15 days until the E grade advancement tournament

While becoming an all-rounded fighter sounded great, it was much easier said than done. Two weeks simply weren't enough to find a reliable way to close the distance and break open grappling stalemates.

Sure, there were ways Jay could do it, but would time spent shoring his weaknesses be more effective than sparring and honing his strengths?

Jay wasn't sure. However, if all it took was one shopping trip, he could spare the time.

Jay hopped out of the tram and continued walking Northeast along Hawker's. He steered clear of the bustling flea market Akira had once showed him.

Akira might have enjoyed the market's hustle and bustle but Jay would take a simple shop over a market any day.

Just let me give you my money and leave please.

No haggling!

Luckily for him, Jay had a plain old shop as his destination this time. Arlie had recommended it to him after accepting Davad's dagger.

However, if his own shop was anything to go by, Arlie's recommendation would have a whole lot of old and not much plain to balance it out.

Regardless, Jay pressed on, dodging beckons from either side of the avenue. The calls waned the further he fled from the main boulevard, and after asking a few people for guidance thanks to Arlie's poor directions, Jay found his destination nestled between a tailor's and an apothecary.

What the tiny storefront lacked in stature; it made up for with style. Most of the façade was painted in a rich, racing green. Bronze pinstripes adorned each window frame, and the glass was gently tinted, so Jay had to squint to look inside. Jay looked up at the store's name, carved into a plaque of ebonized wood and painted in a vibrant green, before entering.

Pippin's Clockwork Vault.

Jay ducked his head beneath the doorway as he entered Pippin's store. He braced himself for heaps upon heaps of junk, but the Clockwork Vault was thankfully clean and organised. The exterior's elegance flowed seamlessly inside. Dark wooden bookshelves lined most of the walls, lined with neatly arranged tomes like a grand library. Ornamental bookends, cast from bronze and depicting animals of the forest, decorated the edges of each shelf and Jay saw not a single speck of dust atop them.

In the few spaces not covered in bookshelves, elaborate mechanisms sat within glass display cases. A grandfather clock swung its pendulum inside one of them, chiming for midday as Jay walked further inside. In another, a mechanical parrot's copper beak clinked against its glass birdcage and it cocked its head aside while staring at Jay..

More dustless glass cases stood atop pedestals evenly spaced throughout the room. Each had an intricate contraption inside. Jay couldn't even fathom most of their purposes. He ran his fingers against the smooth, polished glass of one. Pressing his hand into the cool display case as he looked at the device inside.

It had two leather straps, which looked like they could fit around his forearm. Beneath the straps were a series of bronze gears. It looked like a steel plate had covered them previously but now it lay to the side, exposing the elaborate design architecture within.

A thin, silver blade poked out of one end, and two curved pieces of wood jutted out to either side of the gauntlet.

"It's a spring-based propulsion device. A proto-wrist-mounted-crossbow." said a low voice from deeper within the store. "It was the precursor to Arlie's current prosthetic arm, would you believe. He says he came up with the design all by himself, but we both know that's a load of tosh. I keep it on display here to remind him every time he visits."

Jay turned to the back of the store. A mezzanine hung over the back end of the narrow allotment, overlooking the rest of the store. Atop it, sat in a luxurious velvet chair, was another raccoon. One that looked remarkably like a cleaned up version of the rust-covered, psychedelic-loving, goblin that had sent Jay here in the first place.

"You must be the man with the shield… Jay? I'm sorry, Arlie was rather sparing with the details and he spent most of our last encounter talking about your shield. I'm Pippin, he did tell you that… didn't he?"

Pippin walked to the edge of the mezzanine. He wore a tailored three piece suit, the same shade of green as his storefront and a pair of leather dress shoes that looked impossibly small. Pippin's cheek fur was immaculately trimmed, and he had long flowing whiskers that drooped down to his shoulders.

He looked down at Jay behind a pair of golden half-moon glasses before walking down a tiny set of stairs that took him down to the showroom.

