^^ Magic Stone Revolver 'Wand' ^^

Losing seventy gold pieces in one day was rough, but getting a grand majority of all the things we'd needed was easily worth it. Sam and Cassidy were instantly planting and developing the seeds that they'd gotten, and construction of the underground Farming Bunker/Thing was finishing quickly, -now that we had all the wood from the spring thaw, which had caused multiple mud-slides,- and they were already planting a variety of things in the space, while I was busy doing seven things at once.

I was creating the golems for the Planting and Farming, which were made of wood and were very easy to make, as well as healthy for the village, because they released a ridiculous amount of oxygen from their leaves. I hadn't even thought they were still alive, but they were blooming with spring leaves, so clearly they were. As for how that affected the village, I'd decided on an air duct that came from the underground farm to the village, and I spent a full day connecting it to the HVAC system as well as each tent, through little underground tunnels.

The end of the line was in Johann's Forge. Even though each tent had a little nozzle, -if they needed compressed air for anything, which was a pretty common need, surprisingly,- he could make the best use of it, as fuel for his Forge, considering he didn't have any wood burning, only an induction plate, the bursts of flame were very good for heating metal to the proper temperatures, and also for working the Kilns and Crucible, both of which needed insane temperatures to properly operate.

The air-quality of the entire village increased literally overnight, and many people were dizzy the next day, having slowly become accustomed to the thinner air of the mountain. Still, everyone was fine, and most appreciated the new energy they could put into things without being out of breath constantly.

Another thing in my strict schedule was managing the little vibration golem's I needed to make for the 'Items' we had apparently, -without my knowledge,- sold to that merchant caravan, or at least the herbalist who was traveling with them. That had brought me up short, actually, knowing that we'd sold a hundred units to her, worth half a gold piece each, and we still needed to give her twenty gold pieces.

"What in gods name did you buy from her that was worth seventy thousand dollars?!?" I snapped at Clark immediately upon realizing this.

He scratched his head slowly, taken aback by my sudden appearance, and then sighed. "Well... I bought a year's worth of this realms version of women's products, and there was a selection, and I was flustered, so I just bought it all? And then I saw she had penicillin, and this realm's version of Aspirin that Luna had recommended I buy, so I got her entire supply of that... and then I saw she had the Herbs to make cold medicine, flea medicine for the horses, tick medicine, and a variety of other things I've had to waste magic on so far, and now I won't have to... and then I found she had cannabis, and that was a welcome find, to be honest, because my stress levels have been through the fucking roof, so I bought as much as she was willing to sell of that, as well as some plants to harvest on my own time... then I saw she had a variety of plants I didn't actually know what they did, so I bought them and I plan on asking Luna what they do at a later date." He cleared his throat softly, looking away from my incredulous expression.

"What... the... fuck?" I sat down, sighing and rubbing my forehead.

"Oh! And she actually promised to bring back the profits, apparently she and Kindle worked out that she'd keep ten percent of the profit for her operating fee, for the Items and the Saffron, and it's estimated to be about-"

"Wait, she paid for the saffron, as well?" I asked, frowning.

"Well... yes..." he blushed.

"So... you spent...310 thousand? Because that Saffron, according to Kindle, was worth 240 gold pieces, bare minimum, and she could sell it for double or even triple that." I clarified carefully.

He cleared his throat and gestured at the back half of the his room, shielded from view by a thick white hospital curtain. "Take a look."

I remembered that the four unoccupied rooms behind his medbay/office had been commandeered for his storage and operating rooms, and I frowned, stepping through the curtain and freezing at the massive amount of chests and sacks and planters, filling everything I could see. There was some type of organization, and he'd begun to write cards to label each type, from pain meds to inflammation reduction or relief, some more with question marks, and a few with the five-leaf potsmoke symbol.

"Where did she keep all of this?!?" I asked, confused suddenly.

"She had a few bags of holding, one of which accounted for ten gold of my purchase? I gave it to Medea to tinker with." He cleared his throat.

