The Mech Touch

[Design Evaluation: Blessed Squire BS-A-01]

Model name: Blessed Squire BS-A-01

Original Manufacturer: Ves Larkinson, Gloriana Wodin

Weight Classification: Medium

Recommended Role: Knight Mech/Support Mech

Armor: B+

Carrying Capacity: D

Aesthetics: B

Endurance: A

Energy Efficiency: B

Flexibility: D+

Firepower: D-

Integrity: B

Mobility: C-

Spotting: D

X-Factor: A-

Cost efficiency: C

Project involvement: 90%

Original component composition: 7%

Overall evaluation: The Blessed Squire is a landbound knight mech designed to support assault forces. It features enough defense to withstand a fair amount of attacks and it possesses sufficient mobility to take part in offensive operations. The Blessed Squire excels more in its support function, as its ability to store, transfer and siphon electrical energy adds a considerable degree of utility to the mech. Its glow is also remarkable for its six different expressions that provides various different methods of support.

[You have received 50,000 Design Points for completing an adequate original design that has no other equivalent.]

[You have received 50,000 Design Points for designing a mech with a high presence of X-Factor.]

He had almost forgotten about checking the System's notifications. He completed the design of the Blessed Squire some time ago, though the Hexers hadn't deployed it into battle up to this point.

The scores given to the Blessed Squire looked a bit worse than he thought, but that was due to its very specialized roles. A mech didn't necessarily have to be great at everything. It just had to fulfill its designated purpose as efficiently as possible.

"Hopefully, it will showcase its true value on the battlefield." He muttered.

[You have personally assembled a masterwork mech based on your own Blessed Squire design!]

[You have acquired Masterwork Mech Assembly III! Create more masterwork mechs to upgrade this Sub-Skill!]

[As you are not a major contributor to the formation of the masterwork mech, you are not entitled to receive additional rewards.]

He already expected this outcome. He knew that his mech affinity had increased after the creation of the Little Angel. Gloriana deserved the bulk of the credit, but since she wasn't hooked up to the Mech Designer System, she wasn't eligible to receive an extremely precious radiant lottery ticket.

That was a missed opportunity in hindsight. If Ves added her to the System as a guest user, she might have been able to receive a considerable reward!

"It's pointless to think about that right now. I don't have the Design Points to think about bringing her into the fold."

It would take a long time before he could accumulate 1,000,000 DP. Perhaps the recent changes might accelerate his progress, but Ves did not believe it was so simple.

His project involvement in the minor projects would definitely be substantially less than in any of the major projects.

While Ves had no way to determine how the System actually defined and measured project involvement, there wouldn't be any loopholes. He would probably only receive a fraction of the DP rewards for completing a minor mech design.

The System was very fair in that regard, though from another perspective the System always took advantage of any opportunity to act stingy.

Now that he earned 100,000 DP, he finally built up a modest buffer again.

He partially regretted his earlier decision to spend his DP in a profligate manner. The lack of critical resources that he could spend to bail himself out of a crisis had weighed heavier and heavier on him since he ventured into the Nyxian Gap.

He underestimated the threats residing in the periphery of the region!

Now that he spent weeks in this perilous region, Ves felt as if he gradually shifted into the mindset that he used to hold when he entered the frontier during the last Bright-Vesia War.

His paranoia acted up to a greater degree as he didn't feel very safe anymore no matter how quiet his surroundings seemed.

The thought of encountering strong, weird and outright alien adversaries both terrified him as well as excited him. He paradoxically felt more alive as the pressure mounted on him. The gradually-increasing spiritual interference field didn't help matters either!

It was times like these where he missed companionship. With Gloriana and Benny both remaining behind in civilized space, Ves did not have someone on his ship who he could share his more personal concerns.

What was worse was that Ves couldn't even vent his feelings to his cat. Calabast enthusiastically put Lucky through a crash course in infiltration, sabotage and assassination.

Any day now, Lucky would be going about his day wearing a pointed hood and jumping off of incredibly tall heights just to coincidentally land on a haystack even though he didn't need the cushioning because he could already fly.

He supposed he could expand his circle of conversation partners. It wasn't as if he was alone in the fleet. People like Nitaa, Major Verle, Ketis, Commander Melkor, the expert candidates and so on were all potential friends.

"Hmm. I think this might be a good idea to check up on Joshua. I haven't really talked to him after he advanced to expert candidate."

Out of every expert candidate in the Larkinson Clan, Joshua stood out from the others due to his chosen conviction.

He was the only one whose developing force of will centered around life!

Ves found it quite remarkable that the vibe that Joshua exuded closely matched his own attributes.

Both of them seem to obsess over life and mechs. The similarities were quite uncanny! It was as if Joshua was his first direct disciple as the products made by Ves had clearly played a huge role in the young mech pilot's development.

As a mech designer, Ves saw himself as a creator and facilitator of life.

What did that make Joshua? He might truly be the first mech pilot who truly embodied the meaning of Avatar of Myth.

Even though he still had a lot of work on his plate, Ves impulsively decided to pay a visit to Joshua. He boarded a shuttle that departed from the Scarlet Rose and soon reached the Redfeather.

