[center][img] https://i.imgur.com/h6OCm6X.png [/img] Level 8 - EXP 9/80 The Frozen Highlands[/center] [hr] [hr][center][h2]Half Robots? Weird.[/h2][h3]Midnight Walk - Gründachdorf[/h3] Featuring: Ramattra and Edward [b]Word Count: 2380[/b] // +3 EXP[/center] Edward had seen many many types of people with all sorts of magical modifications, from steel skin, being turned into nagas, being wreathed in flames (or all of these at once), and so had learned long ago how to look without staring at the oddities he was presented with. Enough to disguise it from the individual passers by he was people watching at any rate, but to anyone traveling with him, and paying attention, Edward’s distinct interest was hard to miss. Given his nature as an engineer/golem-mancer, this being something of distinct interest would perhaps be unsurprising. Ramattra noticed the curious expression form on Edward’s face, revealing his interest in the augmentations attached to the denizens of this area. From the world where Ramattra came, cybernetics were a common technology, though notably not as advanced as the cybernetics seen around the village. With his knowledge of “magic” being from media in his world, the concept was not unfamiliar to Ramattra, like cybernetics might’ve been to Edward. [color=bc8dbf]”Many people in my world use those augmentations to ‘upgrade’ themselves. It’s not too dissimilar to fusing with a spirit.”[/color] He leaned so that only the Seeker could hear, trying not to discuss these matters openly in front of the villagers still under Galeem’s influence. [color=bc8dbf]“It is also… like magic. [i]In a way[/i], it is the closest thing to it in my world. It seems there are places similar to mine.[/color] Edward turned his focus away from the passers by, and to the convenient expert on hand [color=ea590c]”They aren't entirely uncommon. Indeed, I’d say places of high magic might be rarer than ones of high technology. Still, I was surprised to find one here. Then again, maybe the zoo with its puppets was something of a ‘transition’ between the less technological area we started in and this one? I have not yet seen enough of the world Galeem made to get a feel for how much it cared about such things when creating it”[/color] [color=ea590c]”I can certainly see the appeal. Power is power after all, and we need all we can get. Still, it seems like it would require a lot of maintenance. I wonder how many mechanics this place must have, if the rest of the population is as ‘augmented’ as those we’ve seen”[/color] [color=bc8dbf]”They appear to be quite a dominant commodity in this village. I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if there were more human amalgamations of steel like that lady Heismay mentioned…”[/color] Ramattra was lucky to have been a sentient AI. Whatever was wrong with the singer seemed to be rooted deeper than just cybernetic overload. [color=ea590c]”Possibly. We can’t exactly see what lies beneath the skin after all, and it would be rude to pry”[/color] Edward agreed, before thinking for a moment. He then said [color=ea590c]”You know, we might have something for her, if she’s as mechanical as you think?”[/color] [color=ea590c]”Now, I can’t really check while driving, but, here, take this”[/color] Edward said, while offering a magical connection with a small gesture that lingered until mentally accepted or dismisted. Not waiting for that decision, he then briefly took a hand of the reins, and said [color=ea590c]”then do this”[/color] before performing a series of gestures that called up what looked a lot like a holographic display in front of him, just one with a superfluous looking ring of incomprehensible symbols slowly rotating around it. [color=ea590c]”Remote access to the Avenger’s armory”[/color] he explained, before saging [color=ea590c]”I believe there was something in there that was useful for repairing AI, which I understand is what machine based intelligences are known as. If she is steel of mind as well as steel of body, maybe they would be interested in acquiring it from you?”[/color] [color=ea590c]”Feel free to pursue in general as well. Who knows, there might be something of interest to you in there”[/color] After being trusted with access to the Armory by Edward, Ramattra immediately wanted to begin searching for any equipment to face the potential dangers ahead. Regardless of whether he found something of use, this could be a great opportunity for the Omnic to learn what kind of weaponry existed in this world. Before deciding on his picks from the armory, Ramattra would retrieve the Mind Map Copy from the armory. [color=bc8dbf]”If it’s for AI, we'd best hope her plethora of cybernetics contains some sort of backup once she’s repaired… Hm…”[/color] Ramattra would summon the drive-like technology from the Armory, displaying it to Edward so that the technologically uninformed commander could see the desired equipment. [color=bc8dbf]”We can offer this to the barkeep in charge of that poor woman whenever you wish.”