"Okay, Bridget. Here is the final design for my steam gauntlets. What do you think?" The neon haired Japanese boy asked, nudging the mechanic at her workbench.
"Let me guess. These are modeled after Freed's?" Bridget said unenthusiastically, removing her magnifying goggles as she set aside her tools.
"Yes, of course. I used his first prototype as a base for my finished product. But what I've done is more advanced than the model he has now. The steam cylinders can now hold much more water, allowing him more use without having to reload. I've also played around with the pistons, so now each burst of steam would have a minimum temperature of 80 degrees. You can see the schematic for that here." Toyuma pointed out a section of the blueprints, indicating the specific part he was referring to.
"Did you take into account the user's skin? The heating module integrated with the steam piston would be located around the wrist area of the wearer. That means when every punch is thrown, the mechanism would heat up the steam and burn the user in the process." Bridget replied with a quip in her tone.
"I actually did account for that. Here's a separate schematic for special armbands that will go under the gauntlet's casing. It'll suppress the heat so the user only feels a tingle upon the arms. I plan to knit it out of anti heat materials, of which I have yet to gather."
"Wait, you knit?"
"Yeah, I learned just recently. Akemi taught me a thing or two."
"Squad four? She taught you to knit?"
"Yeah. It's a hobby of hers."
"Geez, you two are both squares. That girl acts much older than she actually is."
"I've always been enthralled by her maturity. It's enlightening being around someone so composed and dignified when everyone you know around you is a slight psychopath." Toyuma nudged, referring to Bridget in that statement.
"Oh, shut your trap. Go fetch me some scrap metal, preferably brass. I'm making some ammunition for Rodger." Bridget demanded.
"Alright. Did you want anything for breakfast while I'm out?"
"Some waffles would be nice. Don't skimp out on the syrup like you always do. I like sweet."
"I'm only looking out for you. Don't want to get sick,now."
"Oh, shut your trap." Bridget hissed playfully. She liked her catchphrase. It was only ever consistently used when referring to Toyuma, given their budding relationship.
Being a member of squad five and an apprentice to the guild's most dignified and respected mechanic, there was a lot to like about Toyuma Kitsumari. His nickname was Toy, which only Bridget and his captain Kuina were allowed to call him by. If anyone could describe the boy, it would go as follows.
He was short. Criminally short. Often mistaken for a grade schooler, Toyuma— 15 years of age—was born with slow growing bone infrastructure. This meant his body grew at a much slower rate than anyone his age. By the time he was 25, he'd achieve a height comparable to a teenager, typically of 16 years. As for his other features, they were small as well. His nose, lips, eyes, even his ears, all fit well with his small stature and build. The boy was never seen without his signature green vest and bow tie, which was a vibrant pink that matched parts of his hair, which was smooth and wavy. He stood with great posture and projected his voice loudly. As for his skill, he was unparalleled in his intellect, only rivaled by the "battle genius" captain of the fourth squadron, Takeshi Tanaka. This led to his student role under Bridget, learning the ropes of steam engineering in hopes of applying his genius level smarts to modern technology.
He was a child prodigy, the smartest of his age, no doubt.
As the boy walked slowly through the halls, the grumbling and morning sighs of the guild members began to fill the halls. Swerving through the building crowds, Toyuma found it easy to walk around and under people in his situation. He didn't find his height a hindrance, but rather a benefit.
As he made his way to the storage where the scrap metal was kept, the boy was stopped by another teenager, close to his age given his boyish yet somewhat mature appearance.
"I'm looking for the mess hall. Any idea where that may be?" The boy asked, fiddling with his knuckles.
"I've never seen you around. You must be new. I'm Toyuma Kitsumari, tactician of squadron 5 under Kuina Masutomo. Nice to meet." Toyuma greeted happily, extending his arm for a shake.
As the two shook, Toyuma made it a point to analyze the boy. He was of good height, about the size of a regular teen. He was clearly well built for his age, his muscles visible through the thin white tank top he wore under a light brown jacket, which the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his long toned arms that were wrapped in white bandages. He wore thin brown trousers and combat boots to match, which were untied. His physical features were quite sharp. His jawline, nose, and chin were all chiseled to perfection.
As for his hair, it was a spiky mound of uncontrollable black mass, It's tips pointed in every which direction. His eyes were the same color—a deep shrouded black. His skin was fair, but a bit more tanned than the average Brit.
"Keith Nagasaki. But call me Spaz. Yeh, I'm new around here. Just got recruited yesterday. I'm looking for a challenge to break in my skills here. Ya know, establish a reputation. This whole damn guild's gotta know I'm one of the strongest fighters around."
