Rebecca grinned towards Kailan. “You’re just jealous cause mom’s getting all the love.”

Kailan wore a mocking smile. He wasn’t jealous because he was still feeling somewhat detached from his family, so it was a bit hard for him to have those more complex emotions. Instead he was grateful that he wasn’t being crushed by this familial display of love. Still, it was nice to see them all getting along, and he was glad that his mother had the additional support. She was going to need it.

Eva walked in and handed Kailan his Hunter ID that now had a photo of him inlaid into it. Edward, Maria and Rebecca let go of each other as they all stood up.

“Alright. You are all set. Give me a call once you’ve worked out the dungeon thing.” Eva said to him as she gave a knowing glance to both him and Maria.

“Right.” Kailan responded succinctly. He turned to his family with a fresh smile. He had finally completed the first step, now it was onto the next one. But instead of cheers or congratulations he was met with silence.

Maria was staring contemplatively at the Hunter ID in his hand. Edward was staring at her from the side, most probably afraid to venture into that land mine. While Rebecca was just smiling waiting for the others.

Eventually Rebecca couldn’t stand it. She looked between the faces of her family members standing there silently and then said. “Ok, let’s get some lunch.”

She locked her arm around her mother’s and pulled her along, dragging Maria out of her thoughts. “Yes, lunch.” Maria replied as she walked along with Rebecca, completely ignoring Kailan and Edward.

Edward followed after quietly, playing his part as the escort. Eva gave Kailan a pitying smile as she told him. “Good Luck.”

Kailan laughed mockingly at himself before also following behind the family.

They all left the Bureau building and got in Edward’s Ford Occult. “The BRU Burger Bar. And step on it.” Maria stated without any chance for reproach.

She had clearly made her decision on where she wanted to eat. The BRU Burger Bar is exactly what it sounds like. A high end restaurant and bar that serves mainly burgers and alcohol. The closest one to downtown is off of Massachusetts Avenue, which was only about 5 minutes away. So it didn’t take them long before they arrived. The parking lot wasn’t very full so they easily found a place to park.

As they entered they were greeted by one of the waitresses. There were a number of people already eating inside, but luckily it was just before the lunch rush so the Jones family didn’t need to wait for a table. They were seated in a booth by a young female waitress who Rebecca felt had too much spunk.

As they ordered their drinks, Maria asked for a draft, which surprised everyone. She was clearly going to drink away her sorrows. And by the end of their meals, she did, after about 4 drinks. Maria was a bit of a lightweight since she normally didn’t drink. So Rebecca had to help her walk back to the car, as she almost stumbled off of the sidewalk.

“Maybe it’s time we head home honey.” Edward gently stated as he helped her put her seat belt on.

“Nonsense! The day is still young. Where to next?” Maria replied with a bit of gusto and a bit of attitude. Clearly ready to take on the world if she had to.

“I know. Since we’re already on Mass Ave, how about we go to the forge shops and look for some equipment for Kailan?” Rebecca interjected with an unusually bubbly smile. She was enjoying seeing her mother drunk for the first time, not to mention she can dress Kai up in weapons and armors, which made her just as excited as the mall trip.

“Now that sounds like a plan!” Maria seconded enthusiastically.

Edward shook his head, knowing this was a bad idea. Still, he drove on. Kailan stared out of the window, not bothering to speak. He was afraid he might say something that would set his mother off. He was a bit excited to see these weapons and armor shops though.

The square city block between New Jersey and North Street and Michigan and East Street, was cut in half at an angle by Massachusetts Avenue. Creating two even triangles. This used to be shops and apartment buildings but about six years ago it was purchased by the Hunters Bureau and converted into the Hunters Mall.

You could find anything a Hunter could possibly need here. There were weapon shops, armor shops, alchemists selling exotic potions and odds and ends, you name it. There was even a branch of the Hunter’s Auction here. They had a small auction house on one of the street corners.

The Bureau was clever in its use of real estate. The majority of weapon and armor forgers as well as other Hunter related crafting professions were tied to either a big business or a guild. So the Bureau rented out the shop spaces to these entities to allow them to sell their wares in a central location that was convenient. This not only allowed them to keep an eye on the craftsmen, but it also helped to improve the Bureau’s financial status.

Kailan noted the smoke stacks as they passed by. There were large chimneys putting out a lot of smoke and heat, littered across the buildings, which didn’t look congruent with their style. “What are they burning?” He asked.

“Those are the forges. Materials from the dungeons are still relatively new to our world, mass production hasn’t quite caught up with hand crafting. So it’s common to see forges, especially in shopping areas dedicated to Hunters. The Craftsman here even take on requests if you want something custom, but it’s really costly.” Rebecca explained as she pointed at different shops.

