Complete Private Eastern Brisshal Living machinery

[MAI]

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Tranquil Manastone
Eastern Brisshal

Manastones - There were countless ones scattered throughout the entire Eastern Brisshal. Most players didn't even know what they were for, or what purpose they served. Only that they positively radiated mana and were practically indestructible. But those who often knew were players that chose to be a Magia, the race of synthetic humanoids. Unlike the other races, they have no need for sleep. Instead, a Magia has to recharge from an external source.

The more mana this source had, the faster the charge would be. These stones, therefore, proved to be an excellent way of teaching new players just that. And as realistic as this game was, the developers did seem to care for playability, at least somewhat. Especially now that the weather was rebounding slightly, the harsh cold and snow thawing away to leave the forest still dark under the gray clouds, but at least still green rather than pure white.

MAI had already taken advantage of this, her small frame sitting against one of the stones fairly near Honeyhome. Motionless, she appeared as sleeping to any observer. With most of her body wrapped up in a warm dress-length hoodie, the only thing that betrayed her Magia nature was the typical mechanical piece adorning her colorful hair.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Seeking Manastones out was seriously starting to become quite the irritating little distraction, all things considered. It was almost enough to make somebody regret picking anything to do with Magitech in anyway. The term 'almost' was used because, well, Luna figured she was getting closer and closer to achieving some kind of breakthrough. Maybe. It was honestly hard to say, but her efforts were starting to bear fruit and she was closer, yet closer, to an end goal that she still couldn't really see.

She was working on new energy sources for her inventions. Something had to be supplying the Manastones with whatever their abundance of power was.

It was Luna's personal theory that they might be charged by things in the ambient atmosphere. Currently, though, her focus was on astral energy. The energy of things such as the stars. Their heat and power, the Mana of those things. All potentially viable sources of that strange radiant energy that clung to and radiated from the Manastones.

Finding one was quite nice, though there was the slight issue of the Magia slumped against it. Luna, not really one to do much talking or wanting to wake up somebody resting, wordlessly and quietly set to work placing multiple devices all around the Manastone, similar to the electrodes used to examine people medically, before she pulled out some kind of device with a screen and a few dials, switching it on. The low buzz the device gave off was quite soothing, like the sound of an old laptop.

Luna was no stranger to being alone with her gadgets...

@MAI

 

[MAI]

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As quiet as the steps of a feline on soft grass might have been, they were still loud enough to rouse someone who was simply resting, not actively sleeping. MAI was far from defenseless in this state, always keeping an eye out with one sense or another. And while the beastfolk didn't appear to be up to anything nefarious, she still didn't want to just... kept on resting while someone was doing something this close by. So as the woman worked on her gadgets, a voice suddenly sounded from directly behind her.

"Suggestion - If this unit is in the way of important work, it can vacate these premises of requested to."

Using her anti-gravity systems, she was able to float up and close to Luna without making as much as a single bit of noise. Whether sneaking up on the woman like that was a good, or a bad decision would be something she'd derive from the reaction to it all. And perhaps if the woman did have bad intentions, this would spook them right out of her?

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Ah, it seemed that she'd failed to avoid waking the robot girl up anyway. It was pretty typical that she'd fail at such a simple task, even though she wasn't exactly equipped for stealth or anything of the sort. Unfortunately, though, the girl made the mistake of deciding to sneak up on Luna, who practically existed with 'high strung' as her base personality state. It meant that, when taken off guard, she was fairly prone to just lashing out. In this case, that meant that once she was caught off guard, her control slipped.

And her aura of flame and stardust, compressed tightly around her body until it had been invisible, flared out massively, engulfing herself, the Magia and the Manastone in a wave of heat and twinkling lights.

Crap. Sorry about that, but sneaking up on people whilst they're working is a really bad habit to develop, you know. I could have turned around and punched you. And trust me, that would have hurt.

Luna sighed, running a hand through her hair to scratch at her ears lightly, before she shook her head.

You don't have to leave. The work isn't important, nor were you in the way.

@MAI

 

[MAI]

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The sudden burst of energy was certainly unexpected, but it didn't do much to the Magia. Her own Aura was pretty much always active, defending her at least from the weaker of attacks. Still, she pushed one of her feet against the ground and sent herself sailing backward a couple of meters to create more of a personal space between the two of them.

"Apologies - This unit forgets that floating through the air does not generate any noise to alert those around. Please, accept this unit's apologies."

With that, she offered a small bow of her head. That said, it was clear that the beastfolk was not hostile, which was the better option. Not even demanding that the Magia leaves, MAI was somewhat relieved. Relieved and very much curious as to what the other one was doing with the manastone.

"Query - May this unit ask what these devices are meant to accomplish with the manastone."

