Seras little snippet thread

I gripped the wrench tight and pulled, then tried again…

“Get over here and tighten this bolt before I DESTROY EVERYTHING!” I roared losing my temper.

“Yes Mistress!” The minion rushed over and thankfully his muscles were up to the task.

Okay, being out of shape and weak was no longer funny.

I groaned as I sat next to the work and worked my shoulders. Ugh. I took off the oil soaked gloves and ran a hand through my hair. I’d been working on this all day I think. I blinked looking up at the window and not seeing any sunlight coming through.

Probably more than that then.

“I finished mistress!”

“Alright, do the next ones too. Here.” I handed him the bolts and he smiled happily as he started cranking the wrench.

Francois my minion was… Fun. He’d been one of the people helping me during my coffee episode the other day…

I was banned from coffee.

I’d had my fun over the last week with the parties, and meeting everyone.

I’d even done the stupid religious ceremonies at the Red Cathedral.

When Doctor Yglyn the curate, since we didn’t have an actual bishop, had pulled out the knife of wisdom. I’d pulled out my knife of fuck around and find out, and that was that.

So now things are calming down. There was still work to do around the town. Still issues with the new takeover of rulership. I’d opened the gates to tourists again, but it had been quite even with us sending out a message allowing foreigners back in.

Right now I was preparing. I looked at the black painted steel and grinned.

As the Jagers would say, It’s Verra Nize.

But I still had so much to do. The town's defenses needed more than just repair, it needed an upgrade. I wouldn’t be like Dr. Beetle, with his massive super Clank destroyed in a moment because he hadn’t improved his work in decades.

I looked over at the chalkboard.

The first three items were crossed out, and I was next to the third. I had bumped this one up a bit because I while the Heterodyne had made plenty of personal armors and things. They were all…

Not to my taste.

Of course the words on the chalkboard were meaningless without context.

Number four was just Lightning. I’d remembered how effective Gils Lighting control rods had been when he helped defend the town in the comic. So I was going to replicate it, and also set it up as a secondary power source for the Castle.

Learn and adapt. If the Movement Chamber was ever damaged again. I wanted the castle to have more ways to draw power, even if it’s just waiting for a storm to pass by…

Also lightning was awesome, and having it drawn to strike my castle all the time would be great ambience!

Plus I’d actually bribed the Castle into working with me on another project with promises to make the control rods Weathervanes. The Castle liked them for some reason.

“Done Mistress!”

“Alright, put the tools away, take a break.” I told Francois and moved off the work bench. I needed food. “Alright I’m done for the day. Castle let whoever is in the kitchens know I’m coming out to eat.”

“Yes Mistress!”

The item after the lightning rod was four additional defensive options. I’d started checking into time space defenses.

I wouldn’t forget the Take 5 Bomb, and how badly it had screwed everything up.

I walked through my Castle, completely sure of my safety. Well. Mostly. Eighty percent.

Tikhoffen’s castle control sparkwork was still back in the lab hidden away, but something that needed my attention.

Uughhhh. Everything needed my attention!

I entered the kitchen that was closest to my work space and blinked at seeing my family.

“Something going on?”

“Agatha! Perfect.” Lilith called out. “I was starting to get worried. Come here, and sit and eat. I bet you’re starving.” She offered and then was gone once more practically dancing around the small kitchen and handing spatula and skillet.

I looked at Adam who was sitting at the table already and he just smiled at me and patted the seat next to him. As I settled in he looked me over and quirked an eyebrow.

“It was hot in the lab, and I was working.” I grumbled, So what if I wasn’t wearing much more than some mechanics coveralls that were mostly open, my hair up in a bun and grease stains. “I’ve almost finished today’s project.”

“I hope it was important to miss every meal.” Lilith asked, giving me a glare as she came by.

“It is! Personal protection.”

“That’s not an excuse not to eat. You might have gotten the Castle to lock your lab from me, but I will drag you out of there if this happens again. I expect to see you at a table for at least one meal a day Agatha.”

“Yes Lilith.”

She nodded pleased and then placed a plate of food in front of me, and wow. Was I suddenly really hungry. I dug in.

“We had a messenger arrive today.” Lilith spoke as she settled into her seat and I looked up cheeks full of bratwurst as I looked at her quizzically.

“Agatha, manners.”

I nodded and adjusted myself, sitting straighter and eating more like a lady.