I breathed deeply, calming myself down, and nodded. "So... you're good for fucking everything, right?"

"Yes. Absolutely yes." He was quick to agree.

"Good... good... and when she comes back, she'll bring 200 gold or so in profits... and keep 20?" I smoothed my hair back carefully.

"Yes? I think? Math isn't my strong suit." He hummed.

"So we took a loss here, but you'll never need to buy in these quantities again, because you'll be replenishing your stock, not creating it." I nodded.

"Correct."

"Alright. I apologize for yelling at you, then. You're clearly doing your job, and you've done nothing wrong in the slightest, beyond not informing me to begin with." I sighed.

"Oh! Actually, that twenty gold I gave her was her payment, so she won't be taking anything from the money she brings back... just remembered." He chuckled nervously.

"Good, Alright... that's much better. I'm going to go back to work now... I advise you do the same. And have a guard posted in here and out in the hall at all times. Considering how much money goes into this room, it's one of the more important places now." I shook my head to halt his mumbled protests, silencing him effortlessly. "One guard of the corresponding gender will be in here when anyone comes in to see you; one guard will follow you when you go up to the caboose. You will let them follow you around and guard your door while you sleep, just like they do the rest of us. There will be no arguments and no complaints. You can argue it with Rhea if you like, and she'll agree with me." I said my piece and gave the guard at the door a meaningful look, before walking out. A pair of guards, one male and one female, were quickly placed to watch him while he grumbled at them, and I took a breath to relax before returning to my next task.

I found Luna in my room and reading a book on my bed when I returned, and smiled at her. "How you doing, Luna?" I sat at my desk and picked up a small piece of metal, a lead pipe I was fiddling with, and slid a piece of tungsten into it, using my ability to slowly alter the shape of the metal to fit the mold, which was revealed to be a pill-shape, when it popped out.

"I'm doing swell, thank you! It's my favorite season!" She laughed and leaned against my shoulder, giving me a tight hug.

"Favorite season, huh? Cause of the flowers and colors?" I asked, opening the metal pill by cutting it in half, and taking out the interior portions, leaving a shell.

"And the smells!!! Ooh, so many wonderful things in spring!!!" She cheered, and sat on one of my thighs, staying out of my way while I worked. "What are you making, though?"

"The interior portion of a vibrator, also known as a Silver Bullet... this is the portion that shakes, and makes the rest vibrate." I explained, showing her how I removed the interior and began shaping it into a half-circle attaches to a rod, and the rod gripped by four small circular pieces that were attached to different parts of the shell. When I activated the 'Golem' with a thought, it began spinning, the half-circle of metal moving the momentum left and right instantly; however, with nowhere to go, it just started shaking. I capped it, re-sealed the interior, and handed the now-vibrating egg to her.

She gasped, and examined it closer, as it shut off. "That's amazing... such a tiny thing has so much power..."

I smirked. "That's not even the best one... let me show you the very, very best one to exist. Ever." I picked up a larger mold, and began to take shape as a large, 3-inch wide motor, which I carefully crafted the silicone shell to, creating what amounted to a hitachi magic wand from scratch.

She raised an eyebrow at me, and then flinched visibly when it turned on in my hand, vibrating with its trademark incredibly potent force, audible from probably outside the room, if the door was open. "Uhm... that... that will not ever go-"

"This one don't go inside you, my dear. It massages the outside." I interrupted sternly.

Her fear was washed away instantly, and she nodded, placing a hand on the pulsating head, then grinned. "Ahh, yes... in that case..."

"All yours, dear, or you can continue reading, if you want? I have to get some work done tonight, and then work on my statue tomorrow, when I have more light." I smiled and turned it off, setting it to the side and starting another silver bullet; I needed a hundred and forty more by the end of the week, to meet Rhea's quota.

"I think I'll read... do you care if I stay here?" She slowly leaned back against my shoulder, still sitting on my thigh.