"He didn't… but it says your name on the front of your store."

Pippin stopped, freezing momentarily on the stairs before muttering something and continuing his way down.

Ping hovered above Jay's head and began spinning like a giant metallic halo. "I'm Jay, this is Ping. It's nice to meet you Pippin, you're Arlie's… brother?"

"Cousin. But don't get me started on the family tree, I'll be here all day. What're you after today?"

Jay spoke to Pippin about his sparring with Cyrus. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what he wanted. But he had problems, and he hoped the storekeeper had some solutions in stock.

"Hmph. I have several items that may help with your range problem. As for your issue with breaking up a grapple, I believe the dagger that you gave to my cousin should solve that issue for you. Have you been back to visit him yet?"

Jay shook his head.

Pippin grumbled and shook his head. He began walking towards the store's back wall.

"It's funny, how he agreed to identify it in exchange for a favour, but didn't specify that I'd be the one actually identifying it." said Pippin. His ramble quietened the further away he walked.

Pippin waved Jay behind him, stopping at a giant chest behind the shop's till. He fetched a stool and hopped onto it, still grumbling beneath his breath, before heaving open the chest. He scooped his hand inside and fished out the dagger before placing it on the till between himself and Jay.

"What does it do? How will it help in a grapple?"

"It's not simply a knife." Pippin deftly twirled the blade around. He pointed at a raised section in the pommel's base but was careful not to touch it. "Press this button, and the blade releases a shockwave. I'm not certain about its explosivity, but it should be enough to knock most E grade gladiators off their feet. It may solve the stalemate issue that your friend Cyrus proposed. I imagine the explosion could be helpful for breaking open a grapple."

He slid the dagger across the till. Jay placed it into his quiver. He wondered how he'd grab the dagger while his arms were tied up grappling but left the specifics for later.

Cyrus had issues with Jay's grappling, but Jay wasn't sure how real they were. Not everyone had the D grader's strength. And an injection of electricity through the Conqueror's fists would make most of E grade let go in a heartbeat.

"Fair enough." said Jay, thankful that Pippin had saved him a trip to Arlie's later. "What options do you have for closing the distance?"

Pippin's whiskers fluttered in the air as the raccoon's face turned from distinguished to deranged. He grinned at Jay with a manic spark in his eyes.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Do you want something more precise and measured, or do you want me to bring out the good stuff?" Pippin grinned at Jay. He squinted his eyes, a manic spark called out to Jay within them.

"Something to throw a metaphorical spanner into your opponent's metaphorical works?"

Jay smiled back.

At that moment, Jay truly understood what a marvellous façade Pippin had been putting up the whole time they'd been talking. Because he saw beyond the immaculately brushed fur. He saw beyond the tailored three piece suit and gentlemanly half-moon glasses. He saw beyond everything Pippin had done to set up the distinguished image he'd made for himself.

One look into his excited eyes told Jay that, no matter how he dressed or acted, the raccoon in front of him was undeniably related to the crazy motherfucker with a fake arm who'd taken Jay on an acid trip within the first ten minutes of meeting him.

Jay considered himself a precise fighter, a measured one too. But he knew the answer Pippin wanted.

And when someone exposes their true self like that, you have no choice but to see where they take you.

With a description like that, what the hell do you think I'm gonna say?

"Gimme the good stuff."

"I had rather hoped you'd say that." said Pippin. The telltale golden sheen of the coliseum system washed over his beady black eyes.

"I have three things in stock that might interest you." he said, reaching into the chest once more. He pulled out three figurines, each made up of several painted ceramic plates linked together by copper hinges that let Jay peek into the intricate cog work behind. "Let's start with the simplest."

Jay picked up one of the miniatures. Up close, they looked almost like toy soldiers and were roughly the size of his hand. Their red painted chests looked like the red felt armour that ceremonial guards wore. They even wore fur helmets, although the soldiers' helmets were merely black ceramic. In place of facial features, Pippin had painted a crude smiley face on each one.

