[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/h6OCm6X.png[/img]
[color=a187be]Level 9 - EXP 17/90[/color]
The Midnight Walk - Abandoned Lodge
[b]Word Count:[/b]5041 +8EXP [/center]
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[center][h3]Putting Aside Differences[/h3]
Featuring Edward
[b]Word Count: 5041[/b][/center]

Coming to terms with his new powers, Ramattra had made himself quite a considerable monster to achieve new strength. This had been a consequence he accepted since Edward had first explained fusion to him, though, as he stared at his missing left appendage, only then did he realize the repercussions of which Edward had warned him. While he did not regret his choice to accept the Democrawler or the Alchemist Boxer’s fusion, there was an obvious toll it had begun to take on him; his body was weak from the nearly dozen doses of the Alchemist Cocktail he had administered to his body throughout the course of the day, and his entire left arm was missing from his body, and his right arm weilded both the heavy Enchanted Buckler and his Nanite Staff. Not to mention, he now had three spider-like appendages for legs.

During the course of the night, Ramattra had worked with Sandaphlon to establish a comm link between the two, so that if he and the Archangel were out of range of one another, they would still have a line of communication.

And although he was tired, Ramattra did not want to waste the little amount of energy he had left before retiring for the evening. Throughout the night, Ramattra found himself alone in the woods around the housing, destroying trees with the Democrawler’s Scimitar into clumsily chopped logs. The Omnic grew frustrated with his lack of progress in precision with the new tool he acquired by fusing with the Democrawler. If Ramattra had learned to properly use the blade most effectively, he could serve another role to the group. He was self-aware enough to recognize the change the fusion made to his aggression levels, deciding to return to the lodge with his poorly dismembered logs from a further part of the woods. 

The Omnic had chosen to take refuge in one of the smaller rooms available in the abandoned lodge, having taken quite the beating throughout their route out of Spire 04. While he wasn’t keen on having company in moments of solitude, the Omnic had recalled Edward mentioning speaking with him to Sandaphlon. After meditating on his thoughts of the events that transpired during the day, Ramattra stood up and abandoned the room he used, taking note of the odd dog that was following Heismay around. “Odd, that it seems to grow aggressive when you stop giving it attention.” He spoke behind Edward, resting his metallic hand on the commander’s shoulder, knowing he would be more than alert not to be startled by Ramattra’s sudden approach. His appearance with the Democrawler was immediately apparent; more than half his entire body was now modified by the fusion spirit.

The man, whose vision was presently split among just under 40 drones scattered around the forests (and whose stomach was carefully digesting giant spider leg after the previous meal went down… poorly) was a little less alert than the Omnic had assumed, but a wide eyed blink and a littoral ruffling of feathers was the only indication he gave of this. The traffickrab sat on the sofa beside him meanwhile very much ducked under its cone in surprise. It was still getting used to all the people its enlightener traveled with, especially with how they kept changing shape.

[color=ea590c]”Ah, Ramattra, good evening. Have you finished practicing with your new... adjustments?”[/color] the man with too many eyes asked as he stood and turned to face the machine man who, he speculated, was going to have issues using typical furniture designs due to his new lower limb arrangement. 

He hesitantly pet the top of the traffickrab’s cone once he was up, not entirely sure if that would be reassuring or not, and then a moment later gave the (clearly a jealous) dog some as well. 

The Omnic sighed, standing on his tripod legs as he clattered gently into the most comfortable sitting position on the floor. “Without much progress, but yes. I do not intend to be as unwieldy with my new strength as that monster was.” One of the benefits of his robotic form was his ability to modify his body later down the line. “Though I do not expect my lack of an arm to cause me trouble for the long term, I really would like to discuss with somebody whether a replacement is possible or not.” There was a lot to consider; if he accepted a new arm, it would not be compatible with his Nemesis form- If he fused with another enemy to gain a second arm, there would be different repercussions to face- and obviously, if he left his arm as is, he would need to learn how to fight with one arm.

