Nya drew to a halt outside a huge building whose facade was carved to resemble two mighty yet indistinct warriors surrounded by a miscellany of weapons. It was by far the tallest building on the block, and Mikayla could see that it extended quite a ways back as well.

  Nya barely hesitated to lead them inside, calling out as she went. "Ahem! Yevgenia Han, here for her consultation, as scheduled,"

  Following after her, Mikayla caught the tail end of a receptionist vanishing into a door that led to a walled-off area of the shop. But her attention was quickly drawn by the rest of the building.

  The centre of the room was taken up by a trio of podiums, each large enough for a full-size Armour Core to stand on. She could tell because there were full-size Armour Cores standing, displayed, on them. At the front was a Core that looked near identical to Nya's; another instance of Moonlight Rose, different only in the absence of an aura colour tinting it. To the left was the most gaudy and ostentatious Armour she'd seen to date, with a thick crown adorning a head sculpted into a beautiful yaoguai face, regal spikes on its shoulders and a waist cape hanging from an immaculately detailed vambrace. On the right side was the familiar blocky form of an Amber Sentinel with its shield and spear fused to its hands, looking no less impressive next to the other two despite its reputation for being cheap and crude.

  "Ah, Lady Han. What can we do for you today?" The shopkeeper, or so Mikayla presumed, was all smiles for the noble scion in their midst.

  "My teammates need to upgrade their loadouts. Mikayla, I believe you had some unwanted Cores to sell, too?"

  "Certainly, certainly," The shopkeeper bustled over to what looked like a control panel for the display and unscrewed a yellow Armour Core from it, causing the Amber Sentinel to vanish. "Let me take a look at them,"

  Mikayla offered up Brass-Beat Brawler and Flyreh's two Scimitar Cores, as well as her own Shield Core. She'd resolved to find something better here to replace it. She hesitated over the Warhammer Core, but eventually nodded to herself and gave that one up too. It didn't suit her. No, she'd decided she was only keeping the Cannon.

  But when she looked up and saw Flyreh's avatar, in all its glory, looming over her with its hammer in hand, she couldn't stifle a flinch.

  It didn't move. She knew she wasn't in danger, and that the Black Knight was only a flex of Mana away. But even so, the image of it charging towards her, hammer in hand, was etched into her memory.

  "Mm, I see. These were taken from a defeated enemy, I presume," the shopkeeper said knowingly, taking a moment to look them over, then removing them from the display. "What are you in the market to exchange them for?"

  Mikayla bit her lip. "Can you get me a better Shield? Or maybe a Companion Core?"

  "I can certainly do Shields, but a Companion is trickier," the shopkeeper apologetically shook her head. Nya cast her a furious glare, and the woman held up her hands apologetically. "Companion Cores don't like to be bought and sold, they struggle to adapt to having a new owner. I can certainly show you the few we've got, but," She trailed off, not looking hopeful.

  "I see," Mikayla winced.

  "Show us anyway," Nya insisted. "But, a Shield first,"

  "Very well, milady,"

  Before long, the shopkeeper had retrieved a small stack of lockboxes from the back of the store. "Don't bother with what's on the shelves, those are for window shoppers. I'm sure milady has a more discerning eye. Oh, and as is standard, all of our shields have an open space for a family crest to be added to it,"

  "Not relevant to me, but I appreciate the offer," Mikayla rejected her.

  Adjusting the Cores in the display stand turned the ostentatious Armour into an impromptu mannequin. In one hand it held an oval-shaped shield with a pattern of ridges and indents carved into it, in the other a larger and more curved tower shield.

  It was at this point that Mikayla realised she had no idea what she actually needed in a shield. The only reason she'd decided to prioritise getting a better one was that her current Shield Core was 'basic'.

  She couldn't ask Nocturnus for advice now, not with so many people around. Think. What had she used shields for so far? Shield bashes? Her shield had just collapsed after taking too many hits from the Spinosaurus, so did she want durability? Perhaps some kind of damage reflection?

  Her confusion was evident, and, thankfully, Nya came to her rescue. "Might I suggest a Shield with the Attractive Engraving?"

  "Aesthetics aren't everything," Keldryn countered.

  "Ah, no. Attractive is an Engraving that draws in attacks towards the shield, making it easier to deflect blows. Do you understand the concept of gravity? It operates on that principle,"

  "I know what gravity is," the foxkin grunted.