"So, you're a brawler? I knew it. I take it you box?"
"You could say that. It's a martial art I developed. It mixes boxing techniques with a lot of other moves and disciplines of other styles. But am' here for a fight. I wanted to join this guild to fight strong people. So, who's your best? Throw 'Im at me."
"Well, the strongest is obviously our leader, Maddox. Then it's a tie between two of our five captains, Freed and Zatoichi. From there, our third strongest would be brawler of the fourth squadron, Oxford Cunningham. And those are just the brawlers."
"They all sound powerful. Who you reckon I fight first?"
"None of them. You seem confident in your skills, but these men are monsters. When it comes to combat, it's almost impossible for them to hold back...that's how strong they've become."
"Heh, I'm up for a challenge! Once they get bodied by a 15 year old from the slums, they'll realize they hold no candle to the advanced arts of Burōrisuto." Spaz claimed proudly, slamming his fists together.
"Well, I can't stop you. Just don't expect to escape a battle against them alive. With that, I bid you good luck. I'm on an errand right now, so I'll see you later." Toyuma trotted off.
"WAIT! WHAT ABOUT THE MESS HALL!?" Spaz chanted out frantically, his eyes larger and lacking pupils, which slightly reminded Toyuma of Bridget when she got angry.
"You'll find it if you look around enough. Have fun!"
"DAMN YOU KITSUMARI!"
**********************************************
"Eggs and bacon please. 15 plates if you will." Maxwell ordered over the kitchen counter, a hurried cook jotting down his order on his paper pad.
"Oxford, right?" The chef asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep."
"I'll put extra salt and pepper and maybe a few more strips of bacon on the side. Give us ten minutes."
Riley brought himself down at a table, awaiting the food. His mind began to race with how drastically his life turned around over the course of a few hours. It all began with him looking for a ring. Now, he was in a guild of thieves, starting his new life as a criminal vigilante. Maxwell's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a boy around his size and age entered the empty mess hall.
"That damn Kitsumari….made me search for this place for hours!" The boy shouted, searching for the kitchen window.
Intrigued, Riley decided to call the boy's attention.
"There was a sign right above the hall. You didn't see it?"Maxwell said, kicking his leg up.
"Who are you? And yeah...I saw it." The boy tried to play It off as if Maxwell didn't hear what he muttered.
"I'm new around here. The name's Maxwell Riley."
"I'm Keith Nagasaki, but I won't respond to anything but Spaz. I'm new here myself. What squadron have you been assigned to?"
"None yet. I'm staying with four at the moment, though. Has Maddox talked to you yet?"
"The guild leader? No. Were we supposed to?"
"Not sure. Maybe it was just me. I take it you've been here for a day?"
"Yeah, I got recruited from a member of squad five. It was nice meeting. Now if you excuse me, I'm starving." Spaz swerved away, onto to be stopped by a man who slapped his handle the boy's shoulder.
"Ah, Keith! Up for an early morning meal? Good. I've come to retrieve master Maddox's fixings. And you're here too, Maxwell! What a coincidence. Two of the guild rookies in the same place at the same time. I've been meaning to talk to the both of you." Charlemagne intervened.
"Well, what is it?" Maxwell pried.
"As rookies, you are both being put under a mentor to learn from. This mentor will teach you most of the basics, from stealing to combat. I've assigned lady Satō from squadron 4 to be in charge of this task."
Maxwell's face drained with blood as his skin turned pale. Spaz, who gave Riley an awkward look, shifted his attention back to Charlemagne.
"Who's lady Satō? And why is Miss Riley here so scared of her?" Spaz teased, giving the fellow rookie a smile of taunt.
"MISS RILEY!?"
"Yeah. Your hair kinda makes you look like a girl."
Before Maxwell could get too heated, he calmed himself down and took a deep breath.
"Miss Akemi Satō is a high thief of squadron four. She is responsible for stealing things in her group, and she is at the forefront of every heist the squadron is assigned to partake in." Charlemagne explained.
"But why her? Why did it have to be her?" Riley cried comically, waterfalls of tears streaming down his eyes.
"I took into account many things when selecting her. Miss Satō is experienced in both field combat and stealing, as well as communication and teaching skills. She's a bit of a tough crumpet, but one that will whip you up to shape quickly! I have all of my confidence in her." Charlemagne went on.
