General

General is Tiyo’s transforming firearm, an artifact inherited through his father Hedor. Gushantimur identifies it as the Dragon Light General, a divine weapon made by the gold dragon Abogullad to kill dragons. Its form and output develop with Tiyo’s imagination, will, training, energy, and magic power.

History

Quantes rifle and inherited weapon

Hedor obtains General in the north and leaves it to Tiyo, who builds his career in the Quantes Gnomes Garrison with the artifact as a long magic rifle. During Quantes’s defense, its light stops ogres so Crockta can finish them. Tiyo then carries it north, where its nonlethal suppression becomes the basis of the pair’s formation: General shocks or distracts from range while Crockta closes. (Chapters 58–79)

The rifle is stronger than ordinary gnomish firearms but consumes Tiyo’s own energy and magic power instead of a charged magic stone. High output makes him sweat and can endanger him. Shots can be blocked by Crockta’s greatsword, evaded by agile enemies, or spoiled by an unsuitable firing angle, as when Tiyo cannot raise his prone aim far enough to reach the behemoth’s eyes. (Chapters 61–70)

Dragon Light General and Vulcan

After Kiao defeats Tiyo’s straightforward shooting, Gushantimur recognizes General and explains its origin. In the dragon’s hands, the rifle expands into a cannon, draws in surrounding magic, and fires an explosive shell. Gushantimur says the artifact has no intrinsic ceiling but that Tiyo has limited it through his imagination and will. Training under Kiao prompts Tiyo to create Vulcan, a rotating form whose multiplying muzzles produce sustained area bombardment. (Chapters 88–93)

Vulcan controls formations, sweeps attackers from walls, and supports the allied army against Calmahart. Its volume does not guarantee victory: Kiao can move while Tiyo commits to stopping a storm arrow, armor can deflect some bullets, and continuous use exhausts both wielder and weapon. Tiyo later returns to the rifle after reaching the Pinnacle, using fundamentals rather than maximum output against trolls. (Chapters 96–131, 166, and 182–189)

Gods, dragon breath, and Earth

General normally incapacitates through shock, paralysis, and numbness. Against the gods’ extermination army, Tiyo deliberately increases it to lethal output, rotates through Vulcan and a close shotgun form, and overloads the weapon while clearing successive ranks. At the temple, already badly injured, he forces a dragon-slaying transformation that consumes all remaining energy and perhaps something permanent from his body. The resulting golden breath drives the Grey God backward and helps open her defense. Tiyo collapses, and the exact price or repeatability is never established. (Chapters 201–224)

Tiyo survives and continues developing General for years. On Earth he deploys it from a compact stick into paired pistols, which he calls its final form, and kills an ogre-class Gramas with mobile fire. The text does not state whether “final” prevents access to older modes or every future change. General remains with him when he reunites with Crockta. (Chapter 231)

Abilities and properties

• Personal power source: Unlike magic-stone firearms, General consumes Tiyo’s physical energy and magic power. The wielder’s imagination and will determine available transformations and scale. (Chapters 61, 67, and 90)
• Rifle mode: Fires precise magic bullets that can stop targets through shock, paralysis, or numbness. Tiyo can reduce output to avoid killing or raise it enough to penetrate regenerating trolls. (Chapters 66, 70, 101, 182, and 207)
• Vulcan and shotgun modes: Vulcan supplies rotating, multi-muzzle area fire; the shotgun form finishes enemies at close range. Recoil, armor, mobility, fatigue, and overload limit sustained bombardment. (Chapters 91, 96, 117–130, 166, and 207–209)
• Cannon and golden breath: Gushantimur demonstrates an ambient-magic cannon. Tiyo’s later golden breath reaches divine scale but consumes an unidentified, potentially permanent part of his remaining vitality. (Chapters 90 and 223–224)
• Twin pistols: The latest form permits controlled mobile fire and kills an ogre-class target. Its range, cost, and relationship to earlier modes are not specified. (Chapter 231)

Ownership and custody