Chapter 18: Panoply

"What the hell is this doing here?"

Metal and glass contraptions whirred as box-like rooms moved up and down the tower of Babel. They were elevators, the most modern form of technology that Hit had come across here. Large magic stones pulsed behind thick metal bars, presumably powering them.

'I suppose the magic stones truly are a substitute for electricity. Why isn't this civilisation more advanced then? They have a plentiful supply of batteries; superior to batteries actually, since no material refinement is required, and they can likely be stored indefinitely.'

*Ding*

One of the objects finally descended to the ground floor. The door opened squeakily, revealing a neat, if a bit cramped, room. Hit was looking forward to a nice relaxing ride; he heard no elevator music, sadly. Oddly, Hit found the tunes quite soothing. Armour and weapon vendors were apparently on the twelfth floor, a few floors above the Hephaestus smiths. Hit pressed the red button.

*Ding*

Just as the doors were shutting, a white and yellow blur sped into the box, eager to not miss the ride.

"Excuse me..." It was a girl, based on the quiet, soft voice and frilly outfit.

The two stared at each other for a moment and recognised one another.

"It's you..." Ais Wallenstein stared at Hit emotionlessly, although, there was some curiosity burning in her eyes.

"Hm? Oh, great..." Hit's alone time would have to be postponed.

The elevator trundled along, extremely slowly, suggesting that monster stones were not actually superior to batteries. Hit was perfectly content staring forwards; whereas, Ais shifted around anxiously.

"Congratulations on joining the familia... it's nice to have a new member..." Ais tried to break the ice and smiled a little at him.

Her colleague glanced at her. "Hm? Yes... I'm glad the process is finally over with. It was a nightmare getting into the dungeon... legally".

The mention of 'dungeon' seemed to spur the girl on, as she gathered her courage. "...How... did you grow so strong?"

Ais had picked up snippets from her friend's tales; however, her focus was solely on the fact that an unblessed human defeated a Minotaur, albeit a weakened one.

Hit glanced at the elevator lights.

'Still between floor 1 and 2!? This hunk of junk is worthless! Next time I'm taking the stairs.'

"That's an incredibly vague question, don't you think?"

Ais continued, more confident this time. "Sorry, I should have explained myself... It took me a year to gain such strength, yet you were able to, without even having a falna... How? Do you have any advice...?" Her voice was distant and mature, yet her mannerisms were slightly childish.

Hit huffed as he glanced down at her; she was quite skinny. What level was she, Hit wondered. "I trained my spirit and body to exceed their built-in limits. Do you train outside the dungeon?"

"Not too often... is that really all...?" The girl looked like an abandoned doll as she blinked up at him.

"My strengths are a product of my effort. Try pushing your body, as a whole, to a greater degree." Hit was not going to disclose his abilities to a random woman, so decided to be vague right back at her.

"…How...?" Unfortunately, Ais looked even more lost.

'Ugh. Not another one...' Hit rolled his eyes; he needed to ditch another lost puppy.

Hit was about to reply when the girl remembered something. "Oh... I still haven't apologised to you. Sorry... about the Minotaur... It was my fault..." Summer blond hair cascaded down as Ais bowed fully to the boy. It was quite cramped, so it was a little awkward.

Hit sweatdropped at her action. "It is fine. Loki, Riveria, and I already discussed it. You're all forgiven. In fact, that battle strengthened me immensely."

The eager woman sidled up to Hit, eyes ablaze. "So… it wasn't just training...?"

Hit cringed away a little; hadn't she heard of personal space? She seemed distant and removed, until someone mentioned gaining power. 'This girl. All she cares about is getting stronger. Huh... pot, meet kettle. Well, at least I don't bother anyone.'

Ais tilted her head again, highlighting her innocent visage. Her appearance was rather plain, but she had a strong aura about her. Hit thought back to the only time he had seen the girl. 'This airhead was dining with the executives. Hm... maybe she could be a good source of information.'

"First off, who are you? What's your level."

