Journey of a Blacksmith MAGNUM

Ive been on the wagon for about 15 minutes now…

Im bored!

Im so bored!

I know better than anyone that leaving the wagon is a bad idea.

but still!

Im so bored!

Well, I might as well take a look at what the hell is wrong with , no use wasting time…

{

const M, const EE,

const CHANNEL

node ElemE : FIRE

node Mana

node FlameBolt = CHANNEL.

FlameBolt.

minor {

node flame = release.((ElemE : 2) + (Mana : 5))

}

minor {

node StoredMana

node ReleasePoint

cycle (StoredMana) {

ReleasePoint.release(StoredMana)

}

}

}

Hmm…

Maybe I wrote wrong?

Let me check…

{

const M, const EE,

const CHANNEL

node ElemE : FIRE

node Mana

node flame = Channel.release.((ElemE : 5) + (Mana : 2))

}

No, Im sure I wrote it right…

I have no idea why it doesn work!

Do I just have no talent?

No, that can be.

I may not be Sexta, but Im still the young master of the Paprika clan.

That has to count for something!

I can figure this out!

Probably not inside here though…

Antonia has been really good to me, I can burn down her wagon.

Or can I?

”Hello! ”

Geh!

Theres a really carefree looking guy getting into the wagon.

He has short tidy hair, and looks extremely average in every way.

HIs clothes don seem to be anything special, though they look like some kind of uniform, but I don know anything about it.

”What are you? ” I blurt out the first thing that I think of.

Damn this guy scared me.

Maybe it was for the best?

The guy gulps, and simply sits on the opposite corner to me.

How rude.

At least tell me your name or something.

A palm-sized girl comes out of his shirt and glares at me for a second, before hiding back into it.

Thats a fairy.

…

This guy must be some kind of genius.

The hell is he doing here?

I haven heard of anyone else in Epice having a fairy other than Sexta, and none of the geniuses of the Walkman expanse that I know of should even care about this place.

Unless Brutus the moonlight valley impaler or Urza the unrivaled strategist somehow got, not only into Epice, but all the way into Paprika.

I seriously doubt this carefree guy is either of them though.

So that means an unknown genius just came to Paprika and decided to take a random caravan?

Whatever, I probably can understand what goes on in the mind of a genius like that.

Sexta always did a bunch of incomprehensible stuff, she was always going on about beans and whatever other nonsense.

Wait.

I think Ive seen this guy before…

Hes the one who bumped into the disciple a moment ago.

Theres no way a genius would just trip into a girl like that.

Maybe hes also some sort of pervert?

I can blame him for trying to get a feel of the girl, we have similar goals after all.

Wait, no, that girl was a disciple from the clan, shouldn I do something about it?

**** and sexual assault are bad things…

I did benefit from it though.

I don want to make a scene just before leaving Paprika, so Ill leave it at that.

After a moment, a girl wearing scraps also enters the wagon.

Shes a redhead, not very tall, and doesn seem very well fed, she also has a very thick black collar on her neck, but the rest of her clothes just seem to be whatever scraps she could find, definitely not anything decent at least, it barely covers her chest and butt.

Shes clearly a slave.

Im not in a position to judge the guy for having a slave, most of the servants in the clan are also slaves after all, but he could at least feed her well and get her something to wear.

Its the basics of the basics…

Anyway.

Following that line of thought.

Wouldn a slave be an easy way to ** whenever I want?

It certainly seems like it…

…

Ill pass.

Having someone who will just do anything I say sounds boring, Id probably fall asleep if I spend too much time thinking about it.

Talking to other people, having to do things on my own, and irresponsibly forget important information as I please!

Thats what I want to do!

A slave would just get in the way.

I look at the slave girl sit next to the guy, and not make eye contact with me.

How awkward.

Hmph, if these clowns don want to talk, then thats fine with me.

Now, how can I use ?

If I continue casting it like that Ill just end up blowing my hand eventually.

What other options do I have then?

The first thing that comes to mind is to forge an artifact, maybe some sort of armor that can absorb the blast?

Or maybe I could draw the spell in talismans?

The main difference between the two is that a talisman is single use, they
e basically a magic circle drawn on top of a piece of paper, while an artifact will last for as long as its properly taken care of.

Now, forging an artifact is significantly harder than drawing a talisman, its also more expensive, and it requires some tools I don have any access to for the moment.

I can draw a talisman whenever, but it requires some special materials too, Ill need a special type of paper and ink, if they cannot hold mana then the moment I stop touching it itll stop working.

For example, the table Bartholomew drew the magic circle in, that would technically be an artifact, but if I wanted to throw it at someone, the spell would end since I wouldn have any way to keep supplying it with mana, thats why talismans need a way to store mana in them.

And sure, a single talisman is cheaper than one artifact, but they
e one use, so the cost eventually builds up.

Maybe if I hadn lost most of my money it would be more viable, but as of now, I don have enough money for this…

Damn, what now?

I could try using …

As Im thinking over my options, someone else gets in the wagon.

Its that Timotei guy, he sits in a corner on the same side as me.

Its getting kinda cramped now.

”Hi! ” Antonia waves at us from outside the wagon. ”Thats already everyone, so well be leaving soon! ”

I nod.

She winks and gives me a thumbs up, then leaves.

I can feel my heart beating faster, and I smirk to myself.

Im finally leaving Paprika.

I feel like singing and dancing!

Of course, Im not going to do that, but Ill enjoy the smirk, I don get those very often.

After a moment, the wagon starts moving.

I look into the entrance of the wagon, and I see the walls of Paprika becoming smaller and smaller.

I did it!

* * *

Im bored!

Its great that I managed to leave Paprika and all, but weve been peacefully making our way through the road for a few hours now.

The sky is already orange…

Nothing has happened…

”Monsters! Well need some support! ” The mercenary lady loudly yells.

Finally!

Timotei is the first to leave the wagon, being closest to the entrance, but I quickly get out after him.

*pa! pa! pa!*

Antonia and the mercenary lady are fighting 2 fungi tortoises and a giant locust, the characteristic sound of fungal monsters of multiple sparks going off can be clearly heard.

Fungi tortoises are about as big as a goat, their entire shell is as hard as steel, and they can shoot a laser from their mouth, their bite isn to be underestimated either.

I gulp, I had a really bad encounter with one of these when I was a kid.

I have absolutely no idea what the big locust is though, Ive never seen or heard of anything like it being around Paprika, but its about as big as the fungi tortoises, and it has big human teeth.

So cool.

I notice a shadow over us, and notice a group of 3 nimbus eagles hovering over us.

The wingspan of a nimbus eagle is as big as Im tall, and they
e absolutely strong enough to pick up a human.

They can handle any punishment though, one of them should die with 2 or 3 uses of .

Antonia and the mercenary woman should be able to handle the fungi tortoises, especially if Timotei helps them, so Ill focus on the nimbus eagles.

It may not be very strong, but excels with long range targets!

I take a deep breath, and point my finger at one of the eagles.

”! ” The carefree guy extends his arm, and shoots a lighting bolt that kills all 3 eagles in an instant.

What the hell?…