The Arcane Cannon: A New Weapon Against the Holy Knights

Thomas departed the Blackrock Pass Fortress through the teleportation array. Upon his return to Evernight City, he immediately convened his research team.

Together, they sprinted to the Magic Crystal Workshop. The workshop glowed with bright lights, where Dwarven artisans stood, their faces etched with worry as they encircled a pile of magical arrow shafts.

Fernando clutched a battle-axe, his face flushed with rage, his beard bristling and eyes wide.

“These human allied forces are far too arrogant!” Fernando fumed. “Yet, here we are, stuck crafting these utterly useless items! They can’t even pierce through their armor!”

“Exactly!” another voice chimed in. “If only they’d let us on the battlefield, we’d guarantee one axe-blow for every Holy Knight!”

A young Dwarven artisan, standing nearby, brandished his hammer, his face a mask of indignation.

“Stop shouting!”

Upon hearing this, Fernando delivered a light slap to the young artisan’s head.

“Even on the battlefield, we must obey the Demon Lord’s commands!” Fernando asserted. “Our mission as Demonic Dwarves is to forge the strongest weapons, not to act recklessly! But now, we can’t even craft usable weapons, and it’s truly infuriating!”

“What the devil, why are these invading humans so incredibly well-equipped this time? Even our magic-crystal-embedded enchanted weapons can’t make a dent!”

Just then, Thomas, accompanied by a group of mage researchers, burst into the workshop. He nearly collided with a troglodyte artisan who was diligently moving metal ingots.

“Elder Fernando! We have a monumental task for you all!”

“Hmm?” Fernando’s eyes lit up, instantly catching sight of the blueprints clutched in Thomas’s hand. “Are we finally crafting more powerful magical arrows?! I’ll get to it immediately!”

“Not magical arrows!”

Thomas spread the blueprints across the forging table, his finger tracing the intricate sketch of an arcane cannon.

“We are going to build an arcane cannon!” Thomas declared. “The kind that’s a hundred times more potent than any magic missile!”

“An arcane cannon?” Fernando murmured, leaning closer with a puzzled expression. His calloused fingers traced the intricate diagrams on the blueprint. “This contraption looks quite complicated. What exactly is its purpose?”

“It’s specifically designed to counter the human Holy Knights!” Thomas explained, swallowing hard. “To shatter their infernal turtle shells!”

“The Demon Lord himself stated that ordinary magic missiles are either purified or simply lack the power to breach their defenses,” Thomas explained. “This arcane cannon doesn’t fire physical projectiles.

“Instead, it compresses and accelerates pure magical energy, launching it at immense speed and density. It’s designed to directly punch through their purification defenses!”

He gestured to the acceleration track and the focusing device depicted on the blueprint.

“However, the critical elements lie within these two parts,” Thomas elaborated. “The acceleration track must be forged from mana-conducting metal and intricately engraved with compression magic arrays.

“The focusing device, on the other hand, requires a core shard of Evernight Crystal to prevent the energy from scattering.”

“This will demand your Dwarven mastery of forging, combined with the mages’ precise inscription of magic arrays!”

“Hold on, hold on a moment, young man,” Fernando interjected, a bewildered expression on his face from Thomas’s rapid-fire explanation. He raised a hand and waved it gently before Thomas.

“Slow down! What’s this talk about an acceleration track, and engraving compression magic arrays?”

“Yes, Thomas, please slow down,” another researcher added.

Interrupted by Fernando, and with other researchers echoing the sentiment, Thomas finally realized his own over-eagerness. The surrounding Dwarven artisans were all exchanging confused glances, their faces etched with bewilderment.

He scratched his head sheepishly, then cleared his throat.

“My apologies, Elder Fernando,” he said. “I was far too hasty.”

He took a deep breath, then offered a simpler explanation.

“Simply put, our current weapons are incapable of breaking through the human Holy Knights’ formidable shields,” Thomas clarified. “Therefore, we must forge an entirely new weapon! What I just described to you is the fundamental concept behind it.”

This time, Fernando understood completely, summarizing it in a single, concise sentence.

“So, you’re saying this ‘arcane cannon’ you just spoke of,” Fernando began, “can truly help our lads on the front lines shatter those Holy Knights’ stubborn turtle shells?”

“Yes!” Thomas affirmed, nodding vigorously. His chest puffed out, standing ramrod straight. “These are principles personally proposed by the Demon Lord himself!”

“Good!”

