The rest of the crooks operating under the bearded-man's control fled without a second thought, scurrying off like rats. The building itself was transformed with the help of the locals, providing housing for those in need. Around 500 terrons and 200 lunars were found, which was enough coin to buy other properties and food for those in need. By dawn, Vaan and Kage had found a list in the office of all the civilians under this business' control. So, most of their morning consisted of returning sums of money to those who were still able to take it. The rest was given to the homeless, with the goal to get as many off the streets as possible—without catching the eye of the guard.
"Thank you," said Vaan, his voice nimble. "For your help. I don't know how I could even imagine repaying you."
Kage kept his gaze ahead of him, traversing through the crowded streetside, "Do you still have the core with you?"
Vaan looked down, and just as he attempted to pull it out of his pocket, Kage stopped him. "Great. Now listen closely. Don't ever reveal it in public." He stopped, turning himself to face Vaan. "Unless of course you want to be imprisoned by the guard, or better yet, have the entire street collapse on top of you as if you were a walking lunar on the ground."
Vaan swallowed dryly, zipping up his pocket in a slow, cautious motion. "R-right."
"Keep close and follow. We're almost there."
"Si—" Vaan stopped himself, "Kage, if you don't mind me asking. Where exactly are we going?"
In the far distance, the mountainside edged the sky beautifully, as if sculpting the land beyond. Not many buildings were left, and the enormous brick walls circling around the entirety of the Dustlands were only a few hundred feet away. Kage, ignoring the question, took a sharp left turn into an alleyway. He stopped short against a pile of rusted, prosthetic arms, which were littered across broken glass and some sort of mechanical chips. Behind the mess stood a small, lopsided storage unit. It seemed to be about as tall as two desks stacked atop each other, unwelcoming in all aspects.
"We're here," said Kage, leaning towards the half-broken door that kept the unit from falling apart.
Before Vaan could reply, Kage walked over to the pile of arms and picked one up. He then scanned the atmosphere above him, searching for something. The alleyway was sandwiched between two, semi-tall buildings made of wood and plaster. Windows were spaced roughly an arm span apart, half of them broken in shambles. One fist-sized streetlight hung on each side of the alley about 10 feet off the ground, which was exactly what Kage had been looking for.
Grabbing the prosthetic and reaching the metal fingers above the rightmost light, he flipped a tiny, nearly invisible switch. "There it is," said Kage, dropping the arm back down.
Moments later, a loud clicking noise echoed from the storage unit, signaling to Kage that they were safe to pass. "Be careful of your head," Kage ducked as he swung the door open, entering a small dust-filled room of old tools and strange bionic parts. A scent of rust lingered throughout the room like a rotten carcass, forcing Vaan to recoil at the sudden attack to his sense of smell.
Blended in with the floor sat a small cellar door, which seemed to have been opened from the flipped switch. Vaan, stepping closer, looked down the thin entrance to a long, spiraling staircase. A few dim lights lit up a path to traverse down, but not enough to see the end of the staircase.
"Shut the door behind you," said Kage, stepping onto the twisting stairway below.
The stairway rattled with every step, seeming as if the entire passage was on the verge of collapsing at any moment. There was a railing against the walls, barely held together by screws and bolts, which aided the descent ever-so-slightly.
As they reached the bottom, another door greeted their entrance. Without hesitating, Kage swung it open and stepped inside a massive underground living room. A few leather couches were placed in an 'L' shape against the walls, right next to a small kitchen with mounted pots over a fire pit. Bright lights hung from the ceiling, shining upon the burgundy rugs and carpets laying flat against the tile floor.
At the other end of the room sat a large, active furnace, a brick fireplace and three cauldrons. Alongside those amenities were many smithing tools, as well as a station for molding and crafting. A few cores dangled from the ceiling by loose strings, impure, barely managing a soft, flickering light.
Vaan's eyes danced from corner to corner, in awe at the sight before him, without a clue of what to say.
