A droid finished rolling up a hammock, setting it aside with all the other hammocks and dirty clothes in one corner of the hold. Two other droids passed by it, hauling a barrel full of oats to the stove by all the other food supplies. They passed yet another droid standing next to a marble mini-fountain Nick found among the trove in the Captain's quarters. It coated the sapphires at the top with mana, causing them to gleam and spurt out water, which was diverted to buckets below. Another droid picked up one of the buckets, using a mop to clean the blood-stains on the floor.
The hold was alive with yellow nameplates and green bars scurrying from point to point below gray creaking bodies. All being directed by the two support droids executing Nick's orders. Consolidate, organize, and most importantly, clean everything.
The aether-balancer stood at the center of the hold, and two gray constructs churned and floated beside it. The three sections of the constructs, armory, factory, and refinery all sputtered. The violet lines on them gleaming with activity. A moment passed and two large droids, one Striker Level 5 and one Tanker level 5, stepped out the coffin-shaped end of the factories. Each moved to their adjacent armory, pausing as a set of armor flew up to them. Once the armor latched onto their bodies, they moved on to grab a weapon set suited to their class. Either a reinforced spear, or a reinforced sword and shield, before moving onto the deck.
Six had been made so far, and twenty-three more to go. All thanks to the plentiful resources left from salvaging gemstones, bracers, weapons, and whatever else he could find of value from the destroyed ship and the arachnid remnants.
A shadow blipped outside, blocking the beams of light through the planks for just a moment. Another dead corpse thrown overboard, after it had been stripped of anything useful. A droid stepped down the stairs, holding a pile of belongings. Clothes, bracers, weapons, and miscellaneous items. It moved on to several piles set in a line against the wall, setting down the items according to their category. The first of which was a silver bracer. Nick's eyes lingered on the pile, all taken by former reclaimers. He wondered what was happening to turn so many to piracy.
Nick shifted his gaze to the only other human in the room. Liam sat on a bench on the opposite side, wrapped up in a blanket. His eyes blank and staring down. The kid hadn't said a word since they arrived back on the ship, though Nick had an inkling of what was troubling him.
He was about to say something when the door to the Captain's quarters swept open. Ali walked out, his arms stretched up and out. Liam's eyes shifted to his direction.
"Is she…?" he asked.
"She'll live," said Ali. "Did what I can, but sleep and good rest will take care of the rest."
"Oh." Liam looked back to the floor. "I guess… I guess that is good news."
"M-hm." Ali rubbed his waist. "Gods, I'm starving."
He turned to the pile of food supplies stacked up beside him, and reached with both hands into a barrel, pulling out two biscuits.
He took a bite out of one, the following crunch indicative of just how tough the bread was, and slid over to take a seat on the bench. Liam edged away from him although there wasn't much space for him to move into.
The boy's stomach growled, and Ali's eyebrow perked up.
"You hungry?" he said, offering a biscuit. Liam glanced at it, but did nothing.
"We aren't slavers boy," said Ali. "Hell, I was a captive like you not that long ago. You don't have to be scared of us. You've been solemn ever since we stepped on-board, and a full stomach can do wonders for the mood you know."
"I have a name," he said. "It's Liam."
"Fine," said Ali. "Liam, would you be so kind to accept this offering from one so lowly such as myself?"
Ignoring the mockery plain in Ali's voice and face, Liam nonetheless took the biscuit, his hand shaking as grabbed ahold of it. He chewed on the bread and winced, making faces as he tried to bite into it. A few moments later he managed to tear out a chunk, his head shoot back and nearly hitting the wall in the process.
To Nick, it was a sobering sight. Reminding him of himself years ago, eating burned scraps from the local bakery before he started stealing and absorbing energy from street quartz-lamps to assuage his hunger. He recognized everything Liam was going through, because he had been through the same. That same hopelessness which made him numb to the world around it.
And he felt the need to do something, however small it may be.
Nick took a look at the stove, which looked a bit more usable now that a droid had scraped off all char. He eyed the ingredients, came up with a recipe, and began to move when he had an idea.
