Jake had asked Mike to find some smith’s and alchemists to help with the training of the people Jake had brought with him, but Jake clarified they needed to learn their trades through adversity. Jake emphasised that they should not be spoon-fed information, but rather learn their trades through adversity. Then he asked for Mike to look after the training to make sure it goes smoothly.
Jake stood looking at his enemy and the latest battle Jake won over its need to force people to sit and use it. “I won, you piece of shit. You think you can force me to sit? Not anymore. You have lost the war, so just retire to the depths of this ring.” Jake put the cauldron into his storage ring, then pulled out his blueprints, which were returned some time during Jake’s training.
“Okay, so it’s time to give this the old college try.”
Jake pulled out the materials needed to create three impulse engines and forged parts starting with the casings then moving onto the more tricky parts Jake failed to get the fuel system right five times before finally it just clicked into place the first engine was done and it only took a month and ten days. Surely the next one wouldn’t take Jake as long to complete. Spoiler, it did, and Jake hated that fact. It seemed his new method of forging had some kinks that needed ironing out. On the third and final engine, it only took Jake one month to complete. As jake got used to his forging method, there were some good points such as being able to see the item at its full size but a con is the fact the system doesn’t help fill in any blank spots Jake might have about the item Jake had to know every detail before he forged otherwise the item would fail and jake would be left with scrap.
Now that Jake had made the engines he now started on the airframe and armour plating the little runabout was taking shape it looked a lot like a door stop with stubby wings and a glass canopy Jake made two rotary cannons and built the into the wings with an ammo box located behind the pilot’s seat the only thing left was the controls and for that Jake was well and truly out of his depth he needed to find Mike to see if he knew a person who could help.
Jake was surprised that the runabout actually worked when he put it into his storage, and then he left to find Mike. He first went into the cottage, but it seemed that the only ones in there were the group he brought with him. Then he walked down a trail towards the new construction site and asked around, only to be met with suspicion. Jake kept going till he saw someone he recognised. “Estella, you wouldn’t know where your brother is, would you?”
“Just down the path in the building on the right, his in a meeting at the moment. Is there something I could help you with?”
“Maybe I need someone with a good understanding of building flight controls.”
Estella looked around then in a loud voice that drowned out all the construction noise said, “we need a tech specialist to assist the founder of the demon’s hand mercenary group. Do we have any volunteers?” To Jake’s astonishment, only one person put up their hand walking to the front of the pack. "What’s your name?” Estella asked, “Harry sir and I’ve got a good understanding about computer related items.”
“Good, you will go with the founder here and don’t fuck up.”
Jake looked at the man, then turned around and walked back to the cottage. Once they were there, Jake pulled out his prototype runabout the man looked at the little ship muttering the word how. “How, what is there a problem with my design or something?”
“No, no, I was just wondering how you managed to store it in a storage ring. As far as I know, no one has accomplished that before.”
“Well, maybe it’s because it’s not finished.”
“No, that’s not it. I identified it, and it’s already recognised as a runabout. On that note, what is a runabout?”
“A runabout is a small ship that is used for zipping from one place to another, but this one also has two cannons in each wing. It’s almost completed, but it’s missing the flight controls.”
“Would you allow me to make some blueprints of the design? I think this will be of significant benefit to us.”
“Of course, once we complete it, we should hand over the plans to Erica so she can make a decision about them.”
“That’s fine. I will again to that shall we get started. What do you need my help with?”
“I need to figure out a way to contact up the flight system with an appropriate control interface. My particular method of smithing doesn’t allow the system to assist me, so I need to do it all.”
“Does your method still allow for the system to operate as the wired interface or as a circuit board?”
“Yes, it’s just that I need to know how the circuit is supposed to work first and how it would connect without the system before the system will allow it to work. My biggest problem is that I don’t understand how the circuit works to begin with.”
“I can give you a simplified version of a circuit that should help you out a lot. A mana current in a circuit transfers energy from the storage device to the circuit components. No current is ‘used up’ in this process. In most circuits, the moving mana particles are negatively charged and are always present in the wires and other components of the circuit. Then, multiple circuits can connect to make a whole with the input of the system. So I’m assuming that if you can understand this, you should be able to make a basic circuit that can run a light. I think it would be a good idea to give that a go.”
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Jake pulled out the materials he needed and began to work on the mana light. Jake was working on his light when suddenly it lit up and he got a notification.
New skill
Circuitry apprentice (unranked)
Learn the secrets of how technology works at a much improved rate.
“Thank you. Shall we continue? How do I make a circuit for a simple flight control? Let’s say a side stick with roll and pitch, possibly even yaw capabilities with a trigger to fire the cannons. Then all I will need after that is the system diagnostics screens and the target model to aim the weapons. Then this thing is done.” Jake said as he installed the light just behind the pilot’s seat.
“Well, that control interface should be simple enough, but you have forgotten one more thing.”
