I could have taken the steam cart back home but decided to walk it all off. That way I also had enough time to ponder my new find. The feel and weight of the old-world tech on my person called to me. It was almost like an indescribable itch, and not even because of its possible worth. No, it almost screamed forbidden knowledge. Things commoners like me weren’t supposed to know. Still, I wasn’t going to waste credits to get there just a bit faster.

Besides, as my stomach suddenly reminded me, there was a baker’s den on the way. A place with good people, good eats, and discount sweet-egg bread bowls this time of night. It wouldn’t do to stay hungry. What if Mother Luck was really favoring me and more monsters appeared?

“Don’t be a cheapskate and eat. Tomorrow is a new day,” I muttered, feeling my feet drag me along familiar paths.

I took a right at one sparking light post, up a hill of potted old-tech pavement, then down the other side past small quick-tech hovels. They were slapped together with wooden planks, all wearing the same coat of paint and design. Two windows were at the front, one door in the middle, and a chimney sticking out of the top.

This was the sort of place people ended up in if they made the wrong kind of decision in life or if they didn’t work hard enough. I made sure that my credits were spent in the right place so I didn’t have to downgrade. I liked my current place just fine…

Hovel-Town as people referred to it, was where the majority of the labor force came from. Civilians that weren’t skilled enough in anything but being used for raw labor like when those with actual professions needed a pair of hands to lift and hold stuff in place or load and unload goods, dig holes, and act as mules. They were the lowest of the serfs, and they were many.

Luckily, I had some engineering and crafting skills, but without anyone of a certain standing to vouch for me, I wasn’t eligible to advance in class. So a lucky scavenge score was what kept me going.

Then there was Elli…the fool. Why did she cling so hard to someone like me? She could bag a noble with her looks and knowledge, but for some odd reason, she decided not to. It had been something I wanted to ask her many times, but never had the courage. What if things changed between us? Sure, I acted uninterested whenever she tried to get closer or made a move on me, but the truth was that I didn’t want to ruin her life. Unless something drastically changed and I got ahead in life…

Spying the Alnda River, I made for the nearest footbridge. It was a quaint stone construction with small vandalism etched into its handholds, and I enjoyed it because it was situated right over a rock bed that trickled water musically over its stones. The bridge made everything feel good and clean as there was a dedicated crew that made sure no one littered around it or off the bridge.

Even when creds were running low and I was digging in my heels to keep from asking Elli for a loan, I had a place to visit and let my mind wander for a while. At least I wouldn’t have to think about that for some time. The scavenge had been decent despite the lowball offer from the bank.

Another reason why I liked the place is because it was close to the baker’s den, a place I loved to frequent but could rarely afford. When I reached about the center of the bridge, the warm, yeasty aroma of fresh bread wafted up my nostrils and lit up my brain parts. It smelled rich, a combination of honey, sugar, and light pillowy breads.

I hastened my steps, practically running now, my stomach squealing and burbling inside me. Over the bridge and past a single line of journeyman brick-and-mortar housing, I finally spotted it. Green-eyed Pleasures, the peeling paint of its creaky sign proclaimed. I pushed the door open and entered the ceramic-tiled interior. My eyes wandered breathlessly at the bread and pastries showcased within.

“Hey there, Al,” Jennen, the master baker, greeted me with a smile. She wiped flour-dusted hands on her already well-dusted apron. “Sweet egg bread bowl?”

I nodded, offering a weary smile.

“Yeah, thanks. It's been a long day. On discount, 2 creds?” I asked.

It always was, but it was a nod to her skill and hard work to ask anyway.

“You know it! Want me to heat it up for you?”

“Yes, please,” I replied and looked out the window, spotting people making their way this way and that, probably going home after a hard day of work.

As Jennen busied herself preparing my order, I took a moment to appreciate the bakery. It might not look like much, but I knew better. It was all wood and mud, but Jennen and her family had gone ahead and tiled the inside to make it look, in her words, like a “hoiten, toiten palace.” They were good people who worked tirelessly, keeping the place spotless and the food top-notch with what ingredients they could afford.

Handing me a warm, crusty circular loaf wrapped in paper, Jennen's hazel eyes met mine. She looked just as tired as I felt, yet still found the time to chat up a poor bugger like me.

“Have a good scavenge today? Oh, Lady above, those were some big ‘uns.”

“Yeah,” I said, smiling. “It was good that the White Squad went out. Three feral monsters in one day and at the same time…things could have gone either way.”

“I figured as much. Managed to rent some tools today?”

“Did, yes,” I said, genuinely smiling now. “Ellinor and I went together. It was a decent day, that’s for sure.”

“Hah! That girl be the death of you one day. She’s too feisty but honest. Take good care of yourself and her, alright?”

