Post by vernes on Dec 6, 2014 17:15:50 GMT -5
Name: Cresco
Age: 1 Year?
Race: Mechanomicon
Sex: Never clearly stated
Class: Dimensional and Offensive Mage with Primary Augmentation, and Secondaries Projectiles and Shadows
Appearance:
Personality: His grasp on complex mental constructs like knowing what you are talking about through narrative context seems it easy to forget he is in fact a construct with a surpricing good grip on being sentient. So now and then a rather blunt remark reminds you on the fact that still a lot of concepts are very, very alien to him. Do not think this makes him naive... ok it makes him naive some of the time.
Background: (What's your character's story before their big adventure? Tell us!)
601 was one of the most closely watched productions coming from the fabrication plant since the dismantling of unit 501.
They were using the restored trust since their last fiasco involving a rampaging mechanomicon, to attempt another enhancement experiment.
This time omitting a larger soul, they instead will artificially enhance the standard one through magical means.
The theory behind it would be that a larger soul introduces unwanted fluctuations in the device's behaviour,
while a minor soul enhanced through magic would only fluctuate to the extend of the magical enhancements would allow.
Of course, not all were as happy about these experiments.
"What could you possible expect to gain from this?", Imran frowned at Sadanra as she was signing off on a crate of thaumatic crystals.
"We barely left behind the after-wakes of the last disaster and already you're steering us straight into the next one!" Imran swung his hands in the air in feigned stress.
"Drop the dramatics Imran" Sadanra quirkt her eyes at him, "You know full well that 14 of those 15 Mechanomicons did exactly what we expected them to do.".
Pointing her finger at Imran, "And if the counsel wouldn't have gone hysteric on us we would still have 14 perfect examples why the larger soul unit would be a viable tactic, all we had to do is..."
"...WAS to never have had the incident happen Sadanra." Imran cut her off. She hated that but he was right, which she hated even more.
"I STILL think it was a horrible waste of research, both preformed and still to be scheduled on those 14 remaining units!", Imran nodded. It did was a typical panic decision.
"I still don't get it why you'd want to tempt fate by going back at it?", Imran remembers the weeks of rage Sadanra went through. Her project, her golems, she put so much of herself into the experiments.
It was a good technique, and a very efficient one at that.
"They made a clear they don't like this simple method." Sadanra responded, "So I will simply have to work around their restrictions, no larger soul, FINE! I will work with that and they will like it!" her finger pointings ended up like stabbing, Imran stared intensely at her pointed finger which she noticed.
"Heh... sorry" she grinned, "I guess this IS getting under my skin.". Imran bapped her on the shoulder "As long as you at least notice that stuff. So, howfar are you?".
Sadanra gestured at the crate that was just brought in, "This should be the last of it, I can start augmenting the first of the 601's and initiate testing his new responses.".
Imran nodded, "I'll help get that crate to your workshop, meanwhile you can fill me in on how you plan to stabilize thaumatic harmonics around something as unpredictable as a SoulStone inside a magic field.", Sadanra's face lit up like a grinning piece of burning magnesium, "I thought you'd never asked.".
"NO! NO REFUSE!", Sadanra's hair had some strands come loose, giving her a wild appearances.
"This, this monster has no place inside our team!", Unit 601 looked puzzled at her accusing finger.
"No you! Him!", her finger now pointing at Grimdon, her newly appointed scientific overseer.
"Sticks and stone may..." Grimdon was smirking "I've seen what you do with sticks and stones and I will have nothing to do with those practices" Grimdon smirk dropped like lead at Sadanra's quick interruption.
"Your... moral issues are noted but unfortunately the..." "MORALS BE DAMNED YOUR GRACE, this has nothing to do with morals. Grimdon's practices around ANY speciment, be they sentient or but a pulsating glob of jelly always ends up with the destruction of said specimen and the LABORATORY WITH IT!"
"AS I WAS SAYING, unfortunately this decision has been made on government level and is mandatory to arrange for the financial power your latest proposal requires, do I made myself clear?"
"Imran would have had something to..." "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR SADANRA MASDRAM?" "yesyourgrace", she hated that, he had been her teacher in younger years before he left the educational system for government funded research.
Grimdom recovered his disgusting smirk with the outburst of Thedorm Gramdas, head of research.
"Thank you Professor Masdram, the faculty is aware of Grimdon's rather troubling past but he remains the head researcher of the war department."
Grimdon didn't like the omission of his own title and was about to open his mouth if not for Thedorm's gaze, "So I suggest you both recognize this as a less then optimal situation for the both of you, and finish this particular project as soon as possible to an as optimal result so you both can return to whatever you enjoy the most.".
A communal sigh made Thedorm smile, "Good, shared misery. You're bonding already" and with a badly muffled chuckle the Head of Research turned to leave.
"So by removing the thaumatic resonator glyphs from the SoulStone and adding it to the augmentation spell around the SoulStone, you can siphon off from the interaction between the resonator glyps and the SoulStone to feed the harmonics required for the augmentation spell?" for a moment Grimdon wasn't the vile piece of quivering meat but an intellectual mind reverberating against her own genius. Sadanra was in the zone and Grimdon learned to value those moments like pure thaumatic infused diamonds, BIG diamonds and he kept all his nasty remarks at bay... for AFTER the brainstorm.
"Not spells, ritual glyphs but yes, the augmentation had great problems integrating itself on a finished incantation that is the SoulStone, by removing the thaumatic resonator we allow the complex frequencies to travel partly beyond the confines of the SoulStone and interact with the harmonics generated by the augmentation field.", Sadanra was beaming ecstatically.
"But doesn't this pose a structural weakening of the soul containment? You introduce a potential leak that is only kept in place by an incantation field, a ritual one at that. Why not actually implement your incantation into the SoulStone itself?".
Sadanra sighed, "Because that would require the incantation to be redone as an artefact. Imran has a lot more experience with..." Sadanra went quiet for a moment.
