He looked across the road at the rapidly approaching mount. Each step was as loud as the beating of a hard drum. It could have been the Kurla the groom had told him about, although he couldn't make out many details as it passed him at lightning speed. He had already had the opportunity to see them up close, but at the time they were just animals drinking from a trough. This creature, which had not interested him, now intrigued him.
"The seller said it was fast, but I didn't expect it to be this fast."
"For your information, it was going almost ninety kilometers an hour."
If it wasn't galloping, it was likely to be even faster.
He asked Ragul.
"What do you know about Kurlas?"
"A western plains mount, they are not very strong animals and with a little strength they can be easily restrained, but they are very difficult to catch. The hassle of maintenance and their stubbornness make them an expensive mount."
"What else?"
After pushing his memory a little more, he spoke again.
"They usually traveled alone on the plains and were known for their loyalty to their rider, who would throw them off his back if someone else got on. According to the groom, if you don't give them enough attention, they can lose their scales early in winter and freeze to death."
"That's all I remember. He liked to talk to me in the evenings at the inn."
He paused for a moment.
"You know what? I'd love to travel the world in one before I settle down."
He did not detect any regret in her voice, even though it sounded like a sad truth.
"What stopped you?"
"I don't know, I guess it was life itself. Life is not so rosy if you're not a hard nut to crack."
He added with a small smile.
"I'm not quite the right size to ride either.."
Understandable for someone like Ragul. Chester thought he was taking the easy way out, but he was fine with that. Even though Ragul had given some details, he wanted to know more and he knew where to get it.
"Mag, spill it."
"You just silenced me, and now you want information from me?"
"You're the one who stole the soul of that animal in the barn with your big eye. You certainly know more than me."
"Okay, boss, no need to get angry. Here's what I can tell you from what I've observed and scanned. It builds and releases each stride like a spring, with his rear tendons stretched in a bow, so it transfers power directly to the ground. It's back line is muscular and narrow, evolved for speed and unsuitable for a second person. Its skin, or rather its scales, do not appear to be for protection. They are more like a kind of biological radiator that manages the animal's body temperature. And in case you haven't noticed, its phenotype is similar to the velociraptor."
"What, the scales are for heat conduction?"
"Yes, and according to my analysis they are quite well evolved. In early spring, they shed their old scales and the new ones are shiny, light and whitish. They expel heat quickly. By autumn, the animal increases the nutrient supply to the scales, turning them into heavier, darker, more substance-dense scales."
"I thought the losing scales was an exaggerated story by the groom. Wait a minute, how did you get this seasonal information?"
"We are in the intermediate season and it is not difficult to see this change in the scales that I have observed. Also, these old scales are not flexible like the new white ones; they are more rigid, so there should be some reduction in speed. But it is necessary for survival. The head is almost hammer-like, but aerodynamic, with an extra flat and hollow bony structure. It looks defensive and offensive. Its eyes are forward-facing, probably from a predatory species."
"Now you learned all this information just by looking at the animal for a few minutes?"
"-What a stupid question- Yes, unlike you, I have more time to think and analyze. By the way, I learned something else while it was running."
"What's that?"
"At high speeds, it opens thin slit-like organs on the sides of its body. It seems to channel air through these wind tunnel-like openings, pumping oxygen directly into its blood."
"She knows so much. Enchanted companions are truly amazing, they must have cost you a fortune."
"You bet."
He was not wrong. None of this would have happened if he had never worn the armor. After a bit of a quiet ride, Chester wanted to check his weapons. An automatic weapon with armor-piercing ammunition and a sword seemed to be enough. There was no need to take the forest bandits and creatures alive. Lethal force would do the job, but the idea of making a sword, which had seemed like a good idea on the way here, didn't make much sense after his fight with Haldy.
As good as he was at close-range combat, his sword training was almost non-existent. The few moves he knew were sword lessons from the military academy. The chances of beating a swordsman without a clear advantage were slim to none. After some thought, he decided that it would make more sense to use the sword for defense. He already had a weapon. The next problem was that the barrel of the gun he now carried was the length of the palm of his hand. While it was easy to conceal and use in the city, on the open plain and in the middle of the road, its range and accuracy would not be good. In the forest, however, there was no problem, since visibility was not that good.
"We have to do something about the range of the weapon. It could be a problem in the future."
"Hello? You're the one with the arsenal."
