Cassandra Pendragon
"I like it when you get all sentimental but don't you have a job to do," she asked. Usually a response like that would have resulted in a fight or, at the very least, me pouting, but since I could feel her delight just as easily as my own I could take it for what it was and even smile genuinely.
"Yes, ma'am. On my way, ma'am. If I hurry and manage to get on deck within a few minutes nobody will even realise that I've been snooping around."
"Which is the only reason why they've allowed you to go in the first place, isn't it? Godspeed then, my darling." I could feel her focus waver as she began concentrating on my senses, trying to help me in any way she possibly could. If anything escaped my notice, she'd be able to tell me.
A minuscule, silvery flash of light shone from underneath the door, followed by an equally tiny plume of pungent smoke as I burned my way through the accumulated filth. Was it an unnecessary risk? Sure, but I didn't plan on wading through the equivalent of a sewer and I also had to keep my appearance somewhat tidy, otherwise the whole charade would have had about as good a chance of succeeding as Amon had of getting away from our continent unscathed.
A moment later I pushed my translucent head past the last splinters, another bit of knowledge I had gained: the underside of a door wasn't nearly as smoothly polished as the rest of it, and immediately pulled back, stifling a shocked yelp. A gargantuan, bulky, black beast had been waiting for me on the other side, apparently ready to stomp me into the ground. I felt my heart race as I ducked behind another piece of broken wood, trembling from the vibrations of the attack, while a sheen of sweat was forming on my brow. "That was a little too close for comfort," I thought only to recoil a moment later when Ahri explained through fits of mirth:
"Oh yes, and it was only by a hair's width that the mighty Lightbringer escaped a fate dreaded by every immortal: being squashed underneath a very mortal boot while the owner wasn't even aware that he nearly accomplished a deed no human has ever dared to dream of before."
"You gotta be kidding me," I breathed while I quickly went through my recollections. Yep, humongous buckles, polished leather, a sole with a tread I could have hidden in and a towering leg above it which I had mistakenly identified as the body of the creature. "Damn it," I cursed while my heart rate was slowly settling down, "this sucks. What would have happened if he had stepped on me?"
"Nothing," came the immediate reply. "Same mass, remember? You're as sturdy as a cockroach. Probably even more so. You'd probably even be able to punch your way upwards, if you had to."
"Great. And why does everybody always compare me to a cockroach?"
"Do you really want me to answer…"
"No. Probably not. Alright, I'll try again." More cautiously, this time around. Unfortunately I couldn't rely on my sense of smell or my hearing to puzzle out what was going on. Both had somehow immediately become accustomed to my changed size, which meant that I was always listening to what seemed like thunder in a bottle. As for the smell… that was nothing I wanted to put into words. Sewer, remember? Simply ignoring it seemed like the only sensible option.
Slowly I approached the towering gap in between the floor and the door again, ready to jump or even teleport away at any moment but my caution wasn't warranted. The guard, I assumed he was a guard since he was now standing stock still somewhere on my right, had moved and I could take in the scene in front of me at my leisure.
The room wasn't as big as I had first thought, mostly because the largest part of the space was occupied by humming and rattling machines, the very artefacts I've mentioned before. Contrary to my expectations they weren't purely magical, though. Clear, vibrant gems were nowhere to be seen and if I had been forced to come up with a comparison I'd have claimed they all looked somewhat steampunk-y. Dials and displays, some of which were directly linked to the streams of energy I felt running through the entire ship, others connected to invisible valves and pipes, the function of which I couldn't possibly begin to imagine, dominated the surfaces while the interior, laid bare before my changed perception, consisted of enchanted and intricately connected gears and wires. Even trying to follow the ebb and flow of power felt like staring at a Mandelbrot quantity for too long and even though I was pretty confident that I'd have been able to figure it out, had I been pouring energy into my mind, I didn't plan on staying here for hours on end.