"Oh shit" Grimdon thought. Imran has been in a coma ever since Grimdon introduced himself, a coincidence Sadanra felt was sufficient to place a unspoken blame on him.
Only during these brainstorm sessions was she less held back in here musings. And this one had just ended.
"I'll see if he wakes up when I visit and see if he has any insights on it." Sadanra was already taking off her labcoat and was back at ignoring her unwanted overseer.
"But why leave so soon? Why not make a small start with..." a wooden bonk punctuated the end of his attempt to relight her genius. His honest expression crumpled in a wrinkled one of bile and discus.
"Page! page get your pustfilled ass here!" A worried messenger came running from a sideroom, his life sucked so much more now that this employer had joined this department.
Grimdon scribled a quick note stating the delivery of the war department's SoulStone prototyping device as soon as possible, and handed it to the waiting messenger.
"Bring it to the war department, on authority of Professor Grimdon Galmera and you better hurry the fuck up, I want this order delivered here before Professor Masdram is back."
"What's wrong with Sadanra?" the page blurted out before realizing who he was talking to.
"Because she will be so sad when she finds your dead corpse because you didn't keep your damn mouth shut WHY ARE YOU STILL STANDING HERE!?", Grimson tried to kick the messenger's ass as he made a sprint for it and missed.
Grimdon grinned nonetheless, he knew what was going to be wrong with Sadanra. The position of co-researcher would become available very soon, and lacking Imran's experience with artefacts and it's creation, he had to pull in some favours to make up for that.
Their very own SoulStone prototyping device would surely make up for that, and with that, ensure his position as co-researcher.
This project would soon be in half his hands, and with the right opportunity, belong to him completely.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Sadanra's voice boomed through the laboratory and made Grimdon spit his coffee over his paper. Blood leaving his face Grimdon felt sick in his stomach and clutching his heart spun around "H.. how d..did you find out?".
"What are you talking about? You completely changed the incantations used in the SoulStone and reintroduced an external ritual ontop of the SoulStone, you even didn't close it back up how can I not find out!?".Grimdon inflated like a balloon, "Oh yes, my bad, I should have told you first."
Sadanra tilted her head, "You thought I was talking about something else?", "Did you see the external ritual used?" and with that (as usual) he successfully derailed her chain of thoughts.
It might have been the death of Imran, but it made his job so much easier, Sadanra's willingness to lose herself in her work to stay off her sadness only made his work easier and manipulating her even more. If this keeps up, he might end up not killing her after all, just a debilitating accident that would leave her limbless and her genius for him to use as a tool.
"It seems like it's generating a harmonics field just like the prototype augmentation ritual I made, but it seems to do something... else... this is weird".
"Ah, you noticed?", Grimdon walked over and picked up a report. "Yes but it's a field to uphold a pattern that isn't defined inside the incantation at all, you can't do that, it won't work, or worst, it will and create a catastrophic thaumatic chargeup as background noice compound inside the field here."
"Ah yes, but you forget that the SoulStone, when in use, can be considered an pattern as well."
Sadanra's mouth dropped open, "Whaaaat?", Grimdon smiled, even though he didn't come up with this idea, the praise felt good nonetheless.
"It's an application of a failed project mind you, the idea of using a soul felt like the introduction of a risk in our army back then, before the first tests.", Sadanra's gaze moved from the augmented SoulStone to Grimdon, "Failed?".
"Yes, failed, the idea was that we'd use magic to replicate the complex dynamics that represents a soul and duplicate it across all units. We would decrease the uncertainties that each and every unit represents to just one perfectly picked soul that meets all of our requirements, and keep using that one soul, or rather, copies of it."
"It was a grand failure, with some variation, what you described happened, as the pattern deteriorated, the field started to absorb more and more background energy, the things went insane as their brain turned into a magic-bomb".
"That's... a simple but dreadfully correct description.", Sadanra replied.
"But that's not the case here, we have a SoulStone, augmented and well, so no pattern deterioration.", Grimdon gestured at unit 601.
"But what use is the duplication of the pattern the SoulStone emits, the soul?"
"Actually, I was told this incantation has a minor change, it's not a duplication, it extends."
"It whaaa?", incredulously Sadanra turned back to the SoulStone.
"This... this is even better then augmenting!" she grinned, "This is SO much better then..." she turned to 601 "How, how are you feeling?", this puzzled Grimdon a bit, her fascination with the project never actually seemed to include the Mechanomicons itself.
"This one feels mentally expanded, and more readily capable to understand new concepts, Sadanra.", Sadanra smiled at the device.
"You, you asked it how it feels?" Grimdon thought that was the weirdest question ever.
Sandra just turned to him, smiling as ever, "Ofcourse! By the time we're done, it actually makes sense.", Grimdon's face turned a bit pale as he understood what she meant.
He quickly glanced to the heavy metallic creature next to her and back at her, still smiling like she was handed the perfect gift, and he turned and left the lab.
"Sadanra, those books you give me have learned me his bo-dy language indicate negative emotions towards this-one and Sadanra."
"Perhaps, but as you see, he did nothing so don't worry Imran."
"THERE! YOU SEE IT!? IT'S JUST FIDDLING AROUND WITH MAGIC! UNSUPERVISED!", Grimdon was frothing from the mouth as his rage coloured his face bright red.
Thedorm Gramdas turned to Grimdon, "Professor, some composure, please. Are we not men of science?", almost ignoring the statement, Grimdon took another notice of Thedorm's gaze and slowly let his temper drop somewhat. He forgot his temper tactics only worked at the research department of war, and specially not with the Head Researcher Gramadas.
"Well, I mean, it's clearly working on magic components.", as an attempt to dislodge Thedowm's gaze on him, he pointed at the Mechanomicon.
And with that Thedorm and his two colleges, followed by Grimdon, made their way to Sadanra, who was also working on a ritual configuration.
