Weapons

While thinking about the weapons I should produce I was walking through the remains of the town to find the most suitable location for my plan.

The weapons I could produce were directly tied to the resources I have at my disposal. A club could be made without too much work. But a spear would require a long stick and a sharpened end. Do not get me started about swords, I would need to be able to smelt metals, a suitable handle and usable metals.

And those weapons were just used in the Dark Ages and those medieval times were nothing more than fancy decoration in the modern world. I should forget about tanks, guns or anything too modern as I would never have the technology nor the materials to build something like that.

A bow would make a fine choice, but I would have to make sure that those NPCs are capable of pulling the string. A crossbow was suffering from the same fate, although it could be shot once before the string had to be pulled.

Both of these weapons share the same principles but their strengths could not be more different. The longbow which marked the downfall of plated armour and had sealed the fate of countless knights had far more range and could kill an enemy without leaving them any chance to retaliate.

The crossbow could only cover a pitiful range in comparison to the longbow, but it was not used in that way. Its gigantic advantage lied in its explosive strength which launched a projectile into the foe. Even the weakest monkey can fire a crossbow, which makes the weapon thousand times more valuable if I am lacking the trained personal.

No matter how stupid they might be, pulling a trigger and pointing that thing forward to their enemy is the least they should be able to do. It's not fucking rocket science but I already can tell, that some idiot out there would point that thing straight at himself.

At that point, natural selection just takes its course. Trust me on that, the arrow coming straight at your face will do its job regardless.

Since the crossbow can be considered a one-time use, I will have to use different weapons to cover every type of potential enemy. I might have to include siege weapons depending on the type of battlefield and enemy.

Though I would likely have to multiple NPCs just to keep those things running and I would need suitable ammunition as well. Even after managing all of that, there still would be no guarantee to hit the target. This type of weapon lacks mobility and can be exploited with ease.

If your target is something stationary like a castle, then use a trebuchet. Catapults and ballista can also be of use under the right circumstances.

Though I have to wonder exactly how far can I go because I will not be the one operating and giving orders to those NPCs.

A catapult, that can not be used is nothing more than a piece of wood. So rather than thinking about what I could do, I should start to think about what I should do.

I do not need sophisticated weaponry. I am running a business here, I do not have to make plans when and how to use those weapons. That's not my job, I just sell them.

They are tools, I am not responsible for the ones wielding them.

If I want to sell my weapons, I will have to make them attractive for the player. This can be achieved by either mass producing them and making them cheap as dirt or producing high-quality weapons and using their rarity as a tool to garner more money.

Auctions, limited sales, discounts or specials, everything can be used once there is enough interest.

But the biggest draw will be the fact, that these weapons can be bought with their normal gold and does not cause them to spend their limited budget.

They will not care whether I will present them a shiny sword or a shabby looking club with nails embedded, they will only care about what brings them an advantage. Some might have doubts at first, but as more and more people will buy my tools, their conviction will crumble.

But just producing and selling weapons is not enough to massively influence this competition it might be, but it is not for me. A lasting impression? The dealer of arms will be a topic for its duration but afterwards, it will soon be forgotten. The winner will be remembered while the details will fizzle out.

Your deeds have to be so shocking, that they will burn themselves into their minds. That is the only way, you will be remembered. The topic should revolve around you, not the competition. Only then can I proudly say, that I have left a lasting impression.

Well, not me personally but the player I am currently working for. Speaking of which, he should have returned by now. Next time I should stress the lack of time, to get him to move faster. Scoring girls should be motivation enough for him to move faster.

That reminds me, I should have asked me, what type of girl he prefers. It should be easier to convince him if I paint him a picture of his ideal girlfriend and her reaction.

" Oh, Tom you are so strong and thoughtful. Please take me right here." She will fall on her knees, with her face all red and she will look him in the eyes with a look of longing. All of his deeds have driven her to the brink of losing her reason and all she wants to do is give away herself, to the only person worthy enough for her.

Or does he prefer the shy girl, that can not look him into the eye? She will pinch his sleeve and murmur something which causes her to become beet-red. Full of adoration she only sees you. She does not know why the great you picked the lowly her. In her mind, you are the best thing that could ever happen to her.

The ice-cold beauty that gets jealous and tries to murder every other girl just for looking at you?

The lively girl who does not have any enemies because its impossible to hate her?

The evil seductress, that leads you down the path of temptation a path of no return?

The understanding and the thoughtful girl that resembles his mother?

The dominant women who will show him the ropes and step on him?

The long lost sibling?

I should stop here before my mind goes down the gutter even more. But I think he would prefer girls who are breathing. Those who don't breathe, are only going to show him the cold shoulder.

Okay, that was a bit dark. Though I could not help but smile a little. I knew that dark humour was a good tool to cope. But instead of coping, I was just trying to spend my time until the arrival of my resources.

I have always loathed waiting for something or someone. I hope for mine and especially his sake, that this extensive waiting period is worth it. I was fed up with spending my time just staring holes into the air, that is why I searched the town for materials I could use to create weapons.

The rubble from the houses could be used as ammunition for slings or be dropped onto the enemy if they step into a trap. The clothing and wooden furniture can be used to power a fire. Or it can be reassembled and turned into pikes and spears.

The solid ground is an ideal source to let my ants spread and gather resources for me, without forcing me to leave this town. It is ideal to use this kind of system fo get everything I need, this way I will not have to rely on Tom at all.

