The Legendary Junkmaster

Jason spent the next few days under the surveillance of Sentinel and Friday as he worked on every idea that might increase his combat potential that he thought had merit. He ended up having a few sleepless nights as he was engrossed in his work, but looking at the completed items, he felt it was entirely worth it!

"Shall I give my evaluation?" Syssie grinned mischievously as she looked at the four items on the workbench.

"Go for it…." Jason smirked in response.

"Evaluation… E Rank melee weapon suitable for Novices that incorporates heat and slashing styles for damage output. Strength required to wield it efficiently would be 0.1. Value estimated at thirty copper credits. Designation: Firebrand Blade 001. First Creation Bonus applied, so you have received 30 PP."

The first item to receive her critique was, of course, a short sword. However, its handle housed some powerful batteries that, when activated, would use electricity to superheat the metal of the blade. Syssie moved on to the next item that looked like a metal gauntlet with a nozzle on the top side of the wrist area.

"Evaluation… E Rank medium-ranged weapon suitable for Novices that incorporates heat for damage output. Strength required to wield it efficiently would be 0. Value estimated at thirty-five copper credits. Designation: WMF (Wrist Mounted Flamethrower) 001. First Creation Bonus applied, so you have received 35 PP."

Her sights moved to the next item in the line. This one looked like another gauntlet with four rectangular boxes that ran from the knuckles down the back of the hand area to connect to a larger box situated on the forearm area.

"Evaluation… E Rank medium-ranged weapon suitable for Novices that incorporates piercing projectiles and poison for damage output. Strength required to wield it efficiently would be 0. Value estimated at thirty copper credits. Designation: HMPDG (Hand Mounted Poison Dart Gun) 001. First Creation Bonus applied, so you have received 30 PP."

Jason held his breath for the following item. It was a pair of boots that had four retractable wheels on the sides of each foot. These wheels were connected to a small but powerful motor engine inside the bulky armour around the wearer's calves. These engines ran off of a unique biofuel he created from some plants that the base had supplied to him. 

The only problem was that they were only good for a few short bursts of speed. So they were best used to catch an opponent by surprise or to dodge something that would be lethal.

"Evaluation… E Rank support item for Novices that incorporates mechanical and biological principles to create the possibility of rapid movement. Strength required to wield it efficiently would be 0. Value estimated at forty-five copper credits. Designation: Rapid Deployment Boots (RDB) 001. First Creation Bonus applied, so you have received 45 PP."

Jason whistled as he double-checked the interface for the total windfall. '140 PP! I can shore up my skillset with this!' For obvious reasons, Jason was excited by the prospect. These past few days allowed him to grow without restraint. However, he was not entirely happy yet. The weight of the items, if used together, could very well make him a sitting duck. 

'I need to create a suitable outfit that can help to take the strain off of me.' Jason sighed as he thought about how big that project would be. He would have to make a much larger version of the miniature biofuel engine he put in the boots just to power its mechanical parts. Then there was the issue with fuel tanks for it. 

If it ran out of juice during an extended period in the field, he would be screwed! 'I bet I'll even find more things to add on as I design it and think of different scenarios.' Jason was already excited to get stuck in, even if it would prove to be a pain in the ass. 

"Jason!" Sentinel shouted as he entered the large hall. "Good news! You can join Basic Training in four days! I hope you're ready!"

Jason smiled in return at his mentor, who seemed to be in an excellent mood. "I'm not ready yet, but I will be!"

"That's the spirit! Is there anything I can help with?" Sentinel chuckled as he approached the workbench and looked at the items on it. 

"Sure, you can strip down a load of junk for me." Jason smiled sarcastically at the Guardian.

"Wow, straight to the point. I'm starting to feel like I'm the one working under you!" Sentinel slapped Jason's back jovially, making the latter cough. 

'Damn! I thought he broke a rib there!' Jason turned his attention back to the workbenches as he let his mind focus on creating an armour schematic that could work. However, he soon frowned when he got the notification that his current knowledge was lacking.

Jason sighed heavily. He had hoped that he could create something basic just to do for now. Then he could upgrade everything together as he went along. If he upgraded his knowledge now, he was sure that he would get ideas on how to improve on the work he had already done. Which would give him the itch to implement the upgrades right away!

'Four days… Is that enough to create the armour and make any modifications to these?' Jason doubted it. He could only hope that he could refrain from working on the already completed items until he at least finished a working armour. 'Better get to work….'

Meanwhile, in a crowded barracks on the other side of the base…

"Yo! Dani! Have you heard the gossip?" Adam asked as he slipped inside of their platoon's room.

"Of course I haven't! I've been stuck here recovering from the beating the instructor gave me!" Dani complained as she spread some salve over her abdomen and sides. "What's got you so excited anyway?

"Oh! Right, get this! The rumour going around is that the number one Guardian's new apprentice is going to be joining us for training in a few days!"