NathanielOctober 7th, 1891 Nathaniel could feel something dark and sinister emanating from the ruins of Gearinggate Harbor. It was not exactly visible, per se, but it was
there, causing the air to appear like it was vibrating ever-so-slightly with some unseen energy. The wind whipped unforgivengly at his face, blowing sandy grit and pieces of machinery into his eyes. All around him, the streets of the city once renowned for its revolutionary technology were eerily deserted, almost like a ghost town. Nathaniel could tell that something was different with the Shade, too-it seemed more energized and
healthier, though not in the typical sense of the word. Nathaniel couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed, but it was most definitely noticeable.
Nathaniel watched as Lucius wandered aimlessly for a little while, taking in the relatively intact remains of Gearinggate Harbor. He could sense that the Shade was warily anticipating something.
What are we doing here? Nathaniel wondered "out loud".
No response. Well, that was not particularly surprising. Just then, Lucius abruptly turned to face Nathaniel and the Shade before backing away unsteadily. The Shade remained where it was, noting the flicker of shock and surprise that flashed through Lucius's normally chilly blue-green eyes. "D'ya bloody see tha' fucker standing next t'ya?!" he shouted, his voice filled with alarm.
"Yes, sir. I do," the Shade replied in the same flat tone that it had been using ever since it first confronted Lucius. It kept a careful eye on Lucius, tensing slightly and ready for anything.
Nathaniel was completely confused.
What in the world is he going on about?"Hello, Lucius. I'd been beginning to wonder when we would meet in... person," Lucius said, his voice suddenly calm and in control again.
What the hell? Is he talking to himself now? Jesus fucking christ
, this guy is absolutely insane! Nathaniel thought wildly, his mind scrabbling for an explanation.
The Shade sighed silently.
Be quiet. Your comments are utterly unnecessary, it said contemptuously.
You may control my body, but you don't control my thoughts. It's not like you're anything other than a powerless wisp of energy anyway, Nathaniel retorted.
The Shade laughed mockingly.
So it seems. A powerless wisp of energy that has rendered you absolutely helpless, if I need to remind you. You are so naive, it replied.
While Nathaniel and the Shade had been conversing, Lucius had switched from being cool and collected to shaky and fearful a couple of times. It was quite disconcerting to see him...to see him switch
personalities every few seconds. Lucius mentioned something in his calm personality about transferring human minds to clockwork bodies.
What the fuck?! Nathaniel would have recoiled if he could, he was that startled. Was Lucius talking about clockwork automatons?
Automatons were a taboo in Hourglass City. One only had to skim through a history of the Wasteland Cities and the Wasteland Wars to conclude that the black magic that was used to create them was not to be tampered with. Nathaniel shuddered mentally, more aware than ever of the dark aura permeating the ruins of Gearinggate Harbor. Besides, it was impossible that Lucius knew how to successfully create one-the knowledge had been lost after the fall of Gearinggate Harbor...and they didn't exist anymore, just like black magic had faded away...
Fool. Where do you think I come from? the Shade asked coldly in response to Nathaniel's frenzied thoughts.
Nathaniel was spared from answering when Lucius spoke again, the calm personality apparently in control "I'm losing patience with you, Lucius. Don't presume to have any choice in the matter. I need you on my side because my associates, the ones like Nathaniel here, are controlling their host bodies, but they need to exit these bodies to feed upon an very peculiar energy. If they go without feeding they become unstable, as I'm sure you witnessed at the library. I need a man that doesn't have this weakness in order to maintain consistency in my operation." Nathaniel was abruptly reminded of Shayde, and the way that he seemed to know things before they even happened. Suddenly, what the Shade had said earlier about Lucius being "irksome" while he was Lucius began to make sense. And now, Lucius was talking to himself, and he looked exactly like Shayde...
Shayde and Lucius are the same person? Nathaniel thought in disbelief.
Unfortunately, that is correct. Now, would you just shut up
? the Shade replied, a tinge of exasperation in its silent voice.
The man who was both Lucius and Shayde turned to face Nathaniel. "I'd like you to take Lucius back to Hourglass City and assist him in securing new living quarters. My associates don't belong on the streets. In addition, it'd be most beneficial if you could explain your situation in a bit more detail, perhaps showing him a few aspects of our operation as well," he said.
"Of course," the Shade answered.
"Good. I will see you back in Hourglass City then," Shayde-slash-Lucius responded. Lucius's eyes seemed grow dim and unfocused before they reverted back to his usual sharp stare. He was breathing heavily, and Nathaniel detected beads of sweat that had started to form on his forehead.