“Dad, slow down a bit. Look, you can see in that window. Those shirtless guys are the forgers. They forge the items here and then put them in their store front or take them to the auction. The forging process has some level of randomness to it, so if they make a really good item they’ll auction it off instead of selling it since it’s harder to put a price tag on it.” Rebecca continued to explain. Her face was full of smiles and wonder as she stared out of the window.

“You seem pretty knowledgeable about forging and how the shops work.” Kailan pointed out with a silly grin.

Rebecca blushed knowing that he was teasing her. She did point out a bunch of shirtless men with a bright smile so of course he took a shot at her. She turned to give him a cute glare before tickling his sides. Kailan was of course ticklish so he couldn’t help but laugh as he tried to jerk away. “Stop…” He let out between his laughs.

Rebecca finally stopped and sat back down on the other side of the seat. “I know because it’s common knowledge. Also I have my equipment custom made and maintained by specific shops.” She pouted as she explained.

“So these are all shops for Hunters?” Kailan asked curiously as he rubbed his sides.

“Yeah. This is pretty common these days. Most big cities have a shopping mall for Hunters and there are even small scale stores in smaller cities and towns. The dungeon industry has grown explosively despite how short the time has been. Just goes to show capitalism is the cog that makes the world turn.” Rebecca stated blandly as she stared ahead. She was sulking a bit.

“Dad, pull in here and park in the far back.” She suddenly pointed to a small side street that cut into the South-side building. The triangular section of the South building had a cut out with a smaller rectangular building positioned inside it. There was a small street with some parking surrounding it.

Edward turned into this small parking area and drove all the way back before finding a spot to park. It was the only spot open.

“Lucky…” Rebecca stated in surprise. She had actually been expecting to have to find a spot in another parking lot further away.

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As they got out of the car, Kailan could smell a mixture of many different things. From fried food to burnt leather and melting metal. It was a very strange mix. Maria slightly stumbled out of the front passenger seat.

“Mom, are you ok?” Rebecca quickly grabbed her arm to help stabilize her as she giggled.

“I’m fine. My foot got stuck…” She stated with a curled lip.

Rebecca did her best to hold back the laughter that nearly escaped. Maria was still quite tipsy and now she was making excuses. It was a whole new side to her that Rebecca had never known. “Maybe I should take her out drinking with the girls or something. I’ll bet that would be way too much fun…” She thought as she made some evil future plans for her mother.

“Com'on. It’s this way.” Rebecca let her mother go to walk on her own as she stepped forward to guide them.

Edward moved closer to Maria just in case.

“I said I’m fine.” She looked at him oddly before shifting her head to the side avoiding his gaze.

“So just because you're fine, I can’t walk next to my lovely wife? What if I want to show you off to the crowds of people and make them jealous?” He said with a triumphant smile as he held his head up and his arm out for her.

Maria blushed. Even though it was just an excuse it was a perfectly good one. Sometimes this man said just the right thing at just the right moment. She wrapped her arm around his as they walked together like a young loving couple.

Both Rebecca and Kailan had trouble holding in their laughter. Their parents were so weird.

Rebecca led them out onto the main street and then to the other side. They continued North-East to the end of the block before she turned into one of the stores. It was an average looking shop with weapons of all kinds stacked everywhere.

“Welcome to Malan’s Arsenal. The best weapon shop in the entire mall.” Rebecca introduced.

Kailan was in awe. He looked around and there was practically every weapon imaginable here. Everything from swords, to pole arms, to bows and arrows, even guns.

“Having a good weapon will help to keep you safer than anything else. Since you prefer two-handed swords, you must be a front line fighter, right?” Rebecca asked.

“Yeah. I’m a direct melee fighter with buff and debuff skills.” Kailan explained.

“Speed or defense focus?” She continued to question.

“Both. Versatility and Vitality are my Secondaries. My Primaries are Power and Intellect.”

“Woah. So you’re really geared to combat. I’ve never heard of anyone having Primary in both attack stats. You don’t use any offensive spells?” Rebecca was really surprised.

With Kailan’s stat distribution he was perfect for a balanced offensive fighter. Normally this didn’t happen. Nature has a way of creating its own balance and its own imbalance. So normally of the two offensive stats of Power and Intellect only one would be Primary and the other would be either Secondary or Tertiary depending on the individual’s own genetic build. It was the same with the defensive and vital stats. Normally they would also not be evenly matched unless they were all Tertiary, the lowest distribution.

“I don’t. But I’ve been considering learning some at some point. I’ve been meaning to expand my attack range.” Kailan stated contemplatively.

It had occurred to him long ago that the next step in his combat training was to expand his attack range. Currently he specializes in close range combat with some control, but that has its own limitations just like any of the other ranges. If he learned some offensive spells he could increase his combat abilities to incorporate mid-range combat as well. And with his high Intellect, his spells would be devastating.

