Mikkel grades Daniel's design choices. Talking about the pros and cons to the design choices.

A\N: This is the second chapter I've being waiting to post for a while.

A\N2: I just realised… I never gave a description of Mikkel, oops… and I don't know where to put it without seeming forced, my bad

A\N3: Huh… in chapter 20 of The Kopīkyatto Shadow I wrote: Daniel had no clue, and for all he knew, it could have been made out of some animal dung. In this story I introduced Dagonite Gastric, so technically I accidentally made a call back to something I wrote… holy shit… six years and 5 months ago. Damn… has it really been that long…?

Author notes aside, back to the story :)

Mikkel looked from the blueprint, back to Daniel, the boy was giddy, excited to get to work on the weapons. Although, if he focused for long enough, he could see something else…

Hesitation…

There was only one way to find out if that's his true feelings, that was to grill him. But right now, he had more pressing issues, namely, the blueprints in his hands.

Even though a part of the man wanted to deny this request, considering the elaborate designs, the boy looked as though he was willing to debate him on the subject. He had a raging fire in his eyes, "I can't do this… this is insane!"

Daniel frowned, "What do you mean you can't? Did I make it too difficult for you, I can change some things-"

"Bahh-" the man dismissed the boy's concerns, "It's not difficult for me, I made a condition. I make them, you do the stylish designs… this…" he taps the pages, "This… It's crazy how much effort you put into this. You're your father's son…"

Daniel clenched his fist, aggravated by the words.

Mikkel's expression stilled, "That's sad you consider that an insult…"

"I don't consider that an insult… I just don't like being compared to him. It's… It's demeaning to me."

The man hummed at the words, hands now on his hips. Demeaning, huh… Putting the pages down, he moved to his workbench, pulling out a few drawers as he tried to locate Vastorie's blueprint, "Well, I like to think you have the same stylish designs."

Finding the blueprint, he unfolded the paper before smacking it down on the table, "In fact…"

Daniel's eyes widened when he saw the drawing. It was similar, in terms of design.

"I'd say you'd put the same amount of effort into your design choices…"

The measurements, the minerals, the stylish designs, all drawn and written down for Mikkel to follow. There was one key difference… he saw his own, drawings as being crude in comparison.

There were no visible mistakes or changes throughout his father's markings. Every curve was precise, from the shading to the line art. There were no visible redraws, at least from what he could tell. From his perspective, his father was an artist…

He now had more questions, some of which he hoped Mikkel could answer.

Why hadn't Vastorie put up any of his drawings in the house? Was he ashamed of his drawings?

This made his work feel inferior to his father. He needed to do better now, if he was going to compete against that man, to prove that he was better than his father "I can't compete against this level, let me-"

When the boy attempted to grab the blueprints, Mikkel snatched them up before smacking the back of the boy's hand with them, "No, you will compete. If you're going to make changes, at least let me read over the finer details… There's absolutely no point, in making changes, if you don't have good choices when it comes to the raw materials we're going to work with."

Daniel gave a nod.

Running his fingers across the mineral names, he got a general idea of what the boy was going for. There were some very strange choices between them though. Tapping the page, he made his thoughts known, "I have several problems with your choices. Ones I think you should completely change. Unless… you plan to go through with your revisions…"

The boy's expression dropped, "But-"

"I said some…" Mikkel stated flatly, "Majority of them are fine, but I want to know your reasoning for these choices. Let's start with the strangest of your choices… the Whip. Care to explain why you need Elengate if you don't plan on having a generator?"

Killua however, had other ideas. He interrupted Mikkel's question "Before you complain about that…" Killua handed his own, blueprint over, "I did something similar."

Mikkel looked over the blueprint, "Plain…"

Killua was offended, "What you mean-"

"No stylish designs, at least you got the measurements and mineral choices. Again, no generator? Elengate is good, if, you have an electric generator hooked up to it. Otherwise, it's not a very, good choice."

Killua coughed, putting his fingers together. As he pulled them away, sparks of electricity flew between them.