"You." Nick pointed at the droid cleaning the stove. It stopped and turned to him. "Create barley stew. Add molasses and salt. Teaspoon to a quarter."
If the droids were able to mimic him in combat… then what was to say they couldn't do anything else?
The droid moved to action, flipping a switch to ignite the ruby stovetop and grabbing a pot. Nick took a seat.
"Interesting." Ali watched everything take place, then gazed at the rest of them moving along the ship. "So… what are they?"
"Droids," said Nick, not looking to entertain his questions. "But they do obey everything I tell them too."
"And they can cook too?" Ali watched as the droid filled the pot up from the water-fountain. "Are you a droid as well?"
"No," said Nick, and then he realized this entire time he hadn't taken his mask off this entire time.
Maybe it was time to let his guard down. At least just a bit. Neither Ali or Liam were threats at the moment, despite how little he knew about either. They seemed just like him. People who wound up here through misfortune or happenstance against their will.
Nick reached up to the mask, and realized he actually had no idea if he could just pull it off. The armor did latch onto him. He brought the screen for the armor back up.
The moment he did he could see that each part of his armor had been outlined in separate sections. He used a finger to select the helmet, and a [UNEQUIP] option appeared. He pushed it.
The mask fell, and Nick caught it before it fell to the ground.
"So, there was a man under there after all." Ali laughed. Liam said nothing but stared as he chewed upon the biscuit.
Nick caught his reflection in the fountain. His face the same save for the grey hair, and the glowing square iris on his left eye.
"Though," said Ali. "You seem a bit young though to have hair as grey as that."
"It wasn't always gray." Nick ran a hand through his hair, the grease indicating a strong need for a shower. "The change… was recent."
"Recent then? Just how recent are we talking? Are these droids of yours the same?"
Nick grimaced. The question pried a bit too much for comfort.
"I'd rather not discuss that." said Nick.
"Very well," Ali raised a hand in acknowledgement and turned his gaze to the arsenals. "I respect your privacy on that matter, especially given how little we know of each other. That being said…"
He glanced at the arsenals.
"I've seen those things grind up gemstones and all sorts of materials and push out aether. Something like that would make you the richest man in both sides of the sea. How exactly did you wind up here?"
"Again," said Nick. "I'd rather not discuss it. Though, I could ask the same of you. You took most of the pirates out without much trouble, and probably could have without my help. How exactly did you wind up captive to them?"
"Eh." Ali shrugged. "Just a series of unfortunate events."
"Seems like there is more to it than just that," said Nick. "And your style of fighting, it is no style of swordsmanship. If I'd entertain a guess, it was made for daggers. Only one profession puts an emphasis on training with daggers, and it isn't often found among the healers of the world."
Liam shifted a bit further away from Ali upon that.
"No." Ali sighed, and Nick thought he had hit upon a sore spot. "Not the most common combination in the world, but you see… if you think about it, they are but two sides of the same coin."
"And what sort of coin would that be?" Nick raised an eyebrow.
"The coin of helping people." Ali smiled. "Two ways to help people. Sometimes you heal people. Sometimes you remove dangerous and bad people. Earlier for example, though I think we did a fair more of the latter than the former."
Nick said nothing, as another shadow flickered past the hold. Another corpse landing below.
The stew burbled from the stove, and steam billowed out as the droid remove the pot lid and sputtered off the ruby gem-stove powering the fire in the stove. The droid reached into the pot with a ladle, scooping a portion of barley onto the wooden bowl. It poured a thick mix of dark creamy molasses onto the bowl, and mixed it together.
Nick watched, as the rich spice filled the room, overcoming what remained of the rancid reek in the air. The droid did a pretty good job, moving just as Nick would do. It even followed his habit of tossing versus sprinkling salt onto a recipe. Something Chef Morel always pointed out and berated him for.
He snorted, shaking his head at the memory. The droid finished up, and stepped over. Bowl in one hand and spoon in the other.
"No." Nick pointed at Liam. "Pass it to him."
The droid did as ordered. Liam backed up into the bench as the droid approached him, stretching out the bowl and spoon in offering. Nick bit back laughter at how ridiculous it was having the droids take up roles as a household servant.
