Chapter 15

Quote looked around at his surroundings. He was in a cavern. A dark, small cavern. It was familiar.

Quote couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu once again. The memory of waking up here months ago had replayed in his mind and in his dreams many nights. Balrog hadn't been able to fit through the door, and Misery saw no point in following him, so Quote had journeyed here on his own, with a bit of assistance. As he walked through the tunnel, he ran his hand on the cave rough, uneven cave wall. He stepped in a recess where water had pooled, and looked down at his feet. His rippling reflection stared back at him, pale, unblinking.

He thought to himself, 'Is this really what I look like?' He blinked slowly, and allowed his face to melt into a smile. The reflection warmed up a bit, and Quote realized that, yes, this was what he looked like. He was about to take a few more minutes to simply ponder his existence when a thought came screeching to a halt in his mind; Curly. She was still gone. He couldn't waste any more time. The puddle rippled and splashed violently as Quote's other foot slammed down into it. He ran through the tunnel, leaping over larger pools, scrambling down steep slopes, and nearly avoiding impalement on some sharp stalagmites waiting for him at the bottom of the decline. Quote had nearly forgotten how dangerous the world was, or could be. How dangerous the caves can be. He shook his head. He had no time to think about it. He knew why he was here.

Standing in front of a doorway adorned with a huge carving of a feline, Quote hesitated before entering the room. He took a few, small, measured steps, and peeked his head inside. The room appeared to be empty, so Quote moved in. He hadn't gone two meters when he saw something move out of the corner of his right eye. He instinctively reached for his Polar Star, and was even quick enough to get it halfway out of its holster before he heard the 'something' speak. "Don't you even think about it," the figure snarled. Quote said nothing. He recognized the voice. "Show me your hands! Above your head!"

Quote slowly raised his hands above his head, flashing the Polar Star as he did so. "Recognize this?"

The voice grew silent for a few moments before replying in a gruff tone, "Where did you find that?"

He turned, facing the voice. "You gave it to me." The hermit gunsmith's face was creased into a deep, distrusting scowl, and he was pointing some kind of dangerous-looking firearm at Quote. It almost seemed he'd aged since the last time they'd spoken. When the hermit saw him, however, Quote could see the recognition on his face. "… I remember giving you a completed work of art. Not that thing." He lowered the firearm. Quote's brow furrowed, and he gave a slight grimace.

"You did…" The hermit closed his eyes and sighed, his head sagging down a bit. He turned and began moving towards the work table.

"… Come. Sit. I assume you have a reason for returning." Quote hesitated before following the man to the table. He sat across from him, folding his hands on the surface of the workplace. They looked at each other for a few seconds before the man broke the silence. "Do you plan to waste my time, or do you want to explain what happened to my gun?" Quote shifted his gaze downward and closed his eyes, sighing deeply before beginning.

"… After I left the island, I needed to find a house." The man nodded, his brow still furrowed. "… And I needed tools for it… money, supplies…"

"Right."

"And so… I kinda… sold my weapons."

"… All of them? To who?"

"Well, not King's blade…"

"King's what?" Quote looked up at the man again.

"The sword. Remember?" He reached back to unsheathe the weapon, which he had slung to his back.

"No, no, I remember now." The man's eyes glossed over. "It belonged to that mimiga fellow, didn't it?"

Quote nodded. "Yes."

"Why did you invite me to the village again? To that funeral?"

"… Well, I thought the people deserved to know who forged the Polar Star…" Quote looked into the man's eyes. "You are the reason I'm a hero. Without you, none of it would have been possible. You deserve just as much glory as I do." The old man's face softened a bit as he leaned back in his chair.

"… No. While I'm touched that you think that, it isn't true. I'm simply a maker. It is true, had I not made the Polar Star, you would have been hard pressed to find another weapon, although, you probably would have. But even so… It was not I who used the weapon to defeat the Doctor. Not I who put the mad Ballos to rest." The man smirked. "Though it fills me with pride to know my weapon was instrumental to the success." Quote did nothing for a few seconds, and then slowly smiled and nodded.

"… That's why I invited you." The man chuckled.

"Well, thanks for that, then." He scratched at the side of his head, and continued. "Gave me some new clients."

Quote looked down, still smiling. "Ah…"

The man smiled once more, before it melted back into a grimace. "… But that still doesn't explain what happened to the gun."

Quote shifted his gaze to the man again, an expression similar to that of a guilty child on his face. "… I had to disassemble most of the guns… I removed the upgrades you put on it, it was… almost enough for everything I needed... But I couldn't sell the whole thing."

The man cocked his head. "Almost enough?" Quote gave two quick nods. "How did you get the rest of the materials?"

"Gathering, hunting, savaging, working… It was only for maybe a week. We slept in tents."

The old man slowly nodded. "… I see." Quote then frowned as he remembered why he was there.

"Please, sir-"

"Kamadani." Quote paused, stopped by the man as he interjected.

"What?"

"Kamadani. My name is Tetsuzou Kamadani." Quote thought for a moment before continuing.

"… Mister Kamadani, I have an urgent favor to ask."

"And what would that be?"

"Well…" Quote looked off to the side, then back to Kamadani. "My friend. She's been taken."

"The blonde one?"

"Yes. Curly. Someone, or something has kidnapped her. And I need to save her." Quote reached back to touch the blade on his back. "I have King's blade, but… I don't know if I'll be able to do it with just the Polar Star."

Humming softly, Kamadani put his chin into his hand. He looked down, then around at the various projects he had scattered around the room. "… Nothing I have is completed yet." He looked back to Quote. "All I have are unfinished works." Quote reached down and unholstered the Polar Star, placing it on the table.

"Is this not an unfinished work?"

Kamadani's brow furrowed as he took the Polar Star into his hand. "… It is… and it is not." He looked up to Quote, passing the firearm back to him. "It works as it is. It's functional, just not at its full potential." The gunsmith stood, casting a hand around at his creations. "These works… they aren't safe to use. Not yet, they must be completed first."

"Please," Quote pleaded. "Isn't there anything?" He was desperate at this point. Kamadani sighed, and paced around for a moment. Eventually, he stopped, and looked over to a shelf. He walked over and reached his arm back behind the objects in front. Eventually, he pulled out a device that appeared to be made of plastic, and returned with it. Setting it on the table, Quote realized it was a 'bubbler' gun. "… You can't be serious." Kamadani scoffed.

"You said anything."

"Well, yes… but a bubbler?!"

"Bubbline. That's what they call them now."

"Bubb- whatever, is… is that…"

"Yes," said Kamadani, rather exasperatedly. "That's all I have for you. I'm sorry. Quote gave a long sigh.

"… I'll take it." Kamadani handed him the firearm, and Quote inspected it. It seemed to have been made recently, and quite well at that.

"Don't be so quick to dismiss the gun," said Kamadani, returning to his seat. "At its most powerful, it can shield you, or release a major shock wave." Quote looked up from the gun to Kamadani. He gave a slight chuckle, resting the Bubbline in his lap.

"I still don't understand how this thing even works." The gunsmith smirked at this.

"Trade secret."

Notes From the Author

Hello readers! I made a chapter!

I have no idea if there will be more like it soon, but it's vaguely obscurely possible. The next chapter will probably be about Curly.

Sincerely,
Alaystus