“Thanks, Jennen. Will do and be stopping by again for sure.”

She waved a hand and turned back to labor, fanning up the flames of a stone oven and then turning to a side counter. She flapped a mound of dough out from a ceramic counter, rolled, and crimped it with professional ease. I almost asked if I could stay a while and just watch her work as it was a pleasure to see her hands move with such practiced ease, but then remembered my find and stiffened.

I slipped out and stepped back into the cooling evening, munching on my newly-bought dinner as I walked the rest of the way home. On the way, I noticed that a few of the lights flickered and flamed in our quarter. Puzzled, I figured I’d show Elli the next night and maybe she could tell me what old tech oddity was making it all glitch.

Arriving back home, I couldn’t help but think how safe it was even at night. Guards were always around, even in the poorer areas and things like muggings or brawls were very rare. That’s why I hadn’t been worried about her arriving home safe.

I unlocked the door to the familiar sight of my tools and unfinished projects and set my day’s take on the nearest counter before turning to close and relock the door. This chip or even motherboard, whatever it was, would have to be examined carefully and stored away from prying eyes.

Even those of Elli for now.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I moved around the shop, checking window shutters and the back door. Finding everything closed tight, I moved back to my goods, separating them into piles. The meat I’d been lugging around in an oversized backpack, I put in the crystallization tank, and the motherboard I plopped down on the table in front of me. I wasn’t sure what to do with it first, so I got a rag and wiped it free of dried grime and guts. The steel framing the chip, conductors, and wiring, felt chilly in my hands, almost prickly as if it was emanating cold.

“What do we have here, huh?” I whispered, leaning in closer with a magnifier to check the markings engraved into the steel casing. I couldn’t read it as it looked foreign, and none of the symbols made much sense to me.

I yawned and grabbed another rag and some cleaning fluid, going over the board to clean the remaining dirt, then placed it on the workbench yet again and just stared at it. Over the years, I’d found various smaller bits and pieces that I’d managed to smuggle out from scavenging, but never something as advanced-looking and big as the board. It almost looked like the boards used inside mechs, but much more advanced…

Letting out a deep sigh, I wrapped the piece in the second cloth and took it with me into my backstop bedroom. There, in the old spring-tech bed of my parents, I stashed it away inside a hidden space beneath the mattress. It’d be safe there until I had a better idea of how to appraise it or get it working. Also, the less it was out in the open, the better.

The day's exhaustion finally caught up, urging me to finish my nightly routine. I got up and moved to the old tile of my bathroom, rolling a crank start for a few minutes to heat the water. Stepping into the shower, I let the tepid water pour over me, thankful that my parents had left me such an exquisite device. Most homes, even this close to the city center, bathed with buckets from the wells. The old tech in their neighborhoods was usually clogged, cracked, or otherwise scavenged for use somewhere with a bit more capital.

Clean and with the water starting to chill, I made my way back to bed and slid into my covers, my mind still processing everything that had happened during the day. It was highly unusual to see such an attack on the city and then to get there in time to scavenge one of the monsters. And then that knight and his offer…the board…

I drifted off into a much-needed sleep as I was lost in thoughts.

* * * * *

Revelry woke me seemingly moments later, the grinding whir of an old tech megaphone crackling its words as it called out over the city.

“Your duty calls. Be awake and ready for your Duke and the Empire,” the voice repeated three times.

I’d heard it said that the nobles, plutocrats, and craftmasters had districts in which the words weren’t called every morning, with residences that let in no such sound from the outside, and it wasn’t the first morning that I wished I were one of them and that the stories were true. But as I lay there in bed, filled with first waking daze, the events of the previous day washed back over me, and the thought of the board tore me wide awake.

Leaping out of bed, I dug under the mattress, opened the small hiding spot, and pulled the board back out. Taking it with me, I went out into the workshop and set it down on my workbench, unwrapped it, and stared at the steel-encased piece of old tech with fresh eyes.

“I’ve seen those symbols somewhere,” I muttered, trying to wrack my brain and remember where. Maybe it had even been during one of my scavenging trips, I couldn’t quite place it.

“And what’s more, how do I even power or interface with you?” I whispered, tapping my fingers against the workbench.

It was unlike anything I’d ever seen, old tech or new. The materials that made it were unfamiliar, and the shape was slightly off. Its unique style was captivating but also worrying. What if it wasn’t used for mechs at all? There was a possibility, no matter how small, that it was used for…what exactly? I had no idea.

I left it on the workbench while I retrieved my rusted steel case where I’d kept all of the inert pieces I’d collected over the years. Many of them had slots for old-world batteries, chips, fluids, and gears that would presumably start them up again if everything was in working order. I wondered if maybe one of them could even point at, well, anything really. I was starting from scratch, so any kind of information would be useful. That way I knew what to even look for and what it might do.