Liam, not having a whole lot of luck with the biscuit and still famished by the growling of his stomach, took the bowl and spoon from the droid. He gulped down a bite as the droid stepped away.
His face lit up, and he immediately swallowed another scoop. However, it seemed he forgot how hot it was because he opened his mouth in attempt to cool it down.
Nick laughed at that.
"I trust it will taste a lot better than the biscuit," he said.
"Hey." Ali peered over at the bowl. Liam, noticing his gaze, pulled it away, guarding it like a treasure.
Ali looked at Nick.
"That seems pretty good. Mind if I try a whiff?"
Nick gestured at the droid to do so, who promptly followed his orders. It made another serving, and served it to Ali, who bit down a spoonful.
"Mmm!" said Ali. "Didn't think horse-fodder could taste this good."
"The quality of the ingredients come second to how they are used," said Nick quoting Chef Morel, though he skipped out the last part. "And one must never forget about the presentation and setting."
Regardless of their current moment, their setting was anything but pleasant.
"Not bad!" said Ali, biting another spoonful. "You know, I wouldn't have minded captivity so much if I had something decent to eat like this in the day."
"If you would like." Nick smirked. "You are always free to go back into the cage."
"That," Ali frowned, then mimicked Nick's voice. "Is not a joking matter."
"Exactly." Nick rolled his eyes.
The two of them laughed at that. Liam didn't know why but he managed to cough out a giggle.
"So…" Ali finished the bowl and set it aside. "Where shall we carry on from here?"
Nick thought about it for a moment.
"We go on with what we agreed upon. You help me look for the Vislandans, I help you with the item you speak of."
"Of course. Of course. And your goal comes before mine. I haven't forgotten about that. If I may make a suggestion, we should follow up with this crash-site they are congregating at."
"The one the one called Balus mentioned?" said Nick.
"Precisely," said Ali. "A lot of captives from their encampment were moved in the morning. From what I heard; they are doing the same from the other encampments. Something to do with the aether currents being favorable for north-ward travel."
"Then we have no time to waste," said Nick. "Were there any Vislandans held where you were in captivity?"
"Not in person," said Ali. "Probably at one of the many camps they have spread out here."
"I see," said Nick, wondering just how many of these camps there were. "And would they likely be at this crash-site? I recall them talking about merchandise, not captives."
"Merchandise is captives," said Ali. "Merchandise is a term they used for captives. They were probably en-route to the Northlander and Rathenian markets before whatever happened took them out."
"I guess that would be a good start then." Nick looked to the rising number of droids, on the main screen. He now had twenty-nine, except the majority now consisted of the advanced units. Tankers and Strikers. All equipped with armor and the newer weapons he had gained access to. Based on how the earlier battle went, he felt good for any encounters going forward.
However, he did want to check one thing. He picked up a musket from a nearby pile. It brought up a blue screen like the ones from before.
Which meant a Mechanar had made it.
"Ali," said Nick. "And you are positive you haven't seen any droids before?"
"Quite certain of it," said Ali. "They are quite striking, and distinct. Especially their movements. You can hear the rub of metal from a mile away."
"Very well." He'd have to be on the watch for others like him, and judging on how the pirates were in possession of weapons made by them, it didn't seem like they would be friendly.
"I want to help," said Liam.
Nick raised his eyebrows at Liam, along with Ali.
"Bo-I mean Liam," said Ali. "What exactly can you do? I didn't see any aether-cuffs when you came out, which tells me you are no elementalist."
"No…" Liam gazed back at the floor. "But-"
"You should stay here," said Nick. "Someone needs to watch over your lady friend. I'm sure she'd want to see you if she wakes."
"I… I don't think she would."
"Wait, what?" said Ali. "Why?"
"Um… we don't exactly know each other."
"Really?" said Ali. "A bit surprising given you seemed so concerned for her well-being."
"Its…" said Liam, squirming. "I… I just didn't want to see her get hurt."
"Fair enough," said Nick. "You have a heart of gold Liam, but for now I think it is best if you leave everything to us okay? Even if you don't know each other, why don't you go see to her? I'm sure she'd appreciate at least a familiar sight to explain things."