[/color] Now for the fun… Ram didn’t want to be selfish and take more equipment than necessary, but some of the tools available struck a deep curiosity in the machine as he perused the mixture of high-tech and high-magic items at his disposal. What piqued his interest the most, however, was a piece of cybernetic technology to be attached to the back. He would need to visit an incredibly skilled mechanic to get it installed, but… Maybe the payoff would be worth it if he let somebody take a look. [hider=For Ramattra:][b][url=https://i.imgur.com/POBEhWQ.png]Impact-type Exospine[/url][/b] A cybernetic implant to be worn on one's back. It increases crit rate, and causes successful crits to generate arcs of unstable energy that chain between enemies, dealing additional damage[/hider] Edward had simply nodded in response to Ramattra’s comment, but once he picked out the spine from the armory’s stores, he suggested [color=bc8dbf]”Maybe you could trade that ‘mind map’ for a referral to someone who could install that? I imagine, given her state, they’ve had any experts in town come have a look at her after all”[/color] [color=bc8dbf]”Very well.”[/color] Ramattra acknowledged simply. He was pretty positive that he had time to visit The Last Gulp before they reached the tower that was marked for their destination. He stood from his seat in the Stagecoach, finishing their short briefing with his new piece of equipment and the Mind Map Copy clutched gently in his fist. [color=bc8dbf]”I’m going to make a quick stop at that bar. I’ll meet back with the team immediately after.”[/color] There definitely wasn’t enough time to stop and install his exo-spine amidst their current route, so asking about any engineers would be extremely helpful. [hr] Ramattra was lucky he wasn’t programmed with a sense of smell. Based off the dank aesthetic of the town around him, he could only imagine the passing scents of industry, smoke, and alcohol. Going down the steps to The Last Gulp, the Omnic suprisingly didn’t find himself entirely out of place in the technological dystopia around him despite it’s appearance. Finally, Ramattra would be able to see the mentioned damage Heismay had brought to the attention of the Seekers, and just as astonished by her mere survival as his short companion was at the sight, he stood in the doorway, waiting to be excused inside. The red-hooded barkeep would shout for his attention, the same way he did previously. “Hey, restricted area pal! Seriously, what the hell is up with all the visitor traffic today…” he muttered underneath his breath, trying to shoo the Omnic out of the property. [color=bc8dbf]”I came by the word of Heismay who said your… [i]friend[/i], was suffering major AI malfunction.[/color] The barkeep took interest in what Ramattra had to say now, his interaction with the rogue clueing him in that the Omnic could be here to help. The Omnic began producing the drive that contained the Mind Map Copy, allowing the man to speak. “You know how to fix it?” He asked quickly, more hoping for an immediate solution, rather than the bandage solution Ramattra was soon to present. [color=bc8dbf]”I’m not an expert on cybernetics.”[/color] he immediately disclaimed, offering the drive to the protective man. [color=bc8dbf]”But this drive should contain a protocol that should repair her…”[/color] The barkeep was skeptical, eyeing the drive for a moment and considering his desperation. He really shouldn’t accept a strange drive from a visitor… But something about the honesty Ramattra spoke convinced him to clutch the drive from the Omnic’s hand. [color=bc8dbf]”You can run a diagnostic on it if you don’t trust me. I don’t judge you for your caution.”[/color] With that, the Omnic would begin to turn before stopping himself in the doorway, remembering that he had come here to ask for any cybernetic installation engineers. [color=bc8dbf]”By the by, you wouldn’t happen to know of any Omnic professionals who might be able to install this to my spine?”