Standing before them was probably the biggest shop Kenneth had seen all day and she was amazed to find it hidden in such an inconspicuous place.
There wasn't anyone in sight considering how there wasn't any foot traffic so it wasn't strange that not many people would come here. The amazement in her eyes couldn't be hidden and Fletcher looked at her with a smile on her face.
"This place isn't well known amongst regular people," she started to explain.
"The only reason why I know about it is because it's a popular topic amongst the Fighter Division. A lot of people come here in order to purchase their own weapons or get the ones they already have customed. I wanted to bring you guys here the moment I heard about it." She said.
Kenneth was once again in awe at how resourceful Fletcher was. She was always in the know of everything, whether big or small.
She would've done extremely well in recon. Kenneth thought to herself.
"Does anyone else feel the immense aura coming from the door?" Fae asked.
"Now that you mention it, I do. It's heavy and kinda imposing." Fletcher said.
Kenneth wasn't a full Fera so she couldn't feel the aura they were talking about, but the fighter spirit within her was telling her that there was an oppressive energy coming from the entrance.
"Well we can't just stand here all day can we?" Kenneth said, her patience running thin.
She was excited to see all the amazing weapons that would be displayed in the store and no oppressive aura was gonna stop her.
She pressed the button near the door and the doors opened. She carefully walked inside the shop and was met with a pair of green eyes that were staring at her with surprise.
"Well. You're not at all what I was expecting." The man said as he looked at Kenneth.
"Kenneth?" Fletcher called out to her as she saw her standing there without moving.
The two girls walked into the shop and the shop keeper looked at them with curious eyes.
This was an unexpected sight for him. An Empath in the company of two strong Feras. But what surprised him the most, was that the Empath was able to withstand his glare.
What is a glare? A glare is a Fera's defensive and offensive mechanism. It acts as a form of intimidation, as well as a form of protection. Not all Fera's are capable of glares however. Only the strongest one's could use them. Once a Fera directed a glare at someone, it could paralyze the target depending on the degree used. In the case of the shop keeper, his glare was used as a form of intimidation, letting only those he deemed worthy enough to enter. The degree used as minimal hence the reason why Fletcher and Fae only felt a slight discomfort and move around easily. Though his glare wasn't intense, it was still enough to stop a normal Fera in its tracks. The fact that Fae and Fletcher were walking with no problems let the man know that they weren't ordinary people.
The man observed the girls carefully as they walked around the shop though he didn't make it obvious that he was seizing them up. Kenneth on the other hand could feel the man's eyes on them, and the only reason she hasn't reacted up until now was because she didn't feel any malicious intent from the man. His gaze was laced with curiosity, nothing more, nothing less.
The shop looked magnificent inside, with all the best weapons in the world displayed in glass cases, keeping them in pristine conditions. Every single wall in the shop was lined with various weapons, all organized with careful consideration. There was something in the shop for everybody and Kenneth's eyes carried an excited glint as she passed by the firearms that were carefully displayed in front of her.
She picked up an assault rifle that was beautifully designed, carefully wrapping her fingers on the handle, titling it from side to side as she got a better feel of the gun. Though it looked heavy and bulky, the weapon barely weighed a thing making it easier to carry. She carefully aimed at the dummies that were lined up on one side of the room, picture a moving target in front of her and pulled the trigger.
The thrill she always felt when holding a gun had taken over her body, sending shivers down her spine.
The shopkeeper who was a tall man with long brown hair pulled back into a half up half down style, piercing green eyes and facial hair that added to his handsome and rustic charms approached Kenneth as he eyed the weapon in her hand. Since she had walked into the store, his eyes never left her as he watched her handle each weapon with precision and care, growing more and more impressed with her.
"That right there is my most prized possession." He said to her, his eyes gazing at the rifle affectionately.
"I can see why. It's a great weapon, not only is it easy on the eyes, but it's easy to handle making it perfect for long standing battles." She said.
The man looked at her with surprise, not at all expecting her to say that. "Forgive me for asking this, but are you a student from Toleran Academy?"
Kenneth turned to look at him. "What makes you think that?" She asked.