Dispensing with my manners was my choice, but that also meant using them to please Lilith was important too.

“There’s a ball happening, they've sent you an invitation.” Lilith explained, pulling out a large fancy card and offering it to me.

I looked it over, the gold gilding, and fancy letters rather striking, but I was more interested in who?

“And who is this ‘Countess Eleanor Featherprincess?” I asked looking up at Lilith who shrugged.

“I’m fairly certain she’s the daughter of old Lord Featherking. You remember him don’t you darling?” Lilith said Adam slummed looked at me, and then fauxed with his fist a burst of something coming out of his mouth.

“Yes the Feathers were… Everywhere. The man had the crazed idea that a feather based death ray would finally put down Master Bill and Barry.” Lilith explained and I felt my lips twitching as I realized that no doubt these two had been covered in feathers.

“Okay, so why is she inviting me to a ball? Is she insane?”

“Oh no. I don’t think she’s a spark at all.” Lilith added and I frowned before it struck me.

“Ah, she’s a patsy.” I realized and Lilith looked unhappy for a second, but nodded.

“Likely the ball is being set up by one of the big families. They use one of their minions so they don’t worry if you destroy the Castle, and they get a chance to meet you. Whoever set this up will likely be there.”

“Hmm.” I ran it through my head. A mysterious invitation. A ball at some random nobles castle. This was the work of a schemer. There was a plot here. The chance this would be a normal ball and not ending with an attempted assassination, or a kidnapping was rather low.

No, this was likely someone powerful wanting me separated from the Castle, and trying to poke me to see how much they could get away with.

“I’m going.” I decided, feeling my face split into a grin. I looked at the invitation, it was set for only three weeks from now. Not an unusual length of time.

But I had bet they were trying to do it quickly, to keep me from doing something weird.

Well, too bad for them. They just rushed up my most important project. The one I’d sort of been hesitating.

“It’s going to be a trap of some sort.” Lilith said firmly, and I just smirked.

“Oh I know. I’m going to let everyone know that I know that right from the start. Let’s see how the schemers act when I throw a brick through their window?”

—---

“That’s right! That’s the fear you should feel!” I laughed in delight as my six minions looked between them and then at the attachment connecting all of us together.

“Mistress?”

“NO QUESTIONS! We are committing science! Mwahahahaha! Prepare to see the strange and terrible! THIS WILL NOT BE MERELY BORING TESTING! A dream merely soothes, but our nightmares make us run!” I called out hands aimed into the sky and formed into claws.

I felt like a monster, and wasn’t that such a GOOD FEELING!

“As you wish, Mistress.” Vanamonde whispered. My future Seneschal had been the perfect first pick for this experiment. I needed minions that weren’t just loyal, but beyond loyal. The ones that would keep their mouths shut even to their own families about what I was doing.

I didn’t want even a single word of what I was getting up to in here to get out.

Six minions arrayed around me. Our life force connected.

It was a modified Si Vales Valeo system transferal. Just like how Agatha, Tarvek, and Gil had survived in the comic.

In this case it wasn’t to let someone else’s healthy body try to fight off a disease, but instead each of the six minions were my pressure shunt valves to keep me from exploding!

“I do not support this act! Why the last time-” The castle started arguing like usual but I waved a hand.

“YES YES I KNOW! IGNEOUS EXPLODED! BUT THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE HERE FOR!” I roared, shutting the Castle that was far too protective when I already had protective measures! “Now just a sip, a drink, a toast! To SCIENCE!” I laughed in delight as I brought the cup of pure Dyne Water to my lips.

“Oh that wasn’t anything that special, perhaps I mis-Judged the-POWER BEHIND THE DYNE-AAAAAAAAK!” My awareness expanded, what I was, the insignificant tiny mind flared into more.

“I SEE. I SEE IT ALL! WHAT CAN HIDE NOW FROM MY SIGHT!? I AM PERFECT! SUSPENDED IN AN ETERNAL MOMENT OF SUPREME CLARITY!”

I was floating, energy flowing out and around me, ah I see… It was a good thing I brought so many minions. I could feel the Dyne energy already gaining too much pressure. The blue aura flowed down the wires connecting my body to my minions and they burst into flares of light. Their eyes flashing gold just like mine. It was energetic but harmless… Mostly.

I didn’t have long.

PERFECTION was too much for me to handle for long. But that’s what EXPERIMENTS ARE FOR! YES I SEE! NOT LONG, BUT WHAT IS TIME TO ONE SUCH AS I!?