It was enough to make another weapon, as Mag had suggested, but a bigger weapon would attract more attention. It was also short enough for him to wield it comfortably with one hand, which meant he could hold the sword in the other if necessary.
"I'm talking about simpler solutions like an extended barrel."
"Or, more interestingly, we can integrate the ghost barrel into your weapon, but you'll have to change your ammunition and sacrifice a little bit of penetration, of course."
"Ghost barrel?"
"One of the military projects that was completed but never materialized because of the price."
"An experimental technology? Why not."
After waiting for a while, he spoke.
"So come on, what are you waiting for? Tell me, do I have to ask you more?"
"If you say please, maybe I'll tell you."
"If you don't want me to poke your eye out instead of poking it this time, talk."
"You don't know how to have fun either, anyway, the ghost barrel is basically a technology that uses airflow to maintain range and speed as if the barrel of the weapon were longer, without extending the barrel."
"It was predictable from the name and what I wanted from you. Tell me more about it. I know you like to be a smartass."
"Of course I like it, but I'd like it better if I didn't tell you. But there's nothing to do."
"Now I could give you a two hundred and thirty-six page seminar, but since you have upset me, here is the gist of it. When this specially designed ammunition is fired, the compressed gas mixture in it, unlike the propellant gas during the explosion, disperses at the corners of the barrel, and when it approaches the end of the barrel, it exits before the bullet at a right angle parallel to the barrel at high pressure through the discharge channels made for this special gas. When the bullet exits the barrel, the explosion, which provides the propellant, travels through the short-term air tunnel created by this gas mixture, allowing the explosion that propels the bullet to remain undispersed for some time. No matter how much barrel length is saved, the cost of the ammunition increases, as does the cost of the weapon. In addition, using normal ammunition also reduces the muzzle velocity due to the added channels."
It was quite interesting and a good engineering solution, but...
"It's clear why it was canceled. It's easier to add a long pipe than to create munitions with a whole new gas dynamic. But let's do both."
"Because why not."
"That's right, when we pick up Semder in the village, his belongings will be moved to the wagon anyway. Maybe we will have time then."
Ragul was trying to understand what Mag and Chester were saying. To him, what he heard was nothing less than black magic.
A few hours later they came to a fork in the road. He guessed it was the road to the village mentioned. They left the stone road and turned onto a dirt road. They drove past fields that had turned yellow and were being harvested. Ragul was drenched in sweat as they emerged from the shade of the trees into the blazing sun, while Chester was comfortable in his full suit of armor, thanks to his heat regulators. Even though he was still in a safe zone, he kept one hand on his gun and did not stop observing his surroundings. In the vast open terrain, the chances of an ambush were slim to none. The objects behind him were constantly banging against each other, creating a strange sound of wood scraping.
"The rope on the furniture must have come loose. We have to stop."
There was no point in stopping for such a small problem.
"You drive, I'll tie it again."
"We have personal belongings in this wagon, Tersan will kill me if she sees me letting you in."
It was absurd, he could already see what was inside when he turned his head, but it was probably because there were valuable things hidden in the furniture.
"Then give me the reins, I can drive for now."
Ragul handed the reins to Chester and was able to pass the wagon, although his huge body barely fit. Chester had lied. He had never even ridden a horse before, he was just holding the reins, hoping the animals would follow the road.
Mag was teasing him in a low voice, sarcastically giving him some tips on how to drive. The roads were flat and the animals were calm, she said, repeating that there was nothing to worry about.
Tersan was yelling at Ragul, they were arguing over the furniture.
"I told you! We should have gotten a better rope. Nothing will be intact by the time we get there!"
"Calm down! It's just a loose rope. Nothing to worry about."
She was clearly pessimist. After helping for a while longer, Mag turned her eyes to Ragul to analyze the argument. After a while more of this pointless argument, Ragul finally finished the job and took the reins from Chester.
"I'm sorry. My wife tends to get flustered."
"It doesn't matter."
"By the way, Chester, why don't you take off your helmet? It's so hot outside, you must be sweating."
His hair was still black under his helmet. He could make something off for the moment, but sooner or later he'd have to take his helmet off in front of them.
"Don't worry about me, it keeps the sun off my head. But you could use a hat."
"Ha! You are right, how nice it would be to cool off in the shade. But we have a long way to go, we have to keep going."
Before he even finished the sentences, Mag had already dyed his hair, just in case. He didn't know what color, but it didn't matter. He was supposed to keep his helmet on until the dye dried. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to wash it.