Resting his staff on the ground, the Omnic, normally steeled and collected, seemed worn. It was true that his battle prowess was not one to be underestimated, but after a long day of trekking through an infested facility, there was little energy left in his reserves. The Omnic was also more of a strategist than a fighter; his leadership of Null Sector placed him in various “diplomatic” roles rather than directly fighting. “It seems I may have taken off a little more than I can chew!” The Omnic wasn’t known to be humorous towards those he didn’t hold in decent regard, so on that front, there was some level of mutual respect between the tacticians.

Edward looked briefly confused, then gave a short laugh as he got the play on words. 

He then replied with [color=ea590c]”Perhaps, though if it is a stable problem it could very well be addressable like you suggest. I believe we may even have parts in the armory for such a replacement? Or simply removing one from one of the winged puppets that have been stored away”[/color] while opening up an armory screen and locating the [url=https://i.imgur.com/Y1vWeid.png]Legion Plug[/url] which he had been referencing, along with the two copies of the arch queen’s puppet they had acquired.

The Omnic raised his hand to the commander, refusing his suggestion from the screen. “While the arms of those puppets may work if integrated with my cybernetics, their size would impede my combat ability. Though, that odd mechanism may prove useful if we find somebody who can make sense of the amalgamation that is my body now.” He gestured to his disfigured form. While the Omnic was still mostly machine, most of his body was now comprised of side effects of fusion. This was not where he was planning to end his alterations either, and Edward knew that. “Perhaps, however, Sandaphlon could help me pilot one of those puppet shells. I used to command an army of Omnics. Maybe I could command machines from this world as well.”

[color=ea590c]”It may be possible, though I believe there is something of a magical element to the puppets that might get in the way of that. I got a good look at the actual mechanisms involved, but the interstices of the power source eluded me. Sandaphlon, I believe, had the research notes on the topic, and thus would indeed be the right person to go to when it comes to finding out if this is possible”[/color] Edward replied/agreed, before also suggesting [color=ea590c]”As for the amalgamation, perhaps Ganondorf could be of help? I am not quite sure of the extent of the abilities he gained from absorbing the guardian of the dead zone, but its underlings also had a tendency to be both flesh and steel much like the Naytiba. He may have gained some insight as a result”[/color] 

The Omnic nodded, taking mental note to later discuss these matters with Sandaphlon and Ganondorf. If he would be able to control even one of the puppets from Krat Zoo, the Omnic would very well be able to rebuild the foundation of Null Sector in Galeem’s world. But these were just thoughts for later. Ramattra returned his attention to the commander.

“Well, I suppose it would be best to gain a better foothold of what my ability to command in this world is. There’s no chance we’ll defeat any guardian without a small army behind us.” The amount of minions that White Team was now able to produce had increased since Ramattra and Tenna had joined their ranks, and with the inevitable battle against this region’s guardian getting closer with each passing day, the additional numbers would surely prove to be beneficial.

“Ah. But I’m getting ahead of myself. There was something I was meaning to speak to you about.” The Omnic’s stone gaze was fixated on Edward, who had been listening to his fellow tactician’s monologuing. Ramattra never hated humans, but often found it easier to befriend humans who proved themselves valuable assets to a greater cause. “You spoke of enchantments to me once when we spoke prior. Tell me, how does a human cast an enchantment in your world?”

[color=ea590c]”Same as anyone else, which is to say myriad of ways”[/color] Edward replied with a little bit of a grin at the trick answer, before answering more seriously [color=ea590c]”Which is to say that there are numerous magical traditions that have been invented independently over the years. Still, there is a common baseline, or so it seems, likely drawn from the traditions of the beings who forged the worlds in the first place. Giants, dragons, acheons, and so on”[/color] 

[color=ea590c]”As such, all magic is drawn from six comic forces which come in three sets of opposing pairs. Chaos and order. Nature and Shadow. Materium and Asteral. At a baseline, magic taps into one or more of these forces, draws out lesser aspects (such as say, fire from chaos) and then hammers them into a specific mold”[/color] he explained, [color=ea590c]”Mana is then poured into that mold, taking on the desired shape while also granting fuel to sustain the shape, which would collapse without it”[/color] 

