As they saw Peter vanish, the group of three boys were left on their own.
They all exchanged looks, not sure of what to do.
"What…do we do now?" Tsukuru asked.
Vorden put his hand under his chin, thinking.
"Not sure…" He muttered.
It was then that they heard a voice scream out from behind them, making them all jump.
"Let's explore!"
Turning around, they saw that the voice came from the Harpie that was still standing behind Tsukuru.
She had a hand shot into the air with her claw clenched, and her eyes squeezed close, with a look of excitement on her face.
Seeing the antics of his Summon, Tsukuru let out an amused smirk.
He then turned to Vorden and Quinn.
"All in favor?" He asked.
Quinn and Vorden exchanged looks.
They both smiled.
Instantly, they both shot their hands into the air.
"Aye!" They both yelled.
Tsukuru smiled, before he then pointed out ahead.
"Then let's go!" He announced.
With that, the group began to explore the town.
A few minutes later, they were walking down the high street, which was full of clothes shops and restaurants.
While Quinn and Vorden were walking on the ground, Tsukuru was sitting on the Harpie's back, his legs swinging off her shoulders.
It was similar to the way a parent would let a small child sit on their back.
At this elevated height, Tsukuru could see everything.
It was the first time in his life that he didn't have to crane his neck up to see the world around him.
The students all received a daily credit allowance of 10 credits, but that didn't stop their parents from sending them extra money while they were in school.
The richer among the students were free to buy whatever they liked, and sadly, the richer students were usually the stronger students, as well.
Although the city wasn't open to regular civilians, it was still open to all the workers.
The city was full of military personnel, but not all of them were soldiers.
There were still cooks, admin staff, engineers, building workers, and even general people required to run all of the base's many facilities.
They had been granted special access from the military. And in return, they were given nice living accommodations, and didn't have to worry about life on the outside world.
While they were walking, Quinn thought back to the fight between Mono and Raten.
He turned to Vorden.
"So your family can hold multiple Abilities?" He asked, interested. "How does that work, exactly?"
Hearing this, an amused smile crept across Vorden's face.
He turned to Quinn.
"Well, if I told you that, you'd have to become part of my family." Vorden said, before glancing away. "Or I'd have to kill you."
For a second, there was an awkward silence between the three.
If the amused look on Tsukuru's face was anything to go by, he was well aware that Vorden was joking.
However, the look on Quinn's face was a different story.
In his mind, Quinn wasn't quite sure if Vorden was joking or not.
Instantly, Vorden burst out laughing.
"Oh, relax, will you?" Vorden replied, slapping Quinn on the back. "I'm joking!"
Vorden's face then hardened.
"But seriously, I can't tell you." He replied. "Rules among the Original Families, and all that."
It was then that Quinn remembered that Vorden belonged to one of the "Original Families" who had decided to keep their Abilities "in the family" as it were.
This meant that only members of the Blade Family could learn the "Copy" Ability.
Quinn then looked at Vorden.
He momentarily wondered if all the Blades were also as "well-built" as Vorden, or if he was just, well to coin a phrase, "built different".
Quinn had a sheepish look on his face.
"Yeah, sorry." He replied.
He then raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But seriously, if you copy an Ability you've never used before, how are you able to use it so well?"
Vorden looked over at Quinn, a smile on his face.
"Let me show you something." He replied.
Vorden led the group down a line of shops, until he eventually stopped in front of a game store.
Vorden smirked, and glanced up at Tsukuru on the Harpie's back.
"You must feel right at home, huh?" He joked, referring to how often Tsukuru had his head buried in his handheld gaming console in their dorm room.
Hearing the jab, Tsukuru snorted.
"Please." He muttered, as if insulted. "I only play old games."
The group of three entered the store.
Inside, they passed by rows after rows of shelves lined with games.
Vorden led them to the very back, where there was a VR Pod, similar to the one Shizuka had in her "interrogation" Chamber in the school's dungeon.
The VR Pod allowed people to test out a game before they bought it. A "trial run" of sorts.
Vorden turned to Quinn, and pointed at the pod.
"You see that thing?" He asked. "I grew up playing on it."
