Eodem: A Rifle and Sword Adventure (Complete)

Chapter 65: Rangers vs Rangers

"No, the Rogue is right." Archmage Sellyine entered the room. She promptly approached the table and began to examine the alien device with just her two eyes alone. In all of her long decades of service, she can attest with absolute certainty that the device shown to her is non-magical in nature.

"Does any of you have any Breastplate Armor I can demonstrate to you?" the Crow Master asked. "I know how to use it."

One of the guards unbuckled his armor from his torso and gave it to Mita, she immediately then placed the Breastplate aside on an empty space within the room and cleared everyone and everything away from its vicinity.

"Behold! The Invader's Power!" she held Samantha's pistol in one hand, remembering the triggering mechanism's similarities to her Dwarfen Handbow. With a simple squeeze, she released the trigger. Firing three times towards the dummy Breastplate. Each shot pierced the Armor leaving a hot piping entry and exit cavity in their wakes. It was as if the steel was made from the softest of butter.

A loud bang echoed inside the room, its reverberation echoing through the cracks of the aged fortress. Some of the Scholars and even Faithleann, Findrum, and Huguet himself covered their ears as the sting on their heads slowly subsided from its singular oratory shout.

"That... that was definitely one of the weapons the Demons used to kill many of us!" Faithleann easily affirmed. He could never forget the roar that thunderous wand sang out. "Such Unholy Power!"

"Not power, not of magicks, as I said... this 'Metal Wands', this 'Thunder Wands' or whatever we or they call it... was made by hands alone. But of great... if... not... exceptional craftsmanship. Just like my Handbow or the Cipazlish Crossbow. Metal Crafting! That not even the Artisans of the Keelan's can compare." Mita explained, her mouth throttling with every revelation she shared to her peers. "Such weapons, of smoke and thunder, weapons that need kill without skill, without Magicks, without honor."

"And these 'Wands' are equipped by All of the invaders?" Valorion turned to Huguet. "That it was simply just... made? Put together like some kind of cog work... contraption?" he asked.

"These 'Guns' as the Invaders call of their weapons are just as created like it, if not more powerful than what I brought before you." Mita could only hesitantly nod. "With all of these Weapons, such 'Dishonorable' tools of war brought them victory against us. And, to share my wisdom in all of my Years as the Crow Master, 'For in Victory wipes away all Dishonor.'."

None could believe such apocalyptic divination. Weapons that can destroy so much, with so little.

"Nowhere is the part, at least for me I would quip with something witty in all of this. Just as little Street Urchin's like me would know." Mita snickered. "Believe me, or don't, but this 'Wand' here... this tiny little piece of metal that shot through that Breastplate as it wasn't even there? It is their weakest of their many weapons."

"How did you even managed to steal one of their weapons Crow Master?" Huguet asked.

"I was lucky, to say the best I can speak off milord. When I had faced off against none other than the Share-Holder herself, who was the former wielder of this Wand!" Mita announced.

"Divine Fire and Waters!" Faithleann gasped. "This weapon was once wielded by the Corrupted One?"

"Yet how does that explain the other greater feats the Invaders used to decimate us?" Valorion asked. "My fleet was bombarded by Javelins of Light by them before I reached here."

"But just another of their weapons. But I can say, and may Aralaya cut out my tongue, that these 'Javelins' you speak of, they come from the Steel Cloud. It thunders great flocks of Dragons from its mouth. Or should I call it by what the Demon's Tongue call of it. A 'War Ship'." Mita attested, dread flocking into her heart.