KON POV

We were led into the basement level of the shop. It was significantly more spacious than the front store, but cleanliness was not a priority. The scent of metal and oil lingered in the air, with scattered tools and metal shavings littering the floor. I could only assume he had one or two assistants to manage all this disorganized stuff.

However chaotic the workshop appeared; it was surprisingly devoid of dust. Even amidst the clutter that could rival Zack’s room, the workbenches and floor remained remarkably clean. The Artificer spared no expense on a top-of-the-line air filter system.

“Now let’s get the fun part going. Measurements and Gear selections. The name’s Dongu Tinker, and yes, before you yap your head off, I come from a Tinker clan.”

I did a double-take at the revelation. An Artificer from a Tinker clan would be working with us to outfit us with SpeedGear. I turned my head to Zack, who stood there posing obnoxiously with a hand on his chin. Tinker is one of the most prominent clans when it comes to technological innovation and distribution.

From cutting-edge gadgets to the revolutionary tools that create them, the majority of mega-corporations have their Tinker names at the top, commanding the lion’s share of investment in Gear technology. SpeedGear, in particular, is their mainstream avenue.

Does this have anything to do with Zack being the target of The Bulls?

“Zack, be honest with me. What the heck did you do.”

“Nothing, if anything this guy here is the one who approached me first.”

“Pah! It’s just a commission or two. Don’t let it get into your head, boyo. But enough introduction. Real men and women speak with Gears, aye?”

“Uh….”

“Zack, I already got your specifications. Same old well-rounded and balanced stuff. Nothing too crazy. As for Venti, I will raise the core’s limit for Acceleration and Deceleration strain. You should be able to grow into it pretty fast. And then there’s you two.”

I felt my spine straighten a bit as he cast a glance towards us. His eyes held mirth as he dissected us with his gaze, intending to see what made us tick. I stepped aside, gesturing to Elizabeth. “Ladies first,” I said, using it as my excuse. I preferred to observe the happenings firsthand before opening my mouth. My apologies, Elizabeth. You’ll be my scapegoat for now.

“Gehah! Very well. Oi Missy, what do you want?”

“What do I want? I want a SpeedGear desuwa.”

Dongu raised an eyebrow at that and shifted his gaze to Venti and Zack. Venti nonchalantly shrugged, while Zack casually explored the workshop, poking and prodding with various tools. For some reason, I could detect a slight scent of black powder in the room. I crossed my fingers, hoping nothing would unexpectedly detonate. Were there even explosives around here?

This dwarf-looking guy is normal in the head, right?

“A complete beginner aye? Alrighty, listen closely coz I ain’t gonna yap twice. Most people order their Gear based on what role in the team they intend to primarily play.

Pathfinders demand sustained speed for prolonged periods. They need to constantly run without rest and stay ahead of the group, so smooth traversal is crucial. Their gear must be able to handle all kinds of off-road scenarios, whether it’s a craggy road, a mountain path, or anything in between.

Centers need to maintain balance, as they must be prepared to react in any situation. Their gear leans on every aspect in equal measure, as equilibrium is key. After all, the strength of the whole product is only as strong as its weakest link. While there are some exceptions, I won’t delve into them for now.

Forwards prioritize power, or more specifically, a burst of power. They are the first responders in any kind of bad situation, always the first to arrive in the thick of danger. Acceleration and deceleration are their bread and butter. They prioritize Gear durability above all else, as it needs to withstand the strain of their movements.

Diva wants the same thing as Pathfinder and then some. They desire the traversal smoothness for off-roading, like Pathfinders, but also the jumping power to handle the strain of performing various tricks and acrobatics without disrupting their performance. The gear must complement its AB (Ankle Breaker) counterpart effectively.

Tuners are a different breed altogether. They are given the basics with ample storage and building foundation and then left to sort it out themselves. A good tuner can change their running style mid-run or even mid-fight, so the Gear needs to have plenty of capacity and be easy to use for quick customization.

You got all that, young missy?”

“Y-yes desuwa!”

“Good, now show me your stance.”

“Stance desuka?”

“Yes, how you stand, poise, and fight. You learn any martial art or any physical lessons?”

“Bartitsu and a bit of Ballet desuwa.”

“Hoo, ballet you say? So, Missy is an aspiring Diva?”

“I’m not sure desuno….”

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“Hmm…… show me your Adagio. Move from that end to here. There’s a railing there if you want to use it.”

Elizabeth appeared hesitant at Dongu’s request, but with a nod from Zack, she complied, moving to the other end of the room. Taking deep breaths to center her focus, she gracefully executed various moves and routine steps in classical ballet. From an Arabesque to Attitude, développé, grande rond de jambe, and finally a plié, her performance showcased a blend of elegance and precision.

Executing the moves in place, Elizabeth remained rooted to her starting point. The adagios served as a warm-up for her body and legs before she gracefully stepped away from her initial position.

Once her body attained the desired flexibility, Elizabeth initiated a Chassé, a skipping step characterized by one foot chasing the other with a swift weight transfer. After a few rhythmic steps, she paused to rest and recenter her core, executing a Sauté—jumping and landing with both feet. Following a brief interlude, she seamlessly transitioned into Assemblé, bringing her other foot to meet in mid-air.

It was evident that she was intensifying her focus and movements for the upcoming segment of her dance. Resuming with a brisk Chassé, she propelled herself into a sequence of jumps, incorporating Tour en l’air, involving two spins in mid-air. The aerial spins were repeated twice before elegantly concluding the routine with two Tour Jeté—graceful turning jumps that involved a captivating throw of her entire body in the direction of the dance.

With that, she ended her performance with curtsies and a bow.