Jay's eyes looked past the childlike doodle and landed onto the joints linking each plate. Pippin had called these soldiers 'the simplest' but Jay wasn't sure how. The complex weave of copper cogs and wiring beneath each plate seemed impossibly tiny.

Jay flared Eye of the storm, hyperfixating on the interlocking mechanisms coiled within the device. The underlying lattices of bronze, silver, and gold confounded Jay as he tried to decipher their purpose.

"When enough force is applied, these soldiers transform into the last person who held them." said Pippin.

He threw one off the till. A puff of billowing smoke filled the air as it hit the ground. After a few seconds the cloud faded, revealing a second Pippin stood next to Jay.

The replica stood eerily still. Jay bent down to examine its face. Up close, he could see its imperfections, but if he didn't closely examine it he could've believed it was Pippin.

"It's a good trick." said Jay, still crouching beside the clone. "But I don't see how it's fooling anyone in the middle of a fight."

Pippin sighed as he walked behind his clone. He pinched its neck and the life sized copy returned to a miniature construct of metal and ceramic within his hand.

"You're right." said Pippin. "I had planned to continue working on these but unfortunately never found the time. I don't think I'll ever get around to finishing them. They may not be effective in this state, but a touch of refinement and I'm confident they could become something. If you bring them to somebody proficient in the art of cloning, or illusions, then they might be able to help you. It's worth thinking about."

Could Lyra help?

Pippin placed the three soldiers aside. They weren't the complete chaos that Jay had expected, but he could see the clones' usefulness. Especially if Lyra found a way to make them move around instead of merely standing still.

Pippin scratched his cheek, ruffling his neatly combed fur out of place and pointing his whiskers into the air. He gave Jay a wry smile before reaching back into the chest.

"This next item… It's one I've been saving. It's more suited to one such as yourself, rather than my usual clientele. It's not designed for maximum efficiency. Rather, it focuses on pure efficacy instead."

The fuck does that mean?

The raccoon pulled what looked like a bracer from the chest and placed it in front of Jay. The dull steel looked thin but sturdy, and had several scratches already embedded in its surface. It extended roughly the length of his forearm. If he wore it, it would probably poke just past his elbow and stop at his wrist.

Jay picked it up, it was lighter than he expected. He turned the bracer around in his hands. Two metal cuffs were attached to the bracer, presumably for attaching it to his arm. Another plate, thinner than the first, would cover Jay's inner forearm. When he held his ear to it Jay almost heard cogs ticking inside it. Two metal clamps, each attached to a slider, poked out from the secondary plate.

Beneath both armour pieces, Jay saw a rope coiled around where his arm would sit. It was made from three strands coiled together and was about as thick as his finger. Both ends were doused in a sticky looking, tar-like substance.

"Are you left or right handed?" said Pippin, gesturing for Jay to put the bracer on.

"Right." said Jay, before slotting his left arm into the bracer. Pippin looked at Jay with open confusion.

"Right arm's for power, which leaves the left for utility." said Jay.

The bracer fit snugly around Jay's arm. Surprisingly, the rope didn't dig into his skin at all.

"Now are you going to tell me what this thing does, or why you think it's suited to me?" asked Jay.

Pippin hopped onto the desk and grabbed Jay's armoured arm, pointing it at a bookshelf around two metres away.

"I didn't put any of my intricate designs into this piece. Why? Because they'd break too easily. Swing and punch anything enough times and it'll fall apart eventually. This gauntlet only has two effects, but I guarantee you, they won't break.

"Aim for that red book there and pull back your wrist.

Jay aimed.

He pulled.

The coiled rope shot out from beneath his wrist, firing towards the book. After it hit, the rope pulled taut and didn't fall to the floor, the black substance clinging to the book.

Jay turned towards Pippin.

"It's called Quicksnatch." said the raccoon. "It's speed activated, so it won't stick to you while you're using it. I wanted to install a recall mechanism, but it would either make the gauntlet too heavy or too delicate. I also wanted more rope, but space is limited since your arm also has to fit inside.