As he explained, Edward demonstrated, retrieving the tome of pyromancy and drawing the runes on the page into the air as a demonstration. [color=ea590c]”It should be noted that the ‘shapes’ are something of a metaphor. Hence the chanting you may have heard me do while casting these spells. The shape is more of an idea that we form with words, written or spoken, as well as intent. This can be formalised to a significant extent, but a certain amount of flair and force of will is still required”[/color]

The Omnic raised a hand. He thinks he understands, there was plenty of fiction in his world that described worlds similar. “Come with me outside and demonstrate. You can make allies stronger yes?” Ramattra stood from the ground, beckoning the commander to follow him as the two stepped outside. “And bring your… erm. Friends?” He didn’t quite know what to call Edward’s subjects of command. The world was still very new to him, and from his perspective they were simply monsters and minions from other worlds.

As it turned out, many of the creatures under Edward’s command were currently outside already, the spacious lodge not quite spacious enough to host more than a dozen hulking hybrids. Fortunately the Sheildrixdes and Snoruyo, with their predominantly ice type creature sourced parts, where perfectly at home out there, and were busy grazing away on the foliage. 

The Traffikrab was quite comfortable where it was, thank you, and did not dain to join them.

As Edward followed Ramattra’s lead outside, he jutted his staff outward, before turning it sideways, offering the weapon to his ally. with the way the Omnic puppy guarded his belongings that they held great value to him, so this gesture was not to be taken lightly. “In my world, technology is where we flourish. Nanites, which I’ve explained before, are the technology that acts as a conduit in which I create barriers, transform my body at instant speed.” He hoped Edward was able to follow his explanation. There wasn’t a hint of demeaning tone in Ramattra’s voice. He was explaining this to Edward as an equal.

“Omnics are not the only people in my world who can utilize their ability. Humans use them for medical purposes, for cybernetics, for research and development.” By now, Ramattra’s motives for talking to Edward were clear. He wanted to teach the commander how to control nanites.

[color=ea590c]”I had indeed been wondering about those”[/color] Edward said, having graciously accepted the staff and now trying to be as courteous as possible while also indulging his curiosity, carefully turning the weapon over while inspecting it with a clinical eye.

[color=ea590c]”they appear to be similar to magic in appearance, in a way, yet as I understand it you are using an entirely technological basis for the ability?”[/color]

Suddenly, after a couple seconds of inspecting the staff, the purple aura radiating where the large orb was suspended in mid air disappeared, the ball and small fragments of its cracks tinkling sadly to the snow. For a moment, it almost seemed like Edward had broken the staff, as the silence between the Omnic and human extended.

Ramattra would burst into boisterous laughter, hoping that the expected result did not frighten the commander. “Unfortunately, one of the things about being human is that your body is not a machine, and cannot naturally harness Nanites. That staff was given to me by the monk Mondata, the late master of my monastery.” There seemed to be a hinge of sorrow in his voice explaining this, the staff’s intricate technology mixed with motifs of monk martial arts in its design. This was intended to be a multi-use weapon, for masters of its niche uses. 

“Now, you’ve seen the way I wield my staff, correct? You’re a commander, so I’m sure you’re familiar with some martial arts stances. Just try your best. Aim for any target in these woods, like erm. A tree.”

[color=ea590c]”Let’s see”[/color] Edward said as he moved the staff to a one handed grip, then shifted the grip as he moved it out of the sort of halfway up the shaft grip used for magic staves, and to an imitation of Ramattra’s own grip up near the head of it. A moment after that he shifted the grip again, holding the weapon like a spear tilted upwards to meet the charge of a mounted foe. Holding it like this and then aiming the opening of the C shaped head rather than the nonexistent tip of the weapon took a moment for him to adjust too, but soon enough he had the foliage in his sights.

[color=ea590c]”There. Now. The activation method?”[/color]

Ramattra’s eyes turned off for a moment, as if in deep focus. He raised a open hand, his palm facing towards Edward as the purple energy surged around his hand. The Orb of Destruction began levitating and rotating in its regular position once again, suspended in the middle of the staff. 

The staff began vibrating violently, as if being powered by bunch of moving parts within the confines of the weapon. From the tip Edward had worked diligently to focus sights on erupted a stream of purple energy, tiny particles and fragments launching at bullet-like speed. The wood of the tree began to splinter as Ramattra charged his staff manually from a distance.