"Well? Are you going t'explain?" Lucius questioned challengingly, looking at Nathaniel and the Shade.
The Shade sighed using Nathaniel's mouth. "I suppose that it is better shown than explained using words. I-the true me, not Nathaniel Enright-am essentially a wisp of dark matter that has the ability to enter a human and take control of him or her by wrapping myself around the brain. I do indeed work for Shayde, who is the clockwork man that you just conversed with. And since I work for Shayde, I also work for you. I assure you, I do not mean to bring harm to you, sir." The Shade paused. "Now. We have a long trip ahead of us, and I am sure that you have more things to ask me, which I can better explain by
showing you. Will you come peaceably this time around?"
Lucius exhaled slowly, his eyes scrutinizing Nathaniel's face, which the Shade held in a stoic expression. "Fine. This better fuckin' be good," he answered.
The Shade motioned for Lucius to follow him back on board the airship, and into the cockpit, where it picked up a sack containing a miscellaneous collection of objects. Then, it went inside the solitary cabin where Lucius had originally woken up. "Take this," the Shade instructed, handing Lucius the key to the cabin. The Shade then procured a length of rope from the sack and took out a shadow jar. Finally, it found the syringe filled with a sedative that Lucius had originally attempted to inject into Nathaniel's bloodstream. The Shade set the shadow jar down on the ground and passed the syringe and rope to Lucius, who had been watching with a guarded expression. Nathaniel tensed in anticipation, knowing what was to come. It was another opportunity to somehow get the hell out of there without the Shade controlling his body.
"Sir, I need you to bind Nathaniel's ankles and wrists together, as tightly as you possibly can. I will exit the host body and enter the shadow jar on the ground, and remain inside for about an hour. Afterwards, there are a few things that we will need to retrieve. Do you understand?"
Lucius frowned slightly. "Wait, wait, wait. If you're working for
me, why are y'telling me what t'do?"
Nathaniel sensed a great deal of exasperation coming from the Shade. It let out an irritated sigh. "Sir, you do not have to do this if you do not wish to. But you desire an explanation, do you not?"
Lucius thought for a moment. "Okay. Yes, I understand."
"Good. If the sedative in the syringe is injected into Nathaniel's bloodstream, how long will he be unconscious for?"
Lucius glanced down at the syringe and then back at Nathaniel, eyeing him for a second before responding. "With the amount of sedative combined with Nathaniel's size and enhanced physical abilities, I would say five hours at the most."
"And at the very least?"
"Three."
The Shade nodded with Nathaniel's head. "That will do. Okay-inject the sedative into Nathaniel's bloodstream after I have exited from his ear. Now, the rope, if you will..." it sat down on the bed and trailed off as Lucius began to bind Nathaniel's wrists behind his back, pulling the rope taut and then repeating the process with his ankles. Lucius watched the Shade with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
Nathaniel felt the Shade leave his head, the coldness that had enveloped his skull disappearing. Soon enough, Lucius could see something flowing out of Nathaniel's right ear. It looked like...like black smoke, which was exactly what he had noticed coming out of the dead pirate behind the library. As soon as he could move by his own will, Nathaniel sprang into action, shoving himself forward toward Lucius. However, he did not get very far before Lucius stuck the end of the syringe into his arm, pumping the sedative into Nathaniel's body. A few seconds later, he slumped against the wall, unconscious.
*****
Meanwhile, the Shade swirled languidly through the air, giving Lucius a chance to see it for what it really was, before entering the shadow jar. True to its word, it emerged from the shadow jar within an hour. The Shade shot toward the door knob, curling itself around it. Lucius took the hint and opened the door to the cabin where Nathaniel lay unconscious.
Come, the Shade seemed to say with its movements, beckoning for Lucius to follow with a flick of its tail end.
Lucius did as it asked, walking back outside with the Shade leading the way. The Shade led Lucius through the ruins of Gearinggate Harbor, confidently streaking down empty streets, undeterred by the strong wind and sand and grit that was being blown every which way. Lucius struggled to keep up, and the Shade repeatedly circled back impatiently, waiting for Lucius to catch up before shooting off again. The Shade seemed to be at home amongst the desolate remains of the Wasteland City. The vibrating in the air got noticeably stronger as they made their way through the labyrinth of broken machinery and deserted buildings.
