprints I had drawn so I could attempt to make some ammunition.

 

“Alright Nicole, look at this. This is called a cartridge, or a round.”

 

“Oh, that looks complicated. What does it do?”

 

“Well, you see this tiny piece right here? That is called the primer. Whenever it is hit quickly it will create a little spark.”

 

“Huh… that's cool.”

 

“Yeah, it is. See these little dots? That's called gunpowder. When the primer creates a spark the gunpowder will explode.”

 

“Wait, then isn’t that super dangerous?”

 

“Yes, and also no. The explosion is not that big and most of the force is redirected due to the outside metal here, the part called the casing. That explosive force then forces this part, the bullet, to go flying out super fast.”

 

“Huh… that's pretty cool!”

 

I feel like a majority of it went over her head, To be honest, I don’t quite understand the entirety of it myself. Sure yeah, I know all the parts that make up a round, but I don’t know what makes up those parts. I don’t know how to make the gunpowder, nor how much to put in. After all, if I put in too much the resulting explosion could blow up the entire gun and that would be incredibly annoying, not to mention dangerous. Too little, and the bullet won’t have the velocity or force that I want it to. And the shape of the bullet, the size of the casing, all of that need to be factored in and could affect the performance.

 

Not to mention the gun itself. I was hoping I could make a semi automatic rifle, but even making a bolt action would have its challenges. The extractor, magazine, trigger mechanism, hammer, and the rifling. How am I supposed to even attempt a decent barrel rifling?

 

I could attempt to make a musket or a black powder rifle, just place in the gunpowder and then a steel ball after, and that should be good. Ah but then the issue with the flint and ignition line or whatever that's called. This is a pain, it seemed so much easier to make a gun in my books…

 

“Hey Nicole, are you going to return back to the orphanage?”

 

“Huh? Can I not stay here?”

 

She looked at me with a sad gaze, it reminded me of my old dog when I told him he couldn’t have another treat. I really should send her away, but…

 

“Alright, you can stay.”

 

“Yay!”

 

Just like with my dog, I relented.

 

“Just, please be careful. Last thing I want is for you to hurt yourself.”

 

“Okie!”

 

Nicole Nicole Nicole… I have already been in this orphanage for about two years now. In that time I have watched this village remain pretty much unchanged. Aside from watching the kids in the orphanage grow up, it feels the exact same as the day I first came here. I have to admit, it is nice. 

 

Nicole was the first person I met, and I guess you could say the first friend I gained in this world. Initially she kept her distance from me, I guess probably because I was a boy who kept talking about things that made no sense. Haha, I actually started getting a reputation in town because of it.

 

Recently though, she’s been really kind. She actually started sitting next to me during lunch instead of next to Ms. May. She has certainly been making every day just a little bit better.

 

I wonder… if I had her before all this, maybe things would have turned out differently…

 

Oh well, that's another thought for another day. 

 

“Hey ████, can we go out and play?”

 

You know what, A break doesn’t sound that bad.

 

“Sure, let's go. Hey Mr. Johnston! I’m going to leave the forge now, I’ll be back in a bit!”

 

“Alright! Don’t forget to turn off the fires!”

 

I wonder what is going to happen to this forge after I leave. The blacksmith that used to run it left years before I arrived, and when Johnston first let me use it the whole place was a dusty mess.

 

“Alright Nicole, do you have anything in mind?”

 

“Oh! Let's play tag!”

 

In an instant I tapped her on the arm before bolting in the other direct

 

“You’re it!”

 

“Aghh no fair!”

 

Nicole was a beastman, naturally she was faster than I was and as such she loved to play tag. I needed every advantage I could get.

 

“████! I’m gonna get you!”

 

Quickly I could hear her approaching behind me, the sound of her feet hitting the floor grew louder and louder, but I think I have a good idea on what to do.

 

As soon as she got close I grabbed onto a nearby fence, using the momentum to spin around it and turn the other direction.

 

“Woaah, ah! you can’t run forever!”

 

Nicole, who was running towards me as fast as possible, didn't notice me grab onto the fence until it was too late.

 

Since she was running so fast she couldn’t stop and turn around quickly, which just ended up buying me more time.

 

We continued this game of cat and mouse, taking turns chasing each other. She played fast while I played tricky. 

 

“*pant pant*... happy Nicole?”

 

“*pant pant*... yeah, that was fun.”

 

Eventually we were both completely exhausted. We were lying on the dirt ground, completely wiped out. Tag is a childish game, but I had fun. I… I truly hope these days never end.