The Legendary Junkmaster

"Is that so?" Jason wore a strange expression on his face as he studied Syssie's avatar. 

His eyebrows dipped into a frown as he studied her. Her expression and tone did not seem fake, but something still felt off to him. However, there was no way for him to confirm his suspicions. Although Syssie wore a smile on the outside, internally she was screaming at him that he was right! It was just unfortunate that Jason had no way to read what was on her mind!

Jason felt reluctant, but went back to testing the ANT-V prototype. He began putting it through some stress tests by loading some weight on the rear end. This was to check how much weight it could realistically carry while maintaining its integrity. Before long, Sentinel made his appearance. He stared at Jason, putting his new mode of transport through its paces before breaking out into a grin.

"Hah! I knew you wouldn't let this brief setback get to you! Just don't get used to it and remember to train your legs as much as you can!" Sentinel beamed as he strode towards Jason's figure. "Anyway, come over here. I've got something to give you."

Jason cocked an eyebrow in curiosity as he navigated his way towards Sentinel. Luckily, the controls for the ANT-V were not overly complicated, so he had managed to become proficient at controlling it in the brief space of time that he had. Jason wore a crooked smile as he made the ANT-V's legs extend so that Sentinel had to look up to him. For that brief moment, he could not help but laugh at the frown that appeared on Sentinel's face.

The hydraulics made a bit of noise as he lowered his height when he arrived in front of Sentinel. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Sentinel let out a long sigh before handing a metal plate over to Jason who studied it curiously. His eyes went wide when he studied the writing engraved on it. 

'This plaque certifies Star Gear as an enterprise approved by the Emperor.' Jason could hardly believe his eyes. This was something that he was only supposed to gain later in his apprenticeship! It would mean fewer taxes imposed on his business by the local Lord. He could request special materials from the caravans who would have to deliver them to Highrise on his behalf! Of course, he would still have to pay for the materials, but the merchants would not refuse his request because of this one item.

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-Antihero]

On top of that, the guards at the gates of Highrise would no longer have the right to charge him anything or seize anything that he scavenged up! The plaque basically said that he had the backing of the greatest Power in the Empire! Jason knocked on the plaque a few times to test if it was real. He even began to wonder if he was still dreaming right now.

"Now for the other surprise..." Sentinel smiled as Jason's head rose to meet his gaze. "You're going back to Highrise until you recover. It's been decided that it is best if you focus on your recovery for now. But don't worry. There's still a spot for you here once you return."

"What about my training? With the cadets, I mean." Jason gave Sentinel an awkward look. He had actually enjoyed the training, and it was the few times that he got to check up on his friends. If he went back to Highrise, he would not know what was going on with them.

"That? don't worry about it. I'll just tell them that you're busy with understanding your Power better. So make sure you come up with some good stuff to use when you come back. If they don't see any improvement, then they might start to wonder what was really going on." Sentinel flashed a warm smile as he wondered what new things Jason would be able to show him upon his return. "Now go pack your stuff, you're leaving with the next caravan."

Jason frowned as he heard this. "What do you mean? Won't Rust be taking me back?"

"Oh hell no! Do you think we can just spare a Pillar for little things like this? Rust has her own duties to attend to. The tournament was a special occasion! You'll just go along with the usual supply caravan, merchants and guards. That's more than enough to make sure you arrive home safely." Sentinel burst out laughing at Jason's question. 

"Wait! How long will that take?" Jason's eyes went wide as he tried to figure out how much time he actually had left until Syssie malfunctioned.

"Hm? Ehm, a month? Maybe slightly more?" Sentinel raised a curious eyebrow before he thought he understood what the issue was. 'The boy's obviously eager to get up to something new already. Wasting a month on the road can be quite hard for people like us.'

Jason felt like a bottomless pit had just appeared in his stomach. He felt like his whole body had just fallen through the floor. He had lost track of time so much that he was unsure of how much time he actually had left! 'Syssie... Please give me some good news.'

Syssie glanced from Sentinel to Jason before making sure that she sent her words directly into Jason's mind so that Sentinel would not overhear her. "The good news is... That you're still alive."

Jason felt his hands tremble as he gripped the plaque tightly. 'Be serious... How much time do we have?'

Syssie paused for a few moments as she thought about what she should say. "If you want me to be honest... You should have had around nineteen days left. That was if we stretched my possible operating time to the maximum."

Jason gulped as fear gripped his mind. 'Nineteen days... Should have?'

"Right now... I'm no longer capable of lasting that much longer because of unforeseen issues with my components. We have roughly nine days, give or take a day or two until we expire..."