Making Modifications (Closed)

[Massacre]

Making Modifications Timestamp: 79th of Spring, 512 AV (Afternoon) Massacre thrust his spear forward, the four stingers tied to the end of it wobbling in the air as he uncertainly attacked with it. He wasn't used to the weapon, he had never used a spear before, and the stinger spear was heavy ended as well. He could easily steady his arm, having more than enough physical strength to do so, but to actually attack took more than just strength. It took practice, muscle conditioning, and confidence with the weapon. It took time, and Massacre didn't have time if he wanted to get started hunting right away. The spear just wouldn't do. The point of the weapon was to put the person on the receiving end to sleep, not to kill them, but with his inaccuracy Massacre was more likely to deliver a fatal blow trying not to than if he was actually trying. He preferred his claws, or his bow, or even his sword, but all of those were deadly weapons and he couldn't use them. That was when he had an idea. What if he didn't have to use the spears? He could just take the stingers and attach them to his arrows, then he would be able to take down his prey from the sky. He would be more accurate that way too, and could aim for non-vital places. Truthfully, the Zith was surprised the resourceful merchant wasn't already selling such things. It shouldn't be difficult to attach the stingers to his arrows. And with that thought in mind, Massacre reached for his quiver and got to work.

[Massacre]

Looking over the stingers, Massacre realized they were well suited for arrows. They were sharp, pointed, and long enough that if he hollowed out the end he could fasten them to the shaft of his arrow without damaging the stinger itself. He didn't know anything about fletching arrows, really, but the idea he had in mind seemed simple enough. He didn't have a knife to hollow out the end of the stinger, but luckily he had been born with nice sharp claws perfectly suited to the task. To begin with he would start with just one arrow, that way he didn't waste the others if he wasn't doing it right. Pulling it from his quiver he examined the arrow, and specifically the arrowhead itself. It was smaller by almost a third than the stinger was, but that wouldn't be much of a problem. The arrowhead was fitted to the end of the shaft with a bit of cord wrapped around it for extra security, but the arrows were designed in such a way that the heads could be taken off if needed, possibly to be switched out for a different type of arrowhead. Massacre wasn't familiar with all the fine details of archery, but he did know from experience that there were different kinds of arrowheads for different purposes. After he removed the cord and pulled off the arrow, which fit snuggly onto the end of the shaft, Massacre went to work on the stinger. Digging his claw into the end of it he began hollowing out a hole for the shaft to slide into. It needed to be deep and snug enough that the head didn't fall off during flight, but loose enough that he could change it out for fresh stingers after use. The venom inside them was only good for one application, so he would have to change stingers regularly. The hollowing was slow and grating work, but Massacre's claws were sharp and strong and up to the challenge. He also had to be careful not to stab himself with the arrowhead. It would be quite annoying if he fell asleep during the middle of his work. After some time Massacre finally had the stinger hollowed out enough that he could fit it onto the end of the shaft. It was a little looser than he would have liked, but he used the cord from the old arrow head to tie it on a bit tighter. The arrow felt strange in his hands, heavier than he would have liked, but it felt like it would fly true enough. The next step would be to test it out.

[Massacre]

Massacre thought about trying the arrow out on an actual living thing, but if he missed then the arrow would go to waste. He could have made more, but he wanted to make sure it would fly straight before he bothered finishing the rest of them. So instead the Zith headed down to the training yard, the place set up by the tiny creature known as a Pycon to simulate what it would be like to hunt in the spires. Massacre wasn't interested in training with strange clay man, however. At least not at that time. Instead, he was just looking for a place where it would be safe to shoot his bow. When he arrived he could see others practicing their skills, as well as the former Shinya master training a few students who were willing to pay the price. Massacre moved away from the main group, finding a tree that was out of the way, with a clear shot, and prepared to fire his bow. It had been a while since he'd used the weapon in fact, and he had never been incredibly skilled with it, but he was good enough that he could at least hit the side of a large tree. Massacre stretch his muscles a bit, loosening up as he readied himself for the shot. After a few chimes he picked up the custom arrow and knocked it to the string of the bow. Holding it out before him he slowly pulled back on the string. He could feel the tension in the weapon building as it bent back. His arm only quivered once before he took a slow breath to steady himself. Massacre tilted his head slightly, sighting down the arrow. It didn't have to be a perfect shot, he just had to make sure the arrow would fly true, but even so he took his time and aimed carefully. Of course on the hunt he likely wouldn't have time to be so careful, but he was just practicing, so it didn't really matter. Massacre let out another slow breath and then release, his fingertips moving just enough to let the string fly past them. The arrow darted out and shot through the air, the twang of the string vibrating a bit louder than Massacre would have liked considering he was supposed to be stealthy on these hunts. The arrow flew straight and true, or at least true enough for Massacre to be satisfied, and the stinger thudded into the bark of the tree several yards away. Massacre nodded to himself in satisfaction and went to retrieve the arrow. When he pulled the arrow free of the bark he noticed that the stinger was broken, just as he had been told would happen to it. He would need to replace it if he wanted to have a full quiver, but it wasn't a huge concern. Nineteen arrows was plenty for the time. All that was left to do was for Massacre to make them.