A short, stubby man wearing a dirty apron came limping from the kitchen. He wore a pair of weathered boots that tightened around his knees, and a pair of safety goggles on his thick, greasy black hair. His left arm had been replaced by a bionic, more operable prosthetic, similar to the ones found in the alleyway. His face was sharp for a short man, and his eyes were indistinguishable from Kage's. A bright smile shot across his face, "Oi there, and who might yu be?" said the man, his cheeks swelling his words.
"U-uh, Vaan sir. It's a pleasure to meet you." Vaan said nervously.
"Vaan eh? Hmm," He thought for a moment, an old, lingering accent guiding his tone. "Doesn't twist a dam screw in me head. Well Vaan, make yurself at home. The name's Willow," He smiled, returning his gaze towards the kitchen.
Kage motioned for Vaan to take a seat, taking off his hood. After examining the two men before him, Vaan couldn't see a single resemblance between them. Everything from the way they moved, spoke, and even their structures were so vastly apart. The only resemblance were their bright, emerald eyes.
Turning to his father, Kage grabbed a seat next to Vaan. "You seem to be at ease with a stranger here. It's the first time I brought one to your base."
Willow chuckled, "Yu have yur reasons boy, as I have mine. I'm sure yur smart enough to welcome the right people."
Vaan's life had always been in constant battle for survival, like an everlasting tension that followed his every step. However, in this warming moment, that tension had settled, and for the first time, he had felt safe. The unspoken bond connecting father and son was shared elegantly between Kage and Willow. Even Vaan could sense it with just a single glance.
"Father," Kage spoke in a more relaxed tone. "Vaan here has come across something that might be a one-of-a-kind core. I've never seen one have such a blinding glow. Even holding it I could feel its strength."
Interest sparked across Willow's face as Kage mentioned the word core, "That so?" He raised a brow. "Does the boy got it with 'im?"
With a slow wave of his hand, Kage motioned for Vaan to show it. The boy did so without questions, careful as not to drop it.
"Oh my." Willow examined it closely, putting on a pair of squared spectacles that were hidden in his pocket. "By the gods almighty… Where in the tarnished did yu get this?!"
"W-well," said Vaan. "I stole it not too long ago from the—"
"I don't care where yu stole it from boy," Willow gasped with excitement. "But how?"
"Well, I sort of just snuck in, then I—"
"Boy!" Willow interrupted Vaan again. "Yur missin' the point!"
"Father, if I may," Kage sighed, annoyed by the back and forth banter. "He's still a little young. I don't believe he understands the value of cores. He's a street rat from Westside."
Vaan sulked his head, knowing he hadn't a way to defend himself from the allegations. For street rats were nothing more than names given to thieves, beggars, and orphans.
"Oi, yu should've said so boi. The west ain't no nothin' bout anythin'," Willow turned his gaze onto Vaan with a smile. "Don't take me insults personal kid."
"R-Right," Vaan chuckled awkwardly.
"Listen here," Willow began, placing the core down on an anvil. "Cores be made of steel and arzin, which be found in dem mines in tha northern plains, beneath mountain sides. Those the same mountains yur can see behind the wall."
Vaan nodded, trying his best to understand.
Before Willow could continue, Kage sighed again, taking over the role of explaining. "What he's saying is that to craft a core of any kind, you need a balance of steel and Arzin. The empire has a mining team to go inside the mountains and dig their lives out for arzin, and even then, only a few blacksmiths know the perfect ratio of arzin to steel."
Willow growled, but let Kage continue as he noticed Vaan's attention span increase.
"My father is a part of the mining team, and as you can tell, he's quite crafty when it comes to core making."
"Was," Willow corrected him. "Was a miner, tha best around too. But left before things got haywire. 'I stopped trustin em, those damned white uniforms and such."
Kage turned to Vaan, "Don't bother asking him why he left. I've done so a dozen times. He won't say."
A thin line formed across Willow's chapped lips, followed by a grunt.