If Hit was paying attention to the leering comments, he might have recognised her as the sword princess; however, he had been gawking at their clothes.

Ais froze in place for a moment, before answering. If she was more socially aware, she might have been offended. "O-oh, sorry... My name is Ais Wallenstein. It's nice to meet you...I'm a level 5, currently trying to rank up."

Hit's eyes widened; this meant that she was one of the strongest beings on the planet. 'Level 5!? She certainly hides it well. Her quiet nature is the perfect cover. Hmm... I'm not fond of how many similarities we share...' "Look, we both have our secrets. Why should I tell you mine so willingly?"

Ais gained a more professional attitude; she constantly shifted between innocent and severe. She must not have had much of a childhood. "Apologies... What would you like to know?"

Hit turned to her, addressing her properly. "The properties of your skills, and anyone else's you know of. How exactly do you gain them? Tell me that, and I'll show you my skill and training methods."

Hit was being a big fat hypocrite, but it wasn't his fault if the girl blabbed. It would be useful to know how he awakened time skip as a skill; perhaps he could gain other powerful abilities. He also only had to show Ais his ability, not explain it.

Ais nodded: their skills weren't exactly huge secrets, at least not between familia members. "Okay, but only the skills of certain Loki familia members."

Hit accepted the proposition. "Deal. I will be waiting behind the manor after my dive." 'Great, this saves me having to ask around.'

The quiet girl smiled and nodded, although lost her happiness a moment later. "I still need to apologise to him... the boy who was also chased by a minotaur..."

Hit only knew of one other who matched that description. "Hm. Are you referring to the white-haired kid, Bell?"

Ais' face lit up like a serene daisy in the morning sun. "You know him? I-is he upset with me? He ran away before I could apologise..." She fidgeted her hands nervously, pouting slightly.

Hit looked at the bizarre woman, utterly confused. "I have absolutely no idea. I very much doubt it... he is simply frustrated at his weakness. That idiotic dog didn't exactly help either." Hit was definitely not looking forward to running into that bastard again. 'At least she seems remorseful...'

The girl appeared pained, as if desperately wishing for a dream to come true. "His growth is incredible... he defeated a silverback in so little time..."

Golden eyes met ruby red as she looked up. "And you beat a minotaur... and a crystal mantis..."

Hit blinked, scowling at her. "I'm sorry, but were the gods using their arcanum to display my battle for the entire city? Honestly, you people just can't mind your own business."

Ais bit her lip and looked away, ashamed.

*Ding*

Hit sighed out in relief. 'Finally... and that is the last time I take the lift.'

When you're an eight-foot-tall alien assassin, people often kept a wide berth. Unfortunately, Hit was far less off-putting here. It seems the main reason that Hit enjoyed elevators was their quietness.

Hit quickly made his way out. "Later."

The elevator swayed as someone moved frantically. Ais recovered from her shame and peeked out. "W-wait. Do you know where I can find him?"

Hit glanced back, mid step. "Hm? You mean Bell? He is likely in the dungeon or running on the city walls."

Ais smiled slightly, likely as much as she could. "Thank you..." She then dived back in and the elevator trundled along, giving Hit a good view of just how pathetically slow it was.

'Was I too harsh on her? She seemed to have issues expressing herself... whatever...' Hit shook his head and focused on his current mission: dress to kill.

"Trenchcoat? The hell would ya want one of those for?"

Hit was currently arguing with a gruff salesman, in a respectable-looking shop on the twelfth floor. At least it was on the outside. The scruffy, bearded man leaned on the counter, smoking. Isles of armour, weapons, and trinkets, lay behind them. He didn't seem to understand why someone would dress so cumbersomely.

"Do you have any in stock, or not?" Hit ignored the unwanted advice and pressed him again.

The man put his cigarette out in a nearby ashtray. "Nah, we stock armour here, not fancy clothing, kid."

The annoyed 'kid' huffed. "Then I'll just take some light under armour, specifically for the upper body and arms. Heavy boots, if you have them, as well.

