In a wide, popular perception, shotguns were only to be used at close range. Packing a massive punch within a close distance, they grew increasingly useless the greater the range.
But that perception came from the games who had to simply balance the power of the shotguns in order to keep the game fun. As Makary explained while presenting the neuspas, the reality couldn't be any further from this popular misconception.
The performance of shotguns was mostly centered around the type of ammunition used with them. With birdshot, one sacrifices the power of each individual pellet by shooting a whole bunch of them within a single discharge. On the other end of the spectrum, there are slugs, where a single, heavy projectile is shot at a great distance with great speed.
And then, there was the buckshot, standing firmly in the middle between the two extremes, limiting the number of pellets within the shot to just a fraction of what's within a birdshot but shooting them out with much greater force and speed.
The ammunition for neuspas, though, was a mix of all three of those at the same time reinforced with a magnetic rail drive that was the one common element in all the neu-weapons.
I pulled the trigger, sending just a single integrated round of the neushot flying through the barrel.
The very second pulling the trigger closed the circuit and allowed power into the rail, the powerful magnetic currents slung the entire round forth, accelerating it to mind-boggling speeds in a mere instant. Then, as the wider back end of the round struck the narrow, inner-edge within the barrel, a side pin struck down at the main load of the shot, igniting the jellied gunpowder inside.
The muzzle of the neuspas flashed, turning white when the explosion within rapidly expelled all the air and heated up the metal. And then, three things happened.
The back-aimed tubes within the muzzle spewed out small tongues of flames, discharging a huge portion of the gas to compensate for the weapon's kick. The front-and-side aimed tubes within the muzzle channeled the small balls of already deteriorating bird shots, spraying them forth in a small cone.
And all of that... was just a single shot. A single shot left me with twenty-nine more of them hidden within two special tubes running along the armrest of the gun and feeding directly into the loading mechanism.
"Woah..."
Contrary to her Mother's outright shock and terror, Fay's face brightened up, proving she gained a modern infatuation with explosions and mass destruction.
The only one whose reaction I couldn't read... was the massive bear that finally came out from beyond the layer of the trees, currently mesmerized by the devastation of my singular shot.
'Right, I need to capitalize on the effect of this show ASAP!'
I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts, searching for the right way of making use of this opportunity.
"I can fire this weapon twenty-nine more times in quick succession," I spoke, opting to push the impression of the neuspas even further. And so, I fixed my grip on its lever, swung the leaver of the pump down to kick the leftover metal plate and iron driver welded to its back out of the gun's system, and then loaded another shot.
All with a single, smooth move that I've repeated in my thoughts thousands upon thousands of times ever since I was a mere child. Now, however, I coupled it with turning towards the massive bear and dragging the barrel away from it, to make my intent clear.
I had no desire to point my miraculous weapon at the celestial or divine protector that this bear was. But if it pushed me to do so, I would have no qualms against unleashing the hell I just showcased in self-defense.
"I've asked a simple question," I spoke out loud while tensing my entire body in preparation for a potential fight. "Would you rather see me use this weapon against you and your kind, or those damned humans who threaten to invade the forest that my mate calls home?"