>>5271573>>5271576>>5271577"My friend in the caravan is missing a hand, do you have any prosthetics?" You ask Rickert about giving Zhafira something akin to Guts' metallic hand - Hopefully without the arm cannon. -
"I think we have a spare, but we would have to see him personally to adjust the measurements."
"Her. Poor Zhafira got her hand chopped off as punishment for her father not being able to meet a deadline. No need to do anything fancy, she's just a girl who likes puppets and carpentering."
"Understood... Weird to ask a man specialised in war assets to do a regular prosthetic." Rickert rolls his eyes to the gadget he has.
"Consider it a break from what you're currently working with. I'll even give you a good tip once we discuss the pricing." You point to the gadget he has under his arms. "What is this, anyway? It's too thin to be a cannon."
"But that's exactly what it is." Rickert shows what appears to be a hand cannon with a few ornate triggers. "There were a few unfinished projects in Godot's armory, and I thought it would be interesting to continue his work and experiment with his ideas. I would never sell them, though. It would just feel disrespectful to take the credit of finishing someone else's work and merchandise it as your own."
"Still, his ideas were pretty revolutionary, for someone who hated fighting. He was wondering if there was a way to combine the power of a siege engine inside something smaller than a cannon. I did manage to make something like that with Guts' arm and the explosives I gave him, but that takes time to prepare, so I was trying to do something that could fire more often, even if it at a weaker rate."
"If Guts and Godot thought the cannon arm was a good project, then surely you can continue it as your own, right?"
"I guess... But still, this is more of a trial version of the weapon. It can fire alright, but igniting the priming without the pipe jamming is such a hassle... I think it's best to master hand cannons before moving onto this matchlock technology..." Rickert rambles to himself while you humor his technological advancements.
"Speaking of the swordsman, did he tell you where he'd be going after meeting Zodd here?"
"Puck mentioned a place called Elfhelm. An island beyond Vritannis that could theoretically help Casca out in her healing, or at least keep her in a safer place than out here."
"Well, aren't I a lucky one... Seems like we're searching for similar goals..." Even if Zhafira isn't healed by Balzac's research, Guts is already looking for a plan B. Hopefully your reunion won't turn into a fight on to who gets shit done first when you can take care of both Casca and Zhafira.
...Though that's implying he can wait until we reach the land of the elves if Zhafira gets healed first. Considering your mother is also down in the sea, asking Puck for directions would also do you wonders.