He felt bad saying those words, as Nick remembered quite well being on the receiving end years back. Excluded from participation with other children due to a lack of affinity with any element. He knew that feeling of powerlessness all too well.
Which made him feel doubly bad when Liam nodded and stood up, slumping and passing through the door of the Captain's quarters.
"So…" said Ali once the door closed. "What do you plan on doing with those two?"
"I haven't thought too much of it yet," said Nick. "He has a heart of gold looking out for a stranger like that. For now, though, I guess they'll be in our care."
"Fair enough," said Ali. "Though I'd hold off on that heart of gold comment. A part of me thinks he was just taken in by her looks. As all young lads tend to do."
"Maybe," said Nick. "Maybe not."
"You know," said Ali. "Stone-cold killer to family-friend softie. Guess I am not the only one who is a bit contradictory eh?"
Nick rolled his eyes.
"Anyway," said Ali. "Back to important things. For instance, we will need to find out where this congregation is gathering, and how to get there. That being said… do you know how to fly this ship?"
On that, Nick had been planning on winging it. He knew the mechanics of how a ship flew, but as far as the controls, he knew little beside the raft he built."
"No," he said. "But I can figure it out."
"To be frank that isn't a satisfying answer," said Ali. "But… we do have someone who can."
Ali looked to the cargo door.
"No," said Nick.
"Nezra," said Ali. "I told you, if there is one thing I know well, it is people. She'll help us out, I'm pretty certain of it. Let me just do the talking. I think it is a lot better than playing with tools we know not how to use, or worse, crashing our only means of transport eh? Time is of the essence after all."
Nick considered everything Ali had mentioned so far. It seemed like he knew their only captive. Could it be a trap? Maybe, but he had plenty of opportunities to betray him earlier. Ali was also right that time was of the essence. Every moment was another moment Vlara and the others got further from his reach.
"Fine," said Nick. "But she will be under strict watch."
"Excellent!" Ali tapped his bowl. "And another helping of the stew?"
The droid didn't respond.
"Do what he said," said Nick.
The droid complied, refilling the bowl. Ali then stood up and walked to the cargo door with Nick following behind.
The door opened, right as the girl crimped back to the corner of the cage. Her face torn in terror and fear.
"Don't kill me!" she said. "Trust me I don't know anything!"
"Ah, my dear red-headed bumpkin," said Ali. "I see that you are as chipper and excitable as usual."
"Oh…" She relaxed, narrowing her eyes. "It's you. The one who talks too much."
"Indeed," said Ali. "It is I. But before we begin, I come with a gift. Here."
He offered her the bowl of stew.
"I know you haven't eaten anything since yesterday." said Ali. "And you'll find that a lot better than the rock biscuits and watery sludge you've been eating from that fellow Greaser's cooking."
She gave the bowl a look of suspicion.
"It isn't poison," said Ali. "And if we wanted you gone, well… we'd have much simpler means to do so."
She eyed the bowl again, and swiped it. Chowing down it with ferocious hunger.
"So…" said Ali. "We have an offer."
She stopped.
"Before that." She pointed at the striker with a spear standing behind them. "Could you tell that… thing to leave?"
Ali looked at Nick.
Nick raised an eyebrow, but looked at the droid.
"Go," he said.
The droid creaked out the cabin.
"Sorry." She shivered. "Things give me the creeps. But anyhow, you need someone to pilot this rig right?"
"Correct," said Ali.
"I'm in," she said.
Nick raised both eyebrows.
"You are? Just like that?"
"I don't have much of a bloody choice, do I?" she said. "You just wiped-out Trent's crew, and I know that was Balus out there. I could hear everything that went on and I know you did him in along with everyone else on board that ship as well."
Nick knelt down.
"You'll be under watch but you'll be treated fairly," he said. "That much I can promise."
"Uh-huh." Her words indicated she didn't really believe him, and she continued chewing down the stew. "We have a deal. I'll fly this ship for you."
"Very well." Nick undid the lock on the cage to free her.
"Excellent," said Ali. "Now… I have a plan in fruition on how to handle this."
"And what exactly did you have in mind?" said Nick.