I lifted my hands and the machines around me rose up, all the work I had done so far preparing me for this moment allowing me to complete what I needed.

“M-m-m-m-m-mmistress!” I turned, ah. Vanamonde was reaching his limit as were the others.

Six non sparks was not enough to mitigate the power for long. That lowered my expected time. A shame.

A shame. I finished my construction, now, unlike my poor ancestor Igneous who exploded, I needed to finish releasing this power!

“Mwahahahaha!” I cackled as my hands touched the lightning rods. This entire room, the Movement Chamber was made to use the energy currently flowing through me.

It took only a minor modification to create the drain system.

“AAAAAAAAH!” I shrieked as DIVINITY left my mind.

I was unconscious for only a moment, before my eyes sprang open.

I rose up noticing my minions were moaning, but also rising up.

“Well. That experiment went remarkably well.” I couldn’t help but admit, feeling GREAT actually. Like I’d just had a perfect power nap, and the coffee kicked in.

“P-p-p-p-p-p-erfect.” Vanamonde cried out, and yep he was crying again, laying there and bawling on his knees. Hmm. I sure hope I hadn’t broken him. Perhaps letting him glimpse into things a mortal mind was not prepared for twice was… Well two too many?

“Alright I know all of you are feeling very energetic. But let me safely detach all of us! Good work everyone! Remember loose lips END WITH YOU ON MY TESTING TABLE!” I threatened but that only gave everyone, besides Vanamonde who was still crying over my perfection, big dopey smiles.

Ah my minions were the best.

“Qwerk?”

“Oh! Look at him! Wormy! Such a good boy!” I cheered as the mechanical worm shifted and moved. I’d touched upon a second Breakthrough. Something that led to Sparks becoming almost god-like entities like Albia of England, or Lucrezia Mongfish.

That bitch.

But while my Breakthrough wasn’t complete, I was basically gaining a whole step up on my Sparks power for a short burst.

I’d focused all of that first ascension into Wormy.

“Aren’t you going to be a terror of Europa!” I cooed as I lifted the Brass Worm into my arms. Its mouth opened showing its saw blade teeth spinning around.

“Qwerk!”

“That’s right.” I purred as I opened up a panel on his belly, and looked into his brain.

The brain that was no longer clockwork.

No, I knew what was possible beyond clockwork, and vacuum tubes. My Wormy was the first Digital monster of Europa. Right there was a circuit board. Possibly the first ever truly used. Along with chips.

Wormy was now powered by digital computing.

The problem of all Clockwork Clanks had been processing power.

The Castle, to be as smart as it was, needed the entire structure to handle the massive computations it required.

But now Wormy was equal or superior in intelligence to the Castle. Only time was needed as it learned, and I filled its mind with blueprints.

Wormy alone could create armies of Clanks, once it gathered enough materials. I placed a kiss on its head and focused on my minions that were still freaking out. Some were buzzing energetically, some were crying. And Vanamonde was worshipping me…

Eh. I’m sure it’s fine.

I’d needed the second Breakthrough to jump tech levels in a way that these poor Sparks couldn’t hope to match.

Now that Wormy was complete, I’d start feeding him the resources needed to produce further chips, and circuit boards.

Now, I needed further work. Streamlining was needed. Miniaturization. No one was ready for the clank singularity…

Well I’m sure The Baron might be, and Maybe Queen Albia, but none were expecting me to be capable of it so quickly.

I would show them. I WOULD SHOW THEM ALL!

—--

It turned out it took a few days after my experiment for everyone's vital signs to return mostly to normal. So I wasn’t able to keep doing it every day, or every couple hours like I’d wanted.

But being able to solve nearly any problem I couldn't solve normally, by just jump starting my Spark for a bit, meant even if I got stuck on a project I could just start working on another while I waited for my Breakthrough day.

“Honestly Carson he’s fine.”

“He’s worshipping you.”

“Yes?” I looked at the old man as I was being fitted. Turned out Lilith didn’t like the idea of me showing up at a ball in just some old dress. So I’d been in and out of this tailoring shop as the girls all worked on me.

Of course they’d been giddy when I started working to add my own touches to the design, but the actual sewing was still in their purview.

“You know he can’t do his work well if he’s stuck like that.”

