Bookworld Online: Marsh Man

It took us two hours to design what I envisioned. I recalled how my little ship was so easy to handle and wanted that kind of versatility. I also wanted the weaponry on it. It was a single person operation, even if it did take a bit of time to stop driving and reload the ammunition. We fixed that problem and put the driver inside and had the weapons arrayed around the chair in easy reach.

The next problem was that the movement enchantments I used were only good in low resistance areas, namely water. I remembered launching various boats out of the water and still moving, though. So, we changed the keel and the flat bottom design to have multiple wheels. They were on swivels, so when the movement enchantment took me right, the wheels would turn and let me go right.

We set up the weapons to have two each in front, on the sides, and on the back. But, that wasn't enough firepower for most attacks. We designed a square box that could hold nine normal Kracken Tubes and their ammunition and mounted it on a pulley system. The driver could load the nine of them in a few seconds, hit the release to shove the thing up to the roof, then shoot all nine.

Once we figured that part out, we scrapped the other weapons positions and replaced them with boxes. Why have two large shots in a direction when you could have nine? The problem would be ammunition, so we cut the size of the ammo down to half-size and only 2 feet long. It would mean more enchanting work on the ends, just for the different kinds of effects I wanted. It also meant less penetrating power.

“Why not add a single full size one to the top? It'll only be a one shot until you reload it from outside; but, you'll have a nice penetrating shot and you can pick up the ammo as you pass. Or make new ones.” One of the men suggested.

“That's a good point.” I said. “We can add a small cabinet and fill it with enchanted coins that are ready for use on new ammo. It'll save on reloading time later, too.”

“If you're doing that, why load by hand at all?” Another man asked. “If you made a feed system like the logs at the lumber mill has, you can pull a lever and have four logs drop into the shooting thing at a time, then have at it.”

“Show me.” I said and he did. I looked at the drawing and actually laughed. “You just made what should be fun, into a party!”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Let's change the design again and incorporate this and change out the standing box launchers into four barrels instead. It should free up a lot of room for more ammo reserves and I won't even have to get out of my chair to rain destruction down on everything.”

The men cheered and we worked for another hour making corrections and adjustments for the new feed system. We had to strengthen the wheels and put them on tension bars, like a carriage with three split axles, and that would make the ride a lot smoother than the solid design we had before. Six independent wheels might have meant more breakdowns, if we hadn't decided on coating the wheels with metal and thick leather straps wrapped around them like a sword hilt.

When the design was done, we all stood back and stared at the thing. It was a monstrosity. An angled box to deflect direct hits all over, four port holes for weapons on the front, sides, and back, the nine shot launcher that only dropped down to be refilled, and two long barrelled Kracken Tubes on the top on either side of the nine shot launcher.

The only weak points were the windows in the front, sides and rear for me to see and shoot. I would be covering them with enchantments, so no one was going to see them anyway. As far as anyone outside would be concerned, it was going to be a large weapon platform coming at them. Assuming they even realized what it was before they died.

“We can make the wheels and the main body before midnight and we can finish the rest tomorrow.” I said and they agreed. We got to work and a few of them hummed as they created the parts of the very first mobile weapon of war to be constructed for only war. It had no other use than to take the fight to the enemy.

At midnight, we packed up and covered the work with tarps to protect them, then left notes to not to use the parts we set aside and needed. I bid the men goodnight and went inside the Sanctuary. I wasn't the only one around doing things late at night as a few people greeted me and I waved, to show off my returned fingers. They smiled and waved back enthusiastically, wished me a good night, and went on their way.

I went back to my rooms and the healer sat there on her bed in the side room. She watched me intensely as I stripped off and I went into the bathroom. I wasn't surprised when she followed me and kept watching me while I bathed myself all over, then I stood up. She made a little sound that I didn't recognize and her hand twitched.

I ignored that reaction, assuming she had witnessed a personal maid at some point, an dried myself off. She stepped back and let me pass without delaying me, and she could have. Then she followed me back to my bedroom and to the bed. I climbed in and she looked a little lost as she stood there.

“You're married, aren't you?” I asked her.

“Yes, unfortunately. He's a bastard and doesn't touch me anymore. I gave him two children, just because I wanted to have someone pleasure me at least a little. I regretted it both times.” She admitted. “I love my children and they are all I live for.”

