Mikkel offers his deal. Whether Daniel is ready or not, he takes the deal.

Mikkel relayed the deal to Daniel, the one his partner had already told him about. There was… some hesitation in the boy's eyes, a marker to tell him the boy wasn't ready. However, he didn't sound like he was being forced to take the deal.

Neither was Killua jabbing him or pushing him to respond to any of the comments he was making along with the deal. However, the boy did want some things clarified, mainly, information about the old Wolfbane.

He answered them, not leaving anything up to debate or further questions.

When the discussion ended, he posed the question once more "Do you agree to the terms of my deal?"

When Daniel tried to look at his partner, Mikkel snapped his fingers, "His opinion doesn't matter. I get it, the two of you are in this together, that you work and talk things out with each other. But I want you to not be pressured into this deal. If…" He got up, walking over to his barely filled bookcase, pulling out a single book. He placed it on the table, never once sliding it over to the boys, "you take this offer, I won't do everything for you, for free… nor will I charge you. I spoke with Vastorie before you came because I needed to update him about his request. He wasn't happy… with my proposal."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, "So he's going to cover the costs… but what does he get out of it?"

"Nothing…" Mikkel remarked, "Nothing at all. He'll supply the costs and materials; he won't even get to know what the product is. I can tell there's some hesitancy in taking the deal, which is why I chose to go this route."

"I don't see why he'd take the deal… it doesn't…" Daniel rolled his wrist, trying to think of the best word to use in this situation.

Killua offered it for him, "It feels pointless, at least from Vastorie's perspective. He won't know the final product, but couldn't he guess from the materials we request?"

Mikkel shook his finger, "He has no chance of guessing. I could make a dagger with a single ingot, but I could also be using that same ingot to melt down and mix with another material. Could he guess your weapons? Sure… but I won't answer them, even if he makes a correct guess. Killua told me you are second-guessing yourself. I want to offer you a sweet deal, to give you a chance to make something, without Vastorie breathing down your neck. This is the best I could come up with. So, do you take the deal…?" He slid the book across the table, his finger still pressed against the cover.

Daniel looked at the book, then to Mikkel, "It still doesn't answer why, you set it up like this… What are you hoping to gain from this?"

"Everyone works and reacts differently, sure there could be some cross-sections between strangers. However, you want this weapon for yourself, which is why… I want you to make the choices… not your father, or Killua for this matter."

"I'll take it…"

Mikkel let go of the book, "As per term of my contact, a verbal one, not a written document, I have certain rules that need to be followed. First, of all, I expect you to be here when I work. I may be doing this at someone else's expense, but you'll need to be here while I work. As in, you'll be my apprentices."

The boys agreed.

Smirking, Mikkel made another comment "Be prepared, I won't go easy on you. Now, for my other rules…" He listed them one by one.

The boys, including Alluka, are to stay in his home.

Meals will not be provided by him; they are to provide food for themselves.

He will temper the minerals, but they will make the choices. Every choice will need to be evaluated; exceptions will be if they have questions.

He will not do everything by himself. The boys will be providing their stylish designs, not himself.

They'll get to see his Nen ability in action.

When the man had finished, Mikkel opened his hands, "Do you agree to the terms and conditions?"

Killua held out a finger, "Why exactly do we have to move in?"

"All my apprentices lived with me, that's why."

"Then why are you alone…?" Killua smirked.

"Because they're soft. I am harsh… for a reason. It's how I was taught. Most of them quit because they can't handle the heat, weak-willed or… they have a weak stomach. I've worked with Dagonite Gastric, when tempering, it smells like a sewage system when burning, at the right temperature. You'll get to look up the other information about it, in that book."

Daniel flipped open the journal, flipping through the pages until he found it.

Dagonite Gastric. Found mostly in dragon's guts, specifically, Hermousaggitus species. When expelled as fecal matter, it's a hard stone that can be tempered. It's medium to strong in terms of strength, but it gives a bonus of causing poisonous damage.

"So…" Daniel looked mortified at the man, "basically, you're stabbing or slashing someone with dragon shit."

"Yup… it can also be used in deterrents. Great for keeping insects out of the room."

"As well as guests…" Killua mocked.

Mikkel took no offence at that quip. If Dragon shit didn't turn them off, he's going to enjoy working them. Provided, they continue not to be squeamish or complain "But one thing I failed to mention, it gives weapons an emerald glow, and it can be combined as a coating to other, metals. I don't include all information, only the basics. You can ask me validating questions about the minerals and gems. Do not hesitate in this case."

"What's the cost of getting something like this, out of curiosity."