On top of that, I will use my ant army to bring me a lot of the materials I need. If the ants can not bring me the material I had asked for then nobody can. IF I want a bug fucking stone, then they will bring me a big fucking stone.

If I asked Tom for a big fucking stone, he would look at me as if had lost my mind. Rightly so, but those ants do not question my intention, they just execute their orders without any complaining.

My thoughts jumped and I tried to distract myself from the boredom, that was slowly killing me.

As much as I wanted to ignore it, I could not escape from it. It was unavoidable, that I would grow restless if that idiot would not return.

By thinking about whatever came to my mind, I will buy myself some time, but even this strategy could not solve the issue at hand.

I would appreciate it if I did not lose the rest of my sanity over a matter as pointless as this. When even fights or a onesided beatdown look like a good alternative, then times must be rough.

If a group of NPCs would come here to cause trouble, I would give them a big hug and thank them from the bottom of my heart. I would ask about their stories, their motivations their dreams in life. I would soak in every word of them and listen attentively as they talk about their feelings and deepest fears. Or I just beat them up.

Just give me a remedy to alleviate my boredom. I am not picky as long as I do not have to resort to talking to my tenants inside of my body I will gladly accept anything.

" You audacious fool. Let me tell you..."

Seems like I never learn. I should never even mention or refer to his existence at all. Even the smallest acknowledgement feeds this guys ego for days and then he turns even more unbearable than before.

His glorious past and his unsurpassed deeds are mentioned over and over again and he does not miss any opportunity to tell me how unfortunate that he has to work together with someone like me. This shame is not something anyone can bear without losing their mind. Only his iron-heart resolve and his steeled heart were saving him from certain doom.

I, on the other hand, am a low creature, that has used up all of the luck from my ancestors to be able to meet him. Not only should I cover in front of his greatness, but I also should bid his every wish. According to him can consider being his slave the highest form of honour someone like me can ever hope to achieve.

Of course, he did not forget to mention how handsome, mighty, elegant and many other objectives that I am not even going to bother listing up. For people like him, there exists a strategy to deal with such behaviour. The key is to not pay any attention to him.

Those who crave it will go to great length to get it, but will also be equally flustered if they are not in the limelight and ignored. Sadly, this old fogey was a lot more stubborn and persistent with his desires.

Although I could force him to be quiet, by telling him to play the music in my mind, I do not gain anything by pissing him off even more. So instead of risking losing all of my privileges, I do my best to endure his lectures and ramblings about the good old times.

From time to time, I say some things to confirm, that I have not started to sleep and am still listening to his whining. Though he seems oddly satisfied after a session of talking down to me. Seems like we all have different ideas on how to vent our frustrations.

In return, he did not seem to mind, some of my recent memories, that included him being tortured. That is also another good way to cope, especially if I am forced to deal with my tenant for longer periods.

The long discussion that took place while I was unconscious has lefts its marks on my psyche and I had to find many methods to deal with them. How could they say so much without saying anything of importance? Always these vague terms and descriptions make my blood boil. If you want to have a secret, just keep your damn mouth shut. But those 2 fellas just liked to tease me over and over again.

" The end is nigh." Were they referring to the end of all things? The apocalypse, ragnarök? Or were they talking about to the end of my journey? What was the end that was coming to us? It was just the end of the discussion we had. That fucker even went so far, as to speak ominously in a solemn tone just to make a fool out of me.

I would have been impressed by it if I had not been so pissed of by it. Their entire dialogue was nothing more than a set up to poke fun and me and keep me in the dark about it as long as possible.

" Change is coming", just meant that they would switch the topic and my dumbass self thought so long and hard about what they were talking.

By the time I had noticed their little scheme, it was too late and I did not want to confront them and give them the satisfaction. For now, I just acted like a fool and did not talk about the discussion at all.

But he managed to prove one point, the only thing worse than this hellish boredom is being lectured while being bored.

I wish I was kidding, but there are certainly more fun things then listening to the ramblings of an old fogey who refuses to die.

As if the Gods had heard my outcry, I finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Right in front of my eyes, I saw a small group of NPCs scouting each house and looting everything I had not consumed. It did not look like they are affiliated with any player, why would a player loot houses?

That begs the question how did they escape from the players grasp? Did the hide outside of the city amid the monsters and only going into the city after the players had already left. They were dressed in a black robe and hid there faces behind there hood.

Judging by the silloutes they do not seem to be very muscular or particularly tall. Their movement was still rigid and not well-practised. As much as they were trying to be sneaky any person without a hearing impairment could hear them.

Their communication could be heard and they were just barely trying to suppress their voices. And criticizing the interior is not something you would normally do while trying to raid something.

They were not paying any attention to their surroundings as they did not discover my position and just continued to loot whatever they came in contact with. There was no tension or wariness in any of them.

Although they had my interest, they would not put up any challenge for them should I try to attack them. But the closer they came to the more their voices became clearer and I could follow each of their words without any problems.

Most of their voices sounded particular young and free of worry.

" There is nothing of any use here." a female voice proclaimed a bit frustrated by the lack of success.

" As long as we can avoid getting caught we will surely find something." said another voice trying to keep up the morale.

And afterwards, I just ignored everything once more. I just waited till they eventually would spot me. How would they react and what would they do, thats the stuff I am interested in knowing.

So can you guys please hurry up and not waste any more time trying to locate the nonexistent food?

But I still have these weird tingling inside of my nose, the trouble is still in the air.