The people in the room were the exact mixture of faceless, figuratively, guards and operators I had expected. Uniforms, standardised weapons… I paused, my gaze fixed onto the belt of the one who had nearly stomped me into the ground. There was no sword, not even a crossbow or a shield, no, he had a metallic contraption strapped to his waist that was suspiciously similar to a pistol. A handle, a prolonged barrel and even something that looked quite like a hammer, even though it wasn't cocked, yet. "Ahri," I thought, "do you think…"
"It sure seems like it. And there's no chance you'd smell the black power, either. It can't be an artefact… you'd see the enchantments. Do you think it's feasible?"
"A modern one with a rifled barrel and some accuracy? Probably not. I don't think it's possible to produce the steel necessary. But an ancient duelling pistol or something comparable? If the worm has found a way to keep the black powder from attracting elemental discharges… why not?"
"Is it a problem?"
"For us? I've been shot before. With bigger guns. It hurts but it's not nearly as bad as taking an axe to the chest. For the others, though… depending on the penetrating power it might even be strong enough to shoot down Sera. But that's not the point. If they have advanced the technology far enough to produce handguns, what do you think the storage units contain? Canons are much easier to assemble. A ship of this size might carry up to two or three hundred, I reckon. With that kind of fire power…"
"You're right. And since we know Jabba didn't lie when he told you he was running from his kind it does make you wonder what arsenal they're sitting on. Any ideas?"
"Tons, the same as you, but I'd rather not speculate. Overestimating someone is nearly as dangerous as underestimating them. But I want to know. Do you think I should stay here or try to peek into the storage rooms below?"
"Both, I think. It was fun for as long as it lasted but I think we're past the point of playing fairly. We have to know what's going on here. If they realise something's up then so be it."
"Your wish is my command. One more thing. Do you remember how to build a proper gun?"
"In a way. It'd surely need some tinkering but with a bit of time I think I'd manage. How about you?"
"Same. I even remember a bit about making proper steel but it's nothing I'd be willing to put to the test unless absolutely necessary. A simple pistol, though, with a range of 15 to 30 metres and lead bullets? If there was a way to keep the powder from igniting I think I'd manage." The most peculiar sensation came over me while Ahri deepened our connection and actually moved my body. Again, I could have easily put an end to it, but I didn't. She only turned my head, focusing on the belt of the guard and sent a bit more power towards my eyes.
"What are you looking for," I wanted to know while I steered us away from the opening and deeper into the shadows underneath the door.
"The powder pouch. But he doesn't even have one for bullets. Unbelievable. Doesn't that mean they have developed cartridges already?"
"You're right. And it also explains how whoever invented those things could make it work. There's much less powder in a cartridge and a few rudimentary runes should be able to suppress the elemental attraction. But… don't you need smokeless black powder to even make it work? There can't be that much inside of a cartridge and the force generated by normal powder shouldn't be enough to propel the bullet over any meaningful distance with the force to actually cause harm. Damn it, I think I have to take a closer look at one of those things. My mass is still the same, you said, which means I can't climb up a leg. And if I use my wings to fly they'll light up like a Christmas tree. How the hell am I supposed to get up there?"
"Teleport," came the immediate reply. "Use the body of the guard to hide your wings and hover behind him."
"Easier said than done but I guess I'll have to try. If they spot the glowing bug I'll probably just transform back and ask directly." She hesitated for a split second before she haltingly replied:
"Maybe that's the better idea, anyways. You've pretty much found out everything important around here. The level of craftsmanship surpasses anything I've seen on this world before. Same goes for the artefacts. Oh… you don't think Amon bribed them with the technology, do you?"
"In a few days? No way. They must have been at it for years or even decades. It does make you wonder though what kind of nightmare the Emperor will be able to cobble together once he has access to his resources. Considering our luck we might have to face a magically powered tank or something similar in the future."
"Lovely," she groaned. "But also probable. I mean the thaumaturgy on our continent is pretty basic, probably because Amazeroth destroyed every meaningful civilisation 300 years ago. If magic and science have developed normally on the other continent for thousands of years…"
"A gun would be the least of our problems. Damn it! Maybe we're lucky and he's always been afraid of someone rising up against him. In that case he'd have suppressed most inventions."
"When are we ever lucky? Besides… he's a despot and cruel, doesn't mean he's a bad leader."