“What is that? Wait, let me think I have control and the weapons. Oh, I need to regulate the speed of the main engines and the lifting thrust.”
“Got it in one. Let’s get started on that first. Do you already have a design for how you would like that to work? It seems you have three main engines at the back, if you don’t mind me giving an idea I always wanted to try.”
“Go ahead, what’s your idea?” Jake said
“By splitting the main engines up into three different controls, the in atmosphere performance might be increased.”
“It won’t hurt to give it a try but there is one thing I will add the lifting thrusters instead of having them on a different control maybe we have them one could say slaved to the main thrust controls so if you are asking for full main engine thrust you won’t be wasting mana on the lifting thrusters they will just shut off, that does mean taking off will be slower but once in the air the slow take-off will be negligible to the performance gains in forward speed.”
“That’s a good idea. I like it. It will also save on complexity.”
Jake and his new fellow enthusiast of new ideas, Harry, worked together on the little runabout for two days, connecting all the individual systems. Harry even squeezed in a very weak shielding generator. It wouldn’t protect the runabout from re-entry, but it would give it a chance against small arms fire and the like. On Harry’s insistence, Jake performed one last test on the runabout and stored it in one of the storage ring that Jake received when he requested materials. It stood with no issues, only that it took up 90% of the storage space available. This was just more exciting to Harry, who now insisted on working on blueprints together. Jake didn’t find any issue with this and additionally asked for a copy to be made for him to take back to earth, as they both realised that mass-producing this ship could enable every member of a fighting force to have light air cover constantly. Harry was so happy that he even gave Jake pointers on how to make blueprints, giving Jake yet another skill to his ever-growing list.
New skill
Skill (blueprinters apprentice unranked)
You can produce blueprints at a rank level of unranked.
To create blueprints, it required a constant stream of mana and a clear understanding of the item you wish to design.
After completing the blueprints, Jake said, “Would you like to give it a try?” With a grin,
“Not until you do this thing haven’t been flight tested yet,” said back holding in a laugh
“Alright, I will be the guinea pig for you.” Jake said before getting into the cockpit and closing the hatch.
“Well, Jake, is this where you die from your own creation?” Jake pressed the big red button that said start on it and a nice quiet hum ragout from the engine Jake then flick the safety latch off of the throttles and knocked them into the first lift stage activating the lifting engines which then hovered the runabout at a steady three metres off of the ground Jake then nudged the throttle forward just a little around 2-3% moving the runabout forward at a good pace once Jake had cleared the tree line he pushed the throttles up to 20% he was forced back into the seat as the little runabout shoot off into the distance at a speed equal to that of around 60% of the top speed of the shuttle Jake knocked the speed back to 10% which brought the speed back down to a manageable level where Jake put the little ship through its passes he kept this up for two hours then he turned on his landing lights lighting up the forest beneath him as he came in for a landing reducing the throttles back down to 3% then into hover mode and finally to the deactivated position the runabout reduced its height till it landed safely on the ground. As the canopy opened, Jake looked around at the now larger crowd than when he left.
“Mike, Estella, what brings you out here?”
“We came out to see how you were going, only to find you were testing an unproven design. Why didn’t you come get someone to test it for you instead of risking your life like that?” Estella said in an aggressive tone
Jake yelled back “because it’s my fucken design, that why and if you don’t like it, you can fuck right off. I thought highly of you before, but now you are nothing but a hindrance to me, so fuckoff back to your little camp.”
Estella was about to say something else when his brother grabbed him on the shoulder and said something that Jake didn’t catch
“Sir, I will take my leave.” Estella turned around and walked off into the darkness of the night.
“I’m sorry for my brother’s antics back then. He just takes his role as the camp’s protector seriously.”
“That’s all well and good but, what is our motto?” Mike stared blankly at Jake “let me guess you don’t know. Harry, can you answer the question?”
“Yes, I can, freedom through adversity.”
“That’s right. Do you think that your brother may have just tried to break that key part of my mercenary group? I give everyone the freedom to make their own fucken mistakes, even the Opportunity to get themselves killed as long as they make that decision themselves that also includes anyone that joins any group within the umbrella of the mercenary group. So what’s your answer?”
With a dejected look Mike said, “yes sir, my brother broke the fundamental position of the demon’s hand mercenary group.”
“Good. Now that we’ve sorted that out, would you like to give it a try? After Harry, of course?” Jake said, looking over at the man looking into the cockpit with a grin. “Harry, I’ve got to tell you something before you fly. The Maximum percentage I got the throttles to was 20% if you are going to test it above that, remember we don’t know the hull strength yet it might just break up on you.”
“Yer, I’m not doing that if you tested it at 20% that’s as gar as I’m going. We will leave the higher speeds to someone else.”
“Okay then go ahead, just watch those split throttles your idea works.”
Jake watched from the ground as Harry took off at a speed that was much quicker than 20% engine power. “I think he may have slipped with the throttles.”
The only thing that could be heard in the runabout’s cockpit were Harry’s terrified screams.