"Goodafternoon Professor Masdram" with surprise Sadanra looked up with enlarged eyes looking at him through her lenses, Thedorn's two colleges harrumph at the visage while Thedorn taps his face informatively at Sadanra.
"Oh! I'm so sorry", she quickly pulls the goggles down, "So happy you could drop by, I was wondering when you would have the time.".
Thedorm felt awkward even though it did not let this show. He must've overseen her request or maybe it never arrived.
So instead he just rolled with it since it seems he was going to get information in any case. "Yes, we had multiple reasons to come by so let's start with yours first." speaking his last words looking straight at Grimdon to make sure he understood that this was the story and they WERE GOING TO STICK WITH IT.
Grimdon wisely remained quiet.
Sadanra jumped at the pause, "So after the mediocre increase of cognitive functioning using the external Augmentation Field, there was more room for improvement after Professor Galmera for kind enough to loan the SoulStone Prototyping device for our research. But this entire project thanks its current state thanks to Professor Galmera's application of the Soul Duplication Incantation, which he wisely altered to preform as a Soul Extension Incantation.", Thedorn slowly moved to glance at Grimdon. "Did he now?".
To save some face, Grimdon interjects, "That doesn't explain what that thing is doing with magic supplies!".
Miffed, Thedorm still agreed, "The professor has a point, do you deem it save to allow a magical magic to work on magic itself?".
"Actually, due to advice from Im.. ehm... unit 601 we prevented 12.3 possible catastrophic accidents and 211 minor ones.", to prevent unneeded reactions, she moved to grab a report in mid-sentence.
"As you can see for youself, I specially like the prevention of the thaumatic cascading where atmosphere would have been catalized into solid obsidian for 1 square meter per 0.3 thaum per second."
Grindon didn't follow but noticed Thedorn's expression of horror.
"And it predicted this could happen? How?"
601 spoke, "This one has read the principles of transmutation written by Arsbal Trambel which focusses on casters, Reginal Safcon the first which seems to focus on ritual transmutation and finally the one written by Artifier Ferdi von Slimstasse who describes the assumed workings of 5 artefacts based on the dissection of 3 and proves to be correct in his assumptions in 4 of 5 artefacts, being killed by the last one.", three pair of eyes big as dinnerplates stare at 601 as it continues.
"Together with preschool principles of conservation of thaumatic energies, I was able to predict that a unique interaction between a running ritual field and an artefact being used as field stabiliser would interact with a spell meant to adjust a running pattern. A rare occurrence but together they would initiate a magic pattern that would be unexpectedly efficient in tranmuting air into obsidian.".
601 looked from face to face to await a response, not receiving one it tried with, "We already submitted this phenomenon to the local papers and I hear researchers are really exciting about the discovery."
Finally Thedorm overcame his surprise, "That is quite a discovery 601, but I would like to have a word with Sadanra if you don't mind. Sadanra?"
601 looked at Sadanra walking with Thedorm and went back to his own work.
"Sedanra, I'll be honest with you."
"You never received my request and you are here because of my progress because Grindon thinks the mechanicon is unbound and a danger?"
"Sedanra, that is very insightful and very blunt." Thedorm never missed a beat, especially when dealing with an old student of his.
"Sedanra, I've heard rumours, rumours thank god even Grindon hasn't heard yet. Is it true 601 has another name?"
Sedonra just looked down at the ground they slowly walked on, "Dear girl, you need to stop that, it clouds so many things. You mind, your perspective. I had expected Grindon to be out of your team month ago yet you actually keep him around because of his resources. Sedonra, that man is not someone to keep around! You could have made a sligtly smarter mechanicon a long time ago and made the war department happy. Are you trying to"
"Maybe I AM, so what of it?", Thedorm could hear tears in those words, almost tears, he sighed.
"Dear oh dear, too smart for madness, to mad for sadness. If only you could open your hands and let it fall away. What aren't you telling me?"
He could hear her breath slowly, deeply, she was thinking hard.
"I'm not telling you I know Grindon killed him.", "Mh" he only responded.
"It is a marvellous machine though.", Sedonra nodded quietly.
"Howlong has it been running on those... how did you call them?", "Soul Extension Incantation", Sedonra replied.
"Soul Extension Incantation, mmh, PR is going have a field day with that. Yes, howlong did it take to start giving you advice running on those?"
"About five months from nothing.", Sedonra replied.
"Five months, amazing, a-mazing."
"So, what would happen if 601 would have an unforeseen problem and go apeshit on us?", Thedorm squeezed her shoulder as some comforting gesture.
Sedonra looked up at his comforting smile and felt relieved that the talk was going back to the project.
"It's still just a Mechanomicon, the governmental signal still applies, and since this lab is equipped with emitters you can still...", before she even finished Thedorm pressed some part of his staff after which a loud alarm was heard and for a brief moment, the laboratory was filled with a dim orange haze.
All the Mechanomicon's in the lab fell to the floor where they were, even 601 which Thedorm knew she named Imran.
"no! NO! NOOOOOO! WHAT DID YOU DO? WHY DID YOU DO THAT OH GOD NO NOT agiannotagainnonooo.." Sedonra was stuck in the moment, her brain trying to compete multiple instinctual actions against eachother without any action being picked.
Meanwhile Thedorm tried to hold her with just one arm as she franticly tried to push herself away from him.
"Sedonra calm down, this is for your own best this wasn't healthy! It's just a machine and you said it yourself it just takes five month to get it back up."
"You dumb freak, Imran has been dead for month! They should fire you and hand me your...", a minor cantrip slammed Grindon off his feet but unfortunately meant Thedorm's grip on Sedonra was lost as she ran off to 601's lifeless body.
Franticly she opened his access panel to reach his SoulStone, "Sedonra stop this! This is pointless! You need help, you never accepted his death and this worm is not worth your time." Thedorm could feel the burning anger of Grindon in the edge of his view. Running quickly to her workstation with the SoulStone in her arms, external incantation still shimmering on its last residual energies, she quickly grabbed something from a drawer and ran off out of the lab.