When Kailan first started training in Asgard he was given the choice of learning to be a melee fighter or a mage. He chose a melee fighter because he was a fan of martial arts and medieval movies and he wanted to learn how to fight like them. It was a childish reason but it was his passion so he put everything he had into it. In the end it was the right choice as he became a very accomplished fighter hailed across all of Valhalla.

There were many songs sung of him and quite a few lower worlds terrified of even hearing his name.

“Alright. So then you’ll probably want a greatsword or a claymore. Those should be in the far corner straight ahead.” Rebecca stated as if she knew everything about the store.

“Actually, do they have any nodachi blades?” Kailan asked skeptically. Director Morris had already stated it wasn’t common.

“Nodachi? Do you mean an odachi?” Rebecca tried to recall this type of weapon.

“Same thing. That’s the type of weapon I’m used to wielding.” Kailan confirmed.

“Sounds like a rare type of weapon. What is it?” Edward released Maria’s arm and put his over Kailan’s shoulder as he asked.

“It’s a large katana-like blade. You won’t really find them here in the US. But I’ve heard of weapons craftsmen in Japan making them. Sorry Kai, the closest you’ll get here is probably a regular katana. As for two-handed swords, considering the weight and build, probably something like a longsword or a Zweihänder might be better for you?” Rebecca thought for a moment as she compared various swords to try and find one similar to an odachi or that he might like.

“I figured.” Kailan was a bit depressed.

He really missed his old nodachi. It was a very powerful blade forged by Hephaestus, the god of fire and smithing. It had been with him for over 700 years and it was like an extension of himself. Unfortunately all of his equipment had been left behind in Asgard. He didn’t have it with him when Gaia pulled him back between the realms and even if he did, he doubted he would have been able to use it here. The materials were too powerful for this realm just like he was.

One swing of his nodachi and it would probably cleave the Earth in two. Just imagining it sent chills down his spine. Talk about a mess to clean up.

“Becca! What are you doing here? If I had known you were stopping in I would have come out to greet you sooner.” A somewhat tall muscular woman walked out from a door that presumably led to a back room, and called out to Rebecca, in a thick British accent.

She was around 6 foot, with a more masculin athletic build. Her skin was tanned and she had short brown hair, and was wearing a brown apron over her t-shirt and bluejeans. The only feminine distinguishing feature was her somewhat large bust.

“Sorry Olive, it was a last minute decision.” Rebecca perked up when this woman approached her.

Olive turned to Kailan and looked him up and down. She had never known Rebecca to bring a man with her to her shop.

“Kai, this is Olivia Malan, the owner and primary blacksmith of the shop. She’s also the one who forged my weapons and maintains them.” She introduced, facing Kailan.

“Olive, this is my little brother Kailan. I brought him here to pick out a weapon.” Rebecca turned to Olive and gave her a smile as she also introduced Kailan to her.

“Little brother? I knew you had an older one but you even have a little one?” Olive questioned.

“He’s a Returnee. We thought that we had lost him so…” Rebecca trailed off as she explained.

“Say no more. I get it. Well then, welcome to my shop, Little Kai. What kind of weapon are you looking for?” Olive gave Kailan a pleasant and welcoming smile.

“Little Kai? Huh, what an interesting person.” Kailan thought to himself as he smiled back to her.

“Well, I guess a two-handed sword. But I’m not sure which type would suit me just yet. I’d need to get a feel for them.” He replied.

“Ah, so you’re a front-line fighter type. Come with me.” Olive led them down a row of weapons and to the far corner where Rebecca had pointed out earlier.

“These are all of the two-handed swords I have in stock at the moment.” She pointed to a weapon rack with 12 different swords. They were organized from smallest to largest. But even the smallest of the swords was at least 100 centimeters long.

Kailan examined them one by one until he reached the end of the rack. “Can I pick them up?”

“Sure. Just be careful. They’re really sharp.” Olive stated as she winked at him.

Kailan reached out for the largest sword at the end. It was almost 250 centimeters long and had a thick blade with a width of around a foot. It reminded him of a famous video game sword.

“Use both hands for that one. It’s made of a very heavy material from one of the high level dungeons.” Olive instructed with caution.

Kailan grabbed the hilt of the sword which was around a foot long on it’s own. It was a thick handle wrapped in leather. Similar to a nodachi blade, which is why he wanted to test it. Though the width of the blade itself made him feel like it wouldn’t be compatible with his fighting style.

Lifting it up with ease he turned it to it’s side and examined the length of the blade. Then to the astonishment of both Olive and Rebecca, he let go of his left hand, holding the blade straight out with only his right arm outstretched. The weight of the sword seemed to have no effect on him.

He proceeded to rotate the sword back to its upright position as he raised his arm straight up into the air, before slashing downward with it. Luckily the ceiling of the shop was very high. His movement was perfect with no deviation as the blade came straight down and stopped a mere inch from the floor.

Olive’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “So strong…”