  "So, a shield that wants to get hit. What about it breaking, or transferring damage to me?" Mikayla asked.

  "No shield will completely negate all damage, and any shield will collapse if it is struck with enough force. No, if you don't mind my saying, I think I know exactly what you're looking for," the shopkeeper assured them, removing the two shields she'd slotted already and instead plugging a Lapis into the console.

  A new shield appeared, one coloured an earthy brown and textured to look like wood, with thorns ridging its rim and three serrated spikes emerging from the centre.

  "This is an Oaken Protector. It has the Attractive Engraving that ma'am requested, as well as an Engraving that passively reinforces the durability of your Core projections while it is in use," She paused for a moment. "If you weren't aware, that has the effect of reducing the damage you take, both structurally and to your Health,"

  Mikayla nodded thoughtfully. "I see . . yeah. I think that'd be a good fit," More than the shopkeeper realised. It was possible to have passive effects that enhanced her entire Core arsenal like that? How would that interact with the Blessing of Teamwork?

  "Wonderful! Can I get you anything else?"

  "I do need a mid-range weapon," Mikayla mused. "Then again, maybe a Technique for that,"

  "My friend would also like a Conveyance Core," Nya interrupted.

  "I would?"

  "You need to think about how you get to the fight, not just what to do when you're there. No matter how tall you get, running on foot only gets you so far. You as well, Keldryn," The foxkin pricked up his ears, but did a poor job of hiding his belligerent expression.

  "Mid-range. If you don't mind my making a suggestion, how about one of these?" The shopkeeper unlocked a cabinet beneath a rack of Cores labelled 'Guns', and retrieved a case containing a Jade. "This is a Blunderbuss Core. It sprays a wide burst of shrapnel when fired," She plugged it into the display stand, which projected a finely detailed shotgun that looked more like a two-hundred-year-old collector's item than anything Mikayla would have expected to actually use. Though that was probably her modern sensibilities talking. "I'm afraid I can't demonstrate in the store, but you can return it if you're dissatisfied with it,"

  "Have you got any that enhance my kit like the Shield does?" It was a long shot, but it would be amazing if there was a gun that made her sword deal more damage.

  It turned out that there was a gun that made her sword deal more damage.

  Mikayla had to resist the urge to cackle as the shopkeeper explained the Lethality Aura enhancement that the Jade of Blunderbuss was Engraved with.

  Once that had been packed away in the purchase pile with the Lapis of Oaken Protector, it was time to browse the Conveyance Cores.

  "I want that one," Mikayla immediately insisted.

  "The Pearl of Motocross? Certainly a good choice, but wouldn't you like to browse some of -"

  "That is a motorcycle for my giant robot. It is way too awesome to pass on. Give it to me,"

  Nya looked like she wanted to intervene, but decided against it. "How about you, Keldryn? We should each have a Conveyance Core, just in case,"

  "Wheels don't suit me," the foxkin frowned, glaring at the motorbike. "Have you got any Conveyance Cores that don't rely on wheels? Something that can jump?" Keldryn asked.

  "Are you concerned about manoeuvrability? Well, jumping is a bit of a tall order. Conveyance Cores with legs just don't travel all that quickly. Though," the shopkeeper hummed thoughtfully. "How's your Mana? I do have something that might suit your needs, but it's quite Mana-intensive,"

  "Show us," Nya insisted. "Price is no object,"

  "I don't want your charity. Don't butt in," Keldryn huffed.

  A frown settled onto her face. "Most people would be thrilled to take advantage of the Han family coffers,"

  "Guess I'm just - what did you say? A talented and dangerous individual?"

  "Guys, guys, chill out," Mikayla interrupted.

  The resulting silence was broken when the shopkeeper returned, plucking a Lapis Core out of a box and screwing it into the empty projection box, spawning a vehicle unlike anything Mikayla had ever seen before.

  It was like a vertical-takeoff aircraft crossed with a motorbike, boasting a small central chassis shaped vaguely like a bird, with two large fans for wings that would keep it aloft. "This is one of the earliest designs for a personal flying Conveyance Core, a model known as Cyclondo. It never took off in popularity because it takes a lot of Mana to run. It's been optimised as much as possible, but unfortunately that's still not saying much. It does, however, fly as quickly as any wheeled vehicle, with all the advantages of, well, flight,"

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Keldryn considered it, not saying anything.