"I'll get her." Grindon started but immediately was tackled to the ground with a spell, "I think you will find me of the opinion that you have done quite enough."
Grindon not completely harmless in the field of magics allowed a trickle of his power to flow to consider his options until he looked at Thedorm.
The old man was hovering in a blinding cascading waterfall made from pure Magic essence pouring from his being. The floor above he was floating seemed to warp in its presence and without moving his mouth Thedorm's voice could be still heard thundering in his mind "so I suggest you go back to your office.".
As the apparition slowly subsided, Grindon found his strength back to wobble away to his office where he could try to clean his trousers.
Grindson was out of Thedorms mind. He looked worried at an empty space in Sendra's workshop drawer.
He knew what it was.
She was keeping Imran, no, 601's SoulStone going with her blood.
"Although personally I don't see the use in this, following Miss Masdram wishes, we hereby sentence you to dead *harrumph* for unlicensed use of magic. Does the defended have anything to add?"
The mechanical body, wearing actual clothing despite many attempts to refuse them slowly stood up, "I, unit 601 do not agree with this and would again request this hearing be postponed until my request to have the law changed can be heard.".
The crowd had a suppressed chuckle at his expense. "Request denied." The judge hammered his desk.
"Well, that was a first for me.", the judge turned to his college, "What was that all about a change of law? Did that thing really send in a request?"
His college turns to him in reply, "I think it did, and I heard it made friends as well."
The judge stopped smiling, "I was told this was a mock trial by the department of war to have information released by Miss Masdram".
The other judge shrugged, "Maybe it's both."
"RAAAAAGH! THIS IS NOT 601! WHERE IS THE AUGMENTED SOULSTONE!?"
"But sir this IS unit 601, it's the one Former Head Research Professor Gramdas handed over to us last" "DON'T FUCKING TELL ME WHAT I ALREADY KNOW YOU PUSSPISSING PIECE OF CRAP, SEND OUT A FUCKING ARREST FOR THAT DECREPIT PIECE OF..." "Ahem!"
Grindon's rant was abruptly ended when he heard an unfamiliar voice.
Grindon could feel authority and chose not to kick this person out of his lab.
"Yeesss?" Grindon grinned a very unfriendly grin as his patience was crushed by his still raging anger.
"I do not think we have been introduced, Head Research Wadon Sals. I was appointed after Professor Gramdas left the facility last week."
"Last..." Grindon was gasping, "week?".
"Yes, last week. I met everybody else already but he told me you were a very busy man and that I should try to postpone you only when needed."
"I see, how... thoughtful, would you excuse me?"
We see the camera slowly pivoting backwards from this scene as a patient Wadon Sals waits as Grimdon Galmera slowly walks to a closet space which he closes behind him.
The camera already exits out of the window into a sunny afternoon outside the prestigious Thaumatic Academia of higher research with behind it the rest of the capital.
A primordial scream can be heard from within the academic building as birds suddenly take flight in scare, we follow those birds as they flock through the streets of the capital over bridges, merchent carts and city channels, playing children and shouting grownups.
Finally at the other side of the city we see our bird landing near a window with bars with breadcrumbs on the windowframe, the bird gladly eats from the crumbs when an old prisoner suddenly appears behind the bars smiling like a child, the bird flies off leaving the prisoner behind in disappointment.
The camera breaks to the left and focusses on the large gate of the prison building.
We see a changed Sadanra with a duffel-bag on her back, receiving her last documents from the warden before the outer gate is opened for her.
She smiles at the sunlight and exists the gate.
On the other side of the road a wagon stands waiting, the driver waves at her. It's the page that used to work for her.
A long trip which end late in the night brings her to a small town where she tiredly exits the wagon.
A cottage door is opened by an old ex head research and behind him, covered in clothes stands a person with an iron face.
"So he died?", Sadanra couldn't stop looking at his iron face.
"There is only so much I can do, I am sorry, but he died knowing what I would do, does that make it better?", Thedorm held Sadanra's hand in both hands.
"Yes... yes it kinda does I guess.", she swallowed.
"So that would make him?", she started but Thedorm quickly jumped on it, "Absolutely nothing, I know you like to romanticize it but I think 601 had idea's of his own when I told him my plans and he was thankful for it. When this kid, augh! now I'm calling him a kid, when this unit has reached a good age, learned more about his role and his mind, you can ask him yourself what he is to 601. For the meantime, just help him grow mentally.", Sadanra nodded halfheartly.
"By the way, he already picked out his own name.", This brought her back, "He did!?".
"Mh mh", Thedorm nodded. "He found a nice word he felt fitted him."
Sadanra, finally spoke to the mechanical 'child'. "And? What do you have to say about all this?"
The iron kid moved his face to Thedorm and back to Sadanra, "Are you my mother?"
Thedorm choked on his pipe struggling to get a word in before Sadanra's watery eyes were done swelling up like giant soupbowls.
"Not exactly but very like it.", Thedorm was felt surprisingly good about her reaction and decided to choke on his pipesmoke in relaxation *ack hurgh cough*
"Thedorm, you should stop smoking near the child.", Sadanra grinned as Thedorm struggled to find breath to berate her.
"I am confused by your expressions of happiness while pronouncing words of disappointment towards the other.", the mechanomicon concluded.
"Just like his father!" Sadanra feigned amazement at Thedorm who finally had stopped coughing.
"Stop postponing woman! and ask him his name!", re-railed from being derailed Sadanra beamed, "That's right, you thought of a name for yourself?".
"I did, and it is Cresco.", "Cresco?", "Yes?", "As in, to grow?", "Yes".
Sadanra looked at Cresco, "That name is very insightful."
Cresco grew up mentally with Sadanra and Thedorm keeping him away from too many eyes.
The department of war and science still are looking for the missing Enhanced SoulStone with Soul Extender, unaware it has be refitted into a new Mechanomicon frame.