About twenty minutes after they'd set out, the Shade stopped in midair. "Where are we?" Lucius asked it out loud. The Shade paid him no mind; indeed, in its natural state, the Shade could not see or hear. Shades relied solely on their ability to detect Myalo, or "black magic", and their ability to sense sentient beings to get around. As for communicating with other ones of their kind, Shades had a peculiar sort of telepathy that used. After all, they were made of the same matter, and this unique connection allowed them to communicate quite easily.
Since the black magic in the air was at its greatest in Gearinggate Harbor-or what was left of it, anyway-the Shade could detect even the slightest disturbances in the black magic, and it could also pinpoint specific things without the benefit of being able to see.
<Come, my friends,> it broadcasted out to the other Shades in the ruins.
<Our time has come. Shayde has need of us in Hourglass City, and we will possess bodies of our own once again.>The Shade's message was rapidly received and passed along. Though Lucius couldn't tell, excited exclamations "sounded" from every corner of the remains of Gearinggate Harbor as the black magic thick in the air transmitted the missive.
<Did you hear that?>
<Shayde's back?>
<Hourglass City! Why there?> Lucius noticed a change in the vibrating of the air-it suddenly intensified and seemed to wrap itself around Lucius, enveloping him in a thick blanket of invisible energy. Shades began pouring toward Lucius and the Shade, darting nimbly through the empty streets and skeletal remains. They came from inside buildings, out of the ground, from cracks and crevices and niches and nooks and crannies and down from the sky. Soon enough, there was a large mass of what looked like black smoke surrounding Lucius.
The Shade separated from the cloud of Shades and curled itself around Lucius's hand and then stretched itself away, as if it was tugging him along. Lucius understood that it was telling him to follow it again, so he obliged, a swarm of other Shades close on his heels. This time, the Shade actually went inside one of the derelict buildings that was still standing. It appeared fairly nondescript from the outside, with crumbling walls coated with a layer of dust and grit, but as soon as Lucius got closer to the building, he
sensed something. The presence of Myalo in the air was more powerful than ever, and it filled every pore of Lucius's being, threatening to choke him with its thickness.
The Shade led Lucius into an old cellar, which remained relatively untouched by the ravages of time, though the trap door that served as the entrance was hanging by the hinges. Lucius easily pushed it aside and descended into the dimly lit room. The Shade darted toward the corner, and Lucius carefully made his way over as well. Behind an old bookshelf was a large, locked chest. Lucius easily broke the rusty lock and opened it up.
Rows and rows of shadow jars were neatly stacked inside. Each jar was about six inches tall and made out of a gleaming black material. Intricate symbols and runes that were all but indecipherable were etched into the outsides of the jars. Under the shadow jars, there were other mysterious-looking objects in a jumbled heap, and at the very bottom of the chest, there were some parchments that had managed to survive the Wasteland Wars. The Shade swirled around the chest, moving back and forth from Lucius and the chest. Lucius took it to mean that the Shade wanted him to bring the chest back to the airship, so he picked it up with some difficulty and followed the Shade back outside.
*****
After another twenty or thirty minutes of traveling, the Shade, Lucius, and a horde of Shades from Gearinggate Harbor were back in the airship. Lucius returned to the cabin, where Nathaniel still lay unconscious, and set down the chest. The Shade slithered back inside Nathaniel's ear while the other Shades that it had summoned filled the corridor outside the cabin. A little later, the effects of the sedative wore off, and the Shade sat up again. "There is a small dagger in Nathaniel's boot," it said in a monotone voice to Lucius. "Please use it to cut the ropes."
Lucius decided that for now, it would be in his best interest to do as the Shade said. The Shade stood up after the ropes had been cut and put the dagger back into Nathaniel's boot.
Where the hell did he get that chest from? Nathaniel demanded as soon as he saw the chest by Lucius's feet. The Shade did not deign to respond.
"Sir, I am going to bring us back to Hourglass City. You can either stay here or come with me into the cockpit again. I have told the other Shades who you are," the Shade said with Nathaniel's mouth. Indeed, on the way back to the airship, the Shade had filled in its companions about how Shayde and Lucius were the same person and what to expect from Lucius.
Lucius glanced down at the chest before standing up. "I will come with you to the cockpit," he answered.
Soon enough, the Shade, Nathaniel, and Lucius were flying away from what used to be Gearinggate Harbor and back toward Hourglass City. Once they were in the air, Lucius began to ask questions.
"How the hell d'you talk when you're not inside Nathaniel? Can you see or hear?"