  Taking his silence as hesitation, the shopkeeper scrambled. "It also has a secondary function! If you would please insert your Armour Core to the console,"

  Tilting his head, he obliged, removing Skyward Grasscutter from his Core Controller and screwing it into the display stand. The agile green reaper appeared in front of the Cyclondo. The shopkeeper tweaked the controls, and the flying bike transformed, latching onto Skyward Grasscutter's back, its turbines lengthening and adjusting as they whirred to life.

  And Skyward Grasscutter lifted a few feet into the air.

  Mikayla lowly whistled. "They combined. And it's flying!"

  Keldryn nodded to himself, his impassive mask broken by an exhilarated smile. "Okay. That's cool,"

  "It is very Mana-intensive to use this function at maximum size. I would recommend only using it in short bursts," the shopkeeper warned him,

  "That's fine. I'll take it,"

  "Wonderful! Will there be anything else?"

  Keldryn seemed to wrestle with himself for a long moment, then decided to ask, "Show me your best Scythe Core,"

  "Ooh, you're committing to that?" Mikayla remembered how he'd taken a Scythe from Flyreh's collection with the intention to learn how to use it, but had never actually done so.

  Keldryn shook his head. "I've been being stupid," he admitted, half to himself. "My father had a Scythe Core. A really good one, a Jade. But . ."

  .____________\

  "That's a much too valuable Core to leave with a kid like you. Don't worry, I'll put it to good use. Consider it payment for us carrying your bawling ass all this way. Not like you'll ever need it,"

  .____________\

  ". . it was stolen. And, I suppose, for a while I thought that if I couldn't use that Core, then there was no point learning to use a Scythe at all. But that's dumb. Isn't it?"

  Nya had drifted closer, listening in.

  "Yeah, it kinda is," Mikayla patted his shoulder. "I don't think your dad would mind that you're not using the same specific weapon as him. You're honouring him just by following his example,"

  "I agree. It is not and has never been the case that a fighting style is tied to a particular weapon. They are merely tools, that can be lost, and replaced. You yourself are your father's legacy, and you already honour him," Nya weighed in, sounding more solemn than either of them had heard from her before.

  Keldryn smiled uncertainly. ". . Thanks,"

  The shopkeeper returned, carrying a pair of lockboxes. She opened them up, revealing a Jade and a Pearl, then carefully removed each and set them into the plinth. The Moonlight Rose display raised its hands, and two Scythes appeared. The Jade projected an elegantly curved weapon, with patterns like entwined ribbons running across its blade and down its shaft. The Pearl, though, created a thick and wicked weapon with several thorns emerging from the main blade, with faintly glowing eye sockets that made the head of the weapon look like the skull of some arcane dinosaur.

  "Here we have the Jade of Harmonious Crest, a very high-end weapon with Engravings that provide a bonus to the wielder's Dexterity and reduces their weight. As well as the Pearl of Ghastreaper, a strange but potent piece that came into our possession following the unfortunate demise of its previous owner. Its Engravings include enhanced Bleeding and a Stunning power that disorients its target,"

  Mikayla lowly whistled. "Well, that's an obvious choice, right? Harmonious Crest synergises perfectly with your high-DEX style,"

  "I suppose," Keldryn sounded lost in thought. "Though . ." He stopped, lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I want Ghastreaper,"

  "Huh? Really?"

  Nya was skeptical. "Are you certain? Synergy is crucial. If you're to fight alongside me, I cannot -" She paused, taken aback by the expression of determination that had taken over Keldryn's face.

  "I don't want a weapon that just does what I already do. I want a weapon that can kill Kaijus. That Crest thing is for weaklings. People who need equipment to make up for lacking skill. Ghastreaper?" His jaw firmed. "That's a blade that might kill a Monster King,"

  ". . a surprisingly well reasoned argument. Very well, I'll allow it!"

  "Raising your overall ceiling rather than min-maxing," Mikayla recalled some of the earliest advice Keldryn had given her, about how Goliath Guards needed to be balanced and mustn't let themselves fall behind in any area of growth. "Yeah, I think that's the right choice," she agreed.