It took us a couple of seconds to register everything before thunderous applause erupted from Zack’s hands and mine. Her dance was mesmerizing. The artistry and delicate grace were displayed in full during that one-minute performance. I have no doubt there are other moves and techniques she can perform, but she decided to stick with the simple basics.

Venti, I’d like it if you could stop the catcall whistles. It’s the wrong genre, you know.

Elizabeth looked a bit shy for a moment, but her confident personality soon came out in full force from all the praise she had received.

“I still got it, desuwa! Ohohoho!”

“Good job Eliz, it was awesome!”

“Wooo, Ojou-chan knows some moves, eh?”

“It was beautiful, Elizabeth.”

“Hmm, not bad, Missy. Not bad indeed. For now, let’s put aside whether or not you can sing as a Diva and pick the SpeedGear type that best suits your dance. Bartitsu is a versatile art so we should just focus on your dance as a base first.”

“SpeedGear type desuno? There are different types of SpeedGear aside from party roles desuka?”

“Aye, depending on how the users move and stand, I need to outfit them with different Gear. Well, It’s mostly just the difference in the number of wheels and wheel types. The major ones are the 1-wheel, 2-wheel, 4-wheel, Ball-bearings, and Disk type Gears. Most people use the 2-wheels type. They offer great balance and all-rounder capacity in terms of customizability.”

At that, Dongu proceeded to walk to the back of the room to pick up a bunch of gear before laying them down on the table.

The one-wheeled Gear looked like a wedge heel boot with one big wheel on the bottom. I could already picture myself standing on my front foot and focusing on my tippy toes 24/7 to maintain balance the moment I wore that gear. It looked painful and tiring to wear. Elizabeth didn’t seem phased at all when looking at the gear. I guess ballet dancers are built differently.

“One-wheeled type,” Dongu explained, gesturing towards the gear on the table. “These Gears forgo half of the auto-balance mechanism feature to compensate for the jumping power you’ll get from these bad boys. You’ll have to rely mostly on yourself for balance, but on the other hand, you’ll jump higher and stay up longer. They’re popular among various dancers, especially beastkin with Digitigrade limbs.”

The next one I saw on the table is the most common SpeedGear that I see people use. The two-wheeled Gear. The wheels are smaller than the one-wheeled gear, but the sense of balance and comfort that this Gear’s impression brings is far better than the one-wheeled type. I will be using this one for sure.

“Two-wheeled type,” Dongu reiterated, gesturing towards the familiar gear. “Versatile. Easily customizable and upgradable. Compared to the other, it has the best sense of balance when it comes to standing still, running, and jumping. Some people say that it’s a jack of all trades, but if it gets the job done, then it’s good enough until you decide you want to specialize in something else.”

The one next to it is a fancy-looking shoe reminiscent of an office shoe, with wide and thick leather soles. There is also another variant that looks just like a pair of boots. Unlike the others, there are no wheels attached to it, but when you flip it, there are a bunch of small ball bearings attached to the foot soles below. Some of the balls in the inner soles are smooth to the touch, while the outer ones are rough.

“Ball-bearings type. A difficult gear to master,” Dongu explained, pointing to the shoes. “It allows the user to perform full-body rotation from standing still with no prior preparation. Most of the time, it was used in caged fights that involved SpeedGear. If you master it well, people can forget about reading your movements. But of course, the jumping power of this thing is next to zero. Specialized Ankle Breaker needs to be installed if you want to traverse vertically with it, but even then it will still pale in comparison with two-wheeled Gear, let alone one-wheeled.”

Then we come to the four-wheeled Gear. It looks like an old generation of rollerblades that casual people used for sports ages ago. The wheels are even smaller than the two-wheeled gear, lined up in a 1x4 fashion and strapped together with a railing. It reminds me of locomotion. It may function similarly to one too.

“4-wheeled type,” Dongu explained, indicating the gear. “This Gear has the best top speed among others. It also has the best-sustaining power and speed, so you can rest while traveling with it. Too bad most of its features are restricted by the road you intend to travel through. The smoother the road, the faster it can carry you. The rougher the road, the harder you will navigate through it. Jumping power is passable, but don’t expect to make a sharp turn easily with this thing.”

The final one is the most bizarre of the bunch. It’s a shoe with a white disk attached to its side. The disk itself is slightly bigger than the wheel in the one-wheeled gear. I can see myself putting this on and looking like a mini-Segway without the pole and handlebar.

All of a sudden, I felt an aura of enmity behind me. It disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. I glanced back, but everyone seemed to be listening attentively to Dongu’s explanation. Was I imagining things? It seemed to have emanated from Zack, but he was just busy picking his nose and looking bored.

“Disk-type Gears,” Dongu continued, gesturing towards the peculiar shoe with the white disk attached. “The latest generation of SpeedGear. Some people say it’s complete, but I say those people need to get their heads checked. It’s still an experimental prototype that people rarely use. Specs are all over the place. Jumping power is a bit better than two-wheeled, but far outclassed by one-wheeled. It has a speed sustain feature similar to a four-wheeled, but the center of gravity makes it hard for the user to rest and maintain balance. Also, let’s not start with the cost of maintaining one. The only time I ever see it used is when they coupled it together with Full-Cowl PowerGear, but let’s not go there for now.”

Hopefully, this isn’t too much for Elizabeth to take in. In my case, I already have some semblance of knowledge regarding most of the Gears that are displayed by Dongu, except for Disk Gear. Those things are rare, and not many stores sell them.

However, when I looked at Elizabeth, she didn’t seem fazed at all, unlike Venti who had his head smoked out when I listed the types to him.

“Any question? Good. Now I ask again, Missy. Do you know what you want?”

“Yes, desuwa!”