"No, sir, I cannot "see" or "hear" like you can when I am not inside a host body. My sense of sight derives itself from the amount of Myalo, or "black magic", in the atmosphere. I am able to sense it and sense disturbances in it. In Hourglass City, because there is very, very little black magic in the air, I have an extremely difficult time "seeing" when I am in my natural state. However, in Gearinggate Harbor, where humans first began to experiment with black magic, which eventually led to the fall of the city, I can sense even the slightest disturbances." The Shade paused for a second before continuing. "I am not able to hear anything but the thoughts of other Shades since we are made of the same substance. Again, because there is much more black magic in the air in Gearinggate Harbor than there is in Hourglass City, I am able to communicate much more easily in Gearinggate Harbor. Our thoughts are transmitted across the black magic."
"Interesting," Lucius mused out loud. Nathaniel listened intently to the conversation. This would be valuable information in the long run. He was painfully reminded of Elizabeth and their son and the rest of the Aeronaut Guild...would they even be able to tell that he had no control of his own actions? And more importantly, what would happen to them? Nathaniel nervously recalled the swarm of Shades that he'd seen in the airship. Would Shayde tell them to take control over innocent people?
Nathaniel sensed that the Shade knew of his apprehensiveness, and that it did not care. It would do whatever it needed in order to help Shayde. Nothing was too cruel or too inhumane for the Shade.
It isn't human anyway, Nathaniel thought to himself.
I was human once, the Shade said in response to Nathaniel's thoughts.
Nathaniel would have frowned if he could have.
How the hell could you have been human? You're a....a wisp of smoke, or something like that. And humans don't happen to have the ability to crawl into somebody else's head like a parasite and take over their bodies.Nathaniel detected the Shade's mood growing darker.
I never said that I am
human, the Shade responded frostily.
I was once human, and a human did this to me.Nathaniel was more perplexed than he had ever been in his entire life. However, the Shade lapsed into silence, refusing to offer an explanation for its cryptic statement.
The sound of Lucius's voice interrupted Nathaniel's swirling thoughts. "How long will it be till we're back in Hourglass City?"
"About eighteen hours, sir, although we will probably have to stop along the way. My host body requires rest."
Lucius nodded, his expression unreadable. "Is there any way that I could talk to the Shades in the hallway?"
"I'm afraid not, sir."
"What if I let one of them inside my head?"
The Shade hesitated, and Nathaniel sensed his doubt. "I do not believe that will be possible," it replied carefully, thinking about Shayde's true form.
"Why not?" Lucius challenged, turning to face Nathaniel.
"Shayde will explain it all to you in due time," the Shade answered vaguely. Lucius did not seem satisfied by the ambiguous reply, but he dropped the subject, much to the Shade's relief.
Why can't he know? Nathaniel questioned.
You humans are so terribly irritating, the Shade snapped in response. Nathaniel decided to leave the Shade alone for the time being.
The ruins of Gearinggate Harbor gradually faded into the distance as the Shade flew. The barren desert of the Wastelands stretched out like a blanket underneath them, the scenery occasionally interrupted by large chunks of broken machinery and the like.
October 8th, 1891Five hours of flying brought the Shade, Lucius, and Nathaniel just past the ruins of Obsididrift and into the wee hours of the morning. The Shade landed the airship on a flat piece of land. "My host body requires sleep. We have thirteen more hours of flying left before we arrive at Hourglass City, sir."
"And what should I do while y'are sleeping?" Lucius asked.
The Shade shrugged with Nathaniel's shoulders. "It does not matter to me, sir. Sleep, if you want to. However, Shayde has informed me that you do not know how to fly an airship, so I trust that you will not attempt anything rash." The Shade turned on its heel without waiting for a response and exited the cockpit. It walked to the end of the hallway past the cloud of Shades and lay down on its side on the floor before it closed Nathaniel's eyes.
*****
Nathaniel rarely ever dreamed, but that night, he dreamed vividly.
Nathaniel was a teenager again, flying for the first time. He relived his apprehension at piloting an airship by himself, which had eventually turned to exhilaration and a breathless excitement. But the joy and absolute freedom he felt from piloting the airship quickly turned to dust as a black cloud materialized out of nowhere and surrounded the airship, obscuring Nathaniel's vision. He felt a growing sense of panic as the cloud pressed itself against the airship, wisps of the substance floating languidly into the cockpit. The air seemed to turn thick and syrupy, and chills ran down Nathaniel's spine. The black wisps that had first percolated in expanded and multiplied, until Nathaniel was unable to breathe because there was just so much of it clogging his nostrils and throat. He coughed, feeling himself choking on the smoky thing.
