KON POV
Elizabeth pointed her index finger upwards with the other hand on her hip before she swept it downward in a dramatic fashion. Finally, she pointed her finger towards the one-wheeled Gear on the table.
“Hrm, good choice Missy. Can’t tell you how many idiots went and chose Ball Bearing Gears, just to switch to something else later. Am I right, Venti?”
“Eheh” Venti scratched his head. That sure sounds like something Venti would do. At a mention of the word fight or battle, he’s off with a cracked knuckle and an adrenaline-fueled brain.
Dongu proceeded to enumerate all the necessary hardware components for the Gear, along with their respective price tags. In the midst of this, he directed a few questions to Elizabeth, seeking details about her preferred running method and combat stance. These inputs were crucial for making minute adjustments in the design, particularly in the interaction between the soles and the feet, with a primary focus on the toes.
How do you want to brake? To accelerate? To turn? To manipulate the speed mid-run? To jump? To access its security protocol? To access it’s fail-safe features?
The Artificer took note of all these considerations even before commencing the blueprint. I’ve heard that the entire process can extend up to a month for the completion of a pair of Gears. And that’s without factoring in the time required for additional tasks like paintings and software installation.
Dongu dismissed my concerns, stating that the provided timeline was typical for an ordinary Artificer. According to him, a skilled Tool Tinker from a recognized Tinker Clan could complete the project in just a quarter of the allocated time. Not to mention he hasn’t done any measurements on our leg this entire time. I’m guessing he can already tell our sizes just from a glance.
I am once again awed at the fact that Zack managed to gain a connection with a Tinker. Makes me wonder what sort of commission he did for the Dongu Tinker. He didn’t do anything illegal, did he?
“Alright Missy, that’s the hardware done, now the software. The usual Eva OS should do, but Missy is not here for the boring tech mumbo jumbo so let me just ask. Are you a Diva?”
“Y-yes desuwa! I can become a Diva or whatever else this team needs me to be desuno!”
“You got it, Eliz!”
“Woohoo, Ojou-chan is so cool!”
Zack proceeded to fist pump in the air while Venti shouted an encouragement with both hands. Something feels wrong here. Being a Diva is not just something one can simply learn. It requires innate aptitude, such as techno-speak. I feel like I am the odd one out here for doubting this entire affair.
Must be nice being such a worry-free people.
“If Missy is so sure. I will prepare an order of SonnetSoul hardware and software just in case. Alright, listen closely. A Diva needs a Repeater and a Server. You can sing while running, good. But singing while getting pummeled in the face is another thing.
That’s what the repeaters are for. This small choker with Server Jewel here will repeat your last verse to the team, so you don’t have to sing 24/7. However, it’s like riding a bicycle. You still need to make small and subtle adjustments and continuously update your hymn when the situation allows it. Otherwise, your team will be stuck with outdated information.
You get all that so far?”
“Yes! It repeats my singing desuno.”
“Next, The Goggles. SpeedSight Optix’s good?”
“Whatever you recommend boss!~” Zack saluted.
“Then keep in mind that Diva’s UI will be slightly different from the rest of the party. Divas manage both information input and output. But don’t worry, that’s what the Server is for. They carry the majority of the workload. Just make sure that the choker is not too banged up, especially the jewel.”
Dongu ticked the last checkbox on his note before facing back at Elizabeth.
“Any more questions?”
“Ah….Um.” Elizabeth looked down while twiddling her thumbs.
“If there is anything you wanna shoot then shoot. Better now than later on down the line.”
“N-no! The hardware and software recommendations are marvelous desuwa! But if it’s possible I have an idea that I want to run by…..”
“Oho? A custom order? Now Missy’s talking!”
“Is it possible to design a Cane for SpeedGear desuka?”
“A Cane you say? Come to think of it. Missy did mention you studied Bartitsu. Aye, it’s possible, they are what we call AssistGear. A secondary tool in line with SpeedGear to help protect the user better. Or in this case, fight better. Any design idea?”
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Elizabeth hurriedly took out her tablet and scrolled it for Dongu to see. I want to see it too, but it would spoil the surprise. I want to see the whole team together, complete with the Uniform, and take a photo of it. It will be nice.
Zack and Venti didn’t share the sentiment though. They just ran up and looked at what Elizabeth had drawn. The moment Zack laid his eyes on it, I could see his eyes widen and the cog in his brain began to crank.
Wait. I know that face. It’s the fact that Zack makes it whenever he is about to scheme something nefarious. His face brightened a moment later before he put a hand on Venti’s ear and whispered something to him. Even with my enhanced hearing, I could only pick up a couple of words such as Magic.
Oh lord, what are they planning this time? Even Venti is snickering like a schoolgirl now. They better not mess around with Elizabeth too much. She is the newbie of the group and doesn’t know any better about what it means to be associated with The Duo Marauders.
“Oi Zack, what are you-”
“That’s all? Good, I can have it ready along with the SpeedGear. Now on to the juicy part!”
Before I could approach Zack to interrogate him about his scheme, Dongu grabbed my shoulder and turned me to face him. Why does he suddenly look so intense?
“What do you want, Boyo?”
“*Gulp*, A normal set for Pathfinder, please?”
