Louis knew that a weapon utilizing the hard volcanic metal to shoot iron bolts would easily pierce standard leather armor, but Egbert had explicitly promised that this new machine would combine the gears with the explosive power of Ragnar's black powder...
Egbert smiled a wide smile. He stepped closer to the bench and pointed his finger directly at the drawing of the iron bolt on the parchment.
Egbert began explaining that he will use it in the bolts. He told Louis that the iron bolts would not be solid pieces of metal. Instead, Egbert planned to forge the iron bolts with a hollow space inside the metal shaft.
He would pour a specific amount of the black powder directly into this hollow space and seal the back with a thin wooden plug. He explained that he would attach a very short cloth wick to the back of the bolt.
When the internal spring fired the bolt, the mechanical friction against the metal track would create a small spark.