Confusion clouded his judgement, and Nathaniel flailed wildly. The black smoke wound itself tightly around Nathaniel like a boa constrictor before pouring into his mouth and down his throat, suffocating him. He tried to scream, but by then it was too late. He had been swallowed whole by the smoke, he was trapped inside the smoke, he hadbecome
the smoke. *****
Nathaniel woke up with a start. The Shade was already awake.
That was an interesting dream, it remarked.
Very symbolic. Nathaniel felt too drained to argue. The Shade got up and walked back to the empty cockpit, starting up the airship again. As the engines began to hum and the propellers began to whir, Lucius re-joined the Shade in the cockpit, presumably emerging from the small cabin where he had left the chest. It was about ten in the morning.
They made good time, seeing as there was more than enough fuel in the airship to get them back to Hourglass City and that there was no other sign of civilization in sight. The acrid deserts of the Wastelands started fading into the dull browns and dusty greens of the brush of the uninhabited land in between Hourglass City and the Wastelands.
"What're we doin' when we get back to Hourglass City?" Lucius asked idly, flicking his eyes ever-so-slightly toward the Shade and Nathaniel.
"Finding you somewhere to live, sir. There is an abandoned building near the border of Automahaven and Ravensford that will do for now, but it will not be long until the Aeronauts catch up with us if we are to stay in one place for an extended period of time," the Shade replied using Nathaniel's mouth. "After that, Shayde has instructed me to assist you in gathering any resources needed."
"Resources needed for what?"
"For conducting research and experiments on successfully binding a human brain to a clockwork body, sir. I trust that you were able to find something useful in the chest?"
The Shade detected a small frown that was beginning to form on Lucius's face. "I found things, yes. Where will I get a clockwork body? And how th' fuck am I supposed t'make one?"
The Shade sighed. "I do not know, sir," it said flatly. "Shayde has enough faith in your intellect to leave that part to you. I will gather whatever materials that you ask me to."
"I suppose that will do. And where am I t'work?" Lucius questioned.
"I can secure you a lab, sir, if needed. For now, you will have to improvise, but once we find more permanent lodgings, it will be possible to transfer anything needed into your own lab," the Shade responded.
Lucius let out a dispassionate grunt. "Where the hell have y'been this whole bloody time?" he muttered quietly under his breath. "Sure woulda' been real fuckin' useful if you'd been there from th' goddamn start." The Shade acted like it had not heard what he said. Lucius cleared his throat and spoke in a louder voice. "And wha' do we do if the fuckin' Aeronauts
do show up?"
"I will dispose of them, sir." The Shade replied blandly.
Lucius studied Nathaniel carefully out of the corner of his eye. "Sounds fair enough. And the other Shades?"
"That is none of your concern for the time being, sir."
Lucius narrowed his eyes, noticeably suspicious of the Shade. "D'ya take me for a bloody fool?"
"No, sir."
"Then tell me wha' the hell you're doing with the other Shades." There was a steely expression on Lucius's face.
However, Nathaniel's face seemed to be carved of stone and as calm as still water. "Sir, that is none of your concern for the time being. Shayde will give you that piece of information when it is necessary."
Lucius swore softly under his breath, but dropped the subject. He didn't bother trying to talk to the Shade for the rest of the journey.
October 9th, 1891It was around one o'clock in the morning when the Shade, Lucius, and Nathaniel arrived back at Hourglass City. The Shade expertly guided the airship back into the very, very large shed that was serving as a temporary place to store the airship. The engines powered down and the propellers slowed. The Shade strode out of the cockpit, Lucius close on his heels. The Shade picked up the chest and motioned for Lucius to follow. It opened the door that led abovedecks, and the black cloud of Shades streamed out of the airship. The Shade located the trapdoor on the roof and opened it, letting the Shades inside the building before entering itself. Lucius trailed after him, taking a moment to note where he was. The Shades spread throughout the abandoned building, tucking themselves away into shadowy corners. Meanwhile, the Shade brought Lucius to the one renovated room. Inside, there was the chair bolted to the ground that Nathaniel had been restrained in the first time the Shade had fed, a desk with the drawers that had false bottoms, and another door that led to a small bedroom that was furnished with a thin cot and a tall stool that served as a night stand. There was a threadbare blanket thrown haphazardly across the cot and a candle with a couple boxes of matches on the stool.
The Shade set the chest down in the bedroom and handed Lucius the spare key to the front room and the trapdoor. "Sir, I am afraid that these are our accommodations for now, but we will be moving sometime soon. I will leave you be." With that, the Shade turned on its heel and walked out of the bedroom, leaving Lucius alone with the chest and with his thoughts.
