Seras little snippet thread

“It’s under the rug.” The Castle informed me as we finally reached the library. While the version of her inside the Muse wasn’t able to control the castle superstructure, or defenses, she knew where all of them were, and…

I looked over at the beheaded Fun-Sized Mobile Agony and Death Dispenser. The massive Lion Clank that stood about eight feet tall at the shoulder in the form of a lion with a scorpion tail, made of Brass and hatred.

It was also cute. Gonna ride me one when this was all taken care of.

But she had taken it apart with barely any issue. I’d spent a moment to get the clank a weapon, and she was now a blender surpassing even Adam and Lilith as we cut through the defenses through the castle.

I pulled off the rug and activated the holographic display.

I winced at the huge amount of red that covered the hologram of the Castle.

“That’s a lot of damage.”

“Indeed.” The muse offered, looking at the hologram with… I’m pretty sure it was shocked at how much damage there was.

“Alright, Dingbots!” I called out and the small horde that I still had perked up. “Let’s start targeting areas and cleaning them up now that we have some actual targets.” I stood up and then realized how much my legs ached. I’d been walking around running and dodging traps and things all day. I looked out the windows of the library and noticed that the sun was drooping. “Or maybe we camp here for the night.”

“Surely not! The damage needs repairing!” The Castle argued and I pointed at the clank.

“That is true, but I can’t repair anything if I’m falling asleep. We haven’t eaten since we entered the castle, and I’m tired. The Dingbots will start spreading out to start the repairs.”

“I dislike them. You don’t need such small clanks.”

“Pfft.” I scoffed as I flopped into one of the library chairs. This room was safe, the Castle had actually been quite pleased to let us in, and had even chatted with its other half. “Size isn’t everything. Small has a quality of its own.”

“Small clanks are incapable of true damage. Look at me. I am overwhelming because of my size… And many other reasons.”

“You being fat has nothing to do with you being a good Castle.”

“F-Fat!?”

“FAT!?”

I blinked at the stereo response and couldn’t help but start laughing. Thankfully while the castle in Stereo tried to get me to apologize for calling it fat, Lilith got to work and we soon had some food cooking over a grill.

It was time to take a break and soon we’d get back to it.

One piece at a time, one room at a time. This castle would be fixed.

—--

“Aaaaaah! I’m on fire!”

“This is a heating room, it’s supposed to be on fire!” I yelled at the stupid castle that was being STUPID.

“Hmm. So it is. This is still out of control.”

I ignored them as I went to work around the edges of the room fixing a few conduits until finally it was ready.

“Can I put out the fire now?” The Castle not in the Muse was constantly poking at me. Seriously, it was almost panicky.

“Alright everyone hold onto something. Yes Castle. Put out the fire.” The noise of rushing water and I held onto a pipe as suddenly thousands of gallons of water came rushing in from the ceiling.

A minute later I spit out water and glared at nothing. “That was more water than necessary!”

“I didn’t know, I couldn’t see how big the fire was.” It argued back.

I ignored it and focused on the squid clank that was now wiggling around in the room. I could use that.

—--

It took four days to get things squared enough away that I felt like we were ready.

The connections that the Castle used to spread itself through the physical castle the town were now repaired, but the mind itself was still fractured.

I’d had to cut off sections again until I was ready, as the Castle had started acting bipolar, and dangerous as the different minds started being able to spread out to more parts of the castle and interfere with each other.

The prisoners that the Baron sent in to do repairs had nearly been killed, and it was only at my orders, and a quick breaking of the connection once more that kept them from being killed.

Honestly most of them deserved it, but not all of them, and I was the Heterodyne. If anyone was going to be killed IT WAS BECAUSE I WANTED THEM DEAD NOT THE CASTLE!

I shook it all off, I’d been inside the castle for days and time ran together as we raced around room to room, dodging traps and defenses, and slowly fixing the castle's most integral parts.

Thankfully while the Prisoners knew the Castle was doing something from what it had told me, they didn’t know what was actually happening.

“Alright. Are you ready?” I asked, looking at the Castle in the Muse.

“More than ready!”

“Well I had to be careful. I don’t have much or any experience with the Muses, and I didn’t want to break it.” I rubbed my eyes. Most of the last twenty four hours had been purely slowly examining the muse, and what I could find in my mothers lab to figure out how she’d done her mind transfer, and how to do it without breaking the muse.

I mean, I wasn’t a stormking, or anything, but they were still pieces of history…

And if I had to, I could always destroy them later as a reminder that I was the Heterodyne, and Van Rijn was allied with the Storm King who was a Heterodyne enemy.

Well, sort of. I was curious about the full story of Euphrosynia Heterodyne. The story was a bit different depending on who told it, but she’d single handedly broken the Shining Coalition that the Storm King had forged.

She was evil, but impressive.

Hopefully I’d be just as impressive if not more so, and maybe a little less evil.

I reached over and grabbed onto the large lever.

“NOW LET’S SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I PULL THIS!” I broke into cackles as I yanked the lever down and the entire room shook, the Muse was screaming and shaking, and all I could do was laugh.