Age: 1 Year?
Race: Mechanomicon
Sex: Never clearly stated
Class: Dimensional and Offensive Mage with Primary Augmentation, and Secondaries Projectiles and Shadows
Appearance:
{IMAGE}
Personality: His grasp on complex mental constructs like knowing what you are talking about through narrative context seems it easy to forget he is in fact a construct with a surpricing good grip on being sentient. So now and then a rather blunt remark reminds you on the fact that still a lot of concepts are very, very alien to him. Do not think this makes him naive... ok it makes him naive some of the time.
Background: (What's your character's story before their big adventure? Tell us!)
601 was one of the most closely watched productions coming from the fabrication plant since the dismantling of unit 501.
They were using the restored trust since their last fiasco involving a rampaging mechanomicon, to attempt another enhancement experiment.
This time omitting a larger soul, they instead will artificially enhance the standard one through magical means.
The theory behind it would be that a larger soul introduces unwanted fluctuations in the device's behaviour,
while a minor soul enhanced through magic would only fluctuate to the extend of the magical enhancements would allow.
Of course, not all were as happy about these experiments.
"What could you possible expect to gain from this?", Imran frowned at Sadanra as she was signing off on a crate of thaumatic crystals.
"We barely left behind the after-wakes of the last disaster and already you're steering us straight into the next one!" Imran swung his hands in the air in feigned stress.
"Drop the dramatics Imran" Sadanra quirkt her eyes at him, "You know full well that 14 of those 15 Mechanomicons did exactly what we expected them to do.".
Pointing her finger at Imran, "And if the counsel wouldn't have gone hysteric on us we would still have 14 perfect examples why the larger soul unit would be a viable tactic, all we had to do is..."
"...WAS to never have had the incident happen Sadanra." Imran cut her off. She hated that but he was right, which she hated even more.
"I STILL think it was a horrible waste of research, both preformed and still to be scheduled on those 14 remaining units!", Imran nodded. It did was a typical panic decision.
"I still don't get it why you'd want to tempt fate by going back at it?", Imran remembers the weeks of rage Sadanra went through. Her project, her golems, she put so much of herself into the experiments.
It was a good technique, and a very efficient one at that.
"They made a clear they don't like this simple method." Sadanra responded, "So I will simply have to work around their restrictions, no larger soul, FINE! I will work with that and they will like it!" her finger pointings ended up like stabbing, Imran stared intensely at her pointed finger which she noticed.
"Heh... sorry" she grinned, "I guess this IS getting under my skin.". Imran bapped her on the shoulder "As long as you at least notice that stuff. So, howfar are you?".
Sadanra gestured at the crate that was just brought in, "This should be the last of it, I can start augmenting the first of the 601's and initiate testing his new responses.".
Imran nodded, "I'll help get that crate to your workshop, meanwhile you can fill me in on how you plan to stabilize thaumatic harmonics around something as unpredictable as a SoulStone inside a magic field.", Sadanra's face lit up like a grinning piece of burning magnesium, "I thought you'd never asked.".
"NO! NO REFUSE!", Sadanra's hair had some strands come loose, giving her a wild appearances.
"This, this monster has no place inside our team!", Unit 601 looked puzzled at her accusing finger.
"No you! Him!", her finger now pointing at Grimdon, her newly appointed scientific overseer.
"Sticks and stone may..." Grimdon was smirking "I've seen what you do with sticks and stones and I will have nothing to do with those practices" Grimdon smirk dropped like lead at Sadanra's quick interruption.
"Your... moral issues are noted but unfortunately the..." "MORALS BE DAMNED YOUR GRACE, this has nothing to do with morals. Grimdon's practices around ANY speciment, be they sentient or but a pulsating glob of jelly always ends up with the destruction of said specimen and the LABORATORY WITH IT!"
"AS I WAS SAYING, unfortunately this decision has been made on government level and is mandatory to arrange for the financial power your latest proposal requires, do I made myself clear?"
"Imran would have had something to..." "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR SADANRA MASDRAM?" "yesyourgrace", she hated that, he had been her teacher in younger years before he left the educational system for government funded research.
Grimdom recovered his disgusting smirk with the outburst of Thedorm Gramdas, head of research.
"Thank you Professor Masdram, the faculty is aware of Grimdon's rather troubling past but he remains the head researcher of the war department."
Grimdon didn't like the omission of his own title and was about to open his mouth if not for Thedorm's gaze, "So I suggest you both recognize this as a less then optimal situation for the both of you, and finish this particular project as soon as possible to an as optimal result so you both can return to whatever you enjoy the most.".
A communal sigh made Thedorm smile, "Good, shared misery. You're bonding already" and with a badly muffled chuckle the Head of Research turned to leave.
"So by removing the thaumatic resonator glyphs from the SoulStone and adding it to the augmentation spell around the SoulStone, you can siphon off from the interaction between the resonator glyps and the SoulStone to feed the harmonics required for the augmentation spell?" for a moment Grimdon wasn't the vile piece of quivering meat but an intellectual mind reverberating against her own genius. Sadanra was in the zone and Grimdon learned to value those moments like pure thaumatic infused diamonds, BIG diamonds and he kept all his nasty remarks at bay... for AFTER the brainstorm.
"Not spells, ritual glyphs but yes, the augmentation had great problems integrating itself on a finished incantation that is the SoulStone, by removing the thaumatic resonator we allow the complex frequencies to travel partly beyond the confines of the SoulStone and interact with the harmonics generated by the augmentation field.", Sadanra was beaming ecstatically.
"But doesn't this pose a structural weakening of the soul containment? You introduce a potential leak that is only kept in place by an incantation field, a ritual one at that. Why not actually implement your incantation into the SoulStone itself?".
Sadanra sighed, "Because that would require the incantation to be redone as an artefact. Imran has a lot more experience with..." Sadanra went quiet for a moment.