"If you pull back your hand again, it'll eject the rest of the rope. However you will have to coil it back around your arm to reset it."

Jay tried whipping the book back with a flick of his arm. He managed to drag it off the shelf, but it flopped onto the floor instead of gliding towards the till. He pulled back his wrist again and watched the other end of the rope eject onto the floor.

It'll take some getting used to, but I can see the usefulness.

"What's the second effect?" asked Jay.

Pippin scooped Davad's dagger off the till before spinning Jay's arm around. He pressed it into the gauntlet's underside. Jay heard the gears inside whine as the clamps rearranged themselves to grasp the dagger.

"The clamps attune to your willpower, so they can manoeuvre whatever they're holding according to your will. Try shifting the dagger about."

Jay willed the dagger forward.

It slid forward.

He willed it to spin around.

It spun around.

The more comfortable Jay became with the bracer, the smoother the dagger moved. He introduced more complicated movement patterns, faster ones, yet the bracer kept up.

"Now this is gonna be useful in a clinch." said Jay.

He launched a jab at Pippin, missing slightly. His fist sailed past Pippin's ear. Jay commanded the dagger to flip.

It aimed itself directly at Pippin's neck.

Jay smiled. He'd expected the raccoon to dodge, or at least flinch, but Pippin simply stared back at him, also smiling.

Might have to attach something other than Davad's dagger though. Not sure how I feel about an exploding knife strapped to my arm.

"Now. I know I told you I had three items, but that was a little lie." Pippin almost cackled as he reached back into the chest. "The last item is more of a genre. A category, so to speak."

He tossed a thin red cylinder at Jay, followed by another, and another. Then he flicked some other objects onto the till. A bronze sphere, two jet-black cubes, and what looked like a silver bracelet. He looked at the assortment of items, flicking his eyes between the till and the chest before turning back to Jay.

"That should be enough for now." he said. Pippin pulled the dagger from Jay's arm, instead pressing the two black cubes into the bracer instead.

"What the hell are these?" asked Jay.

Pippin looked at him like he was an idiot.

"What do you think they are? They're bombs, of course."

Jay felt a jolt of panic before calming himself down. He quickly placed the three bombs he'd caught on the table. He took three quick steps back, yanked the black cubes from the bracer and tossed them back at Pippin too.

"What?" said the raccoon. "The detonators aren't even attached yet. They're all perfectly safe!"

Jay's panicked stare eased into a frown. He pointed up at Ping, at the lightning trailing behind her, and activated Eye of the storm.

An electric blue glow coursed through his forearm, bouncing off the bracer's metal plates.

"You really think having no detonator makes them safe? Around a guy called Lightning?"

Pippin paused for a second, stroking his whiskers while thinking to himself.

"That may have been a slight oversight on my behalf. But I think you're worrying too much." he said. He tossed each bomb over his shoulder and into the chest. They all went in, and the chest slammed shut after the last one. "However, you did say you wanted the good stuff…"

…

"I suppose I did." said Jay, finally walking back to the till. "Hey Pippin, how exactly did Arlie lose his arm?"

"We don't need to talk about that."

Pippin hurriedly pulled the rope, which was no longer stuck to the book, back onto the till.

"Anyway. If we leave out the bombs, for now, I can sell you the soldiers and the bracer for two thousand contribution points. It's a good price. I've discounted the clay soldiers since… well, since they don't really work.

"The prices of all my explosives are unbeatable too… if you ever change your mind."

Jay laughed, but doubted he'd be back for more unless his circumstances drastically changed.

A golden box appeared beside the till. He debated whether to search a few other places for items, but decided he couldn't spare the time, and would much rather be training than shopping.

Besides, he could earn the points back after two fights anyway, so they weren't a big deal.

He accepted the offer on the coliseum interface, and Pippin stuck out his hand.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Leonard."

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