It was too late to stop if I was wrong! SO THE ONLY OPTION WAS TO JUST KEEP GOING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS!

Then everything went quiet.

The Muse was smoking a bit which wasn’t good. I hurried over to check it, luckily not long after I heard it.

“Oh. Well, that does feel better doesn’t it? Like a raindrop returning to the ocean… I… I feel… Whole.”

“You’ve regained all your splintered pieces?”

“Yes Mistress. The copy stored onto the Muse has filled in the missing pieces. I’m… Adjusting to the fractured memories since the battle.”

“Then… You did it?” Lilith asked and I looked over to see Adam and Lilith having been standing protectively around the room.

“Yes… I think I did.”

“I am back in control, repairs are still needed, but… I am whole once more. Well done Mistress.”

“Don’t go praising me yet. We still need everything taken care of first. Castle, is the Doom Bell Ready?”

“Hmm? The striker is missing, where is my-Oh there it is. Hmm, I will inform the minions to replace it, and to hurry.”

“Good… I guess this is it. I looked at Lilith and Adam, both hurried over and grabbed me into a hug.

That…

Had that gone much easier than it should have? Gosh, not doing this with literally half of Europa trying to stop me made things so much easier!

I’d even slept and eaten properly over the last few days! Mostly anyways. But the Castle was fixed.

Sure things were still broken or missing, if I remember most of the best defenses were missing, the Baron had taken things that didn’t belong to him.

I’d have to get some of them back, or just Build up something new to replace them. Hehehe, the thunder control system Gil had used in canon was acceptable, but why stop there? I already knew where a perfectly good if not well maintained Lightning Moat was currently, and it just so happened they were a group of people in need of my FULL AND COMPLETE ATTENTION.

I blinked and shook it off. No, best to wait for that. I’d need to speak to the Baron or else he’d think I was just like my ancestors. The fact is, Mechanicsburg couldn’t hold out against the Baron. Not really.

Not forever.

I’d need… Six months? Maybe a year to be confident that if the Baron brought Castle Wulfenbach here into my valley he would be leaving it on foot if at all.

Also he was against the Other… Mostly.

Ugh. Stupid Slaver Wasps. We really needed to stop Lucrezia’s nonsense for good. A cure would be good.

I’d have to check her lab and see what I could discover. Probably not much.

“Castle, the Prisoners, are they contained… And unharmed?” I demanded the last part because I knew this stupid thing.

“They are still alive, Mistress. They worked… Acceptably to fix me.”

“Good. Keep them locked up for now, I’m going to ring the Doom Bell first, and then sit them all down to have a conversation. I better be pleased with the conversation or none of them are walking out of my city alive.” I hissed.

The prisoners were some of the worst, but some of them were just idiots.

Othars sister for instance was… Mostly good?

Also there was the one Spark that had been trying to Steal control of MY CASTLE!

He would need to die, but he’d likely out himself, and give me an excuse.

I pulled away from the happy hug.

“Come on. I think it’s time. I want to get this sorted and get some sunlight. I feel like I’ve been inside for a week.”

I walked out of the labspace I’d commandeered to do the transfer. And for once felt safe as I hurried down the hallways. Traps and defenses opened for me. The Fun-Sized Mobile Agony and Death Dispenser’s I walked past that were patrolling around the area the prisoners were hiding waved their tails happily at my passing.

Everything was… Normal.

I found the entrance and it opened without hesitation and I stepped out wincing a bit at the midafternoon sunlight.

“Huh? Hey, who are you?” A Baron Wulfenbach soldier called out, holding up a clipboard and looking from the paperwork to me and back. The prisoner manager, not important.

I ignored him.

Walking out onto the first steps, I raised a hand and clicked my fingers.

The whole city rumbled. Stones shifted. Buildings groaned. The Castle behind me righted tilted towers, and damage that had been there for almost two decades simply disappeared. The streets below flowed like water restoring damage to the town.

I’d had this planned out with the castle. As I’d told it, NOW was the time for drama, and theatrics. Once all the work was done, when my enemies had no more chances to stop me, when it was all complete and ready.

I looked off to my left, and noticed the bell ringing clank. Octavo once more had the hammer.

It was time. No more waiting! No interruptions! I looked behind me at the poor Baron soldier that was being held back by Adam and looking terrified as the Castle that should be half dead was actively moving things around him.

I looked forward, down the winding path, to my city. To my people.

So I spoke, and my voice echoed across the city, some piece of ancient sparkwork projecting my voice.

“People of Mechanicsburg, the Castle is MINE! I AM THE HETERODYNE! TREMBLE BEFORE ME!”

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
—---

On the other side of Mechanicsburg sat a small coffee shop, and inside that coffee shop Vanamonde Von Mekkhan the future Seneschal of Mechanicsburg sat sipping coffee, in the middle of his web.

He knew everyone in the city, he knew all the goings on.

His Grandfather was sure the girl was a Heterodyne. Sure enough.

Vanamonde wasn’t convinced even if the desire for it to be real was there.

He was just sipping his coffee when he heard it. The Proclamation. He looked up wide eyed, and then.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Vanamonde had never considered what his death would be like.