"Depends on how much you need. Coating metals with this could cost anywhere from a hundred thousand to the millions."

Daniel closed the book, "Before I look… any deeper into this book, I need to know a few things."

"Sure, what you need?"

"You made Wolfbane, right. Have you ever had to make something more difficult than that?"

"Define difficult… are we talking tiny dainty fragments… or like a watch, difficult?"

"A watch… mechanisms, to be precise."

"I can make the cogs, pins and needles, but…" The man squeezed his hands in front of the boys, showing off that his hands were thicker "I have chunky hands. So smaller mechanisms are not my forte. I guess you could do it, provided, I told you how to do it."

"Right… I want weapons that could be blend with each other, is it possible?"

"Trick style weapons, eh…" The man scratched his chin, "It's been a while since I had to do one of those. I can make the pieces, but I can't assemble them in a manner where they'll all, work off each other immediately. Rosalia could make those changes though."

"What about snap mechanisms, like how Wolfbane worked? Shifting from long range to short, is it possible?"

"Nope, that's not possible. Well, not entirely. To not make it too complicated, it was designed to originally be a long-ranged weapon. She made it so the rope on the inside compressed itself, like, a spring being forced into a tiny box. The button mainly expanded the weapon back to its usual size, her ability bad it so it can be pulled in."

That, actually… made sense. Thinking back on that time, Shalnark remarked that if they could remove the binding Nen, the individual pieces of the weapon could be worth more. Rosalia made it so it's impossible to separate them. She must be a skilled Nen Inscription writer to do that.

Daniel then looked at Killua, the boy immediately understanding his expression. One of his ideas was now off the table for the moment "How about an unlocking mechanism?"

"So, if two points connect, it causes a secondary activation? Nothing like Wolfbane, I can do manual ones, which could be altered so a secondary requirement activates it. But again, you'll need her skillset to make it easier."

"I want to… for example make a War Axe, where inside the shaft, we'll say there's a trigger that causes the weapons to connect. When connected, the blade is released, turning it more into the scythe. If pulled apart, the axe returns to its normal state."

"That, I can do. But I can't make it so you can connect and pull them apart on the fly. I can get them to magnetise, there's a mineral that could help with that feature. But again, it'll only force them to connect. Making them so they're able to be disconnected from each other again will be the difficult bit. Unless… you know Nen Inscription, I can't make them so they can disconnect and reconnect, but I can make it so the possibility is there."

"What about something that compresses?"

"Like Wolfbane, no. If you're talking about a retracting mousetrap, sure. Again, I can't make it so it can be uncompressed. It'll retract, but you won't be able to blow it up like a beach ball again."

For the moment, these were his only major questions. He'll ask more once he thinks of some later down the track, "That's all I have for right now."

Mikkel pointed a finger at the boy, "So what are you expecting me to make? I also need the specs or any extra features to be marked down. Blueprints work even better, less hassle and stylish choices."

"So, I want a spear, War Axe and Chain whip. There are certain requirements I need to be met with each of them."

"Sure, but you're going to need to draw up the blueprints, label everything and pick what everything will be made from. When it comes to straps and grips, I can deal with those, unless you have special requirements."

"Can I tell you what I'd like, so you could at least you can tell me if it's possible… or not."

"Sure…"

"For the spear, I want it to be made from the same sort of metal. A ring, or piece on the shaft, that allows me to retract or lengthen the shaft at will. A magnetic connection at the tip, so I can turn it into a poleaxe or scythe when using the War Axe."

"I can do most of that, although, I respectively decline your idea on the shaft and spike. It's possible, but considering what you want to make, the tip is better off using a different material. Different metals offer different properties. While one may be considered strong, it may be better off remaining blunt, then to be sharpened. The same could be said about the retractable feature assigned to the ring. A different colour that could add a stylish splash to it…"

Daniel frowned, "Or it could be used as an eye-catcher… A guy with zero clues was drawn to the eye on the shaft of Wolfbane, he pressed it. He got that from a single clue, that I was a chain user."

Mikkel shrugged, "It's just a thought… a suggestion, not a request to alter your specs. My point still stands for the spear tip, like with Dagonite Gastric, a material that could be used to add secondary effects. Keep that as a lingering thought."

The boy offered a nod, it was a helpful tip, one that he'll need to think about as he's choosing the materials for different aspects of the weapon.

"What else do you need?"

"For the War axe, it's a little bit tricky…"

"How so…"

"I want a retractable, or foldable if I'm being honest, spike on the back, that can be enabled when it's connected to another weapon. Metal shaft, a strong grip with a hollow point on the base that allows for a connection with the spear and the chain whip."

