It has been a very relaxing and productive few months. I believe it's time to head back into Orario. I'll go check up on Artemis and her familia before leaving. Poor girls got pretty roughed up by a bunch of scorpions a while ago. Some of them are pretty fucked up. Missing and/or broken limbs, cuts, gashes and bruises, concussions, poisoning from the scorpion stingers. It was quite a disaster for them. The few dead were relatively new and lower leveled adventurers. It's sad but, that's life I guess.
I didn't go out of my way to help them. Cypher kept going deeper and deeper into Dragon Valley for his hunts and I followed. We were on vacation, and doing whatever we felt like doing. He was hunting young dragons, wyverns, drakes and armarosauruses. I would just collect the cores and the drops. It was during one of these hunts that if I am quick enough, I can skin a part of the corpse before it disappears. I have a few pelts that can prove my point, providing this information to my familia will allow us to gain a slight advantage over the other familias. We continued wherever the hunting took us.
'Besides what's the worst that could happen?'
Looking back, I realize that I inadvertently invoked the wrath of Murphy.
*Flashback*
A week into the vacation, we found ourselves in Dragon Valley proper. I communicated to Cypher that I will be running some tests, so he's free to do whatever he wants.
'Just don't get yourself killed.'
With that, I started fiddling with the jetbike. I had barely used it to it's full potential while on the zombie world. And I'm just using it go about in this world. It has so much more potential. Well this one doesn't, but the general idea does.
For now I'm just going to test this one's aerial combat capabilities. Strafing ground targets is no different from being a door-gunner. But maneuvering in the air, well I'd be lying if I said I never wanted to be a fighter pilot.
Cue the Top Gun soundtrack.
🎶Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins🎶
That was a blast! In some cases literally! After a few hours zipping around Dragon Valley, I felt sorry for the lizards. I landed where Cypher and I split off.
Going over the plans for improving the entire thing, or outright scrapping the jetbike idea and modifying a fighter jet I had in my INVENTORY. I'll start with the older stuff first if that's the case. A Mig-29 had better maneuverability that a F-15. Even though the planes were developed around the same time. Something about the fuselage producing a part of the lift, making some dogfighting maneuvers possible. 'Was it the Mig or the Sukhoi?' Whatever, I need to be able to take turns with confidence. Right now, I'm dropping altitude too damn fast, with a forty-five degree bank. I'm thankful that I made the thing go fast.
The weapons need to improved as well. The .30cal is simply not enough for an air-to-air engagement. It does not deliver enough energy to the target beyond 150 metres. Yes I am using the metric system. The math is so much simpler.
For the capabilities I want, I will need at least a .50cal. I would prefer to have a 25mm Gatling gun. But the systems for that are too large. At that point it's just a flying gun.
Wait.
I already have a few A-10s, I can just modify and fly those. Actually no. With the best will in the world, I'm no pilot, much less a fighter pilot. So for now, jetbike it is.
In short I need the chassis to take all the stress. It cannot be a monocoque. A semi-monocoque is possible, but requires more planning and refinement. Perhaps, for the final product, I'm just prototyping here.
So I need a gun with a high rate of fire and sufficient energy on target.
Next, the grenade/rocket launcher need to go. It's brilliant for ground attack, but I can simply use laser guided rockets.
I need to add missiles as well. My HUD takes care of the targeting for the most part, but I will also need to add a targeting system to the bike itself. As for the missiles, I saw some multi-purpose missiles in the SHOP, I'll start with those, if necessary get more specialized weaponry.
Lastly, the ability to carry ordinance. Napalm, thermobaric, cluster, chemical, bunker-buster, bombs. Bombs of all kinds. At least one 1000kg bunker-buster on the centreline.
In summary, the features I want on the new hoverbike are: Super maneuverability, a shit-ton of firepower, operational at higher altitudes, a targeting system and speed. I will need to add wings, perhaps in and X arrangement. I will also be quite a bit bigger.
That is down the line, for now I want to upgrade my current bike to make it more maneuverable.
*****20:47*****
The sun is setting over the little camp I've made. I communicated with Cypher, he expressed his annoyance at my earlier shenanigans. Now he has to go farther along the valley to hunt. He'll be fine, should come back in a day or two.
I put the drafting setup in my INVENTORY and ward the perimeter. After which I practice the basic forms for Master Roshi's unique brand of martial arts. Madara, Zeno and Bang gave me tips and pointers, but unanimously it was noted that Master Roshi's style is best for developing a strong foundation in martial arts.
Once done, I cleaned up and went to bed.
*****The next day*****
I have been an idiot. Nothing new but still, the point stands. I am making the jetbike for myself. And I have an INVENTORY. I don't need the bomb-rack. But I do need a multifunctional targeting and guidance system. So much time and effort saved and many headaches avoided.
Also there is magic. It really hasn't made a difference in how I approach my life or how I eliminate the monsters in the dungeon. I can use it to get rich, well richer than I already am, so I shall.