"If you don't mind me asking then," Vaan raised a hand. "Why is this core so special?"
"According to my father," Kage tried his best to translate blacksmith lingo. "There are low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade cores. The grade is representative of how much heat can be conducted through it. So, for example, when a core is imbued into the hilt of a sword, the conductibility of that core will represent how much power it can produce. Low-grade cores are usually what makeup half of the city's electricity. You know, lights and what not."
Vaan, mind blown at the thought, let his curiosity guide his words. "So couldn't you put a core into a metal pipe? Or even a pot? Or anything with metal?"
Willow burst into a sea of laughter, "Yur an interesting fella, yur intuition is smartb But it don't work as easy as yur head might think! Cores don't run on infinite energy, so when ya see a blast of sparks coming from a blade, it ain't gon' be there foreva'!"
"Oh, I see."
"Armaments and weaponry is the best way for cores to be put to use," Kage stood up, grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen. "They are able to produce specific ailments with the wielder's control, and the grade of the core will determine how long and powerful the core's energy will last. Swords work the best, since the core can be forged properly."
"Hold on, so… What grade are your… You know…" Vaan thought about what he had witnessed earlier, and the terror that struck his very soul. Although Kage had protected him, the remembrance of men turning to black mist had settled a weight into his stomach that couldn't be lifted.
The smile Willow wore confidently faded fast, replaced by a look of concern. "He knows 'bout yur—"
"Yes."
"Hmm," Willow calmed his tone. "Don't tell me he also knows 'bout yur—"
"No. Not yet at least." Kage snapped, as to make sure his father was not to finish that sentence. Before Vaan had time to question the mystery behind the interruptions, Kage continued. "Both of the scythes are of the high-grade. In the office last night, that longsword was a low-grade without a doubt. However, don't ponder about the grade of the cores, it shouldn't matter to you."
Willow, despite his overprotective nature, never questioned Kage's whereabouts or doings. Even without a motherly figure in his life, Willow did his best to keep his son's heart pure. He portrayed kindness to the world, doing deeds from the bottom of his heart, and his empathy came from the kindness his own parents gave to the world.
"Oi boy," Willow signaled to Vaan. "Can you fight?"
"No," Kage answered for him.
Vaan remained silent for a moment, slightly embarrassed. "I can try…"
"Perfect!" Willow jumped. "Ya see, this ain't just no high-grade core yuv come across. This one has potential for…" He examined it closer, mischievously chuckling to himself.
Kage's expression grew with uncertain caution, "Don't tell me you can—"
"Oh it be definitely possible," Chuckling louder, Willow stuffed the core into his apron pocket. "Ima' need to run some trials at tha hq, but this core be as good as yurs, son."
Vaan, who was beyond confused, stood up as well. "I'm sorry but what's going on? Is it bad?"
Kage sighed, turning around. "Tell me Vaan, have you ever heard of a firearm?"
Before Vaan could answer, Willow laughed. "Boy, ain't no one in tha Dustlands know what dat is. And only yu know cuz of my drunken stories... 'Cept maybe one bastard, he knows all… yu know who…"
Kage nodded, refraining from proceeding any further on the subject. "From what my father entails. It might be possible to create a firearm with that core, which is an incredibly dangerous weapon. Although I should mention that as skillful as my father is, and as many times he has attempted, he has never been fully able to create such a masterpiece."
Willow growled again, the previous attempts flashing pained memories through his thick skull. "It be a hard process. The damned thing itself be easy to craft, and puttin in tha core be even easier. Tha shootin' be the damned problem."
"Shooting?" said Vaan, a puzzled look sprouting on his face.
"Ai! Like dem bows and arrows, 'cept a lot stronger, and smaller, and faster than the eye can see."
"Does such a thing truly exist?"
Kage patted Vaan on the shoulder, easing his concern. "Lower grade cores are weak, even the medium grade ones cannot withhold such destructive power. Producing such a lethal weapon requires a perfectly crafted core, one blended with minerals precise to the gram, and my father's knowledge of course. They also need to recharge quickly. "
Vaan thought for a moment, recollecting his thoughts. "What do you mean by recharge?"