That was certainly a task, the weapon being rather unorthodox in its construction after all. No actual sights to be seen. Once he stopped trying to aim the staff, and instead focused on aiming the stream, that was when he got control of the weapon, and began boring into the wood of the unfortunate target tree. Once he had a sense of that, he tried to get a sense of what Ramattra was doing to charge the staff. It was, he assumed, simply a form of energy, and turning mana into energy was, ultimately, one of the simplest magical tricks there was.

The Omnic ended the projection of nanites from his hand into his staff, the orb taking its stationary position in the snow once again. Ramattra walked up to Edward, his palm extended open, requesting his staff back. “While you are not a machine, you can use tools, cybernetics, or tinkering as a conduit for nanites, and delegate them with a variety of purposes. It wouldn’t take us long to create something like that, if you have anything that can ‘cast’ or shoot.” He recalled his conversation with Edward about enchantments. Maybe there was some way to blend high tech with magic.

Edward carefully handed the staff back with a nod of thanks, and then withdrew his magelock pistol from its holster, moving to hold it by the barrel as he explained [color=ea590c]”This, in a sense, does both. One set of spells generates the round of this pistol, and then another set is used in place of gunpowder to propel it forwards. Hence why you will have never seen me reload this weapon, nor the rifle at my hip”[/color] he patted the Smiting Bishop presently store in a heavily modified quiver at his side. 

The Omnic nodded in fascination, examining the weapon Edward held out for him to inspect. While the weaponry was archaic in comparison to the firearms used in his world, the ability to cast with the weapon meant, perhaps, that it could be modified to cast a spell that used nanites as a power source. It would be impossible to reprogram his own nanites to serve a specific purpose without the guidance of an expert in Omnic robotics, but Ramattra’s ability to withstand damage was already strong enough. 

“I believe I can imbue your weapon with nanites, though there is a high likelihood it may corrupt it with some unknown power since we are fusing magic and technology from two different worlds.” His gaze returned back up at Edward, looking for his permission to tamper with his firearms. “Not that the results would be bad, just… probably something you wouldn’t be used to.”

The man raised an eyebrow at this. To him, the idea that mundane technology could produce unexpected results was strange indeed. These nanites were sounding more and more like magic as he learned more about them. But then, maybe that was a good thing, and the principles for controlling magic could be applied to these nanites to control them too.

There was, ultimately, only one way to find out, and that was to gather more empyricial data. As such, after that moment of thought, Edward offered the Omnic the magelock pistol, saying [color=ea590c]”It’s lacking in additional enchantments, so it will be relatively straight forward to produce a replacement”[/color] as he did so, despite the fact that he’d probably not be able to do so till he had access to the avenger again.

Rammatra received the weapon carefully, his large hand almost engulfing the weapon in his grip. The Omnic looked back at Edward, as if checking one last time if this decision was okay. Fortunately for Edward, nanites being entirely technological meant their abilities always had a scientific basis, and could be separated and combined with magical abilities without any interference; at least that was the theory Ramattra had been working on, seeing other Seekers blend abilities from other worlds.

Clutching the Magelock tightly in his hand, a strong purple energy crackled from Ramattra’s hand, more intense than any ability he had used in combat, his blank robotic face directing every single ounce of focus to transform Edward’s weapon. A couple of seconds passed before Ramattra released his tight grip on the pistol, not yet unveiling the creation. Slowly, the Omnic held out his hand to return the weapon, no immediate changes present.

Suddenly, as Edward retrieved his weapon, as if from thin air, a thick black wire began rapidly materializing around a purple energy, where a magazine would go if the weapon took ammunition. Completing its transformation, not much seemed to change about the weapon, other than the wire, and the gentle vibrations purring inside the weapon, almost as if it were alive. Nanites were capable of self-replication when necessary, so “reloading” them would never be an issue. “And now, there are billions of microscopic machines within your firearm.” His voice hinted at the untested waters ahead of them. Ramattra had no idea what would happen if Edward tried to cast a spell with his modified weapon equipped.