TL;DR: the Shade gets his buddies to come to Hourglass City with him, explains the situation to Lucius, and brings everyone back to Hourglass City. In Gearinggate Harbor, the Shade led Lucius to a chest filled with shadow jars and old artifacts and manuscripts from the scientists of Gearinggate Harbor before the city was overrun from black magic.
Genevieve
October 15th, 1891 Genevieve's mind raced as she strode briskly toward the Raven's Watch library around eight o'clock just over a week after the incident with the rogue pirate had occurred. On the thirteenth, she had received a letter from a pirate named Katherine who was a part of a "Captain Raynor's" crew. Genevieve assumed that this Captain Raynor was Merriweather Raynor; she knew of his reputation. He was cunning and ruthless, and Genevieve normally would not have considered working with him, but Katherine's letter had stated that Merriweather Raynor and she would provide "full compliance". On the fourteenth, she received a letter from a certain John Jacob Smith (which happened to be stained with grease) stating that he was an inventor with a certain skill-set and that he too would comply with the request. Genevieve supposed that was good, although she got a sort of...
disorganized vibe from Mr. Smith.
But the letter that she had just received that morning was the most disturbing of them all. It was from Captain Seward, although it did not have the official seal of the emergency response team. The message was terse and succinct; a pirate had been found with his wings forcibly removed from his back, and a prominent Aeronaut pilot named Nathaniel Enright had deserted the Guild, although he had been spotted behind the library when the rogue pirate had gone crazy. Captain Seward had then gone on to inform Genevieve that he was seen leaving Hourglass City in an unmarked airship.
Genevieve was relying on her own limited knowledge of black magic, information from Captain Seward, and these three seemingly unrelated events to try to deduce what in the world was going on. She figured that the easiest thing to do for the time being would be to brush up on her knowledge of black magic, Gearinggate Harbor, and clockwork automatons. She glanced over at the aide-Edith Granger-who she'd asked to accompany her to the library in an effort to read up on black magic. The raven-haired healer was far too young to have known much about the Wasteland Wars, but she would be able to do more
questionable things without attracting the unwanted attention that somebody like Genevieve would.
Just imagine the uproar it would cause if Doctor Winchester, the leader of the Apothecary branch of the emergency response team, went around asking about black magic, she thought dryly to herself.
It was completely dark by the time that Genevieve and Edith reached the Raven's Watch library, though the night was lit up by a multitude of street lights. The two women made their way up the stone stairs, the pale towers of the building looming over them. Past the grand doors, the floor was a fine mahogany with crimson rugs sprinkled across the expanse of wood. Simple but elegant tables and chairs littered the front half of the main floor, and the back half of the main floor was taken up by rows upon rows of bookshelves filled with books of every size and shape; from thick, dusty tomes that smelled of humidity and moth balls to shiny, newly published novels and even a large selection of decorated books. Hushed conversation floated through the air, and there was a studious aura to the entire room.
The main floor of the Raven's Watch library was impressive, but of course, there were many other floors and towers and side rooms to explore. "From what I remember, books about history are in the left tower, and books about science are in the tower to the right of that one," Genevieve said quietly to Edith. "I think that we should look in the history tower for anything about black magic, as the Council of Hourglass City certainly does not consider it a very...
respectable science," she continued. The younger woman nodded, and the pair walked to the leftmost door, which opened to reveal a long flight of stairs.
Genevieve struggled to recall where books about the Wasteland Wars would be. Genevieve rarely ever visited the library-she was far too busy for it most of the time-and it had been years since she'd browsed the history section. Genevieve and Edith climbed the steps up past the level dedicated to the history of Hourglass City, past the level dedicated to the history of the world, and past the level dedicated to the history of the Eastern world. By the time that they'd reached the fourth and second-to-last level, which was dedicated to the history of the Western world Genevieve's legs ached and she was panting heavily. The stairs were well-maintained, but there were just so
many, and Genevieve was well past her prime. The fifth level was dedicated to a miscellaneous assortment of antique manuscripts, indecipherable parchments, and decorated books. "Edith, would you mind looking through this floor while I go to the fifth one for any information that we could use?" Genevieve asked after catching her breath. "It starts from recent events and goes back in time as you go farther in. The library is open all night, although I am sure that you will not want to stay here the entire time. Frankly, I may end up doing just that, so I will talk to you in the morning at the hospital," Genevieve said. With that, she was back to climbing stairs.