"Oh shit" Grimdon thought. Imran has been in a coma ever since Grimdon introduced himself, a coincidence Sadanra felt was sufficient to place a unspoken blame on him.
Only during these brainstorm sessions was she less held back in here musings. And this one had just ended.
"I'll see if he wakes up when I visit and see if he has any insights on it." Sadanra was already taking off her labcoat and was back at ignoring her unwanted overseer.
"But why leave so soon? Why not make a small start with..." a wooden bonk punctuated the end of his attempt to relight her genius. His honest expression crumpled in a wrinkled one of bile and discus.
"Page! page get your pustfilled ass here!" A worried messenger came running from a sideroom, his life sucked so much more now that this employer had joined this department.
Grimdon scribled a quick note stating the delivery of the war department's SoulStone prototyping device as soon as possible, and handed it to the waiting messenger.
"Bring it to the war department, on authority of Professor Grimdon Galmera and you better hurry the fuck up, I want this order delivered here before Professor Masdram is back."
"What's wrong with Sadanra?" the page blurted out before realizing who he was talking to.
"Because she will be so sad when she finds your dead corpse because you didn't keep your damn mouth shut WHY ARE YOU STILL STANDING HERE!?", Grimson tried to kick the messenger's ass as he made a sprint for it and missed.
Grimdon grinned nonetheless, he knew what was going to be wrong with Sadanra. The position of co-researcher would become available very soon, and lacking Imran's experience with artefacts and it's creation, he had to pull in some favours to make up for that.
Their very own SoulStone prototyping device would surely make up for that, and with that, ensure his position as co-researcher.
This project would soon be in half his hands, and with the right opportunity, belong to him completely.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Sadanra's voice boomed through the laboratory and made Grimdon spit his coffee over his paper. Blood leaving his face Grimdon felt sick in his stomach and clutching his heart spun around "H.. how d..did you find out?".
"What are you talking about? You completely changed the incantations used in the SoulStone and reintroduced an external ritual ontop of the SoulStone, you even didn't close it back up how can I not find out!?".Grimdon inflated like a balloon, "Oh yes, my bad, I should have told you first."
Sadanra tilted her head, "You thought I was talking about something else?", "Did you see the external ritual used?" and with that (as usual) he successfully derailed her chain of thoughts.
It might have been the death of Imran, but it made his job so much easier, Sadanra's willingness to lose herself in her work to stay off her sadness only made his work easier and manipulating her even more. If this keeps up, he might end up not killing her after all, just a debilitating accident that would leave her limbless and her genius for him to use as a tool.
"It seems like it's generating a harmonics field just like the prototype augmentation ritual I made, but it seems to do something... else... this is weird".
"Ah, you noticed?", Grimdon walked over and picked up a report. "Yes but it's a field to uphold a pattern that isn't defined inside the incantation at all, you can't do that, it won't work, or worst, it will and create a catastrophic thaumatic chargeup as background noice compound inside the field here."
"Ah yes, but you forget that the SoulStone, when in use, can be considered an pattern as well."
Sadanra's mouth dropped open, "Whaaaat?", Grimdon smiled, even though he didn't come up with this idea, the praise felt good nonetheless.
"It's an application of a failed project mind you, the idea of using a soul felt like the introduction of a risk in our army back then, before the first tests.", Sadanra's gaze moved from the augmented SoulStone to Grimdon, "Failed?".
"Yes, failed, the idea was that we'd use magic to replicate the complex dynamics that represents a soul and duplicate it across all units. We would decrease the uncertainties that each and every unit represents to just one perfectly picked soul that meets all of our requirements, and keep using that one soul, or rather, copies of it."
"It was a grand failure, with some variation, what you described happened, as the pattern deteriorated, the field started to absorb more and more background energy, the things went insane as their brain turned into a magic-bomb".
"That's... a simple but dreadfully correct description.", Sadanra replied.
"But that's not the case here, we have a SoulStone, augmented and well, so no pattern deterioration.", Grimdon gestured at unit 601.
"But what use is the duplication of the pattern the SoulStone emits, the soul?"
"Actually, I was told this incantation has a minor change, it's not a duplication, it extends."
"It whaaa?", incredulously Sadanra turned back to the SoulStone.
"This... this is even better then augmenting!" she grinned, "This is SO much better then..." she turned to 601 "How, how are you feeling?", this puzzled Grimdon a bit, her fascination with the project never actually seemed to include the Mechanomicons itself.
"This one feels mentally expanded, and more readily capable to understand new concepts, Sadanra.", Sadanra smiled at the device.
"You, you asked it how it feels?" Grimdon thought that was the weirdest question ever.
Sandra just turned to him, smiling as ever, "Ofcourse! By the time we're done, it actually makes sense.", Grimdon's face turned a bit pale as he understood what she meant.
He quickly glanced to the heavy metallic creature next to her and back at her, still smiling like she was handed the perfect gift, and he turned and left the lab.
"Sadanra, those books you give me have learned me his bo-dy language indicate negative emotions towards this-one and Sadanra."
"Perhaps, but as you see, he did nothing so don't worry Imran."
"THERE! YOU SEE IT!? IT'S JUST FIDDLING AROUND WITH MAGIC! UNSUPERVISED!", Grimdon was frothing from the mouth as his rage coloured his face bright red.
Thedorm Gramdas turned to Grimdon, "Professor, some composure, please. Are we not men of science?", almost ignoring the statement, Grimdon took another notice of Thedorm's gaze and slowly let his temper drop somewhat. He forgot his temper tactics only worked at the research department of war, and specially not with the Head Researcher Gramadas.
"Well, I mean, it's clearly working on magic components.", as an attempt to dislodge Thedowm's gaze on him, he pointed at the Mechanomicon.
And with that Thedorm and his two colleges, followed by Grimdon, made their way to Sadanra, who was also working on a ritual configuration.