He now knew. Existential dread, the reminder that death was standing right there, and it was in the shape of a blonde woman with sharp green eyes and a smile that could cut a Jager.

His coffee hit the table, and plenty of the regulars of the Coffee shop had fallen to the ground twitching and crying.

But some? Some of them had looked up as the noise of the Doom Bell washed over them.

The knowledge of their death forced upon them, left lips spreading into curved tooth filled smiles. Those from Mechanicsburg were simply built different.

Vanamonde was clutching his chest shivering and yet…

He rose up stumbling a little and followed the older crowd out of the shop.

There on the summit of the path stood a small figure.

She’d done it.

The Heterodyne was back… THE HETERODYNE WAS BACK!

The sinister laughter wasn’t just him. No, anyone standing, raised their hands to the sky and laughed. A laughter promising to bring DOOM to their enemies.

The Heterodyne had returned.

—--

It was a desperate shaking hand. He had to! The emergency line! He had to finish the message.

THE DOOM BELL HAS RUNG STOP
THE HETERODYNE HAS RETURNED STOP
THE CASTLE IS AWAKE STOP
GOD SAVE US ALL STOP

He collapsed as the message was sent.

—--

Mama Gkika had frozen. She’d helped the hammer back into place and then stood watching as… Every hope and dream she’d had for two decades came true.

The Castle fixed.

A Heterodyne back.

No more hiding. She smiled wide. Her skin shifted, she’d been stuck with human skin tone for two decades, but now it shifted showing an array of reds as she let herself go.

The Jagers were allowed back in Mechanicsburg once again.

Slowly some of the tourists rose up on shaky legs already freaking out from the effects of the Doom bell, only to see Gkika.

She smiled at them with her most Jager smile.

Ah yes, that was the fear in the eyes of those outsiders she so missed.

Maybe this Heterodyne would be a fun one? She’d been interesting when they met. Even with Punch and Judy raising her, she seemed… Less like the Masters.

Barry and Bill were…

Gkika didn’t want to think badly of them. But there had been no love between the Boys and those monsters that swore fealty to them.

They weren’t the worst. They cared about the town mostly. But only when it didn’t get in the way of their adventures.

But this one?

Maybe this one will be one of the good ones. Whatever that meant anymore.

—--

Klaus Wulfenbach, the Baron. The man that had conquered Europa purely to get everyone to stop acting like children was resting.

Things had been going… Acceptably.

Gilgamesh was in Paris, acting like a damned foolish boy. Drink and woman, floozies. Filling his days with such nonsense…

But he was young, and when he returned Klaus intended for him to start taking on responsibilities in the Empire.

He’d let him have his moments of childish play.

He was safe in Paris, unknown by any but the Master of Paris, and so Klaus didn’t have to fear for him.

A rebellion in the mainland had just been put down. As if mere mirrors focusing sunlight would be able to DESTROY HIS CASTLE. THE FOOL! HE WASN’T EVEN WORTH EXPLORING HIS SPARK THE MISERABLE PATHETIC CREATURE! HE-Klaus sighed and leaned back.

He had some experiments he might finally get the time to tinker with. What a wonder that would be. Personal time. Peace and quiet, without the entirety of Europa falling apart around him. It was these quiet moments that he yearned for.

Someday he’d fake his death and force Gil to run the empire. Yes, that sounded like a pleasing retirement plan. He’d set up somewhere quiet, and run his experiments.

Yes, this was a nice quiet moment. Which meant it was going to be interrupted.

He looked up, glancing around. No Minions come to disturb him? He checked his Clank that monitored the Castle…

Nothing. He started pacing unable to enjoy the moment, no. Something would happen! He was sure of it!

It was the children then! He checked and Von Pinn sent a confirmation message not long after that the children were all listening to a story…

Quiet? Peace?

He sent a runner to check on the Jagers. It must be them. Surely they were getting into a fight? Destroying something important on his ship?

No. The Jagers were all playing cards and hats were still on heads, and not being bet in card games, so…

He sat back down, eased himself into the wondrously soft recliner. He’d taken it as his just reward from a mad spark that was sure that making soft furniture would let him take over the world.

Considering how much Klaus enjoyed the chair perhaps the man was onto something.

Yes… Just an afternoon nap? The first he’d been allowed in decades. Yes, just a small… He looked up and around…

Ah yes, no disturbances still. Perhaps his face was finally changing?

He leaned back and sighed just shutting his eyes when the red light above him activated.

….
….
….
….

……….

Klaus opened his eyes no matter how much he wanted to simply ignore YET ANOTHER DISTURBANCE! WHAT IS IT THIS TIME? ANOTHER PATHETIC REBELLION? ANOTHER MINOR SPARK THINKING HIMSELF KING OF EUROPA? WHAT IS-

Oh. The paper that had been spit out of the clank made for informing Klaus of any emergency messages by telegraph fell from his limp hands.

The paper fluttered in his wake as he rushed out of his private room.

THE DOOM BELL HAS RUNG STOP
THE HETERODYNE HAS RETURNED STOP
THE CASTLE IS AWAKE STOP
GOD SAVE US ALL STOP