"Ahh… now it's starting to make sense." The man brought a hand to his chin, "For Killua at least. The chances of you both being electric manipulators would be impossible."

Daniel gave a nod, "Well, I'm a Manipulator… I manipulate my shadow to be exact. Killua on the other hand, he's a Transmuter…"

"What…?" The man looked at the boy stumped, "As in it comes from your aura, not a device you have hidden on your body?"

Killua raised an eyebrow, "You are a Nen user, right? Wait, do you think I might be a Conjurer?"

"Yeah… because the alternative, what Daniel said would imply…" The man shifted his attention, "I feel sorry for your childhood." The boy was about to respond, but the man stopped him, "I don't want to hear about it. You must have some messed up parents."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a Transmuter as well, I rely on heat and cold, which I'll show when I start crafting these weapons. But to get this kind of ability, I trained while working with extremely hot and cold temperatures. I'll explain it some more as I'm working. But I have burnt quite a few hairs off and almost frozen my fingers as well… It wasn't fun."

"That explains why you can hold the boiling hot cups with zero problems."

It could also explain why you were able to touch the cup with ease. The torture, the demands you would've gone through to be able to develop that kind on Nen ability… I could only image what your parent's standards were… I feel sorry for you, Killua… "So, backgrounds aside. Since you're using electricity, copper wiring would be much better than Wurthial, as a conductor. If that's what your goal is… there will also need to be other, minor changes. However, none of this explains why Daniel would choose the same."

The boy in question crossed his arms at the words, "Because of Killua, that's why. If I trap them in my whip, Killua shooting off his ability at the chains, in theory, would light them up like a Christmas tree."

"It would, but you'd get hit too. Rekril doesn't exactly repel electricity. So, you'd absorb the impact as well…"

"Isn't there a metal or something that could repel it, without sacrificing the handguard?"

Mikkel thought it over, "There is a way… Keep the handguard as Rekril, but change the handgrip to say… Something like well, you're going to need Oskianithil."

Daniel opened the journal, turning the pages until he found it. He read the description "Oskianithil. A rare type of metal, that is great for crafting non-dinting pots." He raised his head, confused at the choice, "what…?"

"It's the only metal that doesn't conduct electricity. It's kind of like rubber… but instead of dispelling or blocking, to be more exact… it repels it. Not to the point it sends it back at the original owner, it explodes on impact, without harming the material."

"You left that part out, why?"

Mikkel rolled his eyes, "Because I only found out about that recently. In the last three months. When I wrote that down, it wasn't a key factor." The man shifted his gaze, "It slipped my mind until now… which reminds me, I need to put that down. Now, if I'm going to use this, it'll need something underneath it. Like a blast of static, reflects electricity in all directions, hitting the first object in its path, like that of light bouncing off a mirror. Which means…"

"I'd still get hit…"

"Not exactly. It depends on where it was hit. It'll cause a blast in 360 degrees of impact. You could be hit, but so would everything else in its path. So, whatever is in its path, will block the charged bolt of electricity first. I either must use an undercoat of Elengate, no… that'll still hit you since that has a discharge effect. No, I got it. I'll make a rod of Oskianithil, and slot it inside the handgrip. To make sure it doesn't reflect onto you, I'll encase it in a type, of rubber. I'll have to special order this kind… It's called Stone Rubber. It's a type of rubber, that solidifies under the right temperature.

It's not the strongest of materials, but if I alter the handguard to curve around it, given the way Oskianithil works, only the chain will be repeatedly hit. So, if Killua hits the chain, the person will be shocked by multiple waves until the discharge fizzles out. The handgrip will be made from Rekril. With the rod inside it, along with the rubber filling. There's a reason I'm doing it this way, I need to make sure the grip is not only, still strong, but there's also a way for the discharge to fizzle out and not hit you in the process. It may sound very complex and convoluted, but trust me, I know what I'm doing."