"Well! It looks like master Maddox's meal is done. I'll meet again with you boys in a few hours so be ready! Why don't you two get properly acquainted? You'll be working with each other now! Pip pip! Come on, chefs! Right this way!" Charlemagne led a row of Chefs all carrying two plates each to Maddox's office. The grand meals utop each dining plate was easily enough to feed a single person.
"All that's for Maddox? You can't be serious!" Riley scoffed.
"Riker's a bit of a glutton, you see. But, it's not all for him. The guards and I also dabble a bit. With that, I take my leave. Be good you two!" Charlemagne bowed before leaving the mess hall, a line of workers following behind.
"Heh, I could totally eat all that myself." Spaz bragged, adjusting his jacket as he wiped the tip of his nose cockily.
"Sure you can, you nutter." Riley fired back.
"You want some problems, mate? I'm quick to swing, just so you know." Spaz replied with eagerness.
"You're all dime a dozen. Back where I'm from, I used to deal with cocky arseholes like yourself all the time."
"What's that you prat? I'll break you. You want a go at me?"
"Save it for training. You'll probably get your chance then." Riley stood unwavering, Spaz slowly approaching him as the two stood nose to nose.
"Don't test me, punk. I'm stronger than I look. I'd kill you in a few hits, you don't seem like you could take much. I'd eat chumps like you for breakfast. In fact, why don't I do that now?" Spaz sneered, gritting his teeth.
"You're not selling your tough guy act, Keith. Back off and try again." Riley quipped back.
"That's it. I'm really gonna swing now. Then you won't think twice about talking back to me."
"Go for it, you bloke. I dare you. But you don't know what I can do either. Doesn't that scare you? Going up against someone whom you know nothing about? Just as you said, appearance isn't everything. For all you know, I could be one of the strongest guys here. I may be a rookie. But does that make me weak? Find out for yourself and throw your lousy punch already. I'll take it head on." Riley grit. In the exterior, the boy was exuding raw confidence and boastful manliness, something he picked up from his father and by part, Takeshi. He realized acting up and giving an opponent something to be fearful of was the perfect way to make them stand down. But the difference between him and Takeshi was that Tanaka was clearly powerful and could back up his claims. Riley was playing a bluff, trying to psych Spaz out while avoiding any confrontation. In reality, Riley had never fought before. If things went south and this boy was as strong as he claimed, Maxwell was in for a world of hurt. But before Spaz could raise his fist and take a stance, the boy oddly enough smiled.
"You're good. Damn good, you bloody bastard. I like you. You pass." Spaz laughed, stepping back as he cracked his knuckles, giving Maxwell a toothy smile.
Maxwell processed the entire moment, not able to understand what the boy just did.
"Pass what?" Riley poked, crossing his arms,an eyebrow raised in genuine confusion.
"It's a test. You see, I don't like to just call anyone my friend. I keep the people that I respect and have a genuine feel for close to me. I've done this to a lot of boys...and they all get a fist to the face. I've never actually seen a kid stand up to me like that. You're either really strong or really smart, and that's something I can definitely respect. So, we can be friends. But not exactly friends. From what I can tell, we can be pretty damn good rivals."
Maxwell was taken aback by the whole situation, trying to consider everything he had just said. There was no sort of refrain in his voice, nor in his expression. He was dead serious. The boy actually put him in a test of sorts. Going with the flow, Riley threw all his negative thoughts and pent up anger out the window as he accepted the statement with open arms.
"Yeah, I guess so. That's a pretty neat little trick you just did there." Maxwell concurred.
"I'm serious when I say I'm impressed. So many people get intimidated by my deep voice or my look. So no one wants to be friends with me. But when I do that to someone and they don't turn tail and run, I've found genuine strength. It's a philosophy of mine. If you want to be strong, you gotta surround yourself with strong people! I never forget that."
"I see what you mean. You're good yourself. I wasn't expecting that at all."
"Yeah I am pretty good aren't I? By the way, I wasn't lying about the girl thing. You need to cut your hair a wee bit, mate."
Riley blew off the remark playfully with a shoulder shrug.
"So, what do you all do for fun around here? I feel like tossing around a punching bag a bit." Spaz went on.
"Hell if I know. From what I understand, everyone just socializes and eats when they're not on missions. A life I could get used to." Riley answered, giving a faint smile.
"Sounds like the life of a perfect warrior. I'm already liking this guild."
"Me too, Spaz. Me too."
The two boys firmly shook hands, giving a genuine look of respect and competition.
"We're not just friends now, we're rivals. I want to see this great strength of yours soon! And if I can't beat it, I'll get strong enough to!"
"...right…" Riley replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.