"Stand here and shoot." With a stick, Julius drew a line on the ground about 150 feet away from the target. From the distance, the target already looked tiny and quite challenging to shoot, especially for beginners.
"Very encouraging." Linus told himself. He didn't even have to try to know he'd miss his first shot.
After notching the arrow, he had difficulty drawing the bow. He found the draw string a tad too heavy for his age, definitely not something a modern person could get used to. Regardless, he gave the futile exercise everything that he had.
Even with his best, he couldn't draw the bowstring fully nor even hold it in place to aim. His fingers gave in too early, prematurely releasing the string. The arrow flew upwards and buried itself in the grass, about 100 feet away from the target.
"Trying to shoot birds but got the worms instead, eh? Ha, ha, ha, ha! Practice and get yourself familiar with the bow. Don't worry, I'm not a demon. I'll allow you to see your friends when you hit your first target."
Linus spent a good time studying the bow. He practiced drawing until his arms had gone sore. But none of the arrows ever reached their mark. Just pulling the draw string was difficult enough, so his aim was practically bad as well.
"I needed more strength and practice to pull it off." He told himself.
DING! Linus jumped in fright after hearing the bell. He scanned his surroundings for the source of the sound but found nothing. Oddly, it sounded so close that he should have found the source by now. He could just be imagining things, but after looking around a few more times, he noticed the opening of a mysterious blue window in the air. It looked similar to a computer dialogue box.
DING! [You have a notification. Press OK to read]
Seeing the troubled look on the boy's face, Julius couldn't help but ask. "What's the matter?"
"Can't you see this thing pops?" Linus pointed at the dialogue box, coincidentally depressing the OK button.
"Where? In the woods? Over there in the mountains?" Julius asked, looking at the direction Linus pointed.
"No, this one over here. This thing that floats in the air."
"There ain't nothing there kid. Are you seeing ghosts or something?" Julius scratched his beard.
An even larger window popped out.
[Quest: A new invention]
[Come up with a new weapon that can shoot targets at long ranges.]
[Requirements: 1) It must be easier than your bow to operate. 2) Use it to hit the target set by Julius.]
[Reward: (Skill) Art of Teaching – enables the user to pass one's skills or knowledge to others with ease.]
[Time Limit: None]
[Accept the quest?]
[Yes] [No]
"Eh? Can't you see this thing? It's floating right here, this blue thing, Pops." Linus pointed to the dialogue once more, but Julius just shook his head.
The mysterious window didn't go away, and it seemed only he could see it. He couldn't remember the design, but it sure looked very familiar to him. The design was reminiscent of the role-playing games he played in his childhood. Complete the quest and get broken rewards.
'Art of Teaching', the reward this quest promised suits his professor persona quite well. It was not very difficult for him to do the quest, so he was curious to obtain it. He wanted to try the quest.
Linus pressed [Yes], accepting the quest. The window vanished without a trace. "I'm tired Pops. I must be seeing things."
"Must be a devil. You are being haunted. Let's see the priests tomorrow."
"It's nothing like that and it's gone now. I'm okay. I'll take a rest."
After dinner, Linus took with him a few sticks of charcoal, a slate, and an oil lamp. For a few hours at night, he busied himself remembering the stuff from his past life. Although blurry, it didn't take him long to recall things he did at work and his hobbies. Burning some midnight oil, he picked up the chunk of charcoal and started sketching on the slate. He finished drawing past midnight. The only thing that troubled him was the craftsmanship that the new invention requires.
The next day, he asked Julius if he could let him see a craftsman to work on the bow. He explained how tired his arms got during the practice that perhaps he would let him modify the bow.
"That thing costs a few hundred coins, you know. It's yours, so it's up to you to decide what to do. Just don't break it. I would be very upset." Julius told him.
"I'll go see Gordon." Linus replied.
"Don't I catch you listening idly to those myths again, or you'll see what I mean." Julius warned.
"Alright, I won't." Linus assured the man.
Linus happily skipped to Gordon's hovel. He knew that Gordon was well connected with the merchants and people of trade, so he must be able to help him solve his problem.
"Shucker! If you only arrived a little earlier. I know someone who can work on these things proficiently for a few stone coins, but he just left." Gordon told Linus.
Linus couldn't hide his excitement and impatiently asked. "Oh really? I wish to meet this person, the sooner, the better."
"Alright, just wait till afternoon. I'll send 'em to you." The old man smiled.
Linus happily skipped home, excited. After lunch, a guest knocked at the door.
Lina called, "Linus, a young maiden wants to meet you."
"A maiden? Are you sure? I haven't asked for anyone like that though." Linus scratched the back of his head, thinking.
"She seems impatient, please see her yourself."
"Alright then." Linus have gone outside to meet the so-called maiden, but after scanning the surroundings, he didn't see anyone that fits the description. There's only but one person waiting outside. He wore a turban and some loose and baggy outfit, carrying with him a bag that had some tools sticking out. He looked more like a carpenter than a young maiden.
Linus turned to Lina, asking "Mom, where's the maiden? Must be your imagination, eh?"
BONK! His vision blackens momentarily, and a lump slowly formed on his forehead. Linus quickly reached for the injury, covering it with his hand.