Another three or four minutes passed before Genevieve arrived at the final floor of the history tower. Unlike the other floors, this particular floor appeared to be deserted. A layer of dust coated everything. Genevieve tentatively walked inside the first room. The fifth level did not seem to be organized chronologically like the lower levels; rather, objects were organized by "type"-decorated books with decorated books, handwritten parchments with handwritten parchments, et cetera. Genevieve took a deep breath, got out her small leather-bound notebook and pen, and began.
*****
First, she thumbed through manuscripts that threatened to crumble under her touch. Most were journal entries and letters authored by merchants and travelers about foreign lands. Genevieve developed a system of deciding which ones to skim and which ones to ignore. Anything not from the 1850s or 1860s could immediately be returned to the shelf, and Genevieve soon discovered that there appeared to be an unofficial way of organizing the manuscripts-someone had gone and sorted them by
topic, although whoever had done that exhausting task had not bothered to label the topics or indicate when a topic began and ended. Genevieve looked through letters and numerical records and accounts from the entire civilized world before she stumbled upon an account of the Wasteland Cities, formerly known as Gearinggate Harbor, Steamfall City, Terraburn, and Obsididrift.
Finally, Genevieve thought to herself, picking up her notebook and writing down anything that she deemed worth noting as she skimmed the manuscripts. One in particular, authored in 1853, caught Genevieve's attention:
"November 30th, 1853
Louisa:
I have arrived at Gearinggate Harbor, and I feel that this is the most revolutionary city of the time. True to its name, gears are everywhere. It certainly is not as beautiful as home, but even Hourglass City's beauty pales in comparison to the advancements being made here. Oh, Louisa, they're making clockwork people, just as everyone was saying! It's rather disconcerting, you see, because they behave just like you and me, but if you turn them around, there is this strange little mechanism in their backs. I have seen people wind them up like a music box or a watch with a key, and if they are not wound enough, they simply freeze and stop moving. They look exactly like us too; I am not sure how this works, but it is absolutely amazing.
I will write more when I get the chance. Oh, I have so much to tell you, and not nearly enough time to do so! Say hello to May and Cornelia and all the other girls for me!
With love,Lottie"Genevieve raised an eyebrow and noted some of the characteristics of clockwork automatons mentioned before setting the manuscript aside. Hopefully, she would be able to find more letters written by Lottie. Though this Lottie certainly did not seem to be a scientist or an expert on black magic and automation-in fact, she seemed easily impressed and a bit gullible-right then, Genevieve would have taken any tiny little scrap of information.
Genevieve spent another two or three hours poring through the extensive collection of manuscripts related to the Wasteland Cities. Soon enough, her hands were stained with ink, her greying brown hair was falling out of its tight bun, and her dark beige skirts had drops of ink splattered all over them. Genevieve sighed when she noticed that ink was everywhere, smoothing out the front of her dress before going back to her reading. She hit the jackpot twenty minutes later when she found a report of an experiment involving finding a better way to bind the human mind with a clockwork body.
"May 27th, 1857
~5:00 AM-Centri-filtration procedure started with subject #249. Subject in coma since 5/20.
8:13 AM-Subject unresponsive to centri-filtration procedure. Raw MYA successfully extracted and stored in SJ
8:37 AM-Began CC procedure on raw MYA
11:41 AM-Modified CC procedure #4 successfully completed. CC-MYA a light grey color as opposed to pure black of raw MYA
11:45 AM-Clock brain placed in SJ with CC-MYA
4:45 PM-Clock brain removed from SJ. Almost no trace of CC-MYA in SJ
5:30 PM-Clock brain placed into C249
May 28th, 1857
5:36 AM-C249 functioning as expected. Success?"A barely legible note scribbled in the margins read:
"Modified CC procedure #4 has thus far yielded promising results as a better and more efficient way of binding the MYA extracted from brain to clock brain"Genevieve dutifully noted everything down, although the manuscript created more questions than answers. She wrote down key words such as "centri-filtration", "MYA", "SJ", and "modified CC procedure #4" with a big question mark next to them. By then it was almost midnight, and Genevieve had just begun.
*****
The next hour or so led to little success in terms of defining the unknown terms and discovering more information. Genevieve stood up and stretched, setting aside the manuscripts that she was done with. She glanced around the room, nodding to herself when she noticed that she had gone through everything on the shelves. Genevieve walked through a couple rooms, skipping them for the moment because the shelves were filled with decorated books rather than manuscripts. She stumbled upon a small door half-hidden by a large bookshelf. She opened it with a bit of difficulty due to the fact that the hinges were rusty and unused; there was a horrid squealing sound as Genevieve forced the door open.
