Heart of Artifice: Part I--Engineered Enigma

[Rystil Arden]

"Pretty eloquent for a Clank."

"The other lubber says he ain't a Clank, Cap'n."

"Interesting, and he looks strange...then he isn't...?"

"The 'Terrorist' what everyone's been whisperin' about? Aye, that be he."

"I see..." finished with the little Clank, she pets it gently on the head and sets it down, "Well, if you have all never heard of me, I must introduce myself. I am the infamous pirate captain Rhiana Nyvh, Blademistress and Rogue Spark, feared across the Seven Skies, beloved by the rebels of the Wilds and the misfits of the Dismal Deeps for her great capers and exploits..." the Captain grows continually more excited as she speaks, air fencing with her hand as if she were holding an invisible rapier and fighting back a horde of slavering beasts.

"And her modesty..."

"Yes of course, and her modesty!" Rhiana continues excitedly before slowing down to parse it, "Hey, wait! That's not funny," she waves her hand in mock-disgust.

"So anyway, since I am a Spark myself, trying to use Spark status for leverage will not, you see, work very well. No, you, Anvuss, will serve aboard my crew for a time to repay the debt you earned when I saved you. Your thoroughly rude buddy here is a different case, though. By all rights, as a stowaway, I should have him walk the plank, but as he is the Terrorist, he has piqued my interest," she turns to Kharas, "You may stay as well, but you will be paying for the privilege of acting the passenger and swabbing the decks for a time as penalty for stowing away. I think that'll square it."

 

[Patlin]

"What?" tells Kharas in surpirse at Anvuss proposal. He tells to Anvuss, completly ignoring the Captain and Fiora. "Have you forgot there is four kids lost in this world and we are trying to bring them back home. And it's not like they could eaily find there way back. We are on another plane of existance if you hadn't notice."

"I have not forgotten our mission. However, we were in a pretty bad spot, and certainly owe these people some recompense. Further, if you have any pressing leads you have not shared them with me, and an alliance with Ms. Rhiana Nyvh woul likely expand our information gathering capacity and also our available levels of force exponentially. Lastly, Ms. Nyvh seems to me to be a fascinating person. How could we pass up the opportunity to serve under one known far and wide as the Blademistress and Rogue Spark? Under her leadership, we may experience a number of fascinating and profitable adventures, obtaining the funds to further our art. More than that, she has a mobile lab."

"The alternative, walking the plank, seems both boring and less productive. And I really want access to her lab, and materials with which to build. The possibility of receiving tutelage from an exerienced 'spark' is also not to be ignored."

 

[Patlin]

Having answered Kharas to the best of his ability, Anvuss turns to the Captain.

"What are the protocols expected from a newly recruited pirate? Is rank set by fiersomeness in battle... do I need to find a junior officer to challenge in a duel in order to have responsibilities merriting my skills, for example? Or is there a more organized structure? Will any training be included in the recruitment process? May I engage in a self-repair regimen before reporting to duty and/or have the opportunity to relax and clear my mind?"

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Well, you're more than a Clank, but you're also not quite fully realised either. No, you won't become an officer. You will serve as a simple Deck Hand and Cabin Clank for the time being. Perhaps if you distinguish yourself enough to warrant it, I might infuse you with Thelanium until you gain true life. At that point, you will be eligible to be an officer, though there is another simple requirement that, given your seeming penchant for empirical data, I am sure you will discover before long. No duels or anything like that, at least not to decide ship's rank. There is a highly organised and complex algorithm."

"Aye the finest in the land! It's called, 'What be the Cap'n's mood today.' "

"Yes yes, it's--wait, hey! No more of that in front of the newbies, First Mate. You may be my Blood Sister, but I'm not averse to sending you up to swab the decks with the stowaway!"

"Ye must realise that ye're only proving my point?"

"Oh, you!" Rhiana laughs, "Even most Clanks seem to find the simpler tasks we would require of you to be easy enough to pick up without much training. If absolutely necessary, we can find a way to provide training, but you seem a smart pseudo-Clank, so I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time. You will of course have four hours a day for rest and leisure activities."

 

[Patlin]

"I am satisfied with my current form. While I don't know what this 'true life' you speak of is, I take it you will not be offended if I do not wish to be tranformed."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"Not at all, not at all. Offered and refused, it means I never have to pay you. Of course, it also means that you'll never become a true Spark, which, considering the glee, if I can call at that, with which you consider the prospect of a laboratory, seems a shame to me."

 

[Patlin]

"Intruiging. I shall think further on it. Also, you should be aware that if I am to provide the highest level of service, I will require 8 hours of rest or meditation. Without such, I will be unable to employ my spark skills effectively. Further, I assume one of my tasks will be self repair? I've taken a severe beating with those air swords, and while the damage is mostly comsetic it is enough to interfere with smooth operation."

 

[Rystil Arden]

*The Captain raises an eyebrow.*

"Real Sparks don't need to rest--in fact, many of us stay up for multiple days like khaf-powered insomniacs or work in our sleep, a somnambulism of sorts. What you speak of sounds more like the forbidden Grand Arcanum. Supposedly it requires deep rest, study, and meditation."

 

[Patlin]

"Ah, I believe you speak of Wizardry. We are not wizards, but we have learned to improve the manner in which objects respond to our manipulations through great concentration. In order to achieve those results, however, the mind must periodically be cleansed."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"That sounds like the opposite of being a Spark. A Spark loses herself and has no concentration--she lets creation and emotion sing to her, and through her, and she is able to create marvelous things. Well, if you would like to rest eight hours some days, maybe you could arrange to have your Terrorist friend trade with you and rest for none every once in a while. For this first one, I'll just give you the double rest to help you ease in."