Repaying a debt - by Baroncoon

Life had finally returned to normal in Navan. With the havoc of the Day of Dye and with most people becoming used to the presence of a Khetnir living locally, people once again started settling back into something resembling a routine schedule at their homes and tower houses.

Marik Kain, a young Khetnir who had come to Navan after his elder brother had cheated him out of most of his inheritance, was starting to get used to life on a farm. He had a small poultry concern, and had even managed to sew a small crop for what few animals he had on ‘hardscrabble farm’ as he called it. This was due in large part to Alexandra Kanaris, a youngish Khetnir woman who made her living as a hunter and trapper.

The eldest daughter of a local farmer, Alexandra had helped get the derelict old tower house Marik had inherited habitable once again, taught him about the local culture, and had even convinced her younger brother to teach the foreigner how to cook on open fires and with charcoal ovens.

The hardest part of Marik had been getting used to the local culture. It had have seemed strange to the foreigner from Nemacian colony to the north at first. Women ruled the home and commanded the army. Men and women were expected to serve in times of war. Men who wanted to could take part in politics by right; women could as well, but they had to succeed by merit. Each gender had a sphere of power that acted as a check and balance against the other.

That said, he had gotten used to it quicker than Alexandra or any of the other locals had expected.

With Alexandra’s help, he had become almost independent, and even found time for his passion – tinkering in his workshop. He had made a name for himself, and a fairly secure living, by fixing locks, replacing springs in old muskets and converting flintlocks to the newer percussion caplock mechanism. In what little spare time he had, he worked on a personal project.

It took several months for him to finish it. He smiled happily as he handled the completed weapon. He would finally be able him to repay Alexandra for all the help she had given him.

He found her at the nearby road side market selling the meat and pelts of the animals she had shot earlier. Her long, old fashioned, jezail musket lay on top of the pile of pelts behind her.

“What in seventeenth hell’s in that you have there?” asked Alexandra as Marik approached.

Marik smiled. “A gift for all the help you’ve given me. And something that will make your life as a hunter easier I’d wager.”

Marik guessed that Alexandra appreciated that he was trying to repay her, but she really didn’t seemed all that impressed.

“Looks kind of short… not sure if it has the range I need.”

“Rifles don’t need to be long to be accurate. Even I can hit a bucket at three hundred yards with a rifle. Think of what you could do!”

The world wise woman was warming to his contraption, but she still had concerns.

“How do you load it?”

“It’s a breech loader that works much like a door bolt. In fact, that is what gave me the idea.”

He sat down next to her and continued. “All you do it pull back the cocking piece like this… then open the bolt like so… insert the cartridge here, close the bolt, and push the cocking piece forwards, then you’re ready to fire. Simple!”

“Simple he says…” said Alexandra to no one in particular as she uncrossed her legs and got up onto her knees to get a better look at the weapon.

“I call it a needle rifle, as the firing pin is basically a long needle. It punctures the paper cartridge and hits a fulminate pellet at the rear of the cartridge, which ignites the powder. I’ve got several spare needles. They are somewhat brittle, and are exposed to the exploding powder, so you will need more than one. Fortunately, they are easy to replace, just unscrew them from the cocking piece like so, and replace with a new one”

Alexandra was having trouble keeping up. She had only ever used flintlocks, and had never even seen a caplock until Marik turned up in town, and now the boy had made something that looked like it could have come straight out of the latest ‘science fiction’ novels that were all the rage in Amantil.

“How well does it seal? I’ve heard bad things about breechloaders.”

“Oh, I’ve seen to that! It has a number of rubber rings in the bolt face. When you fire, the gasses force the rings to expand, thus sealing the breech… I’ll admit that they need fairly frequent replacement, but you can also use leather rings. But leather isn’t as good as rubber…”

Marik handed over the rifle to Alexandra. It was well made, with brass fittings. It had a beautiful walnut stock, and the metal had been given a deep blue finish. There was a small compartment built into the stock for spare needles and gaskets, and adjustable sights on the barrel.

Alexandra smiled as shouldered the weapon. It was a lot handier than her grandfather’s jezail, and it didn’t weigh any more than it either! The action was easy to use, and with practice she would be able to fire perhaps six or seven rounds a minute, possibly more. And the sights were far superior to anything she had ever used before.

“So… what do you think?” asked Marik .

“I think I need to give you some appropriate payment for this” she said slyly.
    
Marik never had time to say “but it’s a gift, remember?” Before he could finish his sentence she grabbed him by one of his horns and pulled him in to kiss him.

After several moments, she came up for air. “Also, call me Alexa.”

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After I get the other current commission I am waiting on, new art in my gallery will probably become scarce after for who knows how long. Some bean counter's decision cost my my job. :/

Oh well. I am not between a rock and a hard place. But looking for work in my state's current economy isn't really worth it. Hopefully something will come along in the future after the state election.

Any way, I really love this piece! One of my all time favorites thus far!

Art © Baron Engel

Species and characters © lavabat