A blackened finger jutted towards the isles to Hit's right. *cough* "...down isle two for the light armour; isle four for the heavy stuff" *cough* *cough*

Hit didn't even bother nodding as he traipsed to where the man directed him.

The man shook his head, bewildered. "Stupid kid... you'd just trip or get snagged with a coat on down there".

…

Purple hair shook as Hit dusted himself of ashes and cobwebs. The shop looked much better on the outside.

*cough* *cough*

That coughing was starting to grate on his nerves, especially when there was so much junk to look over. It also reminded Hit that he was not alone. 'Tch. Get snagged? As if I would do something so pathetic, like trip on my own clothing. Style is essential and should not compromised on. You just had to be aware of your movements.'

"Hm...?" Something finally caught Hit's eye.

A black metallic plate lay on a cushioned platform. When Hit picked it up, It felt light, yet rigid, and covered the wearer's abdomen and chest.

'Perfect, I can wear this under a cloak. Hm, it's not anodized or painted. Must be a foreign metal of some kind. It certainly seems like the best quality here.'

Hit tutted at the price, although he had already decided to buy it beforehand.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Hard Armoured Star steel plate: 20,000 valis

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

'This must have been made using a drop item from those armadillos. If only mine dropped something, other than their magic stones. Perhaps I would have remembered to take them.'

Star steel was just one of the new crafting materials that Hit had discovered. The displayed items were mostly forged from bronze and iron, some steel. Very few were made from drop items or novel elements. Hit added the plate to his collection so far: a set of steel elbow, knee, and shoulder guards; a pair of incredibly durable steel-toe cap boots; and a needle rabbit steel knife, for its utility rather than combat use. The salesman looked slightly merrier as Hit brought the pricy items to the counter. "You've got a good eye lad. Fine work those, I'll deliver the good news to their smiths."

Hit presented the man with his favourite item, the chest plate. "What is this one made of? Is it superior to steel?"

The shop owner moved his hand in a so-so gesture. "In a sense. Star steel is slightly less durable than regular steel since it's less dense. However, it's incredibly light and still much better than iron or bronze."

"What other crafting materials exist?" Hit hadn't had the chance to read any smithing or geology books yet. He would have to rectify that.

His gruff conversation partner huffed at having to give out a metallurgy lesson. "Strongest material I've got is thunder steel, forged using mad beetle chitin. That's heavy equipment though... too much for you lad, and out of your price range. The really expensive stuff is made from scarletite, orichalcum, adamantite, and mythril for magic items."

Cigarette ash was pushed aside as the man slid a piece of paper forwards: the bill. "37,000 valis total."

Hit's eye twitched, even though he already calculated the price. Some haggling was in order. "Surely there is a new customer discount? I am purchasing quite an expensive bundle. 33,000 valis."

The man scratched his beard and squinted at the odd boy. "Hmm, I suppose. I've never seen ya before. 35,000 valis, and I'll throw in the cleaning and maintenance equipment that ya forgot to buy."

Hit smirked; he knew he had forgotten something. The armour he wore in his past life was fabricated from metamaterials with self-healing properties; its maintenance was not a lengthy duty. "Deal." He counted out the coins and shoved them onto an empty space on the counter.

"Good. The name's Byron, by the way." The salesman extended an arm.

"Hit." The boy nodded as he shook the calloused hand.

Byron grinned. "Strong name, lad. Be sure ta come back again."

Hit nodded without commitment. "Do you know any tailors nearby?"

Byron his joviality as they returned to their argument. "Don't tell me ya still want that coat?"

"..." Hit found that saying nothing often prompted people to just give him what he wanted. It seemed to work again this time as Byron jabbed a thumb upwards.

"Hmph. There's a fella two floors up." *cough* "I warned ya; can't do much more than that, when you're this stubborn..." *cough*

Hit placed the items inside his backpack and made his way out, looking forward to finishing his outfit.

Author's Notes

I hate awkward elevator rides. Or any awkward situation really. Which seems to be any human interaction…