"I prefer it, actually." I smiled, kissing her nose and returning to work; reaching around her was awkward at first, but I used my left hand to stabilize the mold and my right to craft anyway, so it was fine. We settled into a nice silence, interjected every so often with my kissing her cheek or neck, and her glaring at me with a blush on her cheeks. Five hours or so passed in this fashion, according to the clock on the wall above the bed, and I set down my seventieth motor, cracking my knuckles to relieve some of the stiffness.

She glanced up from her book to look at me in the mirror, and smiled gently. "You need a break?"

"I do... half of the order is finished, so the second half will be finished tomorrow, and that entitles me to some much deserved sleep." I chuckled softly, setting aside my materials and shifting her into the seat as I stood up and stretched languidly.

"Mm... and I don't want to finish this book tonight, because Medea says there's only six more in this Saga, so I'll sleep as well, if you'd like company?" She marked her page and set aside the book, which I didn't recognize, though that wasn't really a surprise.

"You're welcome, as always." I smiled and kissed her cheek, locking the bedroom door and removing my clothes. I tossed the armor on my chair in a haphazard fashion, still easily within reach if I woke up in a hurry, and laid under the warm blankets with a happy sigh.

Luna laid next to me carefully, dressed now in a simple robe, and began to casually attach a pair of pink handcuffs to her left wrist, until I sleepily undid them and tossed them onto my desk. "Are you... Alright with that?" She asked cautiously.

"Mm." I nodded and laid down, burying my face in my pillow and groaning at my sore muscles trying to rest. I'd pulled something in my left calf somewhere during the day, and it was starting to cramp again.

"Alright... can I hug you?"

"Not in that woolen monstrosity you call a robe. It itches like Satan in a Christmas Sweater." I muttered saltily.

"... one day you'll tell me who this 'Satan' fellow is, and why he hates 'Christmas'." She hummed, and then there was a shifting of cloth, and she laid on my back slowly, her skin cold to the touch for now, but not much longer with my space-heater physique.

"Maybe. Good Night, Moonie." I sighed in contentment.

"Good Night, Pinkie." She chuckled softly, and fell asleep before me, as was normal. Once her emotions ceased and were replaced by a gentle dreamscape of pastels and warm spring colors, I allowed myself to sleep.

—

Luckily for everyone except Cassidy and Medea, coffee was one of the first things we had succeeded in cultivating in the underground greenhouse. Or rather, I suppose, luckily for them, because they'd be dead already otherwise.

Case in point: the adults that weren't taking care of Nick were drinking coffee in the lounge (where the coffee maker was set up,) when Medea's door was ripped open, and she tore out into the hall, waving a glowing gun in the air.

"I DID IT!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" She slapped the gun down in front of me and snatched my coffee cup, taking a few deep gulps and placing it back into my hand, empty, then grabbed the gun again and sprinted over to the window that faced the cliff wall. Before we could recover and ask what she was doing, she whipped the window open, and pointed the gun at the bare cliff face.

I covered my ears reflexively, having sensitive ears, and Luna followed my example, though she looked confused.

When she pulled the trigger, instead of a gunshot, there was a small, pulsing hum, and then a weird circle of equations appeared on the wall, before exploding with an echoing cacophony of sound. When the dust cleared, there was a simple half-sphere bored into the cliff-face, and a ball of Crystal was sitting in the center, apparently crushed from its full form instantaneously.

She cocked the gun before I could comment, making the cylinder spin, and shot again, causing fire to bloom in the cubby she'd created. Another shot and the scorched stone was frozen with a coat of frost over it. The fourth shot sent a bolt of lightning that barely managed to not blind me, though I was blinking spots out of my eyes for a few moments. The fifth shot terrified me, as the cliff face began to dissolve, apparently eaten away with acid. The sixth and final shot lit up a cobalt blue circle... and nothing happened.

Luna chuckled softly. "You managed to replicate my Drain ability? Rare enchantment on a ranged wand, generally useless... but a wand that does six spells, that's impressive, my dear! Well done!" She congratulated her tiredly, but enthusiastically.

