The next morning Ironhold Fortress buzzed with tension. Soldiers strapped armor to their chests checked their supplies and whispered about the beasts near the quarry. The creatures were known for thick shells and fast charges. Magic blasts often scattered off their plates which made them dangerous even for trained casters.

Rhel stood at the head of the patrol with a repaired magic lance resting against his shoulder. His expression carried both expectation and doubt. “Marshall if your methods fail this will become a retreat not a hunt.”

Evan nodded calm but alert. “The structure is sound. The cores are stable. The energy will compress clean. Just do not fire from the hip like you did yesterday.”

Rhel snorted but there was amusement under the sound.

Taron approached holding a smaller case with spare cores. “Master Marshall your stabilizations all hum evenly. I tested every one.”

“Good. Remember to keep them dry. And do not put them near any loose crystals.”

Taron nodded firmly.

The patrol moved out into the forest. The morning fog sat low across the ground making the trees look tall and cut from shadows. Evan walked with the soldiers though he stayed in the center protected by several shieldsmen. He carried only his multitool and a few improvised instruments.

He kept thinking about his old workshop in Denver. The smell of glue the faint buzz of the air vent the way tiny pieces clicked together. Here everything was loud dangerous raw. But his hands felt the same. Every instinct from his old life guided him now.

Rhel signaled a stop. “Tracks” he whispered. “Fresh ones.”

The soldiers crouched low. Evan followed their gaze to the ground where deep claw marks cut into the dirt. A heavy creature had moved through recently.

A rumbling growl echoed from ahead. Then another. Leaves shook. Branches cracked.

Rhel tightened his grip. “Positions. Cores charged. Wait for my mark.”

Three armored beasts charged from the bushes. Each one looked like a massive boar fused with stone plates and glowing veins of mana running across its sides. Their eyes burned faint blue.

The soldiers braced.

Rhel shouted. “Aim low. Fire on my signal.”

The beasts thundered closer. When they were only a few paces away Rhel dropped his hand.

“Fire”

A wave of blue blasts shot forward. Instead of chaotic bursts the lines were straight controlled clean. The shots struck the leading beast’s leg joint cracking the plate and forcing it sideways. The creature stumbled roaring.

Evan watched every detail like a mechanic studying engine performance. The recoil was steady. The energy output consistent. The beams had no jitter. The improvements held strong.

The second beast circled around charging from the left. A soldier swung his repaired lance and fired a narrow shot that hit the creature’s neck plate. The shell cracked. The beast collapsed to the ground.

Rhel advanced firing a sharp compressed beam into the first beast’s core plate. The blast pierced straight through. The creature toppled motionless.

Only one beast remained. It was larger than the others and its plates glowed brighter. It charged straight at the center where Evan stood. Soldiers shouted.

“Move back” Rhel yelled.

But the beast was fast. Evan felt the ground shake. He stepped aside instinctively but the beast turned with unnatural agility. Its horn lowered.

Taron grabbed Evan’s arm. “Behind me master”

The young craftsman lifted a repaired lance and fired though his hands trembled. The shot hit the beast’s shoulder plate not enough to stop it.

Evan forced himself calm. The weapon Taron held was still misaligned. Not fatally but enough to waste power. Evan reached out corrected Taron’s angle by only a few degrees.

“Now” he said.

Taron fired.

The beam shot straight into the creature’s eye socket where no armor protected it. The beast froze then collapsed with a heavy thud that shook the soil.

Silence filled the forest.

Then Rhel laughed once deep and relieved. “Your work saved us Marshall. Every shot landed true.”

Evan let out a long breath. “Good. That means the structure holds under field pressure.”

The soldiers began cutting useful parts from the beasts. Mana plates tools reagents for the workshop. Rhel approached Evan.

“You have changed our battlefield in one day. If we follow your methods our entire army will fight stronger. But more than that you gave our craftsmen hope.”

Evan shook his head. “I only showed them what they already had. They just needed direction.”

Rhel rested a hand on his shoulder. “Come back to the fortress. There is a council waiting to meet you. They want to discuss giving you full authority over the workshop.”

Evan raised a brow. “Authority already I have been here one day.”

“You repaired more weapons in a morning than our smiths do in a week. You saved lives today. That is enough for us.”

As they walked back Evan felt something shift inside him. Yesterday he was a stranger in a strange world. Today he had a role. A purpose.

He would rebuild this kingdom’s weapons piece by piece until the entire military advanced two generations ahead. And he would do it not through magic or divine blessing but through skills he carried from home.

Precision. Balance. Structure.

The same rules that made tiny models work would reshape an entire world.