"Oh, my God! It's true, you've lost an arm!" Ciara was just now identifying Hao's prosthetic limb. She went a bit further and quickly analysed it. "This mechanical attachment is a sophisticated and technological masterpiece, but I liked you better with your human hand." She was devastated by this realization to the point where a tear slipped out of her eyes.
"Uh... uhm... ugh... um..." Hao couldn't figure out how to respond to Ciara's comment. He felt awkward standing in the open, showing off his Wheelz.
"Dramatic much." This comment came from Lanor caught Ciara's attention, which made her tear dry up.
"Hao, who is she?" Ciara questioned, staring back at Lanor.
Just about to answer her question, Mentos replied, "Oh yeah, you don't know about her. Her name is Lanor something. That ugly one over there is scar face, the big guy is Boulder, the girl with the dagger and the ruthless look is a bad bitch…" Mentos went ahead to introduce the other member of Vicky's gang, and lastly, Vicky.
"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Ciara offered her sincere hand and Vicky reciprocated by grasping it. They both gave each other a firm handshake. Vicky's hand was colossal compared to hers but still soft enough not to be uncomfortable while holding hands together during such tight contact.
"You have a good eye for engineering, perhaps are you also a Blade Engineer?" Vicky queried, realizing how skilled Ciara's craftsmanship was from her brief inspection of the prosthetic limb.
"Yes, I am a Blade Engineer. I studied at the Blade Engineering Guild. You can say that my passion is with Sword Spirits. I also hold a silver medal at the Inter-District Sword Competition three years in a row, before I endeavour to craft custom sprite attributes."
"Wow, impressive." Vicky was genuinely pleased with Ciara's accolades. About to add something else, Lanor bested her to the punch.
"I'm also a student at the Blade Engineering Guild." Lanor wanted to break the ice and let Ciara know that her achievement was nothing impressive because she too was in attendance there.
"Oh, are you? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. They are known for their high calibre of students after all." Said Ciara.
"Yes, In fact, I am a brilliant genius who created many extraordinary products in my younger years, like the Wheelz for Hao's arm. I helped my mother recently build an upgradeable version. My skills are also unparalleled when it comes to making adjustments to existing blades. And my mother is not to be taken lightly." Lanor bragged about her accomplishments like a kid seeking recognition.
While the women were busy chattering, Hao and Mentos were in the process of opening the case. Their fingers touched along the edges, found the latch which kept it secure and flicked it. They were greeted with an additional layer of security which required Hao's biometric data. His mother made sure it would only be unlocked by him and no one else. Thus, Hao activated access permissions allowing entry through a fingerprint scan and retina analysis.
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As soon as the case was opened, a blue aura surrounded Hao's body as a reaction to his Vibe Edge's proximity. He felt the vibrations around him becoming clearing and more distinct as he assessed the pulsating blue beat tones. As usual, everything looked different once enhanced with Vibe Sense —his vision became sharper—and every object appeared more detailed than normal. And he didn't even touch it yet.
"Getting that sword back wasn't easy. We had to be very careful not to fall onto the Imperial Hound's radar." Mentos explained the difficulty he and Ciara had. "When I finally told her about what happened, she was eager to help. While handing us this case, your mum said that she installed a transmission scrambler on Vibe Edge to mask your ISD from being easily hacked."
"Oh, that's pretty neat." Said Hao rubbing his hand across Vibe Edge's sheath. He wanted to cry because of how happy he was to be reunited with his trusty sword, but he had to hold it in and remained manly due to the many pair of eyes around him.
"She also mentioned something about new gadgets. This must be them." Mentos’s excitement brought everyone's attention to the items in the case. Even the kids gathered around to look.
Aside from Vibe Edge which was the first thing Hao took out, two other items were present within the case. One of them was a new prostatic arm crafted by Quory upon learning of Hao's predicament. It had a dark exterior and more complicated mechanisms than Wheelz. There were several lights and switches on it for various purposes. On the side of the arm was a small logo which read 'Belmot, developed by Sphero's Inc.'
"Belmot? Is that what the arm is called?" Mentos asked, shivering with excitement.
"A new arm." Lanor was startled hearing this. "Let me see that." Without waiting for Hao's permission, Lanor reached down and grabbed Belmot from his right hand. She was taken by surprise at the weight of it and the sudden warmth. The new arm was more than she expected it to be, it was as if it had a life of its own. Much better than Wheelz. "Mum, take a look at this design. Who could have crafted such a masterpiece?" Lanor passed Belmot to her mother who gave her a quizzical look.
"Hmm?" Upon inspection, Vicky discovered just how high-tech the arm was. The intricate inner mechanisms that kept Belmot moving were more complex than Wheelz. She flipped it over to get a closer look at the back cartilage which surprisingly had a minimal number of wires connected to the joints and gears. They were mostly wireless connectors and a particular diode that she could not decipher. "This arm is expertly crafted." She further inspected it to identify the logo.
"Sphero's Inc?" Vicky began to wonder about Hao's true identity. "Now that I think about it, they do have similar names. Hmm…?"
"Similar name? What are you muttering about mum?" Lanor wanted to know what was on her mother's mind.
As the two began to hypothesize, Hao utilized Wheelz's grasper to take Belmot from Vicky's grasp.
Lanor was obviously not pleased with this, "Hey! We weren't finished inspecting that arm." She fumed, but Hao ignored her.
"Help me get this off." He requested Ciara to unplug Wheelz from his shoulders.
"Wow, that's really heavy." She realized after grasping Wheelz. "The weight of this arm is comparable to a T2-Driver. It isn't ideal for long use. How are you able to move it so well?"
"I have my ways. Now help me put this one on." Hao reminded Ciara of what she was supposed to do.
"Oh right, I'm sorry." While she assisted him in putting on Belmot, the others watched as if it was a comedy show.
Mentos was more focused on the other item sitting inside the case than anything else going on. It was shaped like a goggle, reflective with a sapphire sheen and also had a neat style about it that radiated technological complexity.