[https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/b8928b4c-7c8c-4a12-b93e-10926162437e/dfn8oq8-1b71acb9-4df5-4faf-9b7a-1cbd94d7a8a2.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2I4OTI4YjRjLTdjOGMtNGExMi1iOTNlLTEwOTI2MTYyNDM3ZVwvZGZuOG9xOC0xYjcxYWNiOS00ZGY1LTRmYWYtOWI3YS0xY2JkOTRkN2E4YTIucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.N67wKza_LVwkjJ2qplqA1M2BlSzzStXTnA3mmg1nL5I]

Chapter 24: Quinta Essentia

Nelly and I planned to work on the items from my warehouse haul for the rest of the day. First, we repaired my percussion cap pistol. However, we argued and discussed different solutions when I complained about the reload time.

We considered attempts to construct a pistol with multiple barrels and thus multiple shots, though anything past three seemed unpractical. It didn’t differ much from just carrying around multiple guns. It didn’t fix the reload time either. And we weren’t satisfied with a solution that bypassed the problem. We wanted to actually solve it.

A flash of inspiration hit me. “Hey, Nelly. The elevator stores people and supplies for transportation, right?”

“That’s its purpose.”

“How about we make an elevator for my gun!”

She tilted her head in confusion.

“A miniature elevator, and instead of supplies, we store bullets.”

Nelly grunted in thought. “And instead of moving vertically on an axis . . . we can let it spin around its axis! That’s great!”

The main concept of firing bullets couldn’t remain the same as my old design. It stored Jade Mint that generated pressure for the bullets in the gun’s grip. But now we needed the grip’s space for springs that connected to the hammer and elevator, which we called cylinder to avoid confusion.

Caleb, a blacksmith, a mountain of a man, and Nelly’s best friend, helped us to forge a few cylinders. Though to the difficulty and the few time we had, he could only use regular steel. The other gun parts came from scrambling through Nelly’s personal storage and the items from the warehouse.

“Now, when you pull the trigger and the hammer slams, the springs automatically relocate the hammer back. And the cylinder turns to the next bullet chamber connected to the barrel.”

Not only did we now have more shots in a row, but reloading took less time because you only had to put new bullets into the cylinder instead of dropping the bullet into the barrel and stuffing it into the back.

However, this created a new problem. We still needed space for a Jade Mint cartridge that generated the explosive pressure we required to fire, and that’s when Nelly came in clutch.

“It’s like the difference between smearing Jade Mint on the skin and injecting it into the blood directly. Instead of separating Jade Mint and bullets, we can just combine them.”

So that’s what we did. Luckily, the same Mixture that Nelly called Rough Jade Mint also worked for this. We built a tiny cartridge at the end of every bullet, filled them with the powdery Mixture, and let the hammer knock against it instead of activating an unconnected cartridge that then pressed the bullet out.

It took some skill to work with such small parts, but it wasn't a challenge for someone who had worked with tiny gears before. As a nice side effect, the amount of Jade Mint could be precisely adjusted, and none was wasted.

And so it came down to that we—instead of repairing my old pistol—ended up building a new model.

We tinkered through the whole night. Nita and some others came around to pay a visit, but since none of them were interested in our work, they left after confirming my well-being.

Nelly and I tested a lot until we found the right amount of Jade Mint for the bullets. The firepower was even slightly stronger now, and with the black steel, the barrel could withstand it. Sadly, we couldn’t find a way to fit more than six bullet chambers into the barrel without wasting space or thinning the bullets.

“So we call it spin-elevator pistol then, huh?” Nelly nudged me in the side with an elbow. Her bloodshot eyes drew dark circles, begging for rest.

I scoffed. “Nah! Let’s go with self-loader.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “But you still have to reload the cylinder yourself!”

I grunted.

“How about matchlock? From flintlock,” she asked.

I gasped exaggeratedly. “Don’t compare our baby with such an old geezer!”

She chuckled. “Aren’t you a tad too young for children?”

“Oh, definitely. But no one’s gonna take my passion!”

We laughed.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Let’s see. With the previous suggestions eliminated, the only characteristic left is the six bullets.”

“Whatever, then we’ll go with six-bullets.” I shrugged.

“But that—oh! Let’s go with six-shooter!”

—

Since we had worked on the gun all the time, we didn't have any left to work with the rest of my haul, so we postponed that for the next time. The next day, at the big breakfast with over 100 people, William gave a short speech. Tomorrow at sunrise, the mission would start, final changes of the groups and task distributions were communicated, and cheers were said.

Lush and Wyn came to me simultaneously afterward, which started a strange atmosphere.

“Oi, Hercu, you haven’t forgotten that you owe me something, huh?” Lush rubbed his fingers to gesture, rolling a cigarette.