They didn't look like traditional magitech batteries.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Oh no, was she dealing with a roleplayer? Nobody had ever prepared her for somebody that was actively playing some kind of character, as if that character was a different person with a different personality. Knowing nothing about Magia as a race, Luna just assumed that the floating girl was simply playing some kind of role, or acting something out. Why anybody would choose to be a robot, of all things, was vastly beyond her. Then again, Luna did enjoy pleasures of the flesh, such as eating food and sleeping in a soft bed, or feeling a warm hug.

She'd miss those WAY too much.

Oh, I'm just examining the Manastone. Well, more specifically, I'm trying to break down the mana inside of it to see if I can identify a source for it.

Luna hummed as she looked back down at her device, noting the different lines on the graph that was displayed on the screen with a soft frown as she tried to break apart the data in her head.

To put it simply, I'm trying to figure out if the Mana is aspected. Like, if it has a resemblance to the Mana involved with Pyromancy, or Astramancy and so on.

@MAI

 

[MAI]

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Tilting her head from the side, MAI tried to observe from the distance she had created for a brief while. Not much she could really discern like that, however. So, only a few short moments later, she would slowly walk over to see it all more clearly. At least she opted not to float this time.

"Answer - The mana inside of these stones cannot be aspected."

Her answer was rather blunt, direct, and confident. She realized moments later that she should probably elaborate, so she pointed at the mechanical headpiece in her hair, unsure if the beastfolk realized she was dealing with a Magia yet.

"Elaboration - This unit and all other Magia need to recharge from sources of mana, just like magitech gadgets. After charging from many different sources, manastones are completely unique. They taste... pure."

There wasn't really a better way for her to describe it. Although it definitely wasn't like she could taste the mana the same way she could taste food when eating it. Squatting down, she looked directly at Luna.

"Offer - This unit can help with matters regarding the manastone."

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

You see, that was exactly what I was predicting too! The Mana inside of a Manastone can't be aspected, because to aspect it would be to risk it being harmful to somebody! But then, it raises quite a pretty interesting question, at least in my eyes.

Luna began to pluck the electrodes off of the Manastone, pushing each one back into her inventory, before she began to pull different ones out, capped with a kind of red painted tape, rather than the pristine white tape of the previous electrodes. And these ones connected to a different device. Not something that could be held in the hands, it was a large, metallic cube with a screen, heavy enough that Luna had to set it down.

You see, coming across unaspected Mana should be pretty rare, don't you think? Nearly everything in the world is tainted by something else. Purity is such a difficult thing to attain. It's possible that these were placed here just by the developers and that their function can't be replicated.

She tapped away at a few buttons on the device she'd just planted. Instead of a series of graphs, there was instead a singular graph and some kind of map.

I think I can find a way to track the source of this unaspected Mana, if there is a source. I have an idea, too, but the machinery is, well, as you can see, quite awkward and immobile.

@MAI

 

[MAI]

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Getting over the initial bump of awkwardness, it seemed that the other girl quickly perked up and got back into her element. As someone with deep roots in magitech, she could understand having fun with the mastery and using it to interact with the world around them. Although MAI wasn't entirely sure about what was going on here.

"Opinion - What if the manastones are generating the mana inside of them instead of absorbing it from something else? Falderen is one of the more 'pure' locations, so it would make sense if the mana originated somewhere here."

At least that was how the girl was thinking about it all. With a horrid crystal disease up north, the blood lands down south, Cthulhu land to the west, and whatever was beyond the Tangeweaves... this was practically a paradise.

MAI's eyes then shifted over to the device. It did certainly have that heavy thud to it, even as it was placed into soft grass and dirt. And while there was no direct answer to the idea that she could help with this whole thing, if the mass of these technologies was the issue, then she could most definitely help.

"Offer - This unit can carry all of the devices with ease, whenever you need them to be. If this would be of any help, this unit will gladly do so."

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

If they're generating the mana inside of them, then they're creating energy somehow. Granted, I don't really know the specifics of how mana works, so maybe they're breaking the laws of thermodynamics, but I still would like to at least figure out if there's some kind of source.

She hummed in thought. If they actually generated mana, then she was pretty much screwed. There was very little she could do to generate mana by herself. She hadn't ever heard of or seen anybody actually generating mana like that, otherwise all Magia would be walking around with some kind of portable battery or something like that.

Of course, it did seem like it was entirely possible that she was just wasting her own time here, but there was very little she could do about that. She did pause at the offer of help, looking at MAI and squinting, her ears flicking.

What's in it for you? Why would you help me with something when we've just met? We don't even know each others' names yet.

It all seemed a little suspicious, really, but that was maybe just the slightly jaded side of herself speaking. The side that still kind've shunned most social activity.

Either way, I pretty much just need this Manastone for now. You can continue resting against it, if you need the energy. I don't think anything I do would disturb or harm you.

