Chapter 226: The Power of Instability
Kellar unsealed one of the sterile kits he had summoned from the system. He produced a pair of metallic forceps, surgical suture thread attached to a curved needle, a bottle of concentrated antiseptic, and a strip of broad-spectrum antibiotic tablets.
"First, we must extract every single stone shrapnel," explained Kellar as he inserted the forceps into one of the gashes on the apprentice’s face, pulling out a piece of basalt. "If you leave even a grain of grit buried inside the flesh, pus will form and infection will rot the surrounding tissue."
The head healer and his apprentices leaned over the cot, watching their Shaman’s surgical mastery with fascination.
"Once the wound is clear, we wash it with this purifying solution to destroy the invisible impurities," continued Kellar, pouring the antiseptic over the cuts. He then picked up the curved needle and brought the edges of the torn skin together. "To close the flesh, we do not use dirty linen strips or animal fat. We use this specialized thread. You pass the needle through, tie a firm knot, and maintain tension so the flesh heals without leaving gaps."
The apprentices scribbled with their styluses onto the leather sheets, noting the entry angle of the needle and the knotting technique.
Upon completing the sutures, Kellar took an antibiotic tablet, crushed it into a fine powder, and dissolved it in a vessel of clean water.
"This is a broad-spectrum antibiotic," instructed Kellar, pouring the mixture into the unconscious youth’s mouth, allowing him to swallow it by reflex. "It fights sickness from within the bloodstream. It will prevent fever and stop putrefaction before it can take root. Starting tomorrow, you will administer one dose every twelve hours for seven days."
The head healer gazed at the boy’s stitched face: the injuries, which moments ago appeared as a bloody ruin, were now clean, sealed, and aligned.
"This is a miracle. We thought only you could perform such a feat through a miracle of the Bear God, but now we can heal as well," whispered the head healer with reverence, gazing at his hands.
"It is not a miracle; it is science and medicine," corrected him Kellar, wiping his hands clean with a cloth.
In his mind, Kellar let out a quiet sigh as he observed the devotion in the healer’s eyes. I hope that soon I can teach them how to use healing skills directly to impart knowledge into their minds... That way we won’t have to rely entirely on the system’s medical supplies, he thought to himself.
He then turned sharply toward Garik and Lennis, who were still standing near the doorway with bowed heads.
"Now that this boy’s life is secure, let us head to the workshop," commanded Kellar in a stern tone. "It is time to inspect the damage from that blast and see how powerful that new compound truly is."
Upon stepping through the doors of the workshop complex, the stench of burnt stone, sulfur, and scorched metal filled the air. The central area of the forge bore the devastation of the blast: the wooden workbench had been reduced to charred splinters, while several of the thick oak logs forming the rear wall were fractured and split open by the force of the impact.
Iron tools, wooden debris, and a coat of residual powder covered the floor. Not a corner had escaped untouched; shattered jars, broken mortars, and ash were scattered across every surface.
"It was... a tiny amount, Great Shaman..." interjected Lennis, taking in the ruin around them. "When ground down separately, nothing happened, but the moment the fine powders of Fire-Earth and Windstone touched in the mortar, the friction triggered this. Thank the Bear God we brought a sample of Windstone in here... The rest of the batch is in the adjacent workshop where the boys are assembling the wind bullets for our return to the mine. If this room had been filled with Windstone dust, none of this would be standing and not one of us would have survived."
Hearing those words, Kellar felt a surge of fury and rounded on them.
"Knowing that, you had the irresponsibility to test it right here?!" roared Kellar, his voice echoing off the timber as both craftsmen backed away. "You were one wall away from blowing up the main workshop and slaughtering dozens of your brethren! You had isolation containment protocols, you had safety rules posted at every entrance, and you bypassed them!"
Garik dropped to his knees amidst the rubble and dust, with Lennis following suit.
"We accept responsibility and punishment, my lord," said Garik with shame. "Curiosity blinded us... We swear it will never happen again."
Kellar clenched his fists, taking a deep breath to rein in his anger as he surveyed the destruction.
"Stand up," commanded Kellar. "I cannot afford the luxury of locking you away when the Great Snowfall is upon us and we need weapons. But as punishment, you two will clear out this wreckage, replace the broken wall logs, and cover the cost of the apprentice’s medical care out of your allowances. Furthermore, starting today, combining these two powders without my presence is forbidden."
"Yes, Great Shaman! Thank you for your mercy," answered both in unison, scrambling to their feet.
Kellar walked through the debris, kicking aside a few charred wooden fragments as his mind processed the nature of what had occurred. Negligence aside, the discovery was colossal. Traditional black powder required confinement and a fuse to detonate, but this contact-and-impact reactive mixture unlocked a military technology line.
If it detonates under friction or impact, it cannot be used in rifle cartridges or artillery, as it would burst inside the barrel upon firing, analyzed Kellar silently. However... it is the compound for impact grenades, demolition charges, and pressure-triggered landmines. If we can seal it inside insulating casings until the moment of impact, we can sweep through the valley’s beasts without risking our troops.
Kellar turned toward Lennis with a calculating glint in his eyes.
"Fetch clean parchment and charcoal ink," ordered Kellar. "We are going to design the casings for this mixture. The explosion nearly cost us the workshop, but this compound will be the key to our most devastating weapons."