The Legendary Ghost Hunter

"So? Gimme some details. How do you want the armor set to look?" Mavrick prompted, sitting down in his rotating chair and spinning a pen around his fingers.

"A mask covering my entire face, a long cape attached to a hood, and a cloak to cover my body plus pants that allow me to store many tools."

"Mhm… and… agility or defense?"

He had asked this the last time Finn was here as well. Finn answered the same way he once had.

"Both."

"Heh, knew you would say that," Mavrick chuckled, jotting down some notes on the paper attached to the clipboard he was holding. "And? What about colors?"

"Black," Finn replied. It was the best color for remaining stealthy.

"Just black…?" Mavrick laughed. "Really? Ain't that a bit bland, buddy? How about I throw in some purple in there as well?"

Finn didn't really care about appearances, in all honesty, but he also wasn't in the mood to argue with the person who was going to be making him this armor set. As such, he just gave a brief nod.

"… So long as it can still be stealthy."

"You got it. And you want to keep the wings you currently have, I'm guessin'?"

Finn nodded again. "Of course. They are… helpful, to say the least."

This earned a chuckle from Mavrick. "'Course they are. I made them myself, after all."

"Need any more info?" Finn asked. But Mavrick shook his head.

"Nah. I have a good idea of what the final product's gonna look like already. I think you'll like it, buddy."

"… When will it be done?"

"Tonight."

Now this, Finn was not expecting.

"… That quick?"

"Well? Didn't you say you were in a hurry?"

"I… did. Thank you."

"Hmph. You're lucky I don't have any other urgent orders at the moment, that's all," Mavrick snorted, then turned to Iris. "And what about you, young lady? Want another matching armor set with your boyfriend's?"

"H-He's not my boyfriend!" Iris exclaimed, cheeks flushing pink. Then, in a quieter tone, she continued, "Yet… A-Anyway! I need an armor set that allow me to walk normally."

"Huh? The wings aren't enough?"

"No, the wings are perfectly fine and useful, but the fact that my legs are crippled stands out too much," Iris replied. "I know this is a difficult request, but…"

"Hm… oh, that reminds me." Mavrick tapped his pen against his own forehead and turned to his servant, who was standing beside him dutifully. "Those new advanced motion sensors came in just the other day, right, Kyler?"

The employee, whose name was apparently Kyler, nodded. "Yes, boss. Do you think they could, perhaps, be used for…"

"Heheh, won't know until we give it a try," Mavrick said with a wink, then clapped his hands together and turned to Finn again. "Alright! What's your contact info, kid?"

Finn recited to him his phone number, and Mavrick saved it into his phone. "Mm, good, good. I'll message you tonight when the armor sets are done. In the meantime, there's plenty of things to do in this underground city."

"Erm… can't we stay here and just watch until you're done…?" Iris asked. "We would rather not risk going out there and being spotted…"

"Hah! I can't work with people in my office," Mavrick snorted. "Kyler, give them some masks to hide their face."

"Yes, boss!"

Kyler rushed out of the room, and immediately came back soon after with two plastic masks. One was a white kitsune, and the other was a mouthless, pitch-black mask with nothing but two diagonal thick slits as visors and a four-pointed star like design above them. It wasn't much for decoration, but the minimalism actually looked quite nice.

"Um… will this really work?" Iris asked.

"Ha! Haven't you been paying attention on the way here? In this underground city of Lucidia, everyone hides their identities. Relax, kids. No one's going to try and take a peek underneath that mask."

"I see…"

Iris took the kitsune mask, and Finn took the other one. They fit perfectly around their faces thanks to the adjustable velcro strap, and together, the two set off to do some exploring while they waited for Mavrick to finish crafting their new armor sets.

*****

"So… where are we off to first?" Iris asked, riding on Finn's back.

"I'll leave it up to you," Finn replied stoically, focusing all his attention on detecting anyone who seemed suspicious. The moment someone like that appeared, he was ready to either stealthily eliminate them, or escape.

"Hm… well, that employee—Kyler, I think his name was—recommended a weapons store, didn't he?" Iris said. "I believe he said it was near the center of this underground city, but we don't really have a map or anything of the sort… maybe we could ask around?"

Finn chuckled darkly. "Does it look like anyone will answer?"

Iris glanced around at their surrounding streets, filled with independent Ghost Hunters, all wearing masks. They all traveled by themselves, and clearly, none were looking to make conversation.

"Yeah… I suppose that's true," Iris sighed. "This place… it's so… desolate. Definitely not what a city should be like."

"It makes sense for it to be like this," Finn said. "It is, after all, an underground marketplace. A place where shady figures do business, unseen by the guilds and GHO. No one here wants to engage in any more conversation than necessary to keep their identities safe."

"Mhm… as the saying goes, the more you talk, the more risk you're taking."

Just as the two fell into silence, however, they heard the explosive sound of metal hitting metal, followed by a bloodthirsty roar. It definitely was not a pleasant one. It sounded like a war cry, one filled with anger and distress.

"Uh… what was that?" Iris wondered aloud, voice trembling a bit.

"… Sounded like it came from just a little further ahead," Finn muttered. "Let's take a look."

Iris nodded, and the two picked up their pace.

Little did they know… they were heading directly to the same place Iris had just been speaking of—the Weapon Shop by the name of… well, Weapon Shop.