I nodded. "Yes... but you stole my coffee."

Medea blinked, confused, and then looked at the empty cup in my hands. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to... I'll get you some more!" She gently extricated the mug from my hand again, and poured coffee into it from the coffee jar, setting it on the table next to me cautiously.

I accepted the mug graciously and sipped at the brew while Luna made a face at me. She was drinking a local tea, which she and Kindle preferred to our bitter, strong drink. "Now, she makes a good point, is there any point to draining someone's health if it doesn't actually heal you? Where's it go?" I asked.

"Oh, that's not what it does. It essentially pulls the energy out of someone's nervous system and into their muscles, simulating an overdose of adrenaline and the subsequent adrenaline crash, thus forcing them to sleep. It's the non-lethal option." She explained, grabbing a mug and getting her own coffee. Without sugar, milk, or honey, -things we were still lacking,- she'd been originally unwilling to drink coffee, but the sleep deprivation had started to catch up to her, so here she was, drinking coffee like an adult. "Blegh." She grumbled at the cup rudely, and then sat down next to me, handing me the weapon.

I smiled and examined the changes she'd made to my creation, which had been plain steel before; the steel was now charred black, (chemically dyed, it looked like,) with a few glowing portions inside the barrel and along the cylinder, and even a Safety, a glowing line centered around the top of the trigger mechanism that turned dark when I pressed it to lock the gun back down.

"Oops." Medea grinned sheepishly when I glared at her for waving around a live weapon, but ducked back over her coffee cup, using her long brown hair as a shield.

I opened the cylinder, removing the Magic crystals and examining the bullet-shaped crystals. "How many shots does each of these have?" I asked, reloading it and testing the heft. It was only three pounds, maximum, but sturdy. A glowing sights were fitted to the end of the barrel in a traditional U, along with a laser sight on the side of the barrel for what I hoped was pinpoint accuracy, and finally a confusing secondary hammer that exited the back of the handle. "And what the hell is this?" I added.

"Ah, that's a secondary safety mechanism; if you move that up, the cylinder locks in place, meaning you can only fire one type of spell. I've decided to lock it into the Stun position, as well as turning off the trigger entirely, to limit... accidents." She explained confidently.

"Smart, Alright..." I nodded, approving of the extra safety measures, mostly because I was sure Nick was going to get his little toddler hands on one of these someday and I didn't want him to be capable of blowing his head off. Or mine.

"And as for amounts, it's four per crystal, per cylinder, per day. Every day the mana regenerates, so you only really need two sets, mostly because you'll only use one or two types of attack, so it'll be more than enough." She set a speed-loader on the table for me, and nodded at my surprised look. "That's right, I used to shoot competitively, how surprised are you?"

"Very, considering you waved around an unsafe weapon, chugged some coffee, and then unloaded all six shots into a wall without clearing the range, checking our ears, establishing a range, wearing proper ear and eye protection, or having a range-spotter." I raised my eyebrow at her archly, and she blushed at the several valid points I brought up.

"Well..." she halted, having no excuse.

I patted her head gently. "But, well done, my dear, I'm very proud of you! This one is yours, I imagine, as the creator you should keep the original, right?" I emptied the crystals out of it and handed it back, (safety on, uncocked, unloaded, cylinder unlocked and incapable of firing, handle towards her,) and smiled at her chagrined chuckle for my thoroughness.

"Wait... is each spell powered by individual Magic Stones? That's genius!!!" Luna exclaimed, laughing and hugging Medea warmly.

"It was actually Theo's idea... I just carved the spells into the cylinders." Medea sighed, but cuddled into Luna's warm and sexy chest.

I smiled at the motherly affection she showed, and then paused, realizing I'd considered Luna sexy for a moment, and it hadn't passed yet. I knocked back my coffee instantly, and set it on the table. "Luna, dear, meet me in my bunk when you're finished with your tea, please? I-I mean, my room?" I stuttered, walking away swiftly.