He met with Commander Melkor first. When someone as important as the clan patriarch paid a visit, it was only proper to pay respects.

"Sir. Welcome to the Redfeather. Your visit isn't scheduled, so I apologize for not preparing a tour for you. What do you require?"

"Tell me about the state of the Avatars first."

Ves told him while he idly toured the mech hangar. An abundance of glows washed over him as Aurora Titans, Bright Warriors and a couple of other LMC mechs vied for his emotions.

It was a rather intense experience to someone as spiritually sensitive as Ves. Fortunately, it appeared that the rest of the Avatars and ship crew were accustomed to working in the presence of so many overlapping glows.

The pressure and influence of glows did not grow stronger in a linear fashion. Eventually, the overlap of so many glows began to flatten out into a plateau.

Melkor began to walk alongside him while reporting the overall state of the Avatars.

"The Avatars in the task force have all been growing at a rapid pace. The intensive training conducted in the previous months are all coming into fruition. When the stakes are real, the Avatars are far more serious about improving their skills and refining their methods. They are making months worth of progress in a matter of weeks."

"That sounds good." Ves nodded with a smile. "How goes the development of the elite squads?"

"Quite well, but that is because of their unique nature. First, the elite squads are all small. It would have been considerably more challenging if we decided to implement elite companies instead. Second, the leaders are all expert candidates. Joshua, Jannzi and Tusa are all universally respected by practically every other mech pilot in the clan. Even if they don't possess any notable command skills, their authority is rock solid."

Strength and skill determined the pecking order among mech pilots. A considerable gap existed between a normal mech pilot and an expert candidate.

"Tell me about Joshua and the Bright Companions specifically."

"While the Bright Companions are in a combat-ready state, they are still developing. Its current focus on adopting an assault orientation is mostly due to necessity. The Larkinson Clan lacks a unit that excels as breaking through obstacles or is geared towards challenging very strong opponents. Jannzi already covers some of our defensive needs while Tusa already excels at mobility. This leaves offense."

Ves briefly turned towards his visored cousin. "It sounds like there is an issue. What is Joshua's opinion?"

"According to him, he doesn't want to pigeon-hole himself into a narrow role. He is a fan of every LMC mech and not just the ones that are defined by their attack power."

That sounded like Joshua, Ves thought.

"I can see how that can be an issue. What is your response to this request?"

"While I normally don't want to reject a request from a potential expert pilot, the Avatars and the rest of the Larkinson Clan truly need his strength in this capacity. Their charge against the Rust Grinders was a good example. Joshua and his Bright Companions quickly managed to take out the ship-mounted cannoneer mechs with a single devastating attack run. They single-handedly broke the Rust Grinders, turning the remainder into easy pickings."

"Hmm. That was indeed a memorable sight."

"Joshua may not like it, but he understands our decisions and knows what is needed. He just hopes that he can move to a broader orientation once we have cultivated replacements. It's very likely that most of the current members of the Bright Companions will form the nucleus of our shock troops."

Commander Melkor already formed an extensive plan in this regard, so Ves saw no reason to intervene.

"Let's put the Bright Companions aside and focus on Joshua himself. How is he doing as a person."

A wry smile appeared on Melkor's face. "He has attained a height that few people have achieved. To become an expert candidate, and to break through while showing a notable degree of forced resonance, means that he is very likely to advance to expert pilot in the coming decade. Not a day goes by when he is not ecstatic. Ever since he achieved his higher state, he has enthusiastically poured himself into training. Even at this moment, we can probably find him in a simulator pod where he tries to fight back against overwhelming odds."

Though Melkor tried to convey himself as a professional commander, he wasn't able to hide the envy in his voice.

Melkor was jealous of Joshua. He was jealous of every expert candidate in the clan. Why shouldn't he? Almost every mech pilot in the galaxy dreamt of undergoing apotheosis in order to attain true glory!

Much like other unattainable dreams such as being able to join the MTA or being born in a prosperous first-rate state, too many mech pilots would never be able to fulfill these dreams.

The overwhelming majority had to live with the disappointment that they would never be able to surpass their mortality when it came to mech piloting.

When Ves studied Melkor with his spiritual senses, he found no changes in his cousin's mind.

He possessed no spiritual potential to speak of. And it didn't seem like one would ever form, at least naturally.

Though Ves truly felt tempted to try and find a way to bestow spiritual potential to Melkor and assist him into becoming an expert pilot, this was not a good idea.

First, he had to develop a safe and effective method, which was anything but easy!

Second, Ves and the Larkinson Clan would definitely attract too much suspicion if expert candidates and expert pilots emerged at a greater rate!

Last time, Ves barely managed to deflect Master Willix's suspicions in this area. Since an MTA Master Mech Designer felt the need to speak up about this topic, Ves knew that he didn't have much leeway anymore!

Therefore, for good or ill, Melkor would have to contend with living as a mortal for the rest of his life.

At least Melkor seemed okay with it. As the appointed leader of the Larkinson Clan's most illustrious mech force, he already had something to dedicate his life towards.

There were multiple paths to greatness.