"Goodafternoon Professor Masdram" with surprise Sadanra looked up with enlarged eyes looking at him through her lenses, Thedorn's two colleges harrumph at the visage while Thedorn taps his face informatively at Sadanra.
"Oh! I'm so sorry", she quickly pulls the goggles down, "So happy you could drop by, I was wondering when you would have the time.".
Thedorm felt awkward even though it did not let this show. He must've overseen her request or maybe it never arrived.
So instead he just rolled with it since it seems he was going to get information in any case. "Yes, we had multiple reasons to come by so let's start with yours first." speaking his last words looking straight at Grimdon to make sure he understood that this was the story and they WERE GOING TO STICK WITH IT.
Grimdon wisely remained quiet.
Sadanra jumped at the pause, "So after the mediocre increase of cognitive functioning using the external Augmentation Field, there was more room for improvement after Professor Galmera for kind enough to loan the SoulStone Prototyping device for our research. But this entire project thanks its current state thanks to Professor Galmera's application of the Soul Duplication Incantation, which he wisely altered to preform as a Soul Extension Incantation.", Thedorn slowly moved to glance at Grimdon. "Did he now?".
To save some face, Grimdon interjects, "That doesn't explain what that thing is doing with magic supplies!".
Miffed, Thedorm still agreed, "The professor has a point, do you deem it save to allow a magical magic to work on magic itself?".
"Actually, due to advice from Im.. ehm... unit 601 we prevented 12.3 possible catastrophic accidents and 211 minor ones.", to prevent unneeded reactions, she moved to grab a report in mid-sentence.
"As you can see for youself, I specially like the prevention of the thaumatic cascading where atmosphere would have been catalized into solid obsidian for 1 square meter per 0.3 thaum per second."
Grindon didn't follow but noticed Thedorn's expression of horror.
"And it predicted this could happen? How?"
601 spoke, "This one has read the principles of transmutation written by Arsbal Trambel which focusses on casters, Reginal Safcon the first which seems to focus on ritual transmutation and finally the one written by Artifier Ferdi von Slimstasse who describes the assumed workings of 5 artefacts based on the dissection of 3 and proves to be correct in his assumptions in 4 of 5 artefacts, being killed by the last one.", three pair of eyes big as dinnerplates stare at 601 as it continues.
"Together with preschool principles of conservation of thaumatic energies, I was able to predict that a unique interaction between a running ritual field and an artefact being used as field stabiliser would interact with a spell meant to adjust a running pattern. A rare occurrence but together they would initiate a magic pattern that would be unexpectedly efficient in tranmuting air into obsidian.".
601 looked from face to face to await a response, not receiving one it tried with, "We already submitted this phenomenon to the local papers and I hear researchers are really exciting about the discovery."
Finally Thedorm overcame his surprise, "That is quite a discovery 601, but I would like to have a word with Sadanra if you don't mind. Sadanra?"
601 looked at Sadanra walking with Thedorm and went back to his own work.
"Sedanra, I'll be honest with you."
"You never received my request and you are here because of my progress because Grindon thinks the mechanicon is unbound and a danger?"
"Sedanra, that is very insightful and very blunt." Thedorm never missed a beat, especially when dealing with an old student of his.
"Sedanra, I've heard rumours, rumours thank god even Grindon hasn't heard yet. Is it true 601 has another name?"
Sedonra just looked down at the ground they slowly walked on, "Dear girl, you need to stop that, it clouds so many things. You mind, your perspective. I had expected Grindon to be out of your team month ago yet you actually keep him around because of his resources. Sedonra, that man is not someone to keep around! You could have made a sligtly smarter mechanicon a long time ago and made the war department happy. Are you trying to"
"Maybe I AM, so what of it?", Thedorm could hear tears in those words, almost tears, he sighed.
"Dear oh dear, too smart for madness, to mad for sadness. If only you could open your hands and let it fall away. What aren't you telling me?"
He could hear her breath slowly, deeply, she was thinking hard.
"I'm not telling you I know Grindon killed him.", "Mh" he only responded.
"It is a marvellous machine though.", Sedonra nodded quietly.
"Howlong has it been running on those... how did you call them?", "Soul Extension Incantation", Sedonra replied.
"Soul Extension Incantation, mmh, PR is going have a field day with that. Yes, howlong did it take to start giving you advice running on those?"
"About five months from nothing.", Sedonra replied.
"Five months, amazing, a-mazing."
"So, what would happen if 601 would have an unforeseen problem and go apeshit on us?", Thedorm squeezed her shoulder as some comforting gesture.
Sedonra looked up at his comforting smile and felt relieved that the talk was going back to the project.
"It's still just a Mechanomicon, the governmental signal still applies, and since this lab is equipped with emitters you can still...", before she even finished Thedorm pressed some part of his staff after which a loud alarm was heard and for a brief moment, the laboratory was filled with a dim orange haze.
All the Mechanomicon's in the lab fell to the floor where they were, even 601 which Thedorm knew she named Imran.
"no! NO! NOOOOOO! WHAT DID YOU DO? WHY DID YOU DO THAT OH GOD NO NOT agiannotagainnonooo.." Sedonra was stuck in the moment, her brain trying to compete multiple instinctual actions against eachother without any action being picked.
Meanwhile Thedorm tried to hold her with just one arm as she franticly tried to push herself away from him.
"Sedonra calm down, this is for your own best this wasn't healthy! It's just a machine and you said it yourself it just takes five month to get it back up."
"You dumb freak, Imran has been dead for month! They should fire you and hand me your...", a minor cantrip slammed Grindon off his feet but unfortunately meant Thedorm's grip on Sedonra was lost as she ran off to 601's lifeless body.
Franticly she opened his access panel to reach his SoulStone, "Sedonra stop this! This is pointless! You need help, you never accepted his death and this worm is not worth your time." Thedorm could feel the burning anger of Grindon in the edge of his view. Running quickly to her workstation with the SoulStone in her arms, external incantation still shimmering on its last residual energies, she quickly grabbed something from a drawer and ran off out of the lab.