“I'm starting to really hate contracts.” I said and my magic flowed out.

“Ohh... that... how can...” She stopped talking and looked hopeful. “My lord, can I... will you...”

I held a hand out to her and she practically jumped across the room and landed on the bed. She crushed my hand to her breasts and my magic flowed out and filled her up as it merged with hers.

“OHHH!” She yelled and had a very strong orgasm. She rolled onto her back and didn't try to climb under the blanket with me. She did keep a death grip on my hand, though.

“That wasn't enough?” I asked and she shook her head. “If you try to harm me, the gentleness will become hurtful.”

“Of course. I won't break my vows.” She promised and moved my hand over her breasts. “I'm just ensuring your hands still work after you broke the bones and then regrew the missing fingers. It's going to be a very enlightening report to the medical staff.”

I gave her a look and she smiled as she rubbed my hand over her nipples to make them pop out.

“Your hands only need another hour or so of testing, my lord.” She said and closed her eyes as she pretty much used my hand as it if was hers. “I really shouldn't be doing this.” She whispered.

“No, you shouldn't.” I said. “Do you want more magic?”

“By the Son's Light, yes.” She whispered and then moaned as I filled her up again. I actually felt her surprise when I kept my magic there and it didn't retreat or grow weak. She moaned and clutched onto my hand as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

She stayed like that all night.

In the morning, I had to carefully pull my hand out of her grip. The blankets were soaked from her reactions and I was glad she hadn't tried anything except pleasing herself. In that respect, she was much more accomplished than Victoria and her teasing behaviour. This woman made sure she got off and didn't try to take things past holding hands.

That she moved my hand over her own chest and I didn't participate in that, except by not pulling away, had given her the thrills that years of married life had apparently denied her. That made me think about all of those poor women stuck in loveless marriages and how repressed their sexual urges were and how jealous they must have been that their men had personal maids to take care of them.

It was no wonder why when I appeared in their lives, they couldn't help themselves. Their own society rules had denied them from enjoying themselves until they completed their family obligations, then they were locked into a contract until either the husband dies or his family shuns her and disgraces her.

There wasn't anything I could do for the majority of them, mainly because I was much too late to stop their contracts or to nullify them like I did for Jinelle. Now that I was thinking about her, I needed to apologize for how I treated her. I hadn't been myself mentally and I had lashed out without considering the consequences.

I would debate later if I should return my magic to the child, though. My view on it destroying everything it touches was still a valid one. It would be a heated argument, even with only myself as the sole arguer. I also still had to find and confront the cause of all of this mess, too. I felt a twinge from my magic and it gave me a distinct feeling of where to go.

I couldn't leave yet, not with more work to be done. I dressed in work clothes again and left my rooms to head down to the woodworking shop. The crew was back there and they greeted me with enthusiasm. I thanked them for ignoring breakfast for now and they said they ordered meals to be brought out in a few hours. I clapped them on the back and we got to work.

The meals were brought out and dispersed, a few of the men kissed their women, and we all sat down and ate. The meal went quickly, since we were all eager to get the thing built and tested. We went back to work and made everything that it would need.

We made the parts, the ammo, the mechanisms, the offensive and defensive enchantments, the metal armor pieces for the outside, the protections, the weight cancelling enchantment, and anything else we could slap onto the thing, including the six part mage shield. It was much more powerful than it should have been, because I was, too. In fact, all of the enchantments made the thing glow slightly when we were done.

“By the Father's Grace.” Someone whispered. “It's finished.”

“Yes, it is.” I said as lunch was brought out to us.

“What in the hell is that thing?” Dana's voice asked as she entered the workshop.

I turned to look at her and she looked 'a little worse for wear', as Gary would say. “You look terrible.”

Dana huffed and walked over to me. “You look even better than you did before.”

I reached up with my full hand and cupped the side of her face. “I'm almost completely restored.”

“Only almost?” Dana asked.

“It only helped me regress my mental state to be more stable. It didn't fix my emotional problems, just the physical ones.” I said.

Dana nodded. “Feeling better does help, so that's not a surprise. I don't know what to do to fix your emotional problems, though.”