I wonder if I can cause hyperinflation? That should clear out some of the riff-raff. But too many honest folks will be affected by that. Bullet-to-the-head it is.
Anyway, on to designing and building the new prototype. Why would I modify an existing jet bike that works? If something doesn't work I won't have a jetbike!
*****14:33 A few days later*****
I have sorted out the maneuverability problem. Basically I needed to reposition the replusors in order to be able to bank-and-yank. I can do it replusors only, but I prefer a mixture of winglets and replusors. Added safety.
As a stop-gap measure I added winglets with a runic enchantment for levitation and conjuring an extended wing in case of replusor cut-out. A wing construct is conjured from the base of the wing 10 metres out. On either side of the bike. I also gave the winglets/wings dihedral bias.
I had to get a few books on aeronautics, in order to figure out what I was doing wrong. Designing a gliding wing and a wing for high speed maneuverability are actually quite different things. The aspect ratio and the shape of the wing matters a great deal. Depending on the desired characteristics of the aircraft, the airfoil shape, the shape of the wing/winglet, the wing loading, and so on.
I kept it simple for now. The winglets will take 25% of the load at speed, while producing 50% of the lift. The repulsors doing the rest.
The repulsors were also modified. I had to add a gyroscopic balancer/stabilizer, and gimbal the repulsors from the chassis in a way that the upward thrust will always act on the center of mass.
So I got the maneuverability and safety out of the way, now onto the the weapons. The SHOP had some really wonderful things. I bought a high-rate plasma cannon, 6 multi-functional missiles, and a pod of 9 laser-guided rockets. The only thing is the missiles and rockets don't regenerate. I have to buy them and load them manually. Well that's temporary as well. I can also buy their hardpoints. So at that hard point only that weapon will respawn once the excelia/money requirement is met. That will go on the final iteration.
Right now the layout has changed a bit. The prototype is bigger than before. The plasma cannon is mounted on the centreline inside the armoured shell of the craft. The rocket pod is mounted underneath. The missiles on the winglets. One under-wing, one on the wing tip and one over-wing. Same on both sides.
My testing took place in the Elsos ruins. How we ended up here is anyone's guess. Good news, it is a target rich environment. Bad news, we're lost as fuck.
*****2 days later*****
I was happily cleaning my bike and it's weapons when I got the mental communication from Cypher to come help.
'Help! Attacked. Escaping.'
"Who dares!"
I got on the jetbike and flew over to where the familiar bond led me.
In a few minutes I was upon the group of girls chasing Cypher. I gave them a fly-by and dropped some flares. This caused them to close ranks and get into all-round-defence position. Actually competent hunters/adventurers? That's new.
I landed close to Cypher and checked up on him. A few scratches here and there but not too bad. I gave him a health potion, and told him to become cat-sized. I had noticed that the group chasing him were all girls. There were only nine.
'Trust me, they'll treat you like royalty. Also do you want both of use to die? I can't haul your fat ass on my bike.'
Begrudgingly, he became cat-sized and lay on my shoulders. Thankfully that got the ladies to lower their guard. One of them, a read-head, approached us and said "hello, I am Rethusa, the captain of the Artemis familia. May I know your name and reason for being here?"
"Hello, I am Cassius, this is Cypher. Hermes familia. We are on vacation, and we're a bit lost." I all honesty I could buy a map of Gekai and find out exactly where we are, but I'm on vacation, so that's a problem for future me. Also future me will need a navigation system on my vehicles. Yes the system/HUD is wonderful, but having backup systems in place is always prudent and necessary.
{map I'm referencing, move Elsos North, closer to Dragon Valley}
"Well Cassius, Cypher. My apologies I wish the circumstances for our meeting were better but we are a hunting familia on a quest to see clean up the Elsos ruins. I hope you can forgive our actions, we have not seen a Ligerfang, much less one so large on the surface. We did not want to any risks and have our flanks or rear attacked while on this quest." Rethusa responded.
We talked for a while longer while the other girls approached and proceeded to gush over Cypher. I gave Rethusa a heads up on what I saw at the ruins. We agreed to meet by fork in the river tomorrow evening. I did no want them to follow me to our camp. Nor did I want to intrude upon a camp of girls.
***** 17:18 The next day, by the fork in the river*****
It was evening by the time the entire Artemis familia came into view. I really hope they had some scouting of the ruins before coming here. I really do not want them to rely on my intel. I know it's right but if they take my word for it and get killed, that on me. I really don't need more a guilty conscience.
Cypher was laying about, full-sized. He 'hated' being pet and snuggled. Liar, you were purring like a generator.
"Greetings Cassius, this is our goddess Artemis. Everyone this is Cassius" Rethusa introduced both parties.
They started to setup their equipment, while I continued to clean and refine my jetbike prototype. Looking at their kit, it is not clear as to what they want to accomplish. We have many things to work on before they can get close to the Elsos ruins.