"Ouch! What did you do that for?" Linus asked the boy whose hand firmly clutches a wooden mallet.
"Oh my!" Lina covers her mouth as she witnessed the scene.
"Forget it you jerk, I'm not here to be insulted. I'm going home. Shame, Uncle Gordon told me I could earn a few stone coins if I met some kid named Linus.", the boy said, and only then Linus realized his blunder.
She was about to walk away when Linus reached out, grabbing her by the arm. "Wait, I'm sorry my lady. I was confused. The name's Linus Stannous, the son of Julius of Solus. I've been looking for someone who can do some simple wood crafting for my project. Please wait for a moment." Linus ran to his room to get the bow and the blueprint of the improved device.
"Have a seat." Lina invited the girl inside. As she got seated, she took off her turban, and her long shiny fox red hair slowly fell by the strand and rested on her shoulders. Her emerald green eyes complemented her hair, making them stand out.
"Wow!" Linus exclaimed with his inner voice. Stunned, he couldn't help but be more polite. He asked, "Lady, sorry for the wait. May I have your name?"
"Nina Fahrenheit, Gordon's niece. I live at Gordon's for the meantime. As an apprentice wood worker, I do crafting and repair work on anything wood. Please show me what you need help on."
On the table Linus put the bow and the slate with the blueprint of the device. Nina inspected the drawing and immediately raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, I have the materials ready so this isn't even a day's work. It will be done by tomorrow. But may I ask, why do you wish to destroy such a fine-looking bow?"
"I know it looks weird but trust me it works. Just make sure to follow the plan closely. I'll show you how to operate it tomorrow."
"Alright then, that will be 5 stone coins."
"Deal! And please, find me a string for it. The length should be good enough for five bows." He handed her 10 stone coins.
The next afternoon, Nina delivered the improvised device home. The original bow was cut in half, with its limbs attached to a mid-section made of dark, dense, and inflexible looking wood. And eccentric wheels were fixed at the end of each limb. From a crescent, the bow's shape transformed to a "W".
Julius' eyebrows were tightly knit, frowning at the sight of the hundred-stone bow gone to waste.
BONK! Julius gave Linus a knuckle in the skull.
"What's the big deal?" Linus asked.
"I told you not to ruin it. That thing costs a few hundred coins and a few months of waiting! Now it's gone!" Julius scolded.
"Pops, I know it's lousy but it's an improvement. I have a good reason to cut the thing in half. With a few experiments, it can be improved and at least I can shoot it now. Let's go and shoot this thing."
"Nina, the string please." The lass handed Linus a good length of bowstring. The boy started the demonstration by stringing the bow. Julius and Lina watched him secure the string to a wooden pulley, wrap it around and back at the other one. They were puzzled as to why the bow had to be strung in such a complicated way. Besides, they wonder which part of the string should they notch the arrow in.
Done, Linus stood, picking up the bow and arrow. Cool summer breeze brushed against his hair and around the back of his neck. He notched an arrow on the drawstring and gave it a good pull. At full draw, he held the shot still to carefully aim at the target. After finding target, he released the arrow.
Thunk! The arrow flew straight at the target, hitting only a few marks away from the bullseye. It was so close, but enough to meet the Julius' requirements.
[Quest Complete: A new invention]
[1) You have invented a new weapon by upgrading your bow into a compound bow. 2) You hit the target set by Julius. Therefore, you have completed the quest "A new invention".]
[Achievement unlocked! You are hereby granted the skill
"Holy cow! That was a hit, a clean hit! What's with this ugly piece of junk?" Julius asked, referring to the bow.
"This new weapon is called a compound bow. It uses the mechanical advantage of a pulley system to lighten the force required to pull on the bowstring. At the same time, the eccentric shape of the pulleys allows the user to hold the bow steady with a small amount of force after it is fully drawn for better aim." Linus explained.
"But if you lessen the draw weight, doesn't that mean that it shoots with less force?" Curious, Nina asked the boy.
"Not exactly. It only feels lighter because the force is distributed over the distance the string is pulled. If you observe how far the limbs of the bow bend, how much movement there was on the string, and how far back I have to pull for a full draw, you can say that the same forces are at work on this device. It does feel lighter, but I have to pull farther back."
[Skill
"In addition, the pulley system lends to the smoother but faster acceleration of the arrow over the longer draw distance. It allows for the arrow to fly faster and smoother than the ones shot on a bow of equivalent draw weight. It is a bow, but the mechanics works differently than a normal bow. That's what a compound bow is." Linus felt that he couldn't explain any better, especially to people who haven't heard of the concept of simple machines.
"I do not completely understand what you mean, but I feel that I would, eventually, if I just listen to you talk. This is a worthwhile project. I had fun working on it, Linus." Nina replied.
"Son, can I try your bow?" Julius asked.
"Of course. Let me show you." Linus replied.
"Let me try too!" Nina joined in.
[Skill
Linus showed his companions how the bow works. After learning the concept, Julius found it hard to believe how easily he hit the targets and at even greater distances. Even Nina, who didn't have much experience with the bow, hit the targets after a few tries.
"Son, this is simply the easiest bow I have ever used. Is it possible to upgrade my bow into something like this one?"
"Most certainly." Linus replied.
Ding! [You have a new notification. Press [OK] to continue.]