High Jinx
"High Jinx
In the command camber of the shark shaped submarine, the Dark Shark, which now has a dark gray cloud of fabric above it so the craft is, for right now, a zeppelin, an eerie silence hangs over the gathered.
"We're...not falling?" A tiger striped orange vixen sorceress in a suit of shark leather armor cut in such a way as to enhance her elf like figure questions audible as she grips the railing around most of the raised dais in the center of the chamber..
"No, Evelyn," A black furred wolf with orange stripes in a suit of shark leather armor states tentatively, "It would appear Brom anticipated this."
"Aye, Cap'n Fenryx," a voice calls through a tube to the wolf and vixen. "I heard a rumor the Krakatoa had crashed to Urth centuries or even eons ago from the stars. I wasn't sure of the veracity or even if Eve could find records of it in the Library of Lost Lore, but I figured; why take the chance?"
"Good thinking, Brom," a harlequin rabbit, wearing not a stitch of clothing, says as she stands in front of Fenryx, naked as the day she was born and undoing his fly as subtlely as possible considering her head only comes up to the wolf's groin and the wolf is human sized.
"Not now, Lorelei," Fenryx commands which causes the bunny to pout and then he turns to the speaking tube. "Can we deflate the balloon safely, Brom? I appreciate the fact that we can now fly but we're a target up here like this."
"The balloon is housed in extra-dimensional space on board the Dark Shark, Cap'n," Brom explains, "I can fix it so we're a submarine again easily. Although I would suggest we touch down on the water before we do that though."
"That's a given, Brom," Fenryx states, "How far are from Freakport?"
"Are you really sure we should be going back so soon, Master?" Lorelei asks respectfully. "I sincerely doubt Gorelock's calmed down by now."
"She's right, Master," Evelyn says in agreement with Lorelei, "I know my 'father' the man I had been taught to regard as my father at any rate. If Jason and his crew reformed, they'll be in hiding from him if they know what's good for them."
"My main reason for going home is to check up on them," Fenryx explains. "I want to make sure those Krakatoa bastards didn't get their souls as well as their bodies."
"Gorelock doesn't know it yet," Brom says through the tube, "but I have a way to monitor the tanks back on the Jaw and block his notices. But as far as I can tell Jason and his boys reformed alright and made for Saliva Bay as soon as they could. As far as how far we are; I need to take some measurements to determine that. But I'm working on it."
"I'm sure you are, Brom," Eve coos, "Just get back to us on that, Lore and I want some quality time with the Cap'n."
Down in the engine room the badger who is Brom Blackstar, artificier alchemist extraordinaire just smirks as he knows just what the vixen and the bunny have in mind for the wolf. He walks over to the forward launch tubes were a wolverine female in armored work leathers, which is what Brom is wearing as well is going over her inventory. Brom fondles her breasts from behind and almost gets slapped for his efforts.
"Brom, love," She coos darkly, "You really need to announce yourself, I was almost ready to grab my dagger," she then moves to kiss him and proceeds to squeeze his scrotum, "But I think I'll just take yours instead."
"I'm up for that, Helga," Brom says lustfully. "By the way did you activate the lightning field yet?"
"You don't think we'll get attacked by anything up here do you?" Helga asks with an air of incredulousness. Then the ship rocks violently. "What the gift was that?"
Jellyfish like creatures the size of beach balls slam into ship and promptly explode. Helga throws a switch and a blue-white energy field overlay the ship and the balloon above. The polyps touch the field and become electrocuted before they explode.
"Well," Helga states with a shrug of her shoulders, "That answers that question. How did you know, Brom, love?"
"Something I saw in Eve's notes on how the Krakatoa were expert monster makers," Brom admits, "They create certain weapon monsters like this that sacrifice what pathetic lives they live in service to their masters as they are vat grown." Then he kisses her breasts. "But that's not what I came in here to...ahem 'discuss'."
"Do tell," Helga smirks lustily as she kisses her lover's head and guides his hand to her groin even as she keeps a hand at his nether regions.
Back in the control room a red panda kunoichi is speaking to the wolf on a crystal screen.
"Fen," The red panda girl says then looks around herself,"I don't know what you did but Gorelock is on the war path. I suggest you don't come home for a month. He has special golems out to capture you for an inquisition."
"Oh, we're going back to Freakport," Fenryx states, "I'm not going to the Jaw but I had Xyrveyzah set up connections for at least one extra base."
"My contacts are still looking into Scurvy's old base, Fen," A cheetah femme in a loincloth, leather vest and wraps around her wrists, ankles, hands and feet says as she nods to Fenryx, "I did get the Eastbone Island base procured without much trouble though."
"Good work, Xyra," Fen says with a smile. "How near the Carnival?"
"The grotto is in Carnival grounds," Xyrveyzah admits, "But the entrance is only accessible from the sea and underwater at that. It's an rarely used space that Shadow King Jack has largely forgotten about."
"It'll have to do," Fernyx growls as he and his two slaves make their way for his bed chambers. "I would rather not have to deal with the Carnival but I guess that can't be helped."
"The only saving grace," Eve offers, "Is that skullbox has to share Eastbone with the Slug Queen and her sluggard brood in the marshes of Shadow Water."
"And neither of them are good at sharing," Xyrveyzah says as she rubs Fen's groin, "Although I should warn you they are talking."
"Wