The morning sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the open field as Rishabh approached in excitent with a wooden crate in his arms.
As he neared, he saw Mathew inspecting the testing field. Aditya and enakshi behind the cannon at safe distance as they witnessed the bombardnt.
Rishabh greeted them with enthusiasm," Good morning senhor," he said with a broad smile. "It’s good to see you so warm and enthusiastic at the start of the day"
Mathew, being serious jotting down the results in his slate, nodded but didn’t smile. "Morning" he acknowledged. "I trust you’ve brought everything I asked for?"
"Yes, senhor," Rishabh replied in a asured tone under Mathew’s sharp gaze. He then shifted his focus toward Aditya and enakshi, bowing slightly as he approached them. "Prince Aditya, Princess enakshi, it’s a pleasure to serve you, again."
Aditya responded with a nod, while enakshi offered a gentle smile of acknowledgnt.
Curious, Aditya stepped forward and opened the crate. Inside, three distinct types of grenades were kept together. One was familiar round shape similar to the ones he had suggested earlier. The other two, however, were different.. a cylindrical tube encased in hard tal with a fuse sticking out. One with smaller and other with larger fuse. It looked more like a crude, oversized firecracker, but its design intrigued him.
Raising an eyebrow, he examined the tube. "This one’s different," Aditya remarked, his fingers tracing the cold tal surface. "What is this?"
Sensing his curiosity, Mathew stepped beside him with arms crossed. "While considering your original design, I thought to experint a little," he explained in a tone of matter-of-fact. "What if we create a simple tube filled with gunpowder, encased in tal? The larger clay bombs we’ve used before were too bulky and heavy to throw effectively. But this..." He gestured to the cylindrical grenade. "This one is comparatively lighter, easier to produce, and works in a similar way. Upon detonation, the tal fragnts should act as shrapnel, just like your frag bomb design. I call it simple fuse bomb."
Aditya smiled, appreciating Mathew’s innovative thinking. "It’s a smart design. I hadn’t thought of simplifying it further. Let’s test it and see how it performs."
Mathew handed one of the cylindrical grenades to Rishabh, who blinked nervously as he stared at the unfamiliar weapon in his hand.
"You," Mathew said firmly, addressing Rishabh. "Use it on that empty carriage." He pointed toward the target: a weathered wooden carriage of 5 ter, parked in the distance, waiting for the demonstration.
Rishabh swallowed hard with his trembling hands . ", senhor? Maybe we should have soone else... " He tried to excuse away as he had taken part in earlier experint and knew the hazard.
Mathew wasn’t having it. "You’ve always claid you would give your life for . Now it’s ti to prove your loyalty, Rishabh. Here’s your chance. Go on." His tone left no room for argunt.
Rishabh hesitated but, under Mathew’s stern gaze and watchful eyes of royal visitors, got pressured. Reluctantly he took the first cylindrical grenade, a shorter one with a small fuse. His hands trembled slightly as he prepared to light it.
With a deep breath, he struck the match and touched it to the fuse before throwing it inside the carriage. The small fla quickly took hold, and the fuse began to hiss.
"Move back, now!" Mathew barked, and Rishabh didn’t need to be told twice. He sprinted back as fast as his legs would carry him.
The fla on the fuse spread toward the grenade with a hiss and flickered. The soldiers and workers alike standing nearby instinctively raised their hands to block their ears, retreating several steps away from the impending blast.
Suddenly...
’BOOM!’
The explosion lightly echoed , creating a visible shockwave that blasted the carriage from within. A thick, dark plu of smoke erupted, sending debris flying into the air. The carriage walls groaned and bulged outward from the force.
Rishabh had thrown the grenade well, but as the smoke began to clear, the damage beca apparent. The blast radius was contained within the carriage itself. The wooden walls though charred and fractured, still stood with little damage. The roof had partially caved in, with jagged planks hanging at odd angles, but the overall destruction was safe to say as moderate.
Aditya examined the aftermath closely as he assessed the damage. "Not bad," he mused. "The explosion was strong, but the carriage absorbed most of it. Within a 1-2 ter range, it would be lethal, but beyond that, not as much."
enakshi, who had watched the entire process with intrigue, comnted. "Anyone inside that carriage would be severely injured or killed," she observed. "However, it doesn’t seem much effective if the enemy has a chance to flee."
Mathew nodded. "Yes, its all because of the fuse, but we have another redy to it."
Rishabh, who had been standing off to the side, visibly relieved that the first test hadn’t gone awry, wiped the sweat from his brow. "Maybe next ti, senhor," he muttered, half-jokingly. "Soone else can throw the next one."
Mathew shook his head, a look of pity on his face. "Give it to . I’ll handle it myself."