The mere mention of the Demon Lord personally proposing the principles ignited Fernando’s spirit. He slammed his hand onto the forging table with such force that the tools resting upon it rattled and jumped.

“We Dwarves were born to forge divine weaponry!” Fernando declared. “Since we cannot be on the battlefield ourselves, then let us craft a colossal weapon for the front lines—one capable of turning the very tide of war!”

Having spoken, he immediately whirled around, shouting to the Dwarven artisans behind him.

“Brothers! Stop looking so glum!” he roared. “We’ve got a monumental task ahead of us!”

“The Demon Lord wants to build an arcane cannon, specifically designed to deal with the human allied army! He needs us to forge the acceleration track and the focusing device. Do you have the confidence to achieve this?”

“Yes!”

The Dwarven artisans roared in unison, their previous frustrations instantly replaced by a surge of fervent enthusiasm. They began rubbing their hands together, their eyes gleaming with raw excitement. The mages, too, exchanged knowing glances and nodded in agreement.

“Thomas, young man,” Fernando called out, “just tell us directly what materials you require!”

Fernando rolled up his sleeves, revealing his sturdy, muscular arms. “Currently, our storeroom is stocked with mana-conducting metal, Evernight Crystal fragments, and Mithril ingots. Use anything you need!”

“If that’s not enough, we’ll simply melt down all the spare parts we’ve crafted previously!”

“Excellent!” Thomas nodded. “I’ve already made my plans. First, we’ll need ten three-meter-long, high-purity mana-conducting metal tubes.

“Their inner walls must be polished to a perfect smoothness and then intricately engraved with compression magic arrays.”

“Next, we require a half-meter diameter Evernight Crystal core shard to serve as the focusing device.”

“Oh, and furthermore, we’ll require a substantial amount of magic crystal conduits,” Thomas added, “along with alloy supports capable of enduring high-intensity magical energy!”

“No problem at all!”

Fernando immediately issued his commands.

“Old Joe,” Fernando instructed, “take two people to the storeroom and retrieve the mana-conducting metal tubes. While you’re there, melt down all the spare parts to refine high-purity mana-conducting metal!”

“Bill, go retrieve the Evernight Crystal core shard. Be extremely careful not to chip or damage it! The rest of you, come with me. We’ll forge the alloy supports and engrave the magic arrays!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Dwarven artisans immediately sprang into action, each of their hands shining with a strange, eager light.

The workshop instantly erupted with activity, filled by the rhythmic clang of hammers and the roaring inferno of the furnaces.

Thomas, too, wasted no time. He moved to the forging table, grabbed a charcoal pencil, and began refining the blueprints alongside the other researchers, muttering to himself as he sketched.

“The magic arrays on the acceleration track must be engraved every ten centimeters,” Thomas murmured, “to ensure uniform compression. And the crystal shard for the focusing device needs to be meticulously polished into a parabolic shape, so the energy concentrates into a single, potent beam.”

After Fernando finished directing the artisans in melting the mana-conducting metal, he noticed Thomas and the others with furrowed brows. He immediately approached them, his curiosity piqued.

“Thomas, young man, why the troubled expressions?” Fernando asked. “Are there still issues? Is the engraving of the magic arrays proving difficult? You can rest assured about our Dwarven engraving techniques; they are absolutely precise!”

“It’s not an engraving issue,” Thomas replied, shaking his head. “It’s a problem with the power system. According to the Demon Lord, the arcane cannon will require an enormous amount of magical energy, and it needs to complete both compression and acceleration in a very short timeframe.

“I fear that relying solely on Evernight Crystal might not be sufficient.”

“While the Demon Lord did mention we could appropriate purified energy elixirs and leyline energy,” Thomas continued, “we still need to devise a temporary conduction apparatus to channel a greater volume of leyline energy directly into the workshop.”

Fernando, ever the professional artisan, merely stroked his beard thoughtfully after hearing the explanation. He pondered for a brief moment, then spoke.

“That’s simple enough!” Fernando declared. “We can utilize magic crystal conduits to draw energy directly from the nearest leyline node to the workshop. We’ll just add a few magic power regulation valves along the way to precisely control the energy output.”

“Really?”

Thomas’s eyes widened with renewed hope.

“That would be fantastic! If what you say is feasible, then the power issue for this rush production will be completely resolved!”

“A minor matter!”

Fernando thumped his chest proudly.

“Don’t underestimate us Dwarves! We’re not just skilled blacksmiths; we’re experts at modifications like these too!”