The man smiled, aware of her cautious behavior. "You seem to have the temperament and skill of someone who goes there. Are you from the Fighter Division?"
"I am."
The smile on his face deepened after hearing her answer. There were visible dimples on his cheeks as he smiled, greatly contrasting with his rugged appearance.
"We offer discounts to students who attend the academy," He started to explain.
"Whether you wish to purchase a weapon, rent it or customize it, as long as you show us your school badge, the prize is greatly reduced." He said.
"Is that really true?" Fae exclaimed as she walked over towards Kenneth. She had overheard their conversation and couldn't help but ask.
The shopkeeper turned to look at her and nodded his head in response. "Though we are a private shop, we do often partner up with Toleran by supplying them with weapons and vice-versa."
As Fae and the shopkeeper engaged in conversation, Kenneth's eyes roamed around the shop when something catches her eye. Placing the gun back to its rightful place, she sauntered over and arrived in a section of the store that displayed daggers. The display was just as impressive as the guns with daggers made of all kinds of materials and designs. But that wasn't what caught her eye.
What caught her eye was the fact that there was a dagger that bared a strange resemblance to the one she had in her bag. Kenneth didn't make it a habit of carrying it around with her, but she had handled it enough to remember what it looked like.
From its shape, to its color, she had committed it all to memory. So she knew that the dagger she was looking at was the same. What she couldn't understand was what it was doing here and how it was related to that human who had attacked her.
"That right there is the D9- 82 dagger, also known as the shirogane blade." The shopkeeper said behind her. Kenneth turned to look at him, and wondered how he got behind her without her being able to sense him. But that wasn't what was important at that moment.
"Shirogane?" Kenneth asked.
"Yes. It's a D9 blade known for its compact size. It's actually a rare weapon considering how only a few of its models have been made." He explained.
"Why has only a few been made?" She asked him.
The shopkeeper nodded his head. "It's made of arare silver metal that is hard to come by today, but what makes it such arare commodity is the method used to forge the blade." He said, his tone sounding mysterious.
Kenneth gave him an inquisitive look as she saw a playful glint in his eyes. The shopkeeper knew very well that Kenneth was curious about its origins and yet he purposely stopped his explanation in order to get her to ask.
Kenneth sighed. If it wasn't for the mysterious blade in front of her, she wouldn't have even bothered to entertain him. Despite how frustrating this conversation was, she knew how important it was for her to know, after all, she had an exact copy of the dagger in her possession.
"How was it forged?"
The shopkeeper smiled. "It was forged by a human, not a machine."
Kenneth's eyes widened when she heard this revelation. From her memories, Kenneth knew that everything, from the buildings, the tools and weapons, that everything was built by machines, more specifically artificial programmed cyborgs. Caüs was a country that prided itself on being technologically advanced and superior to other countries. So it was a general rule that everything had to be made my their cyborgs since humans hands were prone to mistakes.
There was also the fact that humans weren't a majority in this world. It was quite rare to even come across one, most citizens of Caüs could go their whole lives without ever seeing a human. So how was it possible that such a beautiful and carefully crafted weapon was forged by one?
Could it have been before they had gone almost extinct?
The shopkeeper observed Kenneth. Despite how her mind was in turmoil as she was piecing together this information, she expressionless on the outside. It was hard to know what she was thinking, but the shopkeeper was able to sense what was going through her mind due to his abilities.
He was a Fera, more specifically the wolf type and they had the ability to gauge people's thoughts to a certain degree. The smile on his face grew larger.
"My name is Aegis," he introduced himself. "I have some things to attend to, but don't hesitate to give me a shout if you're in need of assistance." He said, as he left Kenneth to her thoughts.
The three girls were currently boarding the shuttle, on their way back to Toleran after a long day of being out. Fletcher and Fae were exhausted and ended up falling asleep on their way back, but Kenneth was wide awake as she thought back to Aegis, the shopkeepers words.
It was strange that the weapon she had was made by a human, and even more strange that the man who had accosted her was in possession of such a rare blade. Nothing was making sense, and the more Kenneth tried to piece it together, the more confused she got.
Everything about this situation, about this world was a mystery, and it annoyed Kenneth to no end that she didn't have the answers she so desperately needed.