@MAI

 

[MAI]

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Was that the woman's goal? To figure out how these manastones worked and acquired their mana so she could replicate the process? Somehow, MAI felt that if that were truly possible, the MIT would have have figured it out by now. Or perhaps they weren't interested in even trying? It was sometimes hard to tell with such a large group of geniuses.

But the sudden apprehension took the Magia somewhat by surprise. Her synthetic eyes widened a bit as their gaze rested on the beastfolk, her head soon tilting to the side. Perhaps the individual in front of her just wasn't like the rest, more wary of strangers. Or perhaps it was MAI who was lucky until now and only met very open and friendly people. Either way, it seemed that introductions were in order.

"Greetings - You may address this unit as MAI. It is a pleasure to meet you."

That took care of the who. But her company was also cleary interested in the why. Which, in all honesty, there just wasn't much in this for the girl aside from maybe some experience from the experiment itself. Didn't mean she suddenly didn't want to help, however.

"Confession - This unit simply wanted to offer its services. There does not have to be a reward. That is all."

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Introductions were happening pretty late, weren't they? They'd already shared multiple sentences with one another, so Luna had kind've been operating under the assumption that the opportunity for introductions had passed them by. Though really, it was quite the strange introduction in the first place, wasn't it? It was definitely very weird, which was why she'd really tried her best to avoid the roleplayers and stuff back when she'd played Terrasphere back in the old days.

This unit? Look, uh, I dunno how committed to it you are, but would you mind dropping the character act around me? The whole machine things is, honestly, a bit strange.

Especially coming from something that looked as human as possible, aside from the mechanical headpiece that could have honestly been a decoration or accessory, for all she knew. Granted, she knew nothing about Magia, or any quirks that were forcibly imposed on the people that played them.

Well, uh, either way, I dunno if you can really help me? I've just been looking for better ways to make like, Mana batteries and storage. Maybe even some kind of Mana generator, if I could figure it out.

She groaned, crouching next to her device and turning a few dials, before growling when it failed to change anything on the display.

The fact that there aren't, like, artificial Manastones boggles the mind, really. I figured I'd take a crack at it. Haven't made any progress.

@MAI

 

[MAI]

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So her manner of speech was making the girl nothing short of annoyed. It wasn't exactly unreasonable, but before committing herself, MAI figured she would at least try to explain. Making herself a bit more comfortable by sitting down on the grass and folding her legs to the side, she did her best to, well, disclose some things about herself.

"Explanation - This unit is trying to speak normally. Some time ago, this unit has salvaged parts from a powerful enemy and interfaced with them. The result was both positive and negative with the negative being a corruption of speech patterns, forcing this unit to speak in this manner."

She paused for a moment, letting the girl process it all. Though it was a question of whether she would even believe the Magia in the first place. Regardless, she continued.

"Offer - This unit can sacrifice large amounts of energy to bypass the corrupted systems for a limited amount of time. If this unit's manner of speech really is unbearable, this unit will do so."

As for the matter of helping... perhaps she could do something similar to what she might do with herself?

"Proposal - This unit is quite familiar with magitech. If allowed to interface with the device, any defects may be detected and corrected."

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

In all honesty, it just sounded particularly unwise. Who went around shoving the parts of defeated enemies inside of themselves? That just sounded like a recipe for disaster, in all honesty. Luna knew for a fact that she'd never be caught, dead or alive, having the parts of another creature sewn into her own body. She was stuck with tiger ears, a tail and muscles because she'd made the mistake of being logged out whilst she'd been fused with a white tigress, after all.

Still, if it would take large amounts of energy to bypass whatever corruption made the girl sound like a speak 'n spell, then it probably just wasn't worth it. Luna sighed and shook her head.

Don't bother. It's probably not worth the energy sacrifice. I'll just put up with it. Besides, we don't know each other, so you don't have to do that kind of thing.

Besides, it was offputting, but not unbearable. She could live with it. She'd put up with way worse things in the past. She'd been friends with two necromancers, after all. The scent of rotting flesh had quickly been blocked out by her nose.

You want to plug into my creations? Uh, I mean, what are the chances this weird corruption thing you've got won't also spread onto my gear and cause issues?

@MAI

 

[MAI]

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While the tiger girl said it was fine, she did so with nothing less than an aura of a disgruntled shopper at a mall full of annoying people.

"Statement - We are next to an infinite power source. This unit will make do somehow."

With that, there was a faint hum of machinery that could be heard coming out of MAI's chest, especially for someone with enhanced hearing like a beastfolk. The sound of her core working overtime to reroute her functionality, at least until the end of their encounter. With that, the girl brought a fist to her mouth and cought as if trying to reset the atmosphere.

"I'm... sorry. Please, believe me when I say that talking like that is just, if not more embarrassing than hearing someone else talk like that..."

The admission made the mechanical girl look to the side as her cheeks reddened briefly.

"And this is probably hard to believe... but at the time, that exchange was well worth it. Anyway, corruption is contained by this point. All of the new parts synchronized with the rest of my body, and it's all just part of me now."

With that, two lengthy cords slowly wiggled from beneath MAI's hoodie, almost like two mechanical tails. Grabbing one, the girl brought it a bit closer.

"I think I can help if you let me."

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Well, it looked like her regard for the girl's time and efforts was being ignored. Great. Now she felt like an asshole, being annoyed at something that the girl could barely help. Especially if, judging by the sound of it, it made some internal mechanism work overtime, like a computer whirring up as it tried to handle too many tasks at once. It reminded Luna of a time her PC had been infected with a virus and had been so loud, whirring like an airplane engine almost.

I'll, uh, I'll take your word for that. I don't really think I can quite wrap my head around the idea of shoving the parts of dead things inside of myself.

Well, actually, given what she'd been up to with-

Luna quickly killed that thought process, mentally incinerating it and trying to just focus on MAI's offer, looking at the cord that was being held by the mechanical girl. Honestly, she was still hesitant to let somebody directly interface with her gear. It was like somebody asking to use her phone or laptop in the real world. It was hard to know who she could trust with that kind of thing.

Still...

Okay, fine. You can interface with the big one that's attached to the Manastone at the moment.

@MAI

 

[MAI]

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The way in which the tiger girl talked about it certainly made it sound way worse than it actually was. It brought about all kinds of gross images about people acting like zombies and the like.

"It help that the dead thing was just another machine like myself. Taking a few mechanical parts and putting them into a different machine is not as gruesome as living things doing the equivalent."

This meant that, at the very worst, she was a techno zombie. And under only a certain technicality. No matter, she got a permission to interface with the machine the other girl brought along. Doing just that, she plugged the wire in and her eyes flickered for a brief moment as a connection was established.

"I think this process can be optimized a bit."

Her absolute mastery in magitech allowed her to see things that others often missed. And since the machine was obviously created using that mastery, it was right up her ally as she started optimizing the code of the program running on the machine.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Well in a way, didn't that just make the girl like, a robot zombie or something? Sure, it was mechanically no different from, say, installing a new graphics card into a computer, but MAI was still person shaped and sized, so it was a little weird. Though still, she probably didn't have too much room to complain, considering her old combat strategy of fusing with animals and other things. Not that such a thing was even capable anymore. Even Arcanamancy was different to the magic she'd grown to love and adore so very long ago.

She missed her magical laser beams.

Though, when MAI plugged into her device and began to do something to it, Luna frowned and flinched, quickly reaching out to yank the cord out before any optimizing could be completed.

H-Hey! You can't just go and modify somebody else's thing without permission! That's against some kind of law, I'm pretty sure!

Hopefully just yanking the plug hadn't caused any damage. Luna looked over her device, glancing over every inch of it, before twisting some dials. It didn't seem broken, but she couldn't be sure.

@MAI

 

[MAI]

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Luna's device was perfectly fine and just the way it was before. Though the same couldn't be quite said about MAI. As the cord was forcefully unplugged, her eyes dialated and distorted for a brief moment, her entire body twitching before calming down. Though she did caught out a bit of smoke afterward.

"E̵-̸e̵r̶r̴o̸r̸ ̸ - err, I mean, interfacing with something by itself isn't of much use. To actually improve something, at least small changes have to be made. I figured a permission for that came with the idea of connecting to the device..."

MAI did feel a bit bad, but she was a tad too busy running diagnostics on herself. The way her connection worked was a bit unique, given that she was a Magia directly jacking into a device. To make said changes, she effectively put a portion of herself inside of said device. Jacking out like that forcibly severed that connection. From behind her, a small-ish drone flew out and started circling around the Magia, presumably scanning her.

"Fluctuation in SOUL systems detected. Rerouting additional power to the core and internal self-repair systems to aid with stabilization."

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

At least her device was fine, though it sounded like unplugging the girl so quickly had caused some damage. In truth, it was pretty odd to watch some kind of drone suddenly start scanning the Magia, enough so that Luna watched with narrowed eyes, frowning slightly as a thought occurred to her. It was probably pretty mean to ask this, but well, she needed to know the truth now. It was all far too strange for something to be normal.

I'm sorry, but, well, are you an NPC? Or uh, the term is Lander, right? You just seem way too quirky and unusual to be a person.

That was probably very rude. As soon as she said it, Luna winced, realizing how offensive that could be, if MAI was in fact a real person. Still, maybe she should explain why she'd just done the yanking without saying anything.

Look, I thought you were just going to be detecting the errors and telling me, not fixing them yourself. How am I supposed to learn to find and fix them if I just let you do it all for me? I can't have you around all the time, we don't even know each other.

Actually, she'd never introduced herself, had she?

@MAI