“I do. It's living long enough to get to her that's going to be a problem.” I said. “She knows I'm coming for her and will be ready.”

Dana nodded again. “Until you can confront her, I'll repeat my question. What the hell is that?”

I turned back to show her. “This is the first mobile weapon platform in the fight against the enemy.”

“Did... did you say the first?” Dana asked, a little nervous.

“We've automated as much of it as possible.” One of the men said. “One man can load everything and one magic user can drive and fire everything.” He looked at me. “Our lord can do it all easily, which is why we made this one a little smaller than the full sized ones.”

“It's ten feet wide, twelve feet long, and eight feet high!” Dana exclaimed. “It's as big as a carriage and a horse combined!”

“It doesn't need a horse, thanks to our lord giving it the full movement enchantment that everyone has been raving about.” Another man said. “My lord, are you going to test it out?”

“Perhaps.” I turned and looked at Dana again. “Tell me about the Eastern Empire scheme and how the police are dealing with it.”

Dana sighed. “I really shouldn't.”

“Now you have to.” I said and pulled her into my arms to kiss her.

Dana hugged me tightly and kissed me back, then she broke the kiss and shook her head. “You can't bribe me with your body like that.”

“Do you want to come along and watch me wreck the army garrison in the next town?” I asked and she gasped. “I doubt they've changed their minds about not supporting the mages guild, even with it gone.”

“You... you really...” Dana looked at the armored box in front of her. “Will it work?”

“Have you seen the army boats on the water?” I asked instead.

“Yes, and they are quite fast.” Dana responded.

“Quadruple that and we're also moving on land.” I said and pointed at the independent reinforced metal and leather coated wheels that were hidden underneath the armored skirt.

“Oh... that... you could...” Dana shook her head. “They would never react in time.”

“No, and I can stay well outside their own range and light them up on fire or blow them up.”

“Your immolation potion.” Dana whispered.

I blinked my eyes at her, then I smiled. “Boys! My very smart girlfriend has just given us a new ammo type! Potion tipped projectiles!”

The boys cheered and quickly started to make some and sent a runner into the Sanctuary to gather up several crates of them.

“That... you really didn't think...”

“We're sometimes too busy to think about more than what's in front of us.” One of the men said as he and the others worked like machines to make dozens of hollow-tipped projectiles with a little hole in them for the potion vial to be inserted. They were quickly added into one of the feeding racks and the crates were deposited beside where the driver sat.

“That really is a great idea, Dana. Thank you.” I said and kissed her.

“Mmm.” Dana moaned a little. “David, are we really...”

“You took the two days off starting now, didn't you?” I asked and she nodded. “Then we'll make a date out of it, only we'll do it in the next town. After we wreck the traitors.”

“YEAH!” The workmen yelled and cheered.

“My lady, allow me to assist you.” I said and took her hand and opened the small side door behind the driver's seat.

Dana smiled as she accepted my help and I handed her into the vehicle. “What do you call this thing, anyway?”

“I thought Mobile Weapon Platform was fine, then the guys put that thing in here.” I said and pointed to the back at a very large metal circular thing.

“What is it?” Dana asked as she sat on the crates.

“A tank full of number ten potion.” I said and she gave me a surprised look. “Can you guess what they call this thing now?”

Dana laughed at the simplicity. “The Tank!”

I nodded and sat down in the driver's seat. “Hold on, this is going to be weird at first.”

Dana grabbed onto my shoulders and I activated the enchantments. Cheers came from outside and I waved at them through the front window, then I turned the tank towards the large bay doors. I drove us towards it and activated the forward 'push' enchantment and it slammed the doors open, made the men cheer again, and I zoomed out and around the Sanctuary.

Clapping and more cheering came from the people there and the guards on the new gate opened it for us to leave. I activated the 'ignore us' enchantment and a horse and carriage passing by us didn't even notice as we came out and turned down the road at a faster speed than a carriage could manage.

“I think I'm falling in love with you.” Dana whispered as the tank increased speed.

“I haven't fired any of the weapons yet.” I said.

“I think you've fired your own enough to qualify.” Dana joked and then she laughed.

I couldn't stop my smile and nodded as I drove on and out of the capital city.