"No, not necessarily. But a girl can hope. Alright, change of plans, I think I'll go looking for the slug's personal quarters first. Chances are he has the most sophisticated gadgets in his possession. Depending on what I'll find, I won't bother with sneaking around and instead confront him directly. Agreed?"
"It's what your brother wanted to do from the very start, isn't it? The consequences are still the same, though. There's no middle ground afterwards."
"I am not that difficult… am I?"
"You are, darling, but in this case that's not the problem. Let's assume for a minute you're not going to find anything else. Those are still guns. Are you, of all people, prepared to let him fly away with an arsenal of firearms? Knowing that he's desperately looking for someone to protect him from his family? Chances are he'd walk directly into the Emperor's arms, who'd willingly welcome him, considering the… explosive gifts he's bearing."
"But that ship has sailed anyways, hasn't it? There really aren't that many viable options left and each and every single one of them includes the worm playing nice with us… whether voluntarily or not."
"I don't disagree. I just think it might be best to snoop around as much as possible before you cross the Rubicon."
"Caesar didn't bother, did he? Still, you're right. So…where to next?" It was a rhetorical question, as she very well knew, but that didn't stop her from answering:
"Indigorath's private quarters? They shouldn't be too hard to find. They're probably guarded and I assume you're looking for a place filled to the brim with enchantments. Luxurious ones…"
"I know… got you. What do you think?" One of the larger cabins was basically glowing with stored mana, even the king sized bed within had a few enchantments placed on it. If that wasn't enough the room was barely reachable, a single corridor guarded by four vigilant soldiers and a boatload of spells the only passage that connected it to the rest of the floor.
"Looks good. I… oh, shit. Cassy, focus, those aren't spells or enchantments you're staring at. The energy is fluctuating which means…"
"They're alive. Damn it, now I can even discern the beating of several hearts. But why can't I sense them like the soldiers?"
"Do you want me to take a guess or could you maybe move your perky ass and find out?" I was already a step ahead, wiggling said ass past the already mentioned unpleasantries under the door. Once on the other side I took to the air and… well, took aim. Around 50 kilos, compressed into the size of an ant and combined with the speed I could reach? You're very welcome to do the math but short of an enchanted tungsten wall there wasn't much that'd stop me and a flimsy, wooden barricade surely wasn't amongst those things. Speaking of firearms, I might just have turned myself into the most deadly caliber there was. Cassandra 0.9 didn't sound that bad.
"You're going to make a mess, aren't you," Ahri complained.
"No," I replied absentmindedly while I focused on the spot I wanted to hit and flew backwards as far as possible. I didn't actually need space to accelerate, at least if I was prepared to use my powers abundantly, but I still expected to get in there without causing a scene. Afterwards… well, that'd mainly hinge on what I was going to find. Chances were it wouldn't be pretty, though. A worm that needed exceedingly rare and powerful creatures as fuel for its metamorphosis had a bunch of strangely camouflaged, unmoving living beings stashed away in his quarters? Let's just say I didn't expect to find them sipping tea. "You'll know when I'm making a mess," I added, just as a wave of power surged through me and towards my wings. "And so will our host."
For a split second the entire corridor vanished behind a curtain of silvery light and even though I had taken care to confine my energies the muted curses I heard echoing through the control room told me that quite a few artefacts had picked up on my shenanigans. And apparently they didn't cope too well. At least there were no explosions. A week ago I would probably have ripped a hole through the entire ship with this kind of stunt but ever since my involuntary trip down memory lane my control had grown by leaps and bounds. A little more and I'd be able to suppress the glaring light show and maybe accomplish something more refined than blowing things to smithereens .
A fraction of a heartbeat later a darkened, ant sized, burned out patch had appeared close to the floor on one of the walls. A casual passerby would never have noticed it but on closer inspection it wasn't just a mark but rather a hole that went straight through the wall… as well as the next one and the one after that. Only when it reached the innermost barrier that separated the worm's private quarters from the rest of the ship did it stop. The wood had been reinforced with mithril, of all things, and even though the metal had evaporated around me, the energy of my passage had been enough to melt a sizeable junk, which had dripped down and sealed the breach behind me. With a thought I came to a halt, my eyes going wide at the creepily artistic display in front of me.