Later that night Spiro was running through calculations trying to come up with several plans for what to do when she gets to the kingdom. Sitting in a cross legged position, Spiro was thoroughly in a trance, that is until there was a knock on her tent's support post.
'There are some operational satellites but I can't contact the greater galaxy. This would be so much easier if I had the quantum processor but that was damaged beyond repair in the crash.' Spiro thinks when suddenly there is a knock on the tent flap again.
"Yes?" Spiro asks aloud wondering who would be coming to a lady's tent at night.
"Hey, most the knights are asleep and the adventures that didn't want to continue to try and enter the ruins left. Maybe we could talk?" Ornum asks from outside the tent.
"Sure." Spiro says opening the flap and crawling out before standing up. Looking and seeing that the Duke is not in his armor and is unarmed.
"So, this is a difficult conversation to start." The Duke says
"Okay?" Spiro says as she starts running numbers going on guard.
"I want to adopt you." Ornum says suddenly.
"What?" Spiro says shocked the .05% option actually happened.
"Well, I'm 34 and honestly couldn't be bothered about politics or the rest of the nobility for that matter. There is a reason I let my younger brother take over the kingdom. However, I have no Heir. The other ambitious bloodsuckers are trying to marry me to their daughters in hope that their grandkid could possibly inherit the throne if anything were to suddenly happen to the two princes." Ornum says
"So? How does this help me?" Spiro asks
"Aren't you running away from another kingdom or empire across the Sea of Sand? Its obvious you're not a commoner especially with that pack of yours. I want to offer you sanctuary. If you were to become my daughter it would be easy to hide and you could have the support of my Ducal house. It is more practical to be adopted by a noble." Ornum says
'That, would give me a decently important identity while also giving me shelter and funding. It also gives me access to knowledge I probably would not find elsewhere.' Spiro thinks, weighing its merits against the demerits realizing that this misunderstanding is a good thing.
"... I accept, how do you plan on doing it? Maybe claiming me as your illegitimate daughter? Maybe you could say you were hiding me for a decade? " Spiro asks
"Right, though I trust that my brother must be told the truth." Ornum says
"Could I decide that when I eventually meet him?" Spiro asks not knowing the king. She needs to play the part of a noble on the run after all less people that would know the better.
"Sure, but I have a feeling you'll like him. He puts on that facade in front of nobility and people he does not know, but in front of family and friends he is rather agreeable." Ornum says
"Does this mean I have to call you dad? Father? Or maybe royal father? How about ``Young master since you are not old." Spiro says with a smile, really happy that her personality code was kept on spare drives in case of emergency not being able to joke would be dreadful.
"If you call me young master, I will disinherit you." Duke Ornum replies jokingly, biting back a laugh.
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Several hours pass as the sun starts to rise.
Spiro is immediately up, having never slept, packing the tent into her bag.
'I'm gonna need to eat regularly not to draw suspicion now, well, at least I included a function for that in the body.' Spiro thinks
"Spiro, I didn't take you to be an early riser" Duke Ornum asks
"Yes, it's not that I'm an early riser, it's just, there were few other times I could train." Spiro says making something up.
"Train? What kind of training do you do?" Ornum asks helping Spiro pack up the tent wanting to get to know more about her.
"I would say I'm decent with a sword, and can do magic?" Spiro says
"Why was that a question?" Ornum asks as Spiro puts the tent into the bag.
'Because I could command the nanomachines better than anyone here.' Spiro thinks to herself.
"Well, I could show you." Spiro says, getting the Duke's attention as she slings the pack over her shoulder.
"What can you show me?" Ornum asks intrigued
"What do you wish to see?" Spiro asks
"How about water?" Ornum asks knowing that it's usually harder to summon water in dry areas.
'You're joking right oldman?' Spiro thinks since there isn't much moisture in the air it's gonna take a bit of creative thinking to do so.
"Sure." Spiro says stomping her foot on the ground as it makes a basin about 1 foot deep by 2 feet wide using nanomachines. She next proceeds to throw a blue flame from Oxygen and hydrogen into the basin using the nanomachines to guide the fire so it turns the sand to glass.
"1 more step." Spiro says as water begins to rise from the ground and flows into the basin along with moisture in the air turned back into the water before also falling into the basin like rain.
Ornum at this point is shocked speechless, staring at Spiro slack jawed.
"Too much?" Spiro asks, looking at him.
"I thought having multiple elemental affinities was rare, but look at you. This is insane. I was considered a prodigy by my teacher. I wonder what he would call you.! " Ornum says in shock.
'Affinites? It's literally just, ah they haven't figured that out yet have they?' Spiro thinks, realizing that they don't know how to properly manipulate nanomachines, its knowledge and science. If you don't know the scientific process to achieve the desired result. The machines can cut directly to the final product that you are envisioning; however that wastes energy and increases mental fatigue for humans.
Several of the horses come over and start drinking the water from the reservoir.
'Wait. I didn't purify the water.' Spiro thinks since she pulled some moisture from the ground below.