However, Rishabh quickly grabbed the crate containing the simple bomb, emphasizing, "Don’t worry, senhor. As long as your loyal subordinate is alive, you don’t need to take the risk."
Mathew, growing impatient, placed his hands on his waist and barked, "Then do it fast!"
Rishabh grabbed another bomb with a longer fuse and placed it inside the sa carriage, and lit it.
He ran back, but before he could reach cover, the fuse ignited too quickly, resulting in an explosion earlier than anticipated.
BOOM!
The already battered carriage exploded with a force that sent more wooden splinters into the air. The roof caved in, and the walls splintered. Thick smoke billowed out, obscuring the wreckage. As the smoke cleared, the carriage was left with badly fractured wooden panels and a few charred sections.
Aditya, puzzled, turned to Mathew. "The longer fuse should have taken more ti. What’s the mystery?"
Mathew smirked, explaining, "I’ve been working on a new research in my alchemy workshop. I wanted to enhance the efficiency of black powder, experinting with saltpeter and organic liquids. During one experint, I accidentally spilled oil of vitriol onto a table which contained drops of aqua fortis: a warm solution made from heating saltpeter in oil of vitriol. While cleaning up, I noticed that the cotton rag I used absorbed both the liquids without dissolving. Instead, the cotton developed a unique texture."
Mathew continued, "In haste, I threw the cotton into the kiln. To my surprise, it burned more rapidly and intensely than ordinary cotton. I repeated the process and eventually got the hang of it, though I’m still unsure of what to call it."
Aditya’s eyes widened in recognition as he contemplated . ’Oh my god! that sounds like gun cotton. It was supposed to be invented in the late 19th century. Those liquids must be nitric acid and sulfuric acid. The acids must have nitrated the cellulose in cotton fibres, turning it into nitrocellulose... Such an inflammable material without periodic table, lucky old man.’
Aditya clapped his hands, acknowledging Mathew’s feat. "A great achievent, elder. Mysterious or not, let’s call it gun cotton for nasake. I am certain with my master’s records we might find more clues."
Mathew looked impressed. "Hmm, good na indeed. Very well then," he turned to Rishabh, "this is dangerous. I’ll handle it myself."
Despite Rishabh’s attempts to reason, Mathew’s stern gaze made him obedient.
Mathew reiterated, "Everyone take cover. I’m still unsure of its actual range," and he grabbed a heavy shield for protection.
He took the last remaining spherical grenade, based on the grapeshot technique, and placed it on the new, empty carriage. After litting the fuse, he retreated back quickly. This ti, everyone took cover beneath nearby objects, ready for the explosion.
CRACK-BOOM!
The grenade exploded with a sharper, more intense force. A blinding flash followed by a deafening roar erupted from the carriage shaking the very ground upon which they stood.
The carriage walls broke into visible smithereens as iron balls and tal shards shot off in all directions. It’s walls blew apart as if hit by an unseen giant. The remaining structure was riddled with dozens of jagged holes and shattered fissures. Huge pieces of wooden debris shot several ters into the air.
As the dust settled, the scene was one of utter devastation. The carriage was ruptured beyond any fix. The roof had collapsed entirely, and multiple holes could be seen on pieces of remnant walls where iron balls had punched through. Shards of wood were strewn across the entire area, within 10 ters away from impact.
The soldiers, who had watched the simple bomb earlier, now gazed at the carnage in awe. They shook their heads, marveling at the sheer difference.
Few ters away at safe distance, enakshi instinctively took a small step back with widened eyes. The force of the explosion sent pieces of debris scattering across the field, and for a brief mont, the sheer destructive power left her in stunned silence.
She caught her breath and steadied herself, her composed deanor masking the surprise that flickered in her eyes. "Such devastation from sothing so small..." she murmured under her breath. Being a warrior, she knew the aning of wielding this weapon in war.
Aditya, standing beside her with a knowing smile, glanced her way. "Impressive, isn’t it?" he asked almost casually, as though such displays of power were a common occurrence for him.
He bent down to pick up a jagged shard of the carriage, turning it over in his hands. "This is good. At close range, even if enemy runs, they won’t escape the impact."
Mathew, still behind his heavy shield, offered a warning. "It’s a powerful weapon, yes. But one mistake, one mishandling, and your own unit might get wiped out. The blow to morale would be just as devastating, kid."
Aditya turned to him with a confident smile. "Don’t worry, elder. I have my own thods."
Both n were so absorbed in the success of the test that they failed to notice enakshi’s expression. As they discussed the weapon’s potential, her mind raced.
At that mont, she made up her mind. ’No matter what, I need to get my hands on the designs.’ Watching Aditya, lost in his achievent, she tightens her resolve, ’And if not the designs... then at least this man.’
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