[/color] He dangled the exo-spine somewhat haphazardly to show, like a crazed mercenary who had just ripped it out to siphon it of it’s energy. The man considered for a moment, the word “Omnic”, assumedly meant whatever kind of robot Ramattra was. “I don’t know about any ‘Omnic’ specialists, but there’s an engineer named Lily in a nearby place that could get you rigged up.” He acknowledged, somewhat remorseful he had been rude to Ram at first. The Omnic gave a curt nod before vanishing up the steps, leaving behind the Mind Map Copy. [hr] By the time Edward had slowly navigated their oversized stagecoach through town (their ride was a one vehicle traffic jam and Edward had to wonder who thought it had ever been a practical creation), the Omnic had caught back up with them again, just in time to see the pair, Adam and Eve, being accepted into the party. [color=ea590c]”I’ll admit, I’m not entirely familiar with some of your terminology”[/color] Edward said the pair of Adam and Eve as the moved to join them. [color=ea590c]”I assume the space elevator is, well, that”[/color] he said with a nod towards the massive structure on the road ahead of them, before asking [color=ea590c]”but what might a ‘Alpha Naytiba’ be?”[/color] The question did not seem to phase Eve, who offered a succinct explanation in response. "Naytibas are monsters that threaten humanity, and Alpha Naytibas are the strongest among them, which assume a sort of command role over their weaker subordinates." "Basically, they're your boss monsters," Adam summarized. [color=ea590c]”I… see”[/color] Edward replied. That information certainly was succinct. He supposed it only would matter if they were going to run into these monsters, which led him to ask [color=ea590c]”are these monsters anything we might have to worry about while traveling through ‘Spire 4’? Or are they mostly concentrated in this ‘space elevator’?"[/color] Adam gave him a sympathetic expression. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're gonna be crawling all over the place." [color=ea590c]”I see”[/color] Edward replied, before trying a more direct probe for information [color=ea590c]”Any advice on dealing with them then, or capabilities they have we should worry about?”[/color] "There is a variety of subspecies with different abilities," Eve reported. "Brute strength, bladed limbs, flight, stealth, elemental abilities...the only way through is to be a highly capable and flexible combatant." Adam shrugged. "Or have a really good team." [color=ea590c]”Well then”[/color] Edward said non-commitly while he thought for a moment rather than outing his annoyance at the brevity of the answers. Knowing that there was a whole host of them was information on its own, he reminded himself, and brevity had its merits too. So he mentally shrugged away his frustration and said that optimistically [color=ea590c]”I like to think we have some of those here in our little traveling company”[/color] and then apologetically [color=ea590c]”Ah, and I’m Edward Portsmith. My apologies for not leading with that, my curiosity got the better of me”[/color] The Omnic who stood idly listening to the conversation nearby chimed with a polite bow. [color=bc8dbf]”Ramattra of Null Sector, at your service.”[/color] While his title was meaningless without an army, the Omnic did not want to waste his honorifics. "Not at all," Eve replied, her manner friendly enough. "Since we'll be traveling together, I'm certain we've got nothing to worry about in terms of team quality." [color=ea590c]”Wonderful to hear”[/color] Edward replied, before holding out a hand with two glowing motes of red and gold while saying [color=ea590c]”But here, let me offer a little extra enchanted edge”[/color] as he presented them with his boons. While she didn't know what Edward was doing, Eve stepped forward to accept what sounded like help. She reached up toward her ponytail and removed her high-tech hairpin, which transformed into a sophisticated sword that she held out for her new acquaintance to enchant. The man in turn touched a finger to the blade, causing the two glows to flow from his palm and surround the blade, granting it Edward’s combo of igniting and armor sundering enchantments. Ram stood puzzled at the ritual before him, seeing the energy fuse with Eve’s technology and intricate weaponry. It was like the nanites coursing through his circuitry, powering his staff. Magic really wasn’t too difficult for the omnic to understand, but still seeing it in person, free from Galeem’s grasp, was quite a spectacle. "My thanks," Eve told him with a small smile. She paused to see if the Seekers' spokesperson had any other matters that involved her. [color=ea590c]”Not a problem”[/color] He replied, with a smile of his own, before giving a little sardonic head bob to the side as he pointed out that [color=ea590c]”Besides, anything that helps you fight better helps keep our transport safer”[/color] Speaking of, it was about time they got moving, and so he got the Reindrix doing so. He did so at a pace slow enough that people would be able to still hop on easily enough, and then ramped things up once everyone who was going to do so had come aboard.