The room itself was empty of life, just like the dozens of other rooms that Genevieve had passed. She sneezed when the dust hit her nose and found the nearest stack of manuscripts, carefully wiping the blanket of dust off of the fragile parchment. Genevieve took the pile and sat down, resuming her work.
Near the bottom of the pile was what seemed to be the rough draft of a scientific report of some sort that had been published in a newspaper or something like that. Genevieve squinted in the dim light and began to read.
"December 19th, 1855
A study of the optimal methods to synthesize Myalo with the brain of a clockwork automaton
By Edward Lightfeather, Wilhelmina Sullivan, and George Lenore
Background
In the light of recent developments in the field of automation, the work of Astory and Brill1(1853) in synthesizing Myalo extracted from the human brain with the brain of a clockwork automaton is revolutionary, although not without faults. The method proposed by Astory and Brill, and subsequently employed by most scientists in creating clockwork automatons, has about a 63.1% success rate, as shown by statistics compiled by Paulsi2(1855). In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of a method known as centri-filtration and first used by Walter and Clarkson3(1854) and a new procedure known as "clockwork compatibilization" (CC).
Centri-filtration is the filtration of raw Myalo (MYA) from the human brain after the human brain has been infused with a mixture of substances (known collectively as "Chlrika") that will degrade the brain matter. After the Chlrika procedure is performed, which will naturally break down the cells and material that makes up the human brain, leaving it in its most basic form, the brain matter is separated out by density, which allows the raw Myalo to be filtered out from the other brain matter.
Raw Myalo itself is a viscous, pure black substance. However, if left over time, it gradually becomes less and less viscous. If it is left alone in a shadow jar (SJ) for more than a year, the raw Myalo will become gaseous, resembling black smoke, as discovered by Wolfe 4(1855). The properties of gaseous raw Myalo are still largely unknown."After that, a large portion of the manuscript was illegible due to water damage. Genevieve sighed in irritation and leafed through the parchments until she could actually read the words that were written.
"Clockwork compatibilization, which we refer to as "CC" in shorthand, is a procedure that we performed after the raw MYA was successfully extracted from test subject #21. The basics of this procedure involve infusing the raw MYA with the essence of electricity in order to make it more compatible with the clockwork automaton's brain and therefore increase the success rate of binding a human mind with a clockwork body. Myalo that has undergone the CC procedure is referred to as "CC-MYA" in shorthand."
Here, Genevieve frowned. The entire thing was so entirely
unethical that she felt slightly sick to the stomach. It was obvious that the test subjects that were repeatedly mentioned were human beings, and the whole passage about breaking down human brain matter made Genevieve want to vomit.
There's also the fact that I'm lucky if I understand even half of what this is saying, she mused to herself.
The squealing of the hinges caught Genevieve's attention. She hadn't even noticed the footsteps of someone approaching. There was a muttered curse and a huge shove accompanied by more squealing, and the door opened to reveal a slim young man with a stack of books and parchments in his hands. Genevieve was paralyzed with shock as his blue-green eyes met her dark brown ones. Who was he, and what the
hell was he doing up here?
Summary: First things first, everyone needs to receive Genevieve's letter (excluding Lucius and Nathaniel) if they haven't done so yet. The gist of the third post is doing research on the whole black magic thing and writing to Genevieve about the research anytime in between October 14th and October 24th.
HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS IF YOU NEED IDEAS; KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU MUST DOOn October 10th,
Charlotte would have told
Marcus, Charles, and
Ansel about the deal with Nathaniel, so the Aeronauts should like be keeping an eye out for him and the place that Edwin (an NPC) saw Nathaniel fly off from.
For
Edith, she should find some information about the Wasteland Wars and such that isn't super general-knowledge and like stuff about Gearinggate Harbor and accounts of the experiments that went on there including some of the properties of black magic and a mention that Shades are what remain of the human minds that failed to bond correctly with the clockwork bodies.
Victoire and
Philomena would be able to find more black magic-specific information in the decorated books (properties, what it does, some more fantasy-esque things, etc-message me if you need more info).
Merriweather and
Katherine could go like look into the pirate who got his wings ripped off his back and talk to him.
Selah, John, and
Sebastian could look into Wasteland Wars/black magic stuff too, although most likely more into the science-y side of things (for example, what centri-filtration is, message me if you're unsure/have questions/whatever).
Lucius/Shayde will be at library too (with
Nathaniel) after hanging out getting settled for a week and encounter Genevieve on the 5th floor.
I trust that none of you will godmod it so feel free to have some fun with this.