Daniel looked at Killua, "I guess I'm fine with that… as long as the process works…"

Mikkel raised a finger, "There will need to be some trial and error, to make sure this process goes smoothly. So, I'll need Killua to be prepared to hit the chains until I can properly encase the handgrip around it."

Killua gave a nod, "Sure, anything to help out my partner."

"Any other complaints…?" Daniel asked out of curiosity.

"Auzinite, it's a good choice… but it's not going to help you. It's self-repairing, not self-restoring. You're want something that could take heavy hits like Rekril, mixed with the Auzinite. However, the melting temperatures would make it impossible to meld them together correctly. Strong, while also being in a similar heat range…" The man frowned as he tried racking his brain for possibilities.

"What about Maglulium, good in terms of toughness and the gap isn't that far off from each other. About one hundred degrees. Maglulium wouldn't suffer from the added heat. Also, you won't need Elengate. Elengate is only good when it has a source to draw from."

"There goes my idea to turn one of the weapons into a stun baton…"

Mikkel looked at the boy in disbelief, "Really…? After one hit, it'll be useless, unless, you're charging it constantly."

"That sucks…" The boy held out a finger, "Then I guess I'll change it from stun baton to quarterstaff or in this case, a Morningstar, considering how the chains will wrap around the weapon."

"With a slight chance of electrocution…" Killua winked at his partner.

The man scratched his chin, "That sounds like a reasonable change…I still wouldn't recommend it though, the electricity aspect. The handguard is touching the staff… the staff isn't exactly, electricity proof. I could make it… but your spear will suffer from the changes."

Daniel dismissed the idea, "No plans to change the spear. But at least if I keep the idea… I could pass off the weapon to Killua… He could use it that way."

Killua crossed his arms as he nodded along, "I definitely could wield the weapon that way without having to worry about the consequences."

Mikkel sighed in defeat, "Technically, yes he could… I still wouldn't rescind it because of the Oskianithil. But, seeing as you're kinda immune. Well, I would imagine it doesn't hurt you as much as it would do for me or Daniel, go right ahead. But, there's other things to discuss about these weapons, so let's move along. The tip is fine with Rekril, but… why on earth do you need Deep Ocean Glass?"

"To colour the eyes, unless it's not possible."

"I can make them into insertable gems, no need to crush and use as a colouring paint. The chance of someone hitting them will be kind of pointless. They'll need to deflect the tip, whereas the snakehead is at the back and not protruding out, not enough to make it an easier target to deflect. Let's keep going… Celium, that's fine. Shaft, also fine with Rekril… Ashuim and Thainor, explain."

"The Ashuim for the twisting mechanism to dislodge it from any connections. Thainor for the connection?"

Mikkel looked at the boy, then the blueprint, "No… you don't need an internal component inside the grip. A coating of the metal will be fine. I'll melt it down, combine it with a solution, dab it on the inside then freeze it, before supplying heat to the base so it could solidify properly. I even…" The man walked over to his work desk, pulling out a spearhead. He dropped it on the desk, "Have the perfect type of head to make sure the mould fits both sizes. I'll just have to make another one in the right material because that's a basic steel tip."

He came back to the blueprints, moving on to the last of Daniel's requests, "Let's see…"

"Quick question, is it possible to melt Nesceathuim, Auzinite, Rekril together?"

"Yes, but it's pointless. Nesceathuim and Rekril have similar strengths, with Rekril beating the other by a small margin. You'll be adding a lot more weight for a minimal increase. So, it's not worth it. Plus, Auzinite has a similar melting temperature to Nesceathuim. Auzinite can handle a few extra degrees. The eyes have already been explained. Tail, Rekril… why not make it also the same material as the shaft?"

"I'm skilled at fighting with two-handed weapons with shafts, not blades. So, I tend to fight with both ends of a two-handed weapon. I'm sure I can use it as a semi-shield."

