The Legendary Junkmaster

Jason marvelled at the completed weapon. It had come out far better than he had thought it would. The hand crank he had created before was scaled up in size and used in combination with levers and other components to produce the force needed to draw the string. He decided to test it without loading any ammunition to get a feel for it as his eyes flashed brightly.

Metal clicked as he cranked the handle and watched the steel bend. It was somewhat satisfying to watch this process, but that was probably due to his pride in being its creator. There was a slight click as the string made from Volska fur clicked into place on the lever mechanism. Jason took a deep breath as he raised the butt of the stock to nestle into the crease of his shoulder.

With some trepidation, he pulled the lever. A loud noise rang in his ear as the tension in the Arbalest (Crossbow) was released. The vibrations of the weapon ran through his arms as he felt the need to rub his ears. 'Shit! That was a lot louder than I expected!'

Jason had a grim expression on his face as he placed the weapon on the worktop. There was no doubt that it would be a powerful weapon, but he had already discovered significant issues with it. The vibrations would make his shot lose accuracy, while the noise it created meant his presence would be exposed the moment he fired it even once.

"Do you want me to evaluate it?" Syssie asked as she curiously studied the weapon.

"Sure, go ahead. Maybe if it earns me some decent PP, I'll have enough to find a way to improve on it." Jason replied with a frown.

He felt like he was on the right track for his personal weaponry, but this beast of a weapon was highly unsuited to be used during anything that required stealth. Which was a big must for Jason right now.

"Evaluation… E Rank ranged weapon suitable for Novice level marksmen. Its only downside seems to be its above-average Strength requirement to wield it efficiently. Strength required to wield it efficiently would be 0.3. Value estimated at fifty copper credits." Syssie nodded along with each critique she gave. "So, what will you call it?"

"Go with Arbalest for now." Jason stared at the weapon with wide eyes. He did not know whether he should laugh or cry.

On the one hand, he had just received a considerable sum of PP. On the other, his strength was not high enough to properly make use of his creation. 'Another issue that I have to fix.' Jason sighed as he stared at it reluctantly. 'The Strength requirement is probably due to its weight and the need to hold it steady once it's fired.'

Jason rubbed his chin as he considered the problem. A few ideas popped into his mind, thanks to the knowledge he had unlocked so far. It was truly miraculous that these things would just appear at the forefront of his thoughts the moment he had a problem to solve. 'In the future, I could probably make one using a lighter wood. But that would probably affect its overall integrity, meaning I would have to reduce its power as well to prevent it breaking when fired.'

Jason massaged his temples at the thought of how much work had to go into this weapon to elevate its usability. 'I don't have any choice.' Jason's eyes scanned his interface before he found the Apprentice level Physics and Mechanics Skills. He let out a gasp involuntarily when he saw how much they would cost him! A whopping thirty PP for the two skills!

Jason gritted his teeth and took the plunge, purchasing the two skills and leaving him with thirty-five PP leftover. The pain that followed after was far more intense than anything he had experienced before. He could only chalk this up to being because they were of higher skill level. Which, in turn, meant more advanced knowledge being made available to him.

After the usual painful writhing on the floor, both Jason and Syssie rose to their feet, gasping for breath. A subtle light seemed to make Jason's blue eyes shine for a moment before flickering out. The knowledge he had just purchased instantly made itself useful and flooded his thoughts with the best ideas to reduce the drawbacks of the Arbalest.

Jason grinned as he scanned the information that was made available to him. Instantly coming up with ways to implement noise reduction in the weapon and creating a tripod to improve its accuracy. They were not major changes, but they would have a significant impact once implemented. 'I wonder what it would show me if I thought about creating it from scratch again?'

Jason was curious as to what would be changed about the Arbalest if he did this, so naturally, he could not contain himself. The moment he seriously thought about it, a whole bunch of ideas flooded his mind. Jason seemed mesmerised as a dark grin spread across his face. 'I should have the time…'

Jason had fixated on a particular variation that his mind was able to conceive at this moment. 'It would make for a good back up weapon.'

Jason wanted to act as soon as possible, but this new idea was just too intriguing. In the end, he opted to create it as well before he would make his move. However, the first thing he had to do was modify the original.

It took several hours to create the Tripod and the String Catchers. He had to find suitably soft materials for catching the string to reduce the vibrations it would make, which at the same time would reduce the noise it made. With his new knowledge, he also opted to create heavier bolts. This would mean that more force would have to be transferred to the projectile, which would also reduce the vibrations.

Syssie's evaluation on it only saw him gain 3.2 PP for his efforts. Since it was a modified version, the first creation bonus did not apply to it. However, that did not bother Jason right now. He just wanted to test it!

Taking a thick piece of wood from the pile, he leaned it up against the wall before laying down on the far side of the room from it. Although he was much closer than he intended to be when he actually used the weapon, this was the best he could do for now. The Tripod made a clicking noise as Jason folded it out from the stock and braced the legs against the floor.

'Hm? It's this much better already?' Jason noticed that without the need to cope with its weight, the aim had already significantly improved. He aligned the iron sight he had created with the wood's centre before loading a heavy bolt. With a deep breath, he slowly squeezed the trigger.

The string thrummed as the tension was released. The noise that followed was far more subdued than without the new modifications. The heavy bolt created a loud thud as it smashed into the wooden block and disappeared inside of it. Jason was gobsmacked for a moment as he just stared at the results of the test.

Although he had expected it to be powerful, he did not expect to fully penetrate the wood. With this kind of piercing power, he felt more certain about his plan. He began stroking the weapon as if it were his long lost lover that had just returned to his arms. 'Ok, that's enough for now. Next up is to tackle you.'

Jason eyed the schematic that popped up on the interface. This secondary project would be far more challenging, but the end results would definitely be worth it. If he could complete this secondary weapon in time, then he would not have to worry too much if any of Sam's guards closed in on his sniping position.

Syssie chuckled as she stared at the childish smile that Jason wore on his face. "Boys and their toys."

She found it to be quite adorable the way Jason was getting emotionally invested in his creations. Although she knew it was necessary to strike back at the Red Steel Gang, it still worried her. Many things could wrong, and just one of them could put an end to their lives. However, their lives would definitely come to an end soon if they could not break free of this situation.

They needed the funds and the time to get ahold of the materials they would need to perform her upgrades. Syssie shivered as she thought about how torturous Jason's end would be if they failed to hold back the information floating around in his brain.

"One day, it will all be yours to command." Syssie sighed as she thought about the wonders that Jason would be able to produce at that time.

"Sorry, did you say something?" Jason cocked an eyebrow in her direction.

"No, nothing at all…"