“Okay fine. I’ll get someone else to take his place. It’s not getting worse, and the effect does fade, so he’ll be fine eventually, just like with the Coffee.”

“Which Judy has banned.”

“Which Judy has banned.” I agreed. Then our eyes met, and we each winked.

What Judy didn’t know couldn’t hurt me.

Besides the Jagers really liked it, I think Jenka would have murdered me if she couldn’t have her perfect coffee in the morning anymore.

“Oh yes Mistress! This color will bring all the boys to their knees!”

“That’s the best place for them of course.” The two seamstresses working on my dress offered saucy grins and I couldn’t help but laugh back.

“I won’t be bringing boys to their knees this time… Oh no, I’ll likely be bringing an entire Nation to RUIN BEFORE ME.”

“Aah! To be young!” The seamstresses cooed and I just laughed letting the madness place go.

I loved this town, and it wasn’t because of the architecture… Okay I loved the Castle too, but I would never actually say that.

The people were the best.

Beetleburg had been too much of a college town. New people coming in to study had filled the city with… The Atmosphere had always been so cold.

But here? Everyone here was like a family of sort.

The collective effect my family had on the populace left a mark on everyone. This was a town of raiders, of evil mad men. Yet they were mine.

“Okay Mistress, how is that? Does it fit well?”

I looked at my mirror. Golden hair, green eyes, and now a dark dress form fitting and slinky. Not the usual fashion for Europa, but I was a Heterodyne, wearing more sultry dresses to a party was the least of what the nobility expected.

The fact it was so slinky, meant I could add form fitting brass clockwork throughout, armor hidden as jewelry.

Of course quite a lot of it was going to be small enough that everyone would be confident it wasn’t actually sparkwork. Just normal jewelry surely!

“Mwahahaha!”

“Oh, a good sinister laugh, the Mistress is pleased!”

“Yes! I’m very pleased, thank you.” I said earnestly, meaning it and shocking both women who bowed at my words.

“We live to serve.”

“Tremble and obey.” I told them, and they both cheered in delight, one of them even jumping up to tug on my cheek.

“So wonderful!”

“Definitely the best Mistress I’ve ever had!” The other woman cheered, and I rolled my eyes at their teasing.

Although as they tugged on my cheeks I caught sight of my teeth…

“ALRIGHT THAT’S ENOUGH!” I roared out startling the girls as I bared my teeth at my mirror. “I’M GONNA GET SOME REAL TEETH THESE THINGS ARE PATHETIC! I CAN’T EVEN TEAR A THROAT OUT WITH THESE!” I yelled and once the minions realized I wasn’t ranting at them, they joined in.

“That’s right Mistress! Sharp teeth are in!”

“Oh yes it’s very popular right now since the Jagers came back!”

“Mama Gkika’s girls are the talk of the town. Every Jager is loving the new Jager girl shows!”

“Yes. I will have the sharpest teeth. My maw will promise death to all who see it! Haaahahahaha!”

“Definitely the best Mistress.”

“First Mistress. Also I don’t think the Boys really counted, they barely ever visited.”

“Yes. but we can’t just discount them. Besides they did give us our new Mistress. So they weren’t all good.”

“Oh yes, they certainly weren’t good enough to corrupt our Mistress.” My minions chattered away as I formulated what I would need to finally get real teeth!

“Judy won’t be pleased.” I stopped and turned to glare at Carson who was still smoking his pipe.

“You just ruined my mad plotting. You’re going to pay for that.”

“Yes Mistress, but before you all forget, Lady Judy has demanded this fitting be completed before you run out to perform any science.”

“Damn.” I hissed and calmed myself before raising my hands back up into a T-Pose. “Finish the fitting! I have SCIENCE to do!”

“Yes Mistress!”

“Yes my Mistress!” The two seamstresses jumped back to work, finishing locking in the adjustments and then shooing Carson out of the room so they could remove the dress and finish sewing it.

I got dressed and stomped outside, planning on heading to my biological lab when I stopped.

“Surprize!” A jager jumped out of a barrel at the door and I yelped as I was grabbed before I could do anything and suddenly a few more Jagers were laughing at me as I was hauled up.

“NOT FAIR!” I roared, but was ignored as I was carried above the Jagers head to the workout room.

Turns out the Jagers thought I wasn’t ready in case someone attacked me, and were training me now.

“Nooooo! My Teeeeeeeth!” I cried the whole way. Then cried more as I began exercising.