"Alright, no further complaints. Again, spearhead is fine with Celium. I'll make sure the hole on the bottom of the axe can support both connections. Also, you'll just have to let Rosalia know that they're made from two separate materials. She can sort out the rules and conditions of the connection. Just for the moment… make sure nothing gets inside the axe, she'll have to pry it out with tweezers and clean the inside as well…"

The man found himself smiling at the end of his review, "You have some strange requests kid, I'll give you that. Also, for some very expensive materials. I'll need to get those ordered in. It'll take about a month to get enough Nesceathuim for the task. I have enough Celium, and I have a shipment of Rekril coming in the next few days already. I tend to work with that material a lot. Auzinite I'll have enough, but I'll need to order some more in for the reserves. I have some Deep Ocean glass, making it into eyes will be easy. I'll let Rosalia know, so she can polish the gems properly. She'll also be able to set them in properly. Do you want me to give a ranking on the weapons, overall or individually?"

"Individually, preferably…"

"The spear, a nine out of ten. In terms of design, your choices… I only had minimal complaints. You lost only one point, due to presentation. It'll be bulky in terms of weight between both ends. But considering you use both ends, that'll be fine. Axe, eight… it's great, few complaints as well… I would've used a different material for the shaft, but you covered the needs of the other parts with good materials. Now for the whip… a six…"

"It's that bad…?"

"If I were to remove the Oskianithil mechanism, it'll jump to an eight."

Killua crossed his arms, "You offered that solution, though…"

"I know, but it's the requirement that drops the weapon-grade. He runs the risk of being hit as well. I would've scrapped that idea. But it's something you want… so I can't deny this request."

"What about Wolfbane?"

"What about it…?"

"How'd you grade it?"

"I gave it an eight in terms of design, but overall, it's a six. The materials were the worst choices. It was an extremely heavy weapon, with as many pros as it had cons. With Rosalia's changes, I could bump it up to an eight at best."

"What about her changes to mine?"

The man smirked, "I'll tell you once I've made them. But if I had to pick personally, the spear is the best. Not just because I gave it the highest grade, but I like the overall aesthetic. It's the one I could tell… you put the most effort into. You designed it with a purpose in mind."

Killua uncrossed his arms, "What about my weapon? Can I get your opinions on it?"

"Sure…" The man looked over the blueprint, "Already talked about the string… However, if you want to hide the colour, might I suggest Silverite?"

"Copper is great and all as a conductor, but it's weak in terms of strength. Hence why I believe Wurthial would be better."

The man gave a nod, "While it's certainly true it's a soft and lightweight metal, I'd still advise against it."

"What if I show you my old one?" The boy pulled his old yo-yo from his pocket, handing it over to the man "I commissioned from my family, but if I got another one, knowing them… they'll try to slip a tracker inside it."

"Hmm…" The man pulled out the string, inspecting the material, "Doesn't look to be made from a type of metal… more like a type of fabric… but then again, it could also be a type of fabric that acts like metal. The casing itself, I'd say there could be some improvements to be made, but it's a little… off. It's Resmian, but there's another metal contaminating it." He brought it over to the anvil, bringing up his hammer, he stopped for a second, "You don't mind if I accidentally break it?"

"Go for it…?"

He brought down his hammer, stopping half way "Actually, this will show off my ability. I don't want that right now." He pulled out a handkerchief, throwing over the top of the yo-yo. He brought the hammer up once more, whacking it through the fabric. He pulled back the fabric, checking to see what type of damage the object suffered from. Small cracks formed through the middle, "Uh-huh… I take back my opinion. It's Resmian alright, but the dumbass who made this, mixed it with a softer metal, further contaminating its strength."

"What, exactly…?"

"Well, you would've run by it in the book. Ecriurium. Essentially, it's a type of highspeed metal. The more momentum it builds up, the more force it'll apply on impact. Great for puncturing through tough metals, like tanks. It's usually found in special grades of anti-tank sniper rounds. The only problem is, against stronger objects, like say… Enhancers or even Rekril, it'll shatter on impact, leaving a dint at best. They had the right idea; they just chose the wrong metal. Nesceathuim would've been much better to use. Although, except for myself, there are only four other Metalsmiths that know how to obtain the stuff and work with it."

