Chapter 382 — Into the Depths of Shadow
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Fortress of Defiance, the southern sector.
The magic crystal lamp set at the end of the corridor was still working. Its bright, unwavering light drove the darkness from the passage and eased Sojilin's mind a little.
The magic crystal lamp before the Shadow Testing Ground served not only as illumination but as a "detection device." It drew its power from a special cluster of arcane-network cells, and those cells bore runes sensitive to abnormal surges of magical energy: the instant the ambient mana concentration shifted, the cells would burn out and the light would die with them, giving any search party that came after advance warning. The light was still burning bright, which at least meant that during the two days Sojilin and his people had been away, no abnormal magical surge had occurred in this area.
In the exploration of ancient and mysterious ruins, the thing to fear most was running into ancient magical mechanisms still in operation, or mana-beasts drifting through the rubble. Sojilin's caution was a lesson summed up by countless adventurers at the cost of their lives.
"All normal. No abnormal mana." A Steel Ranger warrior confirmed through his detection goggles that the area beyond the light was secure, then reported to Sojilin.
Sojilin nodded. "Set up an emergency defense point. Prepare to open the door."
Some of the soldiers at once pushed several large crates they had hauled all this way up beside the isolation door. These crates bore weight-reducing runes and carried mana capacitors built solely to power those runes—they were the "transfer crates" the machinery works used for hauling heavy materials. Once opened, the components awaiting assembly and some curious pieces of equipment were at once laid out before everyone's eyes.
Sojilin bent down before the crates and let his fingers brush lightly over one of the larger pieces.
It was an odd device with a grip, its main body formed of two opposing U-shaped metal rails; behind the rails sat a sealed steel "box," and where the rails joined the box, faintly glowing magical runes could be seen. The grip was set at the middle of the rails, while at the front and rear ends there were, respectively, a handhold and a shoulder rest for additional stability.
Sojilin knew that unlike the standard-issue equipment Cecil currently produced along the lines of "mass-produced, cheap, simple," what lay before him was a weapon built with cost all but disregarded. It had been forged by the finest master craftsmen of the domain and an ancient magister working side by side, using the highest-quality base plates the rune foundry could presently supply; the "energy cassette" at the rear of the rails even employed second-generation mana capacitors still in the testing stage and produced only in small batches; even the acceleration array along the rails was a specially designed product. And all of it served a single requirement: to create a rail-accelerated cannon that one man could carry.
But Sojilin knew something else as well: every cheap, mass-produced piece of standard equipment had begun as an expensive experimental model like this one.
The more data the Steel Rangers gathered in use, and the clearer and more effective the improvements they proposed, the sooner this expensive weapon would become a cheap industrial product.
Normally, even with a mature concept, turning a product from blueprint into reality took a long time. But thanks to the tireless efforts of Mr. Nicholas Egg, Sojilin had been able to obtain several samples ahead of time on this second expedition.
"Three to a team, one launcher per team," Sojilin began assigning the soldiers' equipment. "Follow the plan as before: one launcher with two escorts. The shield guard raises the barrier; the marksman provides cover with light weapons. Whatever you meet in there, you stay calm—don't forget, you are the finest Steel Rangers in this land, and soon to be the finest in the world!"
"Yes, sir!"