In a cataclysm known as the Nightfall, the worlds were almost completely destroyed by a harrowing surge of darkness.
In the shadows of the ensuing chaos a new group has taken shape. Led by an Aegyl named Kalos, the 11th Hour touts an esoteric knowledge of how to combat the darkness and restore the worlds. They might be the worlds’ best chance at survival; but nobody really knows enough about them to confirm or deny their claims.
On the brink of collapse, the universe holds its breath in anticipation. Of restoration? Of destruction? It is up to individuals like yourself to decide.
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It had been a while since Edgar was last here, in Traverse Town. He had pulled his usual disappearing act, chasing a lead halfway around the worlds, looking for Sabin. Nothing, of course, but it was something to do. Besides, Strago and Locke could take care of themselves.
... well, Strago could take care of Locke, anyways. And it wasn't like he hadn't given notice. They understood; this was Sabin.
But once again, he'd returned empty handed. Unfortunately, that was pretty typical. It would at least be nice to see the others again; hopefully they were still here.
These were the blond king's thoughts as he walked through the First District, towards the last known location of his friends, the treasure hunter and the mage. Of course, a place like Traverse never stayed still for very long. One new store front in particular caught his eye: a garage of sorts. Curiosity piqued, Edgar took a look inside.
If not a garage already, it was the beginnings of one, with collected scrap metal and other odds and ends. The start of a collection of tools were hung on hooks in the back, above a workbench and lamp; all around were bits and pieces of other things. Vehicles, weapons, anything she could scavenge from all around the town, and a few other places. The entirety of her fleet was powered down in the back, with the two Summons she linked to, both Scuttlers, scurrying here and there fetching items and desperately trying to clean up the area while their mistress was half buried under... something.
Renze had her work cut out for her. It was massive and ungainly with a tendency to stutter on the left, and with a wrecked cylinder that wasn't about to move and would need to be replaced should it prove repairable, but it was a viable engine, and the most intact thing she'd come across thus far. So far, she had it halfway in pieces, and was trying to salvage as much as she could from it. Suffice to say, she didn't even notice someone approach. One of the Scuttlers did, however, and chirped an alarm that was picked up immediately by the second.
"Ugh, the worst time," she muttered, not bothering to look up, or pause what she was doing. The only indication that she had any intent of further acknowledging whatever it was was raising her voice to call out. "What?"
It wasn't a threat; the Scuttlers would have alarmed her to it, and she'd have unlinked to one and called back something else into action. Proximity to the rest did have its benefits.
"New here, I take it?" The place was pretty obviously a work in progress, not that it seemed to bother whoever she was all that much. For all he knew, this was as organized as this place would get; he'd certainly seen worse. The person buried under the pile of parts was definitely female, though. He felt fairly certain of that just by the voice. The two small droids skittering about gained his interest for a moment. He hadn't seen anything exactly like them before, leaving him certain that this wasn't anyone from his world. They moved a bit too organically for them to be anything he was familiar with. Still, trying to get a better look was likely a poor choice, especially if any of the other ones in the back were active.
"Interesting help you have." The smaller robots continued on their business almost as though he wasn't even there. So did she, for that matter. Some people just lacked manners.
Manners was what other people had to show her. It wasn't that she didn't know about them. She'd been raised 'properly'. It was just that she didn't care.
"Yes, new. Still missing everything." To emphasize that, a bolt was tossed across the room. A Scuttler caught it, and turned it about in its grasper quizzically before moving forward to set it down gently beside Renze, who waved a hand towards the piles of bolts. Without missing a beat, it sorted it, and moved aside. "Like 'em? They're mine. You a neighbor?"
"I'm impressed." These were certainly some fine craftsmanship, and intelligent to boot. He was dying to take one of them apart, but she didn't seem like the type that would be pleased with that.
"You could say that. I recently got back from a long trip, but this is home, for now." Until there was some way to put together his world again, though that seemed unlikely.
"These are technology from your world, I assume? How did you manage getting the movement to work so smoothly?" As far as he could tell, these were only limited by the hardware itself - which was decently complex to begin with.
One final wrench, and Renze sat back up, resting her elbows on top of the engine she'd been tinkering with. Compliments got one far with her; in this case, enough to get her attention partly away from her new project to talk. "Easy. I built them, then Summoned 'em. Those're Scuttlers."
It was then that both, as if on cue, paused to flop their grasping arms at him, as though mimicking someone waving. They then went back to what they were doing.
"Interesting. The second-most impressive machines I've ever seen." Judging by how she acted, she probably wouldn't be too fond of that comment, but he didn't mind. In fact, he hoped she would say something about it.
