Night settled over Ironhold with a chill that crept through the stone walls. The workshop however burned with heat and motion. Torches lit the room. Mana crystals glowed in brackets above the benches. Craftsmen worked in rotating shifts while soldiers hauled materials in steady lines.

Evan stood at the center bench with the repeater prototype disassembled in pieces. He organized the components across wooden boards labeling each chamber ring section. The early tests proved it worked but now he needed to build a version that could handle constant use.

Taron rushed to him carrying a new set of small plates. “Master Marshall we shaped these from the hardest leftover beast metal we could find. Will they help with chamber heat”

Evan examined the plates. The metal shimmered faintly but its surface was smoother than most pieces they had worked with. “Yes this can help. It will handle heat better than the iron plates you used earlier.”

Taron nearly beamed. “Then we can start forming the chamber stabilizers.”

“Go ahead. But do not overheat the edges. They crack when they cool too fast.”

Taron dashed off repeating Evan’s warning under his breath.

Evan spread the ring pieces across the table again. The biggest flaw was heat accumulation. After three shots the mana lines pulsed unevenly. The weapon could fire more but risked melting its own channels.

He needed a way to vent or redirect heat.
He scratched quick lines on a piece of scrap.

Rhel stepped beside him. “Still working I see.”

Evan did not look up. “Heat vents. If I carve thin channels along the outer curve of the ring the heat will bleed out before the next rotation.”

Rhel crossed his arms. “How much time until the redesign is ready”

“Hours. Maybe until sunrise.”

Rhel nodded slowly. “Then I will keep patrols rotating through the night. The ridge is quiet but we cannot trust that silence.”

Evan set the prototype down and stretched his stiff fingers. “Your men handled themselves well today. Once they have repeaters they can stop any formation long before it reaches the walls.”

Rhel gave a heavy sigh. “That is what worries me. When power grows fast enemies react fast. The other kingdoms will want this technology. Some will want to steal it. Some will want to destroy it.”

Evan smirked faintly. “Join the club. Back home people fought over ideas long before they fought over land.”

Rhel gave him a strange look. “Your homeland must have been complicated.”

“You have no idea.”

The commander left him to work. Evan grabbed a thin carving tool and began engraving narrow lines along the chamber ring. Each groove required careful pressure. Too deep and the chamber would crack. Too shallow and heat would build again.

He worked in silence until Taron returned with the first batch of new stabilizer plates. “Master Marshall these are finished. Should I bring more”

“Yes. And bring me the mana paste you mixed earlier. We will need it for sealing the vents.”

Taron handed him a jar and hurried away.

Evan smoothed the paste into the grooves and locked the plates around the ring. The paste glowed faintly as it cooled binding metal and mana into one structure.

A craftsman approached with worry. “Master Marshall the sight crystals we shaped today cracked during testing. They could not hold focus.”

Evan turned to him. “Show me.”

The craftsman held out a broken lens. The crack ran straight through the core. Evan examined the edges. “You polished too fast. The crystal heated unevenly. Next batch polish slower and keep a steady spin. I will show you the rhythm.”

He placed the broken lens on a bench and demonstrated with a second crystal. His steady hand movements hypnotized several craftsmen. The lens became clear and smooth without stress lines.

They murmured with awe.

“You see” Evan said. “Magic is loud but crystal shaping is soft. You do not force it.”

The men nodded rapidly taking notes on scraps of wood.

Hours passed. The workshop slowly filled with crates of refined parts. Soldiers delivered meals but most workers hardly stopped long enough to eat. Determination filled the room like heat.

Evan finally finished assembling the second version of the repeater. It was clean polished and solid. The chamber ring rotated with a satisfying click. The vents glowed with gentle mana.

He carried it outside under the cold night sky. Rhel and several guards followed him. Taron gripped a lantern his hands shaking with excitement.

Evan set a new dummy at the far end of the yard. He lifted the repeater aimed and fired.

First shot perfect.
Second shot smooth.
Third shot steady.
Fourth shot sharp.

The ring did not stutter. The vents glowed but held firm. Mana flowed evenly.

The soldiers stared in silent awe.

Rhel whispered. “You just built a weapon that can fire four shots without breaking. That alone could turn battles we once lost.”

Evan lowered the repeater. “And I am not stopping here. Tomorrow we teach every craftsman how to build these. Then we get your whole army equipped.”

Taron stepped beside him eyes wide. “Master Marshall what do we call this weapon”

Evan thought for a moment. “The Mana Repeater sounds too formal. Repeater is fine for now. Simple names spread faster.”

Rhel clapped a hand on Evan’s shoulder. “Marshall you have not just helped Ironhold. You have given us a future.”

Evan looked at the glowing vents of the repeater. The cold wind brushed his face.

Somewhere beyond the ridge an enemy force was waiting.
But now Ironhold had something they never expected.

Precision.
Speed.
Power.
And a model maker who refused to let this kingdom fall.

Tomorrow the real work would begin.
And tomorrow enemies might start moving.
But tonight Ironhold held a weapon born in miniature craft and built for war.