#Patent (no longer) Pending
"Welcome to the PATENTING CENTER!?" said the lady behind the counter, "Would you like to check your Patents?"
No, it wasn't Milia this time... That would be weird.
This time, I'm at the Patenting Center in Rhesta, and the lady behind the counter is a generic NPC designed for purposes such as this.
"No, I'm here to apply for a patent."
"Your name is?"
I told her what it was.
"Our records show that you have not registered as a member. If you register, you can apply for patents remotely without having to go to a patenting center, and all money earned from patents will be directly transfered to you. Registering will cost you a one-time payment of 1 gold. Would you like to register as a member?"
"Yes, please."
"You have been registered as a member!?" she cheerfully said after writing something down, "What is the item you would like to patent?"
"It's this," I placed the Sword-Bow(about to be Patented) on the counter, "I call it a Sword-Bow(about to be Patented)."
The lady searched around the blank pieces of paper on the table, although there's no possible way that there's anything related to this matter written on them.
"This is interesting," she said after a moment, "It seems that someone commisioned such a weapon to be made not so long ago."
"Huh? Who is it?"
"Don't worry, she didn't steal your invention and patent it herself. She simply had one made for herself to use," she explained, "The person's name is "Penelope". Do you know the person?"
"Hrn..." I thought for a moment, "I can't say I do."
"Well, in any case, your patent has been successfully applied," she stamped something on one of the blank papers, "You may set it such that nobody else can make this weapon, or that they will have to pay a fee based on the weapon's value everytime they make one. The rates can also be changed to your preference. You may change this setting at any time from your menu. Have a nice day!?"
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*I guess I should set a fee for my Sword-Bow. It could be a good oppurtunity to make some money.*
I thought this to myself as I walked around the marketplace.
The fight with the bandits has once again left me with an unusually large amount of random loot, which I sold to various stores, leaving me with a healthy sum of money.
With that sum of money, I stocked up on the crafting materials that I skipped out on when I left Serabourg, as well as some arrows and bolts.
Speaking of bolts, the "Long Arm of the Law" weapon that I was awarded with probably wasn't the best weapon to start me off in the world of crossbows. Despite being much slower, it didn't deal that much more damage than my Sword-Bow, and the pump-action system felt slightly awkward.
In fact, the pump-action was probably the reason that particular crossbow wasn't that powerful, as it reduced the draw distance. And a shorter draw distance meant less power.
The solution to this (in my opinion) would probably be a charging handle like the ones you see in modern day rifles.
A side mounted charging handle?
http%3a%2f%2fwww.strikehold.net%2fwp-content%2fupl...Handle.jpg [http://www.strikehold.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/MPAR-Charging-Handle.jpg]
Or perhaps a rear mounted one?
http%3a%2f%2fwww.mountsplus.com%2fimages10%2fprodu...ndle-A.jpg [http://www.mountsplus.com/images10/products/TGR/Glock_Slide_Pull_Charging_Handle-A.jpg]
No, a rear mounted one would unnecessarily increase the length of the crossbow. A side mounted charging handle would be best.
Why am I thinking of all these?
Well, obviously, it's because I plan on making a crossbow myself.
Why?
Because after all the things that happened during the trip, I had a sudden idea for a weapon, and I figured Rhesta would be a great place to make it, since the Patenting Center is also here (although that point is now moot, since I can now apply for a patent anywhere).
What's the idea?
I'm not going to tell you.
You'll just have to wait and see.
First step, of course, was to find a quiet corner of town. Which somehow did not exist in Rhesta.
So I had to settle with a not-so-quiet corner of the crowded marketplace big enough for me to set down my tools without bothering anyone else.
Next I got out two large blocks of wood.
No, these aren't going to form the body of the crossbow. I simply do not know enough about wood to make something this complicated, and wood will be a very unsuitable material material for this particular crossbow (We'll get to that later).
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
But what I can do is very carefully carve the blocks into moulds, each a mirror image of each other, with a few minor differences (the one on the right side has a slot for the charging handle).
Next, I heated up two sheets of steel and hammered them into the moulds to form the main body of what would be the crossbow. I started off with a hammer slightly smaller than a fist, and proceeded with smaller and smaller hammers to get into the corners.
When it was done, I was pleasantly suprised at how well it turned out, and even the simple designs I carved into the wood could be seen on the surface of the metal (although not strongly).
The general shape of the crossbow was similar to that of a modern day dual-grip assault rifle, minus the magazine, and complete with a pistol grip and a short rifle stock for personal preference.
Next was to fabricate the internal mechanisms of the crossbow.
The iron rod was easy enough to make, and a ring slightly wider than it was just as easy.
To that ring I attached both the charging handle and the part that will pull the crossbowstring that I have no idea what it's called.
When that was done, I made sure that the ring and the attached parts could slide along the length of the rod easily enough. In hidesight, I should have done this before attaching the parts.
Oh well. People make mistakes.
The trigger was a simple thing that would hold that ring in place, and would release it when pulled.
All these parts I made sure to lubricate properly before assembling them into the main body. A few clasps held the two halves shut and some leather was wrapped around the grips for comfort.
Next, I forged the "bow" part of the crossbow out of spring steel and attached it to the body together with a bowstring made of whipcord.
Now, what I have is a decent crossbow, heavily personalized, but by no means anything special.
And if it wasn't special, it's not worthy of a patent, is it?
Now, what I need to do is to make the barrel that will go onto the front of the crossbow, that the bolt will pass through when fired.
Taking several long, thin blocks of flint (normally used for starting fires), I bound them together into a cylindrical shape, first, with cord, to hold it in place, and then with iron rings that fit that were heated and contracted over the cylinder to bind them firmly in place. Of course, there was a straight hole down the middle just barely big enough for a bolt to pass through.
This, I joined to the front of the crossbow and added a bayonet to it, almost as an afterthought.
And thus! It is complete!
Dragon's Breath:
Durability: 60/60
Damage: 19-21
From the creator of the Sword-Bow comes the Dragon's Breath! This crossbow was designed with one thing in mind:
Fire
The entire body of this crossbow, from the stock to the bowstring, is made from non-flammable materials. But the selling point of this crossbow is not the revolutionary design, but the flint barrel at its mouth that will ignite steel-based bolts with a shower of sparks that will set the enemies on fire.
Equip:
+10 DEX
+17 STR
Increased reload speed
Slightly increased accuracy
Slightly increased rate of durability lost
The following stats only come into effect with the use of steel-based bolts:
High chance of setting the bolt on fire
Limits:
Level 37
DEX 40+
STR 60+
*Normally I would go test this weapon right about now... but...*
While I was working, it seems that I managed to attract a small crowd. Some of the archers were already examining the crossbow in preparation to make an offer, while those of other classes seem to be waiting for a chance to speak with me.
"Heh... Sorry guys... But I'm not a vendor, I'm just borrowing a place to make my own weapon."
"""Aw.....""" after making various dissapointed sounds and small complaints, the crowd dissipated.
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Authors Notes:
Hello again!
Did you guys read the note about fanfic releases?
Apparently RoyalRoadL wants us to release our chapters only on mon-wed-fri.
Good thing I already set mine to Friday! (unless it's a different day wherever you guys are)
For those of you who read my comment a few chapters back, heres the promised new weapon!
As usual, any comments or criticisms are welcome!
Have a nice day.