That was accurate. Renze drew herself up with a frown, looking at him critically. "Second-most?" Second best? Her? Never. She raised her chin higher as she continued. "Fine, go on." She unlinked to one, shifting to call back one of the Scouts to life. "Try anything, and you've got another thing comin'."
Second-most indeed. The Scuttlers were her least impressive ones, but even they had personality. She dared him mentally to come up with anything better than even those. He'd clearly not seen anything like it. That had to be a bluff. Second best indeed...
With a huff, she slid back under the engine to continue. The Scout and Scuttler would let her know if he so much as dared to try to turn one single screw. And the Scout would unleash energy at him, if he did.
It was good to know that she had a nice big button to push. Fortunately for him, it was no bluff: as far as he could tell, Radiant Garden's technology had her beat by a long shot. Still, this was his chance to get a closer look at one. Reaching into his cape, he pulled a eyeglass out of a hidden pocket and began closely examining the now inactive robot. It was tight, compact in design. There weren't unnecessary frills or anything, just what was needed, at least as far as he could tell. Still, it seemed impossibly small.
"What does it run on?" He never shifted his attention from the robot as he spoke; he figured she probably wouldn't mind.
Yet again, she'd returned to replying from beneath the engine, half distracted by something that was actually important. "Energy summon." It sounded like an answer that answered nothing, but that was the technical term for it back where she came from. "Lightnin' magic, or whatever the kids call it here. Unlink and it goes inactive." Part of her couldn't resist adding in one last brag. "Better than th' base Summons everyone else had. They only worked once and vanish. Gotta call'em again and start all over if you dismiss 'em." Save for the one necromancer, but he violated taboos and therefore deserved no mention. Summoning using dead bodies was entirely different than using mechanical ones, even though she'd been accused of similar 'witchcraft'.
As if she'd stoop so low.
Aha; she'd gotten the cylinder out, and drew back to inspect it briefly. Useless; the casing was scrap and the piston inside it was no better off. It got tossed over to the side, skittering with a metallic ring along the ground until the remaining linked Scuttler retrieved it and brought it to the scrap metal pile to be melted down. She removed the second one as well, to get the exact dimensions of it. If she was going to cast another....
Getting a forge. That was the next step.
The second one was ferried back to her workbench for further examination. Looked like that was all she was going to be able to do with it for now. Pity. And it'd been so promising...
May 19, 2010 2:04:40 GMT -4
Last Edit: May 19, 2010 2:05:21 GMT -4 by sephiroth
"Sounds like Magitek, to me." That would explain a lot. They did remind him of some of the automated Magitek from his world. Did that mean she was draining espers in the back, or the equivalent thereof? Something seemed just a little bit off here.
Similarly, these robots shouldn't move at all in the way that they did. There simply weren't the motors and gears necessary for that kind of movement. There was magic built into these, that much was obvious. "What does summoning them entail?"
Abuse of magic could lead to some serious problems, here. He hoped that he was wrong about this, that he wouldn't need to take action.
"Huh?" What, he knew some equivalent? "Whassat?" Magitek? He had... a term for it? No way, it simply wasn't possible.
It earned Edgar a snort in response as she stood up, placed one hand on her hip, and wiped the other across her brow, replacing sweat with a smear of grease. "Y'mean you don't know. Well, fine. I won't hold your ignorance against ya." After all, it wasn't the usual means of Summoning, and she didn't tend to pass up an opportunity to explain. It wasn't as though anyone else could copy her, and she intended to make that clear.
However, she also was aware of one other fact; he may not be from her world - as far as she knew, no one else was. "You do know what Summoning is, right?"
"I know what I call summoning, but I've learned that it tends to vary." Terminology always varied from world to world, and exact meaning was something specific to a certain way of thinking. That much he knew from his experience away from home.
"Basically, bringing forth a life force that wasn't there before." That was the easiest way to describe it that Edgar knew. "Usually it's not permanent, but that doesn't seem to be the case here."
"I'm impressed," Renze almost sneered, though she did reign in her attitude a little after. "Well, yeah. But I'm the one who thought ahead about it. They're only temporary if you don't build 'em a body to live in first."
She reached out to give the box-shaped head of one of the inactive Barghest an affectionate pat. "Normal Summoning's just a waste."
"If you say so." In his experience, that hadn't been the case, but it didn't seem like he'd be likely to persuade her otherwise. Edgar set the Scuttler he was examining down gently.
"Heh. Reminds me of Radiant Garden. Have you been?" If she hadn't been yet, she would certainly get a kick out of Tron.