Mag was talking quietly.
"I think I've done a very good job, but you have to wait a little bit to see, it's still early."
"I don't care if my hair is pink. As long as they don't see me and go on a witch hunt."
"I wish I had thought of this before."
They passed under a stone arch. It looked like the entrance to the village. They had stopped the wagons in the village square as they passed by one-story adobe and wooden houses that seemed on the verge of collapse. They were just in front of some shops. Ragul got out of the wagon and told his wife to stay in the wagon. Chester followed behind him. There was no one outside except a few creatures he guessed were livestock. They were walking on a road covered with dirt and bushes.
"We stopped a little too far away."
"His house is not on the path. But we are close, Semder's house is just behind those trees."
A little further on, all he could see was an incredibly small makeshift hut in the middle of a garden.
Ragul shouted in a loud voice, calling for Samder.
After a while, a creature resembling a black salamander with yellow spots arrived. It was almost the same size as Chester, with jet black eyes looking at Chester and Ragul. Because of its facial features, it always seemed to be smiling, but the clothes it was wearing were very battered and smelled strange. He opened his mouth to say something, but he said nothing, his lips moved but no sound came out.
"It seems to be he is emitting an infrasonic sound. It's quite normal that you can't hear it. I'm not sure if Ragul can hear it, but I don't think so."
Then, to his surprise, he ran hut and came back.
Now he was wearing a necklace made of a strange mineral. It looked like a heavy stone the color of amber.
Once again he was speaking, but this time he could perceive what was coming out of his mouth.
"Sorry, I forgot my Echlit stone. Anyway, welcome! Please come in. Go inside and rest for a while, I'll be right back."
"Thanks Samder, but let's go now. I can't leave my family and the wagons in the middle of the village. Are your things ready?"
"Not really, but give me a few minutes and I'll be right back."
Samder had gone to his hut to pack his things. Meanwhile Ragul was sitting on a stone waiting for Samder.
"I'll be right there, just in case. You understand."
"Uh, yeah, behind that rock looks good."
Chester had moved behind the rock he had pointed to, now he could organize his weapon.
"I don't see anything physiologically need with my sensors, but whatever you need to do, I'm not looking."
"I didn't come here to take a piss you idiot, hurry up and let's take care of this gun."
Mag changed the eye and turned it into a mechanical arm. Changed the barrel while Chester held the gun, making the necessary changes quickly. Chester removed the new ammunition from the focuser and threw the old ones on the ground. He made four sixty-round spare magazines and put them in place.
"Now that we've done that, let me check my hair."
Chester took off his helmet and looked at himself in its reflection. It wasn't very clear, but he could see that his hair was a silver color.
"Of all the colors, you turned me into an old man?"
"Come on, you're acting like it."
Actually he was.
"What do we do if they think I'm an old extract human?"
"I guess the reflection is not that good because your hair is a mixture of moss green and silver. So you don't have to worry about that. You look - RIDICULOUS - pretty cool."
"Anyway, do I have to wash this?"
"No, you don't."
He wondered if there was anything extra he needed to do. There probably was, but he couldn't think of it right now.
"Then let's go."
By then Ragul had entered the hut and was helping Semder. Chester had also entered the hut to look inside.
Apart from two wooden crates and a toolbox, he had not much else. After filling a wicker bag with metal tools from home, the hut was almost completely emptied.
"Nice to meet you, by the way. Mr-"
"Just call me Chester."
"Chester, what an interesting name. Are you from the North?"
"No, I have another job on Mount Razgar. But I'm competent, you don't have to worry."
"Without a doubt, your armor is amazing."
Ragul easily carried the crates on his own, Semder carried the straw bag on his back and Chester walked beside them. They were in the square again. Ragul's children soon woke up and went with their mother to draw water from a nearby well.
After unpacking, he had the opportunity to see Tersan carrying a huge barrel full of water with his children in tow. They were all small, names were Ar, Ul, and As. They would spend most of the journey in the back of the wagon, while Tersan and Semder would use this wagon. Chester and Ragul would ride in the front wagon. If there was a problem, Chester would go ahead and see what the problem was.
Chester's wagon was full of household goods, while Tersan's wagon was full of things needed for the journey, such as food and drink and a few places to sleep. The exception was Semder's belongings, which were put here because there was no room in the other wagon. The sun was just overhead and they were ready to set off.