The Dreadnaught carefully turned the weapon this way and that, before raising it and aiming it at the tree, only to pause halfway through pulling the trigger.

[color=ea590c]”On second thoughts…”[/color] 

About three minutes later, both mage and machine were hunkered down a safe distance from a squad of copper golems. At Edward’s direct command, one of these released one hand from its spear grip, crouched down, and retrieved the nanite-infused magelock pistol. It then raised it, aimed (poorly) at the test tree, and squeezed the trigger. Now, with a basic understanding of nanites, Edward would be able to spectate the results of his weapon safely to gain a better understanding of its new changes.

A single firing of the weapon showed that it, for the most part, behaved normally, propelling a single projectile, which now radiated with ominous energy. One notable change now was that the weapon also fired a small spread of nanites, which could make for useful crowd control, but held its usual precision as a pistol. The golem also missed the tree completely in the process. “How interesting! Not too different, at least.”

[color=ea590c]”Fascinating. But why the magazine like structure?”[/color] Edward asked, as he raised it up to the Golem’s monocular eye to inspect now that the weapon had been discharged.

“Well, I assume it’s some integrated feeding mechanism for the nanites, since your weapon lacks any proper way to store and utilize them. It may sound complex from a world-view like yours, but I distributed nanites from my body to reconfigure your weapon, similar to how they allow me to reconfigure into Nemesis mode. Nanites are almost like single-celled organisms, in a way. They have one purpose: they carry it out, then reproduce through energy. There is no lifecycle, however, because they are machines without will.” Ramattra seemed frustrated at the end, as if remembering his world where Omnics were still treated without will as well. 

The lengthy explanation was necessary to further Edward’s understanding of Nanites. “Now. This is the experiment I wanted to get to. Spells in your world, to what extent are their utility?” He inquired, wondering if there could be any way to integrate Nanites into spells and enchantments as well.

[color=ea590c]”You’ll need to explain what a ‘single-celled’ organism is some time, but I think I get the rest of the picture”[/color] Edward replied, all the magic in his world having not yet, it seemed, produced an equivalent to the microscope. Despite this he then went on to claim that the extent of magic’s utility was [color=ea590c]”theoretically limitless”[/color]

[color=ea590c]”That said, it is mostly restricted by mana requirements, as these mana fuel cells I use can only do so much. With access to enough crystalised mana, a well constructed wizard’s tower and the right recorded wisdom a mage could, say, transform this snowy forest into a desert, freeze time in a small area or resurrect all the fallen on a battlefield”[/color]

Ramattra stood silent in wonder. Feats like that were only possible in worlds of fiction. In his world, they had only scratched the surface of time manipulation before deeming it too dangerous. Even having fought alongside magic-users, it all still felt like fantasy. “Ha! Maybe I could learn magic while I’m trapped here.” He half-joked, knowing it would be impossible to learn magic without fusion, or some other influence in this world giving him the ability to. 

Edward was of the opinion that this would be entirely possible, if not for the likely rather short timeframe of the ongoing campaign. Within the month they’d have won or lost it, he suspected, and that was hardly enough time to learn more than the very basics.

“Now, nanites are also capable of healing, creating barriers, and acting as ammunition, like you saw with your pistol. All of the things you’ve seen me do on the battlefield are because of them. If you could, say, cast a spell, or what-have-it that works, that makes us stronger? Like a rally?”

[color=ea590c]”Entierly possible, yes, though I do not have such a spell in my repertoire at the moment”[/color] Edward replied, before thinking for a few moments and saying [color=ea590c]”I believe the Tome of Rock had one that would briefly give a squad stone skin, for example”[/color]

Ramattra turned to Edward, hoping the commander was following his chain of thinking. “Would your pistol, now that it is powered by my world’s technology, be able to use nanites as a source for spells like that?” The anticipation was killing the normally stoic Omnic. Despite his collected demeanor, wondering how technology would work as a magic source was simply impossible in his world.

