"They were all Junk Grade, so obtaining them was very easy." Kaycee went on to explain. "Even now, they should only barely be in the Standard Grade, since they still have flaws that make them closer to Junk than anything else."
"Flaws? You couldn't fix the problems they had?" Theo and Liyah looked mildly confused as they alternated stares between Kaycee and the items in the box.
"It's more complicated than that."
Sighing, Kaycee took out the two daggers and gave them to Theo. One was crimson and the other was azure, each having shimmering lusters to them—especially when Theo grabbed them by their hilts.
"These two would be considered Junk Grade by normal standards, since they can't store Ne'sh and need a constant supply to function, which makes them very defective. But, since you have a very large Ne'sh Pool, I figured they'd be a perfect match for you… especially since they have some pretty cool Arcane Abilities." He smiled, urging Theo to try activating them.
Despite this being the first time Theo was actually wielding an Arcane Instrument, he did not need any assistance in their activation.
Breathing calmly, he sent a rush of N'esh into the crimson blade, and instantly—
VWUUSH!
—A burst of flame exploded from the weapon, causing its entire body to become engulfed in the yellowish red flames that appeared.
"Careful! Careful!" Kaycee and Liyah stepped back, and Theo quickly apologized, forcefully deactivating the flames. He swiftly looked at the second object and quickly sent Ne'sh flowing into it as well, and a gust of wind instantly erupted around him, causing everything in the room to shake slightly.
His eyes sparkled with wonder as he witnessed this, his cheeks also slowly turning red in amazement. Theo felt powerful in that moment, and the mere sight of winds dancing with remnant ambers of sparkling flames around him caused his heart to race.
"A-amazing…" He whispered.
"You can also combine the two daggers, since they have a 'fuse' effect as a result of their incredible synergy. Combination should normally create a new effect, but this simply amplifies the separate abilities of the two daggers, and well… consumes a lot more Ne'sh." Kaycee laughed, his pale face showing just how much energy he had expended during test runs alone.
He was most certainly incapable of properly wielding the two as his weapons, so they naturally had to go to Theo.
"Thank you, Kaycee… these are honestly amazing!"
"You're welcome, haha!"
Kaycee laughed with closed eyes and a broadened smile, glad to see his work being appreciated to the point of being overwhelmed by the gratitude displayed.
"What about mine? What do mine do?"" Liyah's excited voice suddenly interrupted the serene moment, her impatience evident by her tone.
"Well…" Kaycee turned, pointing at her weapon as he explained. "We can't really test it out here, but that is a blaster of sorts, and it uses these batteries that I custom-made using Armament parts."
He stripped the shotgun before her, exposing its box magazine which held a total of six clips.
"The batteries are infused with Ne'sh, which allows them to shoot highly compressed energy blasts. There's also the central battery at its core that helps power the weapon itself. You can control the intensity of the blasts using this three-part lever here that shows options: stun, injure, and destroy." He smiled a little nervously.
"As you can imagine, it can be quite dangerous, but… I trust you."
"Hehe… thank you! Thank you so much!" Liyah excitedly took the weapon, handling it like a toy as she examined all the parts that Kaycee showed her.
Intense hues of pink quickly appeared on the tall boy's cheeks, but he quickly took a few steps back and hoped the darkness properly obscured his embarrassing reaction.
"B-be warned, though… the higher the intensity, the more Ne'sh will be expended, which means the batteries will die faster." He stumbled on his words. "I've only made those six batteries, and while I'd like to make more, my stockpile of Ne'sh is empty, so I'll be needing your assistance with it, Theo."
"No problem!" Theo instantly replied with a wide grin.
He never imagined that a day would come when he would be so excited to refill Ne'sh.
"What about you, Kaycee? Are these three for you?"
"Yeah, I was about to ask that too."
Both Theo and Liyah stared at the remaining Armaments with curiosity, wondering what they could do and what their defects could be.
"Well, yeah… they're sort of the most defective and have very simple abilities, but I suppose that's why they suit me most."
"Hey, that's not funny, Kaycee." The two glared at him with serious disapproval, forcing him to take a step back and quickly wave his hand apologetically.
"That was just a joke! Honestly, I don't think of myself that negatively, but I personally think these three work best for me, all things considered. They're generally complementary and support-type Armaments, which I think suit me best."
Theo and Liyah continued staring at him for a few more seconds before nodding in acceptance, after which they returned their eyes to the three objects in the shimmering box.
"So… what do they do?"
"Well, the glove draws kinetic energy around me and improves the force of my blows, allowing each strike of mine to pack quite the punch, even with my limited strength." He smiled, his gaze traveling to the remaining two. "As for the eye-patch, it helps me to see clearer and perceive more details than I am usually able to. I'm very clumsy, especially in fights, so this will help me out a lot."
Finally, there was the round orb that looked like a glowing rock.
"It's a flash bomb that can help me stun my opponents, especially if they're caught off guard. It instantly releases all the Ne'sh inside it at once and transforms it into a bright burst of light. That means I can only use it once until I recharge it, so I'll be saving it for my most intense battles."
"I see… that actually makes sense." Theo beamed, and Liyah joined in agreement.
Kaycee had been training intensely for the past couple months, but it was no secret that his skill was lacking by a great deal and he was nowhere near the level of the other two when it came to physical ability and overall combat potency.
By relying on the Armaments he chose for himself, he had a much better chance at fighting.
"With these, all of us should be pretty much set to fight in the Combat Exams. We just have to train hard to get accustomed to our respective Arcane Instruments." Liyah smiled, once again staring very dreamily at her weapon.
"Yeah… starting tomorrow." Kaycee yawned and smacked his lips. "I'm very tired. Haven't gotten any sleep since yesterday, so if you guys don't mind… I think I'll be going to bed now."
The two smiled and nodded.
They thanked Kaycee some more, causing his cheeks to flush in embarrassment as he chased them out of his house. They took their Armaments with them, entering the R'ac while Kaycee immediately collapsed on a nearby couch to sleep.
Liyah dropped Theo at his premises, and after saying goodbye, the vehicle zoomed off into the night. Theo entered his building and waited for a minute and half before re-emerging with a different expression on his face.
A sterner, colder look.
The darkness of the night perfectly camouflaged his barely visible silhouette as he stepped into the silent streets. Other than the soft sound of his footsteps, a tired whisper echoed into the abyss of the solitary world around him.
"It took more time than I expected, but… I should start my investigation now."