The man scratched his chin, "So, the chain whip would be the last… and both that and the spear will need to have a similar tip to lessen the burden of creating two sets of linking processes. It's… possible. A pain, but possible."

"One more thing… is it possible, that when it's connected to another weapon, mainly the spear, the blade on the axe folds out so it's pointing horizontally?"

"I could, but it'll require the base to have two separate insertion methods, it's better having this feature connected to the same spot. Also, Rosalia would need to set two different commands to the same base. It's better to have the same method connected to both weapons."

"Sounds fair…"

"An insert and twist locking method would work best in this case." The man hummed once more, coming to a better solution soon after his original thought ended "No, a twist lock. A hollow-point on the spear tip, that allows for the weapons to lock into place. Actually, no… I'll need to think a little more about the locking mechanism. Anyways, what do you need for the chain whip?"

"Question, what's your opinion on handguards?"

"I make 'em, I don't have any complaints. It's better to ask someone like Vastorie… or you can ask his husband, Nathaniel." He offered.

"My other father… he uses giant swords though, none with a handguard."

"I guess your right about that… but he may have advice if you're looking for a specific design or use."

"Alright, I'll ask him." The boy smiled at the news, he could get away without needing to ask Vastorie, possibly giving him a clue to one of his weapons, that's if the man ever picked up the phone for him. Shifting his gaze, he drew the conversation back to the last weapon, "I'll still tell you the main functions of the weapon. I prefer the tip to be blunt on this weapon, a better grip and the handguard to stop from people being able to grab the whip and pulling it out of my hand."

Mikkel smiled at the gripping request, "To stop the weapon from being pulled from your hand, ehh…? I know the perfect kind. On its own, I can't complete this request… Nor could I do this for the spear, sorry… too many places to grip the spear from. But, with Rosalia's help, we can set the grip to be bounded to its host. Although, it just means if they try to pull it, they'll pull you with it. I call it Binding tape, but it has a proper name… It's called Clefhoof hide."

When Daniel opened the book to look for it, Mikkel stopped the boy, "You won't find it in that book. I'll just explain it. Clefhoof hide is an adhesive animal hide. It acts like sticky glue or like duct tape. So, the harder you grip it, the tighter it fastens to your skin. The only problem with this kind of grip is it's a pain to let go of it. Of course, that's if you grip it too tightly. Otherwise, you loosen your grip; it gets easier to let go. However, if you're planning to wear gloves… it's useless. It clings to skin, not materials. The reason why I call it Binding tape, is because Rosalia can write a rule on it so he has none of the sticky effects for you, so when you do hold it tightly in your hand, no one could pull it from your grasp."

The boy gave a wicked grin with a nod, "Sounds nifty actually. I'll get that."

"Sounds great, so besides the whip connecting to the axe, will it also need to be connected to the spear?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure how, right now… I'll need to think about it some more."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time. With the information you provided, I think it's best I work on the War Axe first, then the whip and leave the spear for last. Once you've worked out the raw materials, I'll get to work. Before you do anything though, you should move in. I have five empty rooms in the back, you can pick a room, each. They all have a double-size bed, not enough to feel comfortable to share though. Also…" The man got up, heading over to a small box. He moved a series of dials, "Please keep the sounds to a minimum, I'm a light sleeper…"

Daniel blushed at the comment, did he believe they'll do anything frisky? It sounded like he was insinuating it. He could also be arguing that if they get into a discussion of any sort, the walls were thin enough to carry their voices…

Then again, the man may be assuming like-father, like-son, "I'm not like my dad, okay…"

Mikkel looked at the boy, "I can see that." Frowning, "he wouldn't allow himself to be stepped all over. Also, he'd argue like a toddler if he didn't get his way." Giving the boy a wicked grin, he shifted his gaze between the boys, "That being said, don't come screaming into my room with a new idea in the middle of the night. I'll murder you."

"Noted…"

The man pulled out five keys, "Grab any key. Like I said, each room has the same furniture. Get yourself situated while I work on other commissions. Once you're ready with the plans, come see me."

Giving a thumbs-up, everyone grabbed a key. The group then split up, Killua leaving to gather their stuff, Alluka checking out her room and Daniel surveying a room to see what they're dealing with.

There was loose blue paper sitting on top of the shelf, an empty bookshelf, and a wardrobe with drawers. Tucked away in the corner was a table with pencils. Grabbing one of the blue sheets, he got to work on his idea, drawing his ideal version of the weapon he desired.

When Killua gets back, maybe he could bounce a few ideas across, see if he can't come to a solution with the third combination.