Quinn raised an eyebrow in confusion.
However, he then thought back to something that Sergeant Leo had said when Quinn had asked him to teach him how to fight.
He had told Quinn that there was a certain "VR Game" popular among the students of the various military bases.
Perhaps this is what he was referring to.
Tsukuru stared at the pod for a moment, then he spoke.
"Ah, you're referring to 'Power Fighters'." He replied.
Vorden smiled, and looked over at him.
"You've heard of it?" He asked.
Tsukuru looked back at him, an amused smirk on his face.
"Heard of it? My brothercreated it when he was FOUR." Tsukuru replied.
His words made both Quinn and Vorden sputter, a look of pure astonishment on their faces.
Instantly, they both snapped their heads back at him.
"WHAT?!" They both screamed, their voices echoing through the store.
Vorden stared at Tsukuru, jaw dropped.
"Your brother…created the MOST POPULAR VR game…when he was FOUR?!" Vorden repeated, as if he was trying to comprehend what Tsukuru had just said.
Seeing this, Tsukuru smirked.
"After my mother died in the war, I was taken in by a close friend of hers." He replied, looking down. "Does the 'Green Family' ring a bell?"
While this name meant nothing to Quinn, hearing it made Vorden's eyes widen in recognition.
Tsukuru then waved his hand dismissively.
"And as for my brother…he's very good with machines." He replied. "Technically, he only created the programming for Power Fighters. And he had help from his father, and my uncle, Lucus Green."
Tsukuru looked back down at Vorden. "Think of it like a parent helping a child with a school project."
Tsukuru then turned his gaze to Quinn.
"While I've never used it myself, I've been told the basics." He replied. "Essentially, the game drops you and another 'player' in an empty room, and you two duke it out until one of you loses."
It was around this time that Vorden snapped out of his stupor.
He turned to Quinn.
"Although it sounds like a simple game, it's actually used to help train people." Vorden replied, continuing Tsukuru's explanation.
"The VR Pod can record all of the attributes in your body." He replied. "Anything you can do in the real world, you can do in the game."
Hearing Vorden's words, Tsukuru narrowed his eyes.
"Anything except using your Ability." He replied, causing the two to look up at him. "While the pod can scan and record Beast Gear, it is incapable of scanning and recording theMutant Cells in your body."
Hearing this, Quinn raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"How does it help train you if you can't use your Ability?" He asked.
"It has a database cataloging all known Abilities." Vorden explained, before he then scratched the back of his neck, a sheepish look on his face.
"Of course, since it only lists known Abilities, Originals like me and Tsukuru can't use our Original Family's Abilities in the game."
Vorden then smiled, as he turned back to Quinn.
"But you can use any known Ability in the game, even if you don't have it in the real world." He went on. "Essentally, it allowed me to practice using just about ANY Ability known to the populace."
Vorden then walked up to the pod.
He touched the front of the pod, where there was a round ring.
The machine emitted a cone of light-blue light.
Looking at it, Tsukuru saw that it was similar to the light the computer chip had shot out to scan him on that fateful night when he had obtained his System.
The light traveled up and down Vorden's hand, from his fingertips, down to the bottom of his palm.
A holographic display appeared, projecting the game's settings.
A computerized voice emitted from the pod.
"Biometrics Recognized." The voice replied. "Welcome Back, User VBCopy."
A moment later, the information for Vorden's User ID could be seen, as well as a 3-D model of his in-game Avatar.
The Avatar looked nothing like Vorden.
The information also showed the total number of fights Vorden had in the game, as well as a record of his total wins and losses.
However, Vorden then quickly went off of that screen, and onto another.
The transition was so fast that Quinn's eyes hadn't been able to register anything.
The new screen showed a long list of Abilities.
As Quinn looked at it, it seemed endless to him.
Looking at the list, Quinn finally understood how Vorden had become so well versed in so many different Abilities.
However, he also quickly realized that this was only something that could greatly benefit someone like Vorden, who could copy multiple Abilities.
Most people playing the game would want to get stronger and more proficient in their actual Ability.
This meant that they would typically only select their own Ability.
What was the point of using an Ability that you could never use in the ACTUAL world?