"I'll get her." Grindon started but immediately was tackled to the ground with a spell, "I think you will find me of the opinion that you have done quite enough."
Grindon not completely harmless in the field of magics allowed a trickle of his power to flow to consider his options until he looked at Thedorm.
The old man was hovering in a blinding cascading waterfall made from pure Magic essence pouring from his being. The floor above he was floating seemed to warp in its presence and without moving his mouth Thedorm's voice could be still heard thundering in his mind "so I suggest you go back to your office.".
As the apparition slowly subsided, Grindon found his strength back to wobble away to his office where he could try to clean his trousers.
Grindson was out of Thedorms mind. He looked worried at an empty space in Sendra's workshop drawer.
He knew what it was.
She was keeping Imran, no, 601's SoulStone going with her blood.
"Although personally I don't see the use in this, following Miss Masdram wishes, we hereby sentence you to dead *harrumph* for unlicensed use of magic. Does the defended have anything to add?"
The mechanical body, wearing actual clothing despite many attempts to refuse them slowly stood up, "I, unit 601 do not agree with this and would again request this hearing be postponed until my request to have the law changed can be heard.".
The crowd had a suppressed chuckle at his expense. "Request denied." The judge hammered his desk.
"Well, that was a first for me.", the judge turned to his college, "What was that all about a change of law? Did that thing really send in a request?"
His college turns to him in reply, "I think it did, and I heard it made friends as well."
The judge stopped smiling, "I was told this was a mock trial by the department of war to have information released by Miss Masdram".
The other judge shrugged, "Maybe it's both."
"RAAAAAGH! THIS IS NOT 601! WHERE IS THE AUGMENTED SOULSTONE!?"
"But sir this IS unit 601, it's the one Former Head Research Professor Gramdas handed over to us last" "DON'T FUCKING TELL ME WHAT I ALREADY KNOW YOU PUSSPISSING PIECE OF CRAP, SEND OUT A FUCKING ARREST FOR THAT DECREPIT PIECE OF..." "Ahem!"
Grindon's rant was abruptly ended when he heard an unfamiliar voice.
Grindon could feel authority and chose not to kick this person out of his lab.
"Yeesss?" Grindon grinned a very unfriendly grin as his patience was crushed by his still raging anger.
"I do not think we have been introduced, Head Research Wadon Sals. I was appointed after Professor Gramdas left the facility last week."
"Last..." Grindon was gasping, "week?".
"Yes, last week. I met everybody else already but he told me you were a very busy man and that I should try to postpone you only when needed."
"I see, how... thoughtful, would you excuse me?"
We see the camera slowly pivoting backwards from this scene as a patient Wadon Sals waits as Grimdon Galmera slowly walks to a closet space which he closes behind him.
The camera already exits out of the window into a sunny afternoon outside the prestigious Thaumatic Academia of higher research with behind it the rest of the capital.
A primordial scream can be heard from within the academic building as birds suddenly take flight in scare, we follow those birds as they flock through the streets of the capital over bridges, merchent carts and city channels, playing children and shouting grownups.
Finally at the other side of the city we see our bird landing near a window with bars with breadcrumbs on the windowframe, the bird gladly eats from the crumbs when an old prisoner suddenly appears behind the bars smiling like a child, the bird flies off leaving the prisoner behind in disappointment.
The camera breaks to the left and focusses on the large gate of the prison building.
We see a changed Sadanra with a duffel-bag on her back, receiving her last documents from the warden before the outer gate is opened for her.
She smiles at the sunlight and exists the gate.
On the other side of the road a wagon stands waiting, the driver waves at her. It's the page that used to work for her.
A long trip which end late in the night brings her to a small town where she tiredly exits the wagon.
A cottage door is opened by an old ex head research and behind him, covered in clothes stands a person with an iron face.
"So he died?", Sadanra couldn't stop looking at his iron face.
"There is only so much I can do, I am sorry, but he died knowing what I would do, does that make it better?", Thedorm held Sadanra's hand in both hands.
"Yes... yes it kinda does I guess.", she swallowed.
"So that would make him?", she started but Thedorm quickly jumped on it, "Absolutely nothing, I know you like to romanticize it but I think 601 had idea's of his own when I told him my plans and he was thankful for it. When this kid, augh! now I'm calling him a kid, when this unit has reached a good age, learned more about his role and his mind, you can ask him yourself what he is to 601. For the meantime, just help him grow mentally.", Sadanra nodded halfheartly.
"By the way, he already picked out his own name.", This brought her back, "He did!?".
"Mh mh", Thedorm nodded. "He found a nice word he felt fitted him."
Sadanra, finally spoke to the mechanical 'child'. "And? What do you have to say about all this?"
The iron kid moved his face to Thedorm and back to Sadanra, "Are you my mother?"
Thedorm choked on his pipe struggling to get a word in before Sadanra's watery eyes were done swelling up like giant soupbowls.
"Not exactly but very like it.", Thedorm was felt surprisingly good about her reaction and decided to choke on his pipesmoke in relaxation *ack hurgh cough*
"Thedorm, you should stop smoking near the child.", Sadanra grinned as Thedorm struggled to find breath to berate her.
"I am confused by your expressions of happiness while pronouncing words of disappointment towards the other.", the mechanomicon concluded.
"Just like his father!" Sadanra feigned amazement at Thedorm who finally had stopped coughing.
"Stop postponing woman! and ask him his name!", re-railed from being derailed Sadanra beamed, "That's right, you thought of a name for yourself?".
"I did, and it is Cresco.", "Cresco?", "Yes?", "As in, to grow?", "Yes".
Sadanra looked at Cresco, "That name is very insightful."
Cresco grew up mentally with Sadanra and Thedorm keeping him away from too many eyes.
The department of war and science still are looking for the missing Enhanced SoulStone with Soul Extender, unaware it has be refitted into a new Mechanomicon frame.