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Pushing his chair for space, Adam lifted his left leg and pulled his pant up to reveal his skin... no, wait. His shin and foot are a mixture of gold and steel with a tiny, barely noticeable luster of orange.
''Prosthetic...?'' You can only whisper the obvious. ''...That's why you managed that stupid jump in Myrtidal!''
''Both legs sliced below the knees in an accident when I hadn't even finished puberty. I made em myself, but I still got a handful of different types back home.'' He points to your arm with audacity fueled by a belly full of liquor. ''With a good lab and material, I'm confident I can tinker a little something. Your body is familiar with Magitek strain, yeah?''
''Ayup had a gauntlet throughout the two months of Ama's game.''
''Can do it out of the goodness of my heart.'' He forces a chuckle and reaches for a drink with a grimace. ''Wish I could be that generous. I got a motive, and that shit s'making me feel guilty.''
''Don't be, ain't nothing wrong with friends helping each other.'' His eyebrows raise, and he takes a moment to observe you, his expression almost becoming vulnerable.
''I need a patron.'' Adam sighed, switching from alcohol to water. ''Leena's situation is good now, but she'll need a new body, something artificial, and building that, well... Easy to say, but it's a miracle to accomplish. I might honestly grow old enough to die before I'm halfway successful. You're in a relationship with Sieglinde, yeah? The eldest of the Demon Lord's daughters?''
''I see where you're getting, and let me tell you something amazing.'' As you lean forward to drop your voice to a whisper, you almost knock over your cup of glowing juices. ''Siggy's first sister is a goddamn Magitek genius; she created something that can make artificial soul links without side effects. She also piloted one of those dwarven metal armor things during our assault on the palace despite Corruption screwing up Magitek functions.''
''<span class="mu-s">What?</span>'' Adam reaction needs no description.
''I ain't shitting you. Belphegor, Siggy's aunt? She transformed the living area around the throne into a technological trove. Automatic lights, devices that can climb floors, a huge indoor lab at what must be... seven floors above ground?'' There's a shine of tear in one of Adam eyes. ''Demon Lord is <span class="mu-s">equipped.</span>''
''...'' Adam looked at the table in total, reasonable disbelief. ''Back in the college of Alchemy, a professor I knew managed to make an artificial body for a dog. That's the best mixture of soul and technology I've ever known. To make a device that can host fully conscious human souls...?'' He doesn't finish his sentence; he ends it with a drink.
Something nearly slips out of your mouth, words that, thankfully, remain still despite the increasingly warm, cloudy sensation in your mind. Liquored-up promises and oaths are often the sources of heartaches and regrets... but is it truly a bad idea?
