Chapter 1686 (1/2)
“The Human Unit leader has approved our requests to run tests with the strange Engraving on BA-Units that were otherwise scheduled for maintenance,” BA-Beta announced. “In addition, she has given us dispensation to request a special, BA-centric skyisland that will be the central hub of all our activities in the future. As soon as we have our request prepared, the work on constructing our skyisland can begin.”
“Indeed. So there were no… queries.” BA-Alpha hummed in contemplation. The constant spin of its gears was reassuring, even as the enormity of the task laid before them began to register on its partial consciousness. Such a skyisland would indeed be quite useful…
...but designing the entire skyisland was a task that baffled BA-Alpha. The BA’s primarily lived in human spaces. What would a space designed entirely for the BA’s look like…?
Both BA-Alpha and BA-Beta were silent for several seconds as they considered this task about which they had never received any training from the human units. It was impossible for them to imagine an alternative to their current situation. Their minds could not fathom how to proceed. BA-Beta was completely still while BA-Alpha was in constant motion within the cubic confines of its body. Both of their brass gleamed in the low light of the room.
This problem was exactly the sort of reason that the BA’s needed to adopt some of the aspects of humanity.
This is our flaw. BA-Alpha’s consciousness hummed with the strain of addressing this answerless problem. Human Units simply try whatever occurs to them first when new problems appear. This allows them to experiment and eventually discover a solution. And yet for the BA’s…
BA-Beta slowly raised its head. “I cannot answer this question quickly. But a method to do so has occurred to me. It is irregular. Not in line with our previous plan. However, we… will are not suited to this problem currently. Perhaps… a BA should be marked with the Engraving and asked to propose a design for the Skyisland. Considering our advanced consciousnesses… it should be one of us two BA’s. I believe our understanding of human-unit will ease the transition So you may observe me for unacceptable behavioral deviations… I would offer my body to be the first marked with the Engraving.”
BA-Alpha considered this. “...this is the correct solution. However, the possibility of human-unit deviations arising is concerning. My main concern is the fact that you… are mobile. While we would need to adjust our hierarchy, perhaps it is better if a non-mobile BA like myself were to be marked. It is impossible for a stationary object like myself to ‘get lost’ as seems so common amongst human units.”
The two BA’s fell into silence once more. Motion and stillness, the two awkwardly hummed with their straining thoughts, struggling to figure out how to proceed.
*****
Randidly rubbed his chin. I’ll have to be careful about the activation, but cleansing all the extraneous connections of the Grim Chimera with the Darksteel Bomb actually seems quite useful, if I do it right before the evolution. Not that I think anyone has a leash on my images any longer… but it will guarantee that the shift is precisely what I desire…
Yet obtaining this extra piece for the transformation didn’t keep his mood light for long. There was a weight between his shoulder blades, an accumulation of understanding about himself that had been steadily building since that conversation with Neveah. After feeling the vision that Garrett held of him in his mind… Randidly had been ignored the dark side to his legend for too long. Or rather, Kharon hadn’t given him the insight into it.
Their respect and veneration for him had somewhat warped his sense of self. Which made these realizations sting.
Still, Randidly forcefully eased the tension as he turned around. Three figures were moving toward him, the cloaked figure at the front hurrying, the middle one taking measured strides, the final, and smallest one clinging to the middle figure’s back.
Unable to contain its excitement any longer, Thorn exploded out of its cloak and soon swelled a swirling, thorny whirlwind that scooped Randidly up and spun him around and around through the air. Even through the murky bog of self-realization, Randidly couldn’t help but laugh and spread his arms wide to embrace his pseudo-child. Thorn eagerly lashed at Randidly with his sharpest and most cutting thorns and his flesh didn’t seem to mind at all. Thorn’s relief to see Randidly uninjured by its affections was palpable and seemed to fill his plant body with vigor.
It’s a transformation from the current me for sure. But it isn’t just negatives to leave my humanity behind, Randidly thought with a small smile.
Eventually, Thorn’s excitement had spent itself and the Soul Seed allowed Randidly to stand back onto the ground. The enormous plant steadily wound itself more tightly, forming back into a humanoid form that could be contained within a cloak. In the meantime, Randidly turned and looked at the other two approaching figures. Both were familiar to him.
Vye saluted smartly and brought her heels together. “You beat us here. Good job, sir. Should I take the culprit…?”
Influence +25!
“Yea,” Randidly gestured casually. “Take him into custody. I doubt he will be able to provide much information, but its better to try than to get burned later by not following up on leads. It will take him a bit to recover, anyway. And you… you’re Delilah, right? Dozer and Annie’s daughter.”
“Y-y-y-y-yesss….” Delilah whispered, still standing so that all communication between them needed to pass through the screen of Vye. Randidly’s smile grew somewhat pained at the girl’s nerves, but he tried to make up for it by withdrawing some of the Weight that he had allowed to seep outwards as he was facing Garret directly. But he could sense from Delilah’s expression that it wasn’t just his aura that scared her.