Kage sat back down, taking a sip of water. "Cores do not have an infinite energy supply. They need it from somewhere don't they?" He asked in a tone that would lead to a rather simple answer. "Well, due to the conductivity of arzin, the best way to recharge cores is through direct sunlight. My father has been lucky enough to discover that roughly 1 hour of direct sunlight can yield 2 hours of energy production from a core. So, a 1:2 ratio. That's how the streetlights are powered at night. There's specific paneling in all buildings that has a direct route from the outside to the source of the core."
"I understand…" Vaan frowned, gaining a worried look. "But even from yesterday," He glanced at Kage. "I don't think I'll have the funds for such work."
Willow burst into a laugh again, this time being more gentle as to not scare the lad. "Boy 'I don' know if I'll be able to craft tha damned thing anyways. I've tried in tha past plenty of damned times; failed each an' ery one of em."
"You're in good hands Vaan," Kage started. "Give my father a chance. And if he succeeds, consider it yours."
Vaan nodded, his lips beginning to curl. "A-Alright."
"However," Kage's tone hardened. "You need to learn how to fight. If my father succeeds, you have to be prepared to protect yourself at all costs."
"H-how to fight you said?" Vaan chuckled innocently.
"Next week is the first of the month. After the Horkos, if all goes as usual, we will begin your first lesson."
Willow laughed, "Lessons? How bad can the damned boy be? Have em get whipped into shape from the—"
"No, I do not want to see that man right now," Kage gave himself space at the center of the living room, motioning for Vaan to do the same. "Now come at me with your full intent to kill."
Vaan, nervously standing parallel to Kage, had no authority to object. It wasn't his first time in a fight, but a wave of unease gripped around his nerves as he stood face-to-face with Kage. It was as if he were a rabbit, staring at a bloodthirsty wolf.
Willow stood silently in the corner, crossing his short, stubby arms, "Don't go too hard on the kid."
Vaan, swallowing his pride, charged forth. With his fists clenched tight, and heart pounding, his gaze tracked the lack of defensive posture from his opponent. Kage just stood there, feet shoulder width apart, and arms motionless by his side.
Stepping closer, Vaan swung his fist at Kage's chin. The trajectory was perfect, as the closer his fist reached, the more still Kage became. Why is he not moving? Vaan thought to himself. Does he actually want me to hit him? No, I couldn't do that in front of his father. Just as his fist was about to collide with Kage's jaw, Vaan swayed his knuckles to the right, edging the sides of Kage's hair.
"Why did you miss?" Kage asked. "I wasn't moving."
Vaan gasped a heavy breath of air, unable to muster a proper reply. If he were to say anything now, it would simply sound like an excuse.
"I thought I told you," Kage pushed Vaan to the ground. "Come at me with full intent to kill."
As Vaan picked himself off the ground, anger clenched his fists tighter this time. A menacing frown drew across his brows, and this time, he charged with keen determination written in his eyes.
Vaan swung hard, faster this time, determined to strike his opponent with a clean jab. However, just as his fist had reached the tip of his opponent's chin, Kage stepped aside with ease, grabbed Vaan's exposed wrist, and flung him forward through a quick shift in his step.
Vaan flew across the carpet, tumbling backward, scraping the sides of his knee. The embarrassment, however, hurt much more than the wound.
"Better," said Kage. "You lack coordination and thought, but both will come with experience."
Willow helped the boy up, "Don't take it personal boi, it be a compliment."
Vaan shrugged off the carpet dust on his shoulders, "R-right…"
"You can spend the next few days in my unit," said Kage. "Rest, recover, and stay out of sight for now. Our next meeting will be at the Horkos."
Vaan nodded, "The Horkos? Where exactly would you like to meet?"
"Don't worry about that. Just be there. I will find you."