"Could you remake it?"

"Remake it?" The man scoffed at the possibility of saying no, "I could make it better. As for the string…" he tugged on it, pulling it as far as he could. It didn't fray, "this fabric is good, and judging by your expression, it works with your ability."

"Yup, would you reuse it?"

"Nope…" He let the string dangle over the edge of the anvil, "I guess I'll prematurely show off my ability." Bringing his hammer up, he smacked it against the string, aura circled the hammerhead. The head burst into flames like a Phoenix, constantly circling with a scolding hot aura.

What was left of the burned fabric fell to the floor. The man smacked the hammer once more against the anvil, the flames being extinguished on impact. With a smile he picked up the piece, before turning to the boys with a smile, showing off the cut piece "This anvil was the hardest thing I ever made. It took a long time, through trial and error… the second hardest was my hammer. You don't want to know how many hammers I went through before I found the right balance."

He tapped the back of his knuckle against the anvil, "Uskiolthil, toughest metal known to mankind. It can handle a lot of temperatures, and its only weakness is Celium. But that only scratches it. Till someone finds something else, it's the best. The good thing about it, it's great for shields, if you don't mind carrying hundreds of thousands of pounds with you." He winked at the boys.

"How much does that weigh exactly?"

"Too much. It took four Enhancers to move it… I also had to redesign my shop's foundation so it could support the damn thing. But enough about the anvil, if you want a better yo-yo."

"Two of them, actually…"

"Alright, blunt or sharp?"

"You could make it sharp?"

"Yeah, if made with something like Celium. However, if you want a similar design, as well as Elengate, I'd suggest Nesceathuim. If you want it to shatter through guards and defences, Nesceathuim combined with Ecriurium. I'll just create a cylinder of Elengate, then slot it into the Nesceathuim, mix casing or whatever you ultimately choose around it. If you want to make sure it retains its shape for a long time, might I suggest adding Auzinite? As for the string itself… I'd suggest… strands of this, which can be done. Strands of Rekril, multiple layers of it bounded together like a rope. It may take a few hours, but if someone thought the string was the weakest part, they'll be in for a rude awakening. When the yo-yo comes flying towards them."

"What about a coating of say… Deep Ocean Glass?"

"Yeah, it can be done. I can mix it with the ore, so the shimmering is throughout. It's better than doing a coating as Auzinite mixes with everything. It's doesn't affect the outside layer. Oh, if you ask about why I didn't do it with the Anvil or my hammer, it's because Uskiolthil melting point starts at nine-thousand… Auzinite starts at eight-hundred." The man paused for a second, "So, what about the actual thing? How do you want to go about it?"

"I like the idea of using Ecriurium, if it lands for a greater impact at high speeds, I'll like to have that bonus. I'd also like to keep it blunt and not as heavy as my last one. So, Nesceathuim would be good too."

"Alright, I can get all of this done. Leave the blueprints with me, I'll get to work on these." He held out Daniel's blueprints, "Do you want to make any changes, or let me make the minor changes?"

"Actually, there's one more thing…"

"Ask away."

"It's about Tessdagate. Is it possible to bind-"

Mikkel crossed his arms, "Let me stop you right there. I'm going to tell you, what I told Vastorie. In theory, it is possible. However, this is one of the most dangerous materials I've ever attempted to worked it. Whether it's handcuffs, a coffin, an unlockable box or whatever… there's a reason if it's found, it's locked away in a vault nobody, at least when it comes to the public, can access. It's dangerous. It reacts negatively to all forms of Nen. There's even an old myth about this… A warrior who the gods cursed. He wielded a glowing blue shield that shattered weapons as much as it shattered bones. His arrogance got the best of him. During one battle, the gods gave the man the gift of strength that rivalled even the gods. But when he picked up the shield… well, it twisted his body… he died. He died screaming curses of vengeance at the gods as his whole body was crushed. That shield exists… It's called the Arrogant Guardian's Downfall."

"Then… it's believed he was cursed to use Nen?"