  Keldryn paused, focusing on Nya again. "Allow it?" he parroted.

  "Ah. Was that poor phrasing?"

  "What exactly are me and Mikayla to you?" he suddenly demanded. "Because I'm not going to put up with you thinking you have the right to 'allow' or 'disallow' anything,"

  "Um. No, no, I . . don't?"

  "Answer the question. And don't leave anything out,"

  "What question?" Nya blustered, but a stern look from not only Mikayla and Keldryn, but Ten too, had her hanging her head.

  ". . Cloudscraper Academy is not a place where you can stand on your own. Goliath Guardsmen work together. If I'm to truly live up to my potential, to meet the expectations that have been placed on me, then I need reliable allies. People who won't sabotage me, not because of jealousy or bribery or incompetence. Of course, I could do it alone!" she hastily corrected herself, panicky shudders running down her tail. "But it would make life unnecessarily difficult. And! Based on you've told me about your skills and areas of specialisation . . you two are exactly what I need to live up to my potential,"

  "How so?" Mikayla prodded, sensing hesitation. "Come on. You can tell us,"

  "The three of us would make a very good team. Mechanically, that is," Nya explained. "As a Yevgenia, I naturally focus on assault. Inflicting massive amounts of damage in a short window. Therefore, my ideal teammates are a high-mobility scout who can identify foes and spark conflicts between me and my targets," she gestured at Keldryn, "and a heavily armoured defensive specialist who can draw a target's attention and defend me from their retaliation," she looked at Mikayla.

  "How did you know that's my skillset?" Keldryn frowned.

  "I told her," Mikayla admitted. "Er, sorry?" The foxkin nodded and shrugged it off, inviting Nya to continue.

  "And then there's your political affiliations. Which is to say, you don't have any. No existing loyalties that I might need to work around. No chance of anyone blackmailing you. And as long as you know that I'll pay for everything you might need, you won't have any reason to accept bribes to sabotage me,"

  Nya hesitated, but an encouraging smile from Ten helped her find the confidence to keep talking. "But, of course, all that is just convenience. I could make do with less. No, the most important thing is that I believe you when you say that I can trust you to keep up with me, that you have the motivation to succeed," She focused on Mikayla as she said this.

  Nya trailed off, shaking her head. Her tail lashed back and forth, aggrieved. "I suppose there's no real harm in explaining all that . . I'm merely rectifying your ignorance, not demeaning myself," she tried to reassure herself. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is, you're both exactly what I need. Better teammates than I dared hope I might find. So . . ah . . don't mistake me, it's not as though I wouldn't be just fine without you both at my side! However. I'm not so arrogant as to believe that I can do everything on my own. Therefore. I would . . ah . . be very grateful if you both agreed to accompany me,"

  Keldryn looked a bit poleaxed by that last declaration, and Mikayla felt the same way. She'd thought that Nya was putting in much more effort to get them settled than she really needed to. Part of her rankled at the thought that this entire trip had been an elaborate recruitment pitch.

  But Nya was floundering. She was obviously socially maladjusted, and it sounded like she was under a lot of pressure to perform, to excel. Mikayla had already decided that she wanted to help Nya make her life her own again. Was Nya even asking for anything that Mikayla hadn't already decided she was willing to give?

  "There's one thing I want to make clear," Keldryn leant over the yaoguai, ears flattened. "I don't care that you're the Reborn Rose or whatever. Honestly, I'd be surprised if anyone except you does. So stop acting like that matters. If all you are is a title, then you're no one at all. I'm not going to fight alongside no one,"

  "Excuse me? I am . ." Nya's fury petered out as soon as it appeared. Mikayla could guess what she'd been about to say, and was glad she hadn't.

  "You won't be disappointed," Nya finally said instead, defiance in her eyes.

  "In that case, I guess I'm grateful enough for the Cores to give it a shot," Keldryn drawled with a faint smile.

  He drew back, and Mikayla took his place. ". . You have no idea what you're doing," she softly said. "Do you?"

  "Of course I -" Nya cut herself off, looking at something behind her. Mikayla followed her gaze to see Ten, remaining silent as ever but minutely shaking his head.

  "I," Her cheeks flushed and she tore her eyes away.

  "It's okay. I don't either," Mikayla smiled, wrapping an arm around both her friends. "And we'll work it out together,"