Ezekiel sighed as he stood from his bed. He and his dad had spent the entire day scouring through the library and going through the pros and cons of each battle style he could develop. In the end, the mechanic was unable to decide on what he would do.
It wasn't really his fault. He was the first Mechanic on the world of Taia, so he had to forge his own path step by step. All on his own, until he finally achieved great power.
Currently his power was at his weakest, and he didn't have any blueprints that would allow him to build a full proper suit that he could wear to protect himself while increasing his power. He could either choose to build himself up as a typical Mechanic of his home world, creating machines that would be worn by others to fight for him, or go in with his own inventions, guns blazing.
And he hadn't made a choice yet.
He moved out of his room, returning the greetings of the maids and servants that he met on the way outside before performing his daily workout session. When he was done, he returned to his room and took a bath before dressing up and leaving the mansion, turning down the guards' requests to protect him.
Ezekiel walked around the city, admiring the safe haven his dad had created for the citizens. But of course, no city would be completely devoid of any sort of corruption. The edge of the city revealed a slightly less developed neighborhood, hinting at signs of criminal activities.
But the mechanic wasn't really surprised by all this. He had seen worse on Earth so the state of the neighborhood didn't really bother. He made sure to walk among the shadows, draped by his long coat.
Soon he reached his destination, an abandoned looking building. But instead of opening the door and walking in, he turned to the side and walked to the side of the building. He rose his hand, aiming to knock on the wall beside him before he suddenly squinted his eyes.
Suddenly, Ezekiel reached into his coat and swiftly brought out an object. A gun. But of course, the mechanic wouldn't be holding onto a normal gun. He pulled the trigger and the gun shot out a blue colored projectile that hit a hidden target behind him.
"Urgh!" The person who had been hit by the bullet, groaned feeling his muscles spasm while an electric current traveled across his body. He fell to the floor unable to move a muscle.
The mechanic walked towards the fallen figure and crouched, brushing away the cape that covered its face. He was surprised to see that his stalker was a young boy around the same age as he was. The boy's face featured hazel colored eyes that complimented his auburn hair and his face could be considered cute if it wasn't for the little amount of skin that clung onto his bones. A clear indication of his malnourished state.
From the fact that he couldn't see the boy tailing him even when he had made sure to cover his tracks meant that he had hid from his sight with a type of stealth ability. Which meant he was probably a Wind or Light affinity Mage, as only they could wield elements which such versatility in this aspect.
"Now what are you doing here?" Ezekiel used the gun to prod at the fallen boy's cheeks, a trace of amusement apparent on his face.
"P-Please, d-don't kill me!" The boy managed force out those words through his shivering lips, a hint of hope appearing in his eyes as he looked up at the person who held his life in his palm.
"Hah~" Ezekiel sighed, standing up and glancing down at him. "Tell me why you're following me around. The only reason you're still alive right now is because of the fact that I don't sense any killing intent from you, so I'm hoping for your sake that you didn't have any ulterior motive, else I'll view you as an enemy."
The boy gulped, feeling a chilling cold seep down his spine. "My name is Vahn! I-I'm a newly Awakened Life affinity Mage. I-I… I was wondering around the neighborhood when I noticed your figure and wondered if y-you wouldn't mind hiring me!" That would explain how he could fool the mechanic's senses. He probably isolated the sound coming from his feet.
Ezekiel frowned and looked at the starved state of the boy named Vahn. "You're asking me, a random stranger, to hire you even when you don't know what the hell I'm gonna do to you."
"I-I'm in need of money." Vahn lowered his gaze, realizing how surreal his request was. "My sister, I need some money to pay her medical bills."
The mechanic heard this and frowned, before finally sighing once more. He knew that the boy had to be really desperate if he would risk killing himself just to pay for his relative's bills. Reaching into his Dimensional ring, he brought out a pouch filled with objects that seemed to be coins. These were the currency of Taia. "Here, there's a bit over 3,000 starls inside that pouch. It should be enough to pay any fees and bills you're currently owing."
The boy's face portrayed disbelief as he looked at the pouch dangling before his eyes. "You're serious? You'll actually give me that? And I don't have to pay back or work for you?"
Ezekiel nodded and stood up. "That amount doesn't mean much to me anyways. There should be enough to allow you guys live for a while after that too, so you can use it to invest in yourself." He turned around and walked to the side of the wall before placing his palm on a specific section of the wall. It brightened up, scanning his palm before the floor below him suddenly opened up, allowing him fall down to its depth. And leaving the spectating Vanh stunned and surprised.
In the end he could only leave the vicinity and move towards the local medical center of his neighborhood, wondering what the identity of his secret benefactor was.