"Most likely… considering how he died, it's possible he shrouded the shield in Shu. Even if you managed to trap whoever they are… One mistake could lead to your death with this stuff. I wouldn't risk it, actually… I'm even tempted to remove that information from my records, but it could also serve as a warning to those who think otherwise."

The story made the boys pause. Maybe it's best if they leave that mineral alone. It's best to remain in history as it's meant to be… a myth that doesn't exist.

Daniel changed topics, wanting an answer to a different question "Answer me honestly, about my weapons… did I do a good job?"

"I'm willing to make it, aren't I…?"

"Killua brought up a good point, in private. You could make the weapon, knowing it's bad, just so I could learn from my mistakes."

The man raised an eyebrow, arms crossing for a moment. He wanted a moment, thinking for the best answer, "I'm an asshole to my apprentices, I know that much… But there's a reason I want you to wait for the final product. Saying it's good on paper is easy… I could argue why most of your design choices are good, but seeing it crafted, well that's a different story. There could be an unintended weakness that you and I couldn't have foreseen. Once I've made it… Once you've added your stylish designs, ask me the same question. I'll give you my honest opinion then… and only then."

Daniel looked at the blueprint the man was holding, deep in thought.

Killua took hold of his partner's hand, "Let him make it."

Mikkel looked at the other, warning him in a stern tone, "Killua… I already warn-"

"It's fine…" Daniel held out his hand, dismissing that man, "what you see as being controlling, is him suggesting something to me. We have… a connection."

"Connection or not, I want you to speak for yourself, your expression worries me. You don't look like you want to take this deal… that is what I'm getting from your expression. He's telling you to do the opposite… so excuse me, for questioning the boy's motives. Partner or not."

Daniel looked towards his partner, then to Mikkel, "It doesn't matter. My thoughts are always complicated. I'm weighing all the cons against the pros… all the time. I am hesitant, due to the fact I could you know… decide to change something halfway through, or worst-case scenario, opt for a different weapon."

The man sighed, "Whip, maybe I can see happening… it feels like you're trying to remake wolfbane, given the connection mechanism, without you know… remaking it. But from what I could tell with the axe and spear, you have very clear intentions. How about this, I hold off on the whip, just in case you decide to change something last minute. You get to have your way, without this need to be pushed into it. Besides, even if I had the materials, I would've worked on the spear or axe first. I intend to keep it this way…"

The new deal was extremely relieving to him. Most of his hesitation was now gone, the lingering feelings were mostly related to his feelings of… did he make the right choice with the materials?

He doesn't know what kind of enemies he'll be facing in the future, but there's a reason Killua is pushing him. He'll rely on the trust he has in his partner. Holding out his hand, he agreed to the deal, "I'll accept the terms, all I want in return, if for you to accept Killua's pressuring as a positive, not a controlling aspect."

Mikkel shook the boy's hand, "I'll try to… though I won't guarantee anything."

Killua frowned at the last remark, "I don't plan to step in the way to say change this, without Daniel's consent."

"Oh, I know…" He flashed the boy a smirk, "but given your relationship, you could turn around and say: you know what would make me really, happy…? If you did X for me."

Killua's cheeks turned red, embarrassed from the underhanded faux request. That was a low blow. But what Mikkel doesn't know, is those requests would be mostly sexual, in nature.

He couldn't see himself asking Daniel for anything else… maybe chocolate… okay, definitely… chocolate.

When the man burst into laughter, he pointed at the boy, "I feel real, sorry for you now. I know how underhanded Vastorie's teasing could get. He'll pick up on those small habits of yours… twisting them into teasing remarks. But given how you two seem distant with him, I don't expect to see you meeting that side of him any time soon." He waved the blueprints at the boys, "I'll get to work ordering those materials, you two should settle down because once they've come in, I'm going to work your fingers to the bone."

Fun fact… if you were to punch Tessdagate with Nen, your arm will look the same as Izuku Midoriya's, when he first used One for All against that giant Mecha.