Wyn eyes me with a raised eyebrow.

I took out some Jade Mint I had taken from the warehouse and threw it to Lush. “Not Miru’s but still a great quality.”

Lush caught it and inspected the cartridge with a grunt. “Lookin’ fresh, but I still want some of the good stuff in the future!” He flailed with his hands, and a glow flashed in his cracked green eyes.

I turned to face an annoyed-looking Wyn. “Dad, send me. Any more deals you have to go after before we start?”

“I’m good to go. Hit me with some knowledge.” I walked to where I had seen the duels yesterday.

We stood among many others that sparred. Bored to no end, Wyn gave me a brief explanation about something called Quinta Essentia. It seemed of utmost importance, but it felt like he skipped half of what I was supposed to hear.

Apparently, the Quinta Essentia, or Light of Nature, enables witchery. Every living being had its own Light, which also functioned as the life force or soul or something like that. The power it contains, similar to the mer-beads, determines type and strength.

“And this is where all sorts of Jade Mints come into play. They can change and enhance someone’s Light if controlled correctly,” Wyn said.

“So I just have to train this . . . Light of Nature and become stronger, no? I’ll just blast a few—”

“Think about it.” Wyn held a hand up.

“From nothing comes nothing. If you want to build muscles, yes, you have to train.” He patted his defined chest muscles.“But you also have to eat, sleep and hone your mind. Don’t you think so?”

“I guess.” I shrugged. He sounded like a different person when he explained.

He reached an arm out, palm upward. A tiny ball of wind appeared out of thin air.

“Now, if we apply the same to the Quinta, of course, you have to train it.” The ball grew to the size of a fist and became unstable, with arches jutting out of it wildly. “But you also have to feed it, give it rest, and most importantly, not let it corrupt you.”

The ball's surface changed to a clean energy sphere, reflecting our surroundings.

“That means you can’t just feed your Light a ton of Jade Mint and expect to gain unlimited power, alright? First of all, this is where the side effects will hurt you depending on how much you overdo it.

“Second, certain thresholds exist. It won’t suffice to just use Jade Mint forever. At some point, a Light needs to evolve, grow to the next level, if you will, to expand its capacity.”

“And that's what the mer-beads are for?” I asked, glancing at my arm.

“Yes, though not something you need to worry about.” He nodded at my arm. “You already experience a lack of control, don’t you?”

I nodded reluctantly.

“While Jade Mint overuse mostly attacks the body, mer-beads attack your mind. They’ll drive you insane. It’s a mystery to me how you can still think clearly with that gem in your hand, but be certain that even if it occurs slower to you, it will break you if you don’t improve fast.”

I took a long breath and pushed all negative thoughts away. “Alright, then, let’s get to the part where I learn how to improve!”

“Yes. Close your eyes and focus on your Light. Imagine it in your body. How it breathes. How it lives.”

I did as told. I pictured it like the sphere Wyn had held in his hand.

Wyn’s metal feet clanged closer to me, and a coldness touched my stomach.

I flinched back and stared at him. “W-what -a-are you doing?!” I blushed in anger, raising my fists up for a fight.

He tilted his head. “I’ll determine which element your Light contains, of course.”

“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “Give me a warning beforehand next time, yes?” I dropped my guard.

“Yes, yes. You think I’m keen on touching you?” He rolled his eyes.

I closed my eyes again and imagined the sphere of light, his palm resting on my stomach.

“It’s similar to focusing on your heartbeat. Just imagine it as a part of you,” he said.

Indeed, I could feel something. But it felt shallow, incomplete. A light spherical cloud twirled above my belly button, though I couldn’t tell if it had a color.

Wyn grunted. “Focus harder. Picture details.”

I tried to imagine a more precise form, something beyond a haze.

Suddenly a bright blink sent me away from my stomach and straight to my hand. A clean purpure marble resided inside it, and a flow connected the two spheres.

Wyn’s hand twitched. “What the hell?” He grabbed my hand.

The subtle stream from the cloud to the marble sucked the light out of the cloud, slowly feeding the marble.

“I don’t understand,” Wyn muttered. “Why do you have two? And even more concerning, why is your hand’s Quinta consuming your main one?”

“Is that . . . dangerous?” I asked.

He stuttered. “I don’t know . . . I guess. If your Light extinguishes, so does your life. But in that case, would you survive because of your hand? Or not?”

“So I’m dying?!”

He clicked his tongue. “I don’t know, relax! I’ll try my best.”

Minutes passed before he finally talked again.

“Alright, I think the Light in your hand is Static. Did you perhaps use lighting before?”

“Sort of. But what’s with the Light in my stomach?”

“Sorry, Hercu, I can’t tell. Honestly, it’s weird that you can even stand here.”