[Massacre]

Massacre returned to the base camp and retrieved the rest of his arrows before seeking out a place to sit down and start working. It was a slow process since the only tool he was using was his own claws, so he wanted to make sure he was comfortable while he worked since he would be there for a while. The Zith wasn't used to small repetitive tasks, but as many of his kind, when he engaged in a project he became focused and fully engrossed in the task. Each arrow took about ten to fifteen chimes to complete, the longest part being the hollowing of the ends of the stingers of course. Not all of them were perfectly cut, so sometimes he would have to cut the end off and smooth it out before he could even begin hollowing. The Zith was glad his nails were so durable, but still he thought his thumb might loose it's edge before he was done. Getting a knife or chisel probably would have been a smart idea, but then again, Massacre wasn't really familiar with tools and crafting things so he never even considered it. About halfway through his work Massacre's keen ears picked up footsteps behind him. At first it seemed they were just going to walk by but then they stopped, shuffled a bit, and stopped again. As a Zith he had very good hearing and he could tell the person was still there. He could hear their breath as they watched him work. Then they took a few steps toward him and Massacre turned to see who it was, ready to attack if need be. "Oh, sorry, I was just trying to see what you were working on there. Are those my stinger spears?" It was the merchant that Massacre had bought his supplies from earlier that day. Massacre was surprised to see him away from his wagon, but he supposed the man didn't always stay there. He did have to do things like eat and relieve himself just like everyone else, Massacre supposed, so that was probably why he was away. Not that Massacre was particularly far from the wagon either, but the Zith had just not expected to run into the man anywhere but his shop. "Yes," Massacre responded, his voice deep and his common forced, "I didn't like the spear. Arrows are better."

[Creeper]

"That's some shoddy craftsmanship, that's for sure. But an interesting idea nonetheless. I saw your practice shot, and it seemed to fly fairly well, over a short distance at least. I suspect they wouldn't do well over longer distances though. I would be willing to buy the idea from you, and then I would make them, and make them better. I'd even give you a discount on them." Centroc was a master at haggling, and no matter how much the Zith argued, they would settle on a price of 30 golden mizas. After Centroc left, Massacre was approached by a cute and cuddly squirrel. It hopped up to his foot, sniffing him, then a blinding white flash overtook the immediate area. Pressed up against him was a lean, naked, Kelvic woman, who was busy twitching her little nose. She looked Massacre directly in the eyes, not an ounce of fear, and Massacre would get the feeling that she could treat him like a pup or kit if she wanted. Her hands ran down his slightly furred arms, down to his sharp claws, not a word being uttered. When they reached his wrists, she jerked, and twisted them, and slipped between his legs, forcing him into an impromptu, and much unexpected flip. She quickly pinned him to the ground, his fangs in the dirt, his claws useless, and his wings held beneath her knees, enough to keep them from escaping, but not enough to damage them. "You damaged one of our trees. Thank Caiyha it was minor, and the tree will recover. But it will not go unpunished. Tomorrow, at dawn, meet me at a place called the Scarlet Saplings. Everyone around knows where it is. You will spend the whole day planting saplings on the outskirts, to replace the tree you harmed so recklessly. Understood?"   Skills Shortspear: 1 Observation: 1 Carving: 1 Longbow: 1 Fletching/Bowing: 2 Detection: 1   Lores Fletching: Arrow Heads are Interchangeable Carving: Using Your Claws Fletching: Making a Stinger Arrow Don't Harm the Trees in The Spires   Other 30 Golden Mizas Obligation to plant saplings on the 80th of Spring, as punishment. Ignoring this will lead to further punishments. A lovely little crafting thread, well done. I will be adding the Stinger Arrows to Centroc's Supplies shortly.