KDBookOnline
Share Us
“I think you’ll like the derringer. All right, since you’ve never been shooting in Dragon Heights before, our ranges are a little different. They’re magicked to limit possibility of injury. If the cartridge, after it has fired, encounters living matter, it will explode in a cloud of pigments. Think of it as a similar magic to what creates the true rains. It takes the kinetic energy of the round and converts it to a new substance. The cartridge itself has the pigments inside, and the magic takes the exterior metal of the round and converts it to the pigment material. It’s an instantaneous process. The rounds are expensive, but they’re worth it. Iron dragons, like myself, can revive the rounds after they’ve been fired, so they’re reusable unless they hit somebody.” Alastair led me to a single stall firing range suitable for an instructor and a shooter to stand in, and he pointed at the far end of the range, which had a padded wall. “That wall is made with a special foam that catches rounds without damaging them. It also prevents ricochet. The ceiling has the foam, too, and the last twenty feet of the stall has the material along with the walls.”
Nice. “All right, that is very cool. Do law enforcement use these rounds here?”
“They absolutely do; their pigment is designed to permanently stain, and the stains can only be removed by dragons of a certain color and skill. I hope you understand that I can’t tell you more than that.”
“Oh, I understand. Which weapon do you want me to try first?”
“Go with the derringer, as that one will likely accompany you daily.”
I placed the black, silver, and gold firearm on the sill, checked over the derringer for its round size, and checked the ammunition boxes until I found the appropriate one. At 10mm, the weapon would pack sufficient punch if I needed it, although with a two round capacity, I would have to take care with my aim. I loaded a round into each barrel, made certain the safety was engaged, and grabbed the earmuffs off the rack, waiting for the dragon to get ready. I waited for his signal before picking up the weapon, disengaging the safety, and aiming for the heart on the paper.
I squeezed the trigger, grunting at the startling amount of recoil, then reset, and fired the second shot. To my relief, I’d hit my target both times in the kill zone. I placed the gun back on the sill, took off the earmuffs, and waited for Alastair to do the same before saying, “That’s a nice little gun.”
“She is. Nice enough for you to be buying two?”
“Yep,” I confirmed. “The recoil was more than I expected but well within what I can handle.”
“Good. Give the Flamerunner a try.”
Only a dragon would name a gun model Flamerunner. Rather amused over the name, and that there were flame etchings in the barrel, I picked up the weapon, examined it, selected the appropriate ammunition, and filled the magazine. “Empty the magazine?”
“Yes, please.”
Thirteen consecutive rounds would be a good test of my basic skill and accuracy, which I assumed Alastair wished to test. After putting the earmuffs back on, I checked the weapon a final time. As I had no idea how much recoil the Flamerunner packed, I braced, took my time with my aim, and squeezed the trigger. In good news, I didn’t punch myself in the face with the firearm. In bad news, the recoil packed enough of a punch I might give myself a black eye if I didn’t take care with her.
Thirteen shots tested my strength enough I’d need to get in a lot of practice doing some lifting if I wanted to put her to serious use. While a few of the shots were wide, most were in the kill zone, and the others were close enough I accepted the inaccuracy with a shrug.
Once I took off my earmuffs, Alastair said, “Decent aim for someone who is rusty. Good adjustments after the recoil, but you’re going to have to work on your arm strength for her. Still, you did well enough, and arm strength can be improved with time and work. The next gun is a bit gentler than the Flamerunner, so you won’t have to work quite as hard.”
“Well, that’s good, because if she’s rougher than the Flamerunner, I’d have to pass after one round.”
The dragon chuckled. “It is good to know your limits.”
He opened the case, revealing a dark iron beauty of a weapon with a matching motif to the case. I whistled, admiring the artwork on the long-barreled revolver. “She’s a beauty.”
“She’s made by the same manufacturer of the Flamerunner, which is a joint operation between some iron, mercury, and gold dragons. The gold dragons can’t help themselves when it comes to making beautiful things, even weapons. The iron and mercury dragons had wanted the gold dragons to help with the financial elements, but it turns out the golds they brought in are as fixated on art as they are on accumulating wealth. They call this line Blazewing mostly due to the stylization of the art. Most of their lines start with Flame; they’re dragons and like fire, after all. But they got all artsy with these, not that I can blame them.”
“Isn’t the love of art more of a copper dragon thing?”
Alastair snickered. “The gold dragons have more than a little copper blood running in their veins, but yes, you’re right. These gold dragons tend to view anything beautiful as possessing great value, which plays well with their color’s tendencies. That means each one of these weapons is a piece of art, and each one is unique. They use the same design concept, but they’re all handcrafted based on the whim of the gold dragon doing the etching work.”
I foresaw the weapon costing me at least six or seven thousand dollars; considering the artwork, I expected to pay the full ten thousand for her. After putting the earmuffs back on, I braced for the recoil and the damage to my wallet, loaded the revolver, and fired.
While technically among the easiest of weapons to use, revolvers had a reputation of also being the hardest to aim. The gun delivered, and I adjusted my aim with each shot until I hit my mark by the last round. I’d need to work with her often until satisfied with my accuracy, but I’d be taking her home with me—and I’d dig out my old bank card if necessary to make it happen.
I checked to make certain I’d fired all rounds before setting her on the sill and taking off the earmuffs. “I’m going to have to take that gun home with me, Alastair.”
“You’ll have to put in the work to be good with her, but you did fine for being rusty. She comes with her case, and she’ll cost you nine thousand.”
I wouldn’t like it, but I could afford the nine thousand. “And the derringer and the Flamerunner?”
“The Flamerunner costs three thousand, and the derringer is five hundred.”
Goodbye, money. Once the gun was safely back into her box, I dug out my phone, used the bank app Cedrick had helped me install, and confirmed I had the money in the account. I’d need to pillage from my other bank account to make up for the loss, but I’d be able to pay my bills, feed myself and my pets, and do all those little things in life that needed to be done. “I’m going to need the best safe you have under three thousand that can hold up to twenty firearms, and I’m going to need a secure ammunition locker. I have a carbunclo, and I do not need nor want her playing with my firearms or ammo.”
“The safe will cost you a thousand, and the ammunition locker will cost two hundred. I can install both tomorrow.”
“I’ll make sure someone is there to let you in. The safe will need to go into my bedroom, and the locker can go into the hallway closet. It can either go on a shelf or onto the floor.”