[color=ea590c]”I… Hmmm... hmmmm”[/color] Edward replied, before moving to retrieve the weapon and inspect it with his own eyes. He turned it this way and that, before forming a spell circle around the nanite clip which weakly glowed several colors till a yellow one seemed to agitate the nanites. Then he added more, one every inch, before forming another set around the chamber of the gun itself.

Both of these began to spin rapidly as energy was mana and information was pumped into the nanites, which rapidly forged a round into the magazine, which upon being completed was teleported into the gun itself.

After Edward discharged the weapon, the nanites rapidly built a replacement round, far faster than the weapon itself did, which Edward fired again, and again, weapon heating up until it singed the man’s hand. 

He dropped it into the snow, shaking the injured hand, only to hold it up in amazement as nanites swirled around his palm and fingers, the tiny machines mending the light injury in mere moments.

[color=ea590c]”Fascinating. I wonder if…”[/color] he began, before forming a magic circle in his palm and requesting Rammeta fill it with nanites. 

The Omnic would’ve raised a brow at the man before realizing what he was requesting. Resuming the stance he had taken prior, he focused nanites into the palm of Edward’s hand, allowing the Commander a surplus of nanites that he could use with magic. This time, however, Ramattra used his staff, giving a more precise stream of nanites into the magic circle.

The circle filled with the purple technological haze, which was in turn filled with mana and data. The swarm multiplied, strained against the binding circle, and then finally burst outwards, washing over the golems, Edward, and Ramattra with an impossible spell that granted them enhanced abilities. The Omnic could feel the unstable energy strengthen him, mending some of the wounds he earned from the journey behind them. “I believe we may have discovered something.” The Omnic looked at his hands as he focused nanites into the radius of the spell, expending nanites to strengthen its effects, immediately allowing Edward to fire more projectiles without reloading.

[hider=Tag Team: FLESH, STEEL, AND GUN-POWER]
Ramattra and Edward Rapport C Rank Level Up Tag Team - 
FLESH, STEEL, AND GUN-POWER -
All allies in combat are impowered by a commanding shout which imbues them with a nanite technology-fused enchantment. Nanites empower allies projectile-based weapons for 10 seconds, giving them unlimited artificial ammunition. In addition, robotic and humanoid allies feel inspired by the strength of the shout, giving them a passive 2.5% health regen over the course of the enchantment separate from other allies every second. Ramattra expends nanites for this tag team ability, forcing it into a 3 minute cooldown.
[/hider] 
[hider=For Edward]
Ramattra and Edward Rapport B Rank Level Up Skill Share - 
Nanite Mastery - Edward, thanks to the modifications made to his Magelock Pistol, now has an amateur understanding and control over nanites, a powerful Technology from Ramattra’s world. Being a human, Edward must use tools or cybernetics to utilize their power effectively.
[/hider]

[color=ea590c]”It could likely do with some refinement, but it truly is remarkable”[/color] Edward said, while taking in their surroundings. The forest had taken quite the beating between the gunshots and Ramattra’s early sword work. The latter could do with some refinement as well, truth be told, and the process of refining it would be far less disruptive to those trying to rest inside than continued firearm discharges.

As such he holstered his pistol, and then half drew his Rainfall katana while offering [color=ea590c]”Would you be inclined to practice your swordsmanship again? I might be able to give you some pointers. It's the least I could do after all you’ve taught me”[/color]

The Omnic chuckled heartily at Edward’s offer. “Some light sparring ought to get me the basics in, at the very least.”  Ramattra reached into the cavity in his chest, revealing the long scimitar from within his own body. He challenged his blade at the commander, ready to follow his lead and learn how to best utilize the Democrawler’s blade. “It’s a little unwieldy, on top of unsightly; however, I do not plan to waste my fusion.”

After that, Edward and Ramattra had a couple of rounds of friendly spars, with Edward giving tips and tricks on wielding a blade shaped like a scimitar. Through these casual fights, Ramattra was able to gain a better hold on using his weapon and planned to use it in the coming battles to improve.

[hider=For Ramattra]
Ramattra and Edward Rapport B Rank Level Up Skill Share - 
Martial Expertise  - Through friendly training, Ramattra has the foundation of what made Edward a skilled combatant, and has since learned to be more adaptable with different kinds of equipment. 
[/hider]