Chapter 82 The Weapons and Armaments of Valend
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After preparing himself in the chamber assigned within the palace of the Valend Cave Kingdom, Ayumu set out for the underground city’s market to begin his task. He moved among the stalls, examining the goods crafted by the dwarves.
Each item astonished him with its ingenuity and craftsmanship, but what surprised him most were the weapons, wargear, and sheer variety of armaments.
Unlike elves or certain gifted sorcerers, dwarves could not wield magic—indeed, they were entirely incapable of it. Because of this, necessity had driven them to develop protective and offensive tools through relentless invention.
Curiously, their arsenals contained no swords or bows. Instead, axes, hammers, and mechanical crossbows served as their everyday arms. Some even carried pickaxes, though rarely as their only weapon.
He noticed several dwarves outfitted with pickaxes paired with round shields, and many carried more besides. Shops resembling gun merchants sold hand-thrown grenades and handmade firebombs, which these pickaxe-wielders often bore. Dwarves armed with single- or double-handed axes also carried mechanical crossbows strapped across their backs, suggesting the combination of axe and crossbow had become a standard kit.
The grenades themselves showed strikingly rational design. For underground use, the offensive models had a blast radius of only five meters, killing with shrapnel but avoiding collapses. In reinforced tunnels or in rock so hard collapse posed no risk, ten-meter “defensive” grenades were available—these incapacitated with shockwaves and pressure blasts rather than fragments. Both types were carefully color-coded to prevent fatal mistakes.
Other portable arms existed as well: flamethrowers and thunder-guns that unleashed bolts of lightning. They resembled Earth’s weapons in form, but their principles clearly differed. By what means flames and thunder burst forth remained unknown.
Having surveyed enough of the weapons, Ayumu turned to dwarven engines of war.
By his reckoning, most were compact, fitted with wheels to suit underground deployment. Cannons for long-range bombardment, organ guns to scattershot across wide arcs, and rapid-loading mechanical catapults stood in sight. All bore the clever addition of auxiliary engines, enabling self-propulsion in emergencies. The idea reminded him of his former world’s FH70 howitzers, which could also move themselves under auxiliary power.
It was difficult not to scoff at Ms. Yoluminette’s earlier claim that beastfolk and other demi-humans were “brainless savages.” In truth, their civilization seemed more advanced than humanity’s. Yet humans still approached them with hostility. On what strategy could such arrogance possibly rest?
The Yugan Alliance’s armies, after all, fielded outdated arms and equipment. Their foot soldiers—at least compared to those Ayumu had seen in the Union Kingdom or Caesaran Empire—lacked both discipline and morale. History itself recorded only one real victory against demi-humans, during the age of colonization. Rarely had humans won since. Would it not be wiser to keep peace with them?
But Ayumu dared not voice such heresies aloud. Among Yugan men, especially those from Elandric, he risked being branded a defeatist. Worse, as an outsider he could be silenced—or even killed—for careless words.
With a sigh, he reasoned to leave the Alliance to its decline and focus on survival. He jotted notes of these observations into his bound journal, capturing whatever seemed most worth remembering.
Notes:
• Valend Cave Kingdom – Dwarven realm mentioned in the map.
• Union Kingdom – The neighboring kingdom to Alyurein.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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