章節 17: Bodkin vs broadhead
After accepting his first task, Finn thought it would be a good idea to prepare as soon as possible. The first thing he would need to get would be some more ammunition for his crossbow. Especially after hearing how his attributes leaned towards ranged combat.
Thanking Petrosilinus for his help, Finn went through the door leading to the armory. When he entered the room he was impressed by what he saw. It was a fairly large room, with a forge in the back with a furnace, anvil and everything else a blacksmith would need. The front of the room, where Finn now stood had weapons coving the walls, various sizes of swords and daggers hung neatly in a line while the heavier weapons like axes and war hammers were arranged in sturdy looking stands on the ground.
The only person apart from Finn in the room was polishing an axe carefully. The dwarf was wearing a leather apron and had a beard than would be considered too short by the more conservative dwarves.
Being ignored, Finn broke the silence by asking if there were any crossbow bolts for sale. The dwarf stopped what he was doing and held up one finger as he turned to face Finn.
'1 silver for a set of 10 bolts. Standard dimension birch shafts and flights with either broadhead or bodkin steel heads. The case or quiver is included.'
Looking slightly confused, Finn asked to have a look. Sighing slightly, the dwarf went and fetched two full cases, one for each type of head. Opening them up he handed one of each to Finn.
Comparing the two, Finn noticed that the broadhead tip had two sharp edges making the head wider. This would cause more bleeding and damage to lightly armored targets. The bodkin tip was smaller and square in profile, more suitable for penetration than the broadhead and possibly able to fly further, but damaging a smaller area around where it hits.
The bolts Finn had previously used had all been bodkin tipped and he was quite satisfied with their performance. They managed to puncture the shell of the giant crab, and the skull of the giant rat. He never got to check if the kobold had actually died, or if it had just been incapacitated, but a bolt to the chest put it down pretty quick.
'Can I have one quiver with 5 of both types?' Finn finally asked. 'I'm not sure yet which type I'll need and can't afford more than one quiver right now.'
'Sure,' said the dwarf eyes brightening up at the sale. 'Doesn't really make much difference to me, we have a large amount of both in supply anyway. That will be 1 silver.'
Handing over a silver coin, Finn eagerly received the quiver of bolts, counting them carefully. Yes, there were five bodkin bolts and five broadhead bolts, and together with the three he still had meant he could fire thirteen shots. More, if he managed to reuse any.
Wearing the quiver on his back, Finn thought it was more practical than using a case. Mostly prepared, he filled up his waterskin for free before leaving the guild. He needed to go get his crossbow before meeting up with the person who posted the task.
Back at the inn, he had a quick lunch for 20 coppers. It was pretty good, some potatoes cut into wedges and some fresh fish dipped in batter, all fried in oil. As a private room guest, Finn got a free mug of ale with his meal, bringing the meal to another level.
After eating, Finn went upstairs to get what he needed for the task. Looking through his things, he picked out what he thought he'd need.
The crossbow, all the bolts and his daggers were definitely needed. His homemade leather arm and leg guards (book covers) weren't that effective, but still made him feel a little safer, so he put them on.
Seeing the magic sticks, Finn hesitated, they didn't seem like they would be effective in a fight. The blue one was only a small splash of water so no need to bring that when he had a full waterskin. He ended up taking the yellow one with him this time, he could test it out to see what spell it had stored in it. He didn't want to damage the room he was staying in so it would have to be tested outside.
He brought all his pouches along. His measly 14 coppers could get him some bread, and his leaves were too good to leave behind.
After a quick check to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, Finn locked up his chest and room and left.
The task had been posted by a relatively successful merchant. Finn had to meet up with him at his store just down the road. Walking through the market street again, Finn didn't get distracted by the different wares or advertised sales. With no money, it was easier to stay focused.
Arriving at the address given in the request document, Finn entered the store. What greeted him was the smell of dried and salted meat. The store, true to its name 'Mortimer's Magical Meats' seemed to specialize in providing salamis and jerky made using meat from magical beasts and flavored with rare herbs. The nutritional value of even a few slices of the pepperoni was supposedly superior to the meal Finn had just eaten.
The owner of the shop was a middle aged man. He sat at the counter, a hopeless look on his face. Seeing Finn come in and the badge on his chest, he stood up and greeted him.
'Welcome welcome, I am Mortimer, a connoisseur and trader of rare meats, and owner of this establishment. Am I right in thinking you are the one sent by the guild?'
'That's right, I'm Finn, trainee at the mercenaries guild. I'm here to take care of the rat problem.'
Finn tried to present himself as professionally as possible when introducing himself. Thankfully the strong smell of meat overpowered the smell of his clothes and equipment.
'Good, I was hoping for a quick response. You came at a good time. I'm expecting another shipment of goods to arrive tomorrow afternoon, so I'll need you to finish before morning. Follow me, I'll tell you what happened on the way.'
創作者的想法 
TheCityCouncil
TheCityCouncil hi everyone, another chapter. Please enjoy.
when researching about crossbows, bolts, and arrowheads I got distracted and ended up reading through some blogs and forums about the topic, and how to make your own bolts (what kind of wood is best, how thick, etc) for a couple hours at least. Its interesting stuff!!
anyway, comments and feedback is appreciated
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