“Gahaahah! The lad sure is humble. Starting from the bottom eh? Very well. Hardware Specs?”
“Standard per your recommendation. Also, I want a separate Core integration, making them detachable.”
I’m still uncertain about installing the memento Gear from my wooden box. However, I’ll put it off for now until I find a Tuner I can trust to conceal the Arcanum and install it in a way that makes it look like a regular wheel core.
“Easy. Anything else?”
“PentaTrix series for the Ankle Breaker. I want a better forward momentum, instead of verticality.”
“Understandable. Software?”
“Eva is good. For the SpeedOptix I want you to install a couple of plugins for me and set them up in this setting.”
I pulled out my tablet and handed him the list of plugins I wanted him to install, which consisted of half a dozen items. With these additional plugins, instead of a straightforward text information relay of what I send to the Diva and the rest of the team, I can now chart the route with a Mini-pad, draw colored arrows, and send them to my team in the form of 3D-drawn path to help them visualize it better.
“This setting….. You…..Gehah-HAHAHAHAHA. Charting mid-run! You are the second crazy person to ever think about this.”
“Second person?”
“Nay, customer confidentiality. Not my customer anyhow, just a hearsay. Is that all?”
“Yes, that’s mostly it for now.”
“Hmm, shame. I have some upgrades you might be interested in.”
I do another double-check, scanning the room. The lingering scent of Black powder is still there and I can see some traces of burnt wood on the workshop bench. I had a bad feeling about this, but I steeled myself and asked anyway. A Tinker’s knowledge is worth its time in 6-digit credits and then some.
“What sort of upgrade are you talking about?”
“Nothing too big for now. Just the turbo and cooler. I have a couple of ideas that I think might suit you.”
“But you haven’t seen me run, how do you know if it will suit me?”
“Tinker’s eyes, boy. These round things in my eye sockets ain’t just for seeing things. It SEES things. Then again it’s just an assumption of mine. If it doesn’t fit you, there’s always next time.”
Well, that isn’t ominous at all, and what did he mean by next time? Will I explode mid-run if I switch on the turbo? He is not trying to scare me, is he?
“Anyway, if yar interested. Hit me up. I will give you a commission or two, like that boyo Zack over there. But keep in mind, boy. With my commissions, you either take it and succeed, or you take it and fail. I won’t have you quit in the middle after hearing the details.”
Ok, now he is trying to scare me. Yes, I can see your trembling shoulders, Zack. But if I think about it, what Dongu was saying makes sense. You either commit to your contractor or don’t. It’s simple, and it prevents us from double-crossing the contractor by sharing the details of the commissions with the other party. In other words, he wants to see if I can be trusted or not.
It is just an offer for now, so I don’t see much downside to it.
“Sure, I will talk to you when I’m ready for an upgrade.”
“Good. If that’s all then we are done. Come back in two weeks the lot of you. Don’t bother me until then unless it’s important.”
On that note, the gear specification and order request are finalized and we are ejected from Dongu’s workshop to face the front of Dongu’s Dong again. I’m still questioning the origin of this naming sense. What propelled that dwarf-looking guy to pick up such a name for his store? Is it some sort of an inside joke that I am not getting?
“That’s that. Phew, it wasn’t so bad. I thought we had to stand around for a bit longer.” Venti stretched his limbs and cracked his shoulders.
“Yes. Dongu seems like a mild-mannered professional gentleman desuwa. He is very passionate with his craft desune.”
“*Snort*, huhu, yes he is.”
“Zack, is there something that you are not telling us?” I questioned his suspicious behavior.
I swear there are a lot of things I want to question him about. What did he do to The Bulls? How did he meet an Artificer from Tinker Clan? What the heck were you whispering with Venti about just now? Most importantly, what sort of commission did he do for Dongu?
“Nah, but you should accept the commission from that guy. It’s fun.”
“Define fun.”
“Nope, Client confidentiality. The contract says I can’t even disclose it to family members or even teammates.”
Great. If I accept it, it won’t come and bite me back in the ass one day. I’m so looking forward to it, haha……Sigh.
But a connection to a Tinker though. This is such a hard decision.
“Welp, now that the hardest part is finished. Time for some fun! What say you to Karaoke and Lunch at the same time.” Zack pumped his fist up.
“I’m in! My stomach is rumbling!”
“A karaoke desuka? Very well, I will show you how a true lady sings desuwa!”
“I need sweets.” Yes, I need sustenance for my growing headache.
However, just before I could catch up with the rest of the group, I narrowed my eyes and immediately expanded my area of intent. Three guys are following us. Their hands are in their pocket and they are tailing us subtly by pretending to chat among themselves.
Professional? No. Their eyes constantly linger on our group, and the tailing distance is not that far. Fortunately, they are not wearing SpeedGear, and their footsteps are not very silent.
On second thought, two of them had normal footsteps, while the third guy kept his footsteps silent. It’s the guy who watches me from the bleachers during my SpeedGear license practical testing. The way he positions his walk, he should be the leader of the bunch.
So I’m guessing they are here for me. Tch, should I confront them alone?
No, I don’t know the full picture of their motivation or their group affiliation.
Currently, they don’t seem to hold any malice towards me or my friends.
Ill intent?……Nada.
I will observe them for now.