I tore through the case — first pulling out a spherical design that, when opened, proved to be a maze of interlocking gears, each meticulously crafted, with a small slot that was obviously made for a much smaller board or even just a chip.

Tossing it to the side, I reached in and pulled out a large metallic box, scratched all over but otherwise in great shape. Opening it, I saw a large cylindrical opening that was absolutely the wrong shape. Sure, I’d known it would be a long shot, but it would only take me a minute to rummage through the stuff so it wasn’t like I’d waste hours and days checking through the old gear.

I growled, annoyed by any lack of similarities as I rummaged further. The day was young, and as far as I could tell, I had all of it to myself, but I couldn’t stand not having at least a starting point on something that looked so important.

Tearing through it all, I found the wrong item after the wrong item. A glove woven with wires, an old-tech screened communicator, a slim electronic stylus; the items went on and on until I was about near the bottom.

There, possibly one of the first treasures I’d ever taken home, lay a small, metallic cylinder, cool to the touch, with intricate patterns etched into its surface. There was no place to put the chip here, but something about the cone shape at the top of the cylinder got me to bring it over and set it down next to the chip. A similar symbol was etched into its surface. I gasped for air as my mind started racing.

I picked the cylinder back up and flipped it around several times, then did the same with the board. There was a small depression on its bottom side that reflected the shape of the cone perfectly.

“A data transfer device?” I mumbled, having heard about such tech from Ellinor, but I’d never seen one to my knowledge.

I took the motherboard and placed it with the depression up, then pressed the cone of the cylinder inside. Both devices flashed red, beeped, and a voice crackled from the motherboard.

“The charging cycle has begun. Current charge, 0%.”

I stared, obviously frightened by what just happened. The noise had been loud enough that anyone standing near the door might have heard it. I decided against peeking out through the shutters or opening the door just to peek out. That would be even more suspicious I figured.

The device flashed, and I reached out to it.

“The charging cycle is in progress. Current charge, 1%,” it screamed horrendously. I grabbed my ears and shook my head. It was almost as if the sound had pierced my very skull.

I picked the thing up and twisted it around, looking for some sort of audio output. I’d seen enough old tech to know some had them, but I couldn’t find one anywhere on the board or charging device.

“You little shit!” I hissed. “You’re going to get me killed!”

To my further surprise, the chip and charger flashed blue. Thin lines of intense azure light shot out, seemingly measuring the interior of my workshop, the lines moving across the ceiling, my walls, and even the floor.

A flashing ghost appeared next to me.

“Ah!” I yipped, almost falling backward off my chair.

The shade stared at me, a figure unlike any that I’d seen before. It was human-shaped and two-legged, but its eyes glowed rainbow hues, and its reptilian body seemed otherworldly, like the monsters that plagued our lands.

Before I could react, the ghost spoke, its voice gruff and demanding.

“You! Who are you? Where am I? Return me to my master immediately!” it barked, its eyes staring into my own and threatening me with the prospect of a painful death.

I took a step back, shocked by the sudden outburst. This was not what I had expected would happen. Not at all.

“I, uh, your master?” I asked, my mind racing as I tried to understand what was going on. This was unlike anything that I’d ever heard of in all my years working with Ellinora and other engineers. Flashing and talking ghosts didn’t just appear out of nowhere and start talking.

The ghost stomped in fury, continuing its tirade.

“Yes, scum! Return me to the great Mogfathar!”

“Mog…father?” I asked, unsure what he was talking about.

“Mogfathar, you imbecile! He’s the greatest invasion leader in history! Every world he sets his eyes on trembles and dies a horrible death! You and your kind are doomed!”

I closed my eyes for a moment, took in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly, repeated it two more times, and opened my eyes. The ghostly lizard-like creature was almost up in my face as it showed its sharp teeth and glowing eyes.

“What? Are you finally afraid? Good! You can either surrender to Mogfathar or perish. I would prefer the second if you ask me. Maybe I can even speed it up and contact--hmm, why am I out of power?”

The lizard ghost pulled away from me and looked around the workshop as if searching for something, popping in and out of existence randomly. His words resonated with me, though.

Invasion.

The word resonated, rolling me back to the fairy tales of my childhood. Humanity had grown wicked in our high towers of old tech, and our constant wars were a blight on all that was good, as so the demon-spawn had come to bring vengeance upon the wicked. In this war, the evil spawn was smitten, broken asunder under the lances of the gods-anointed.

This…oh lords! This was spawn tech!

I stared at the devices, narrowing my eyes on the lizard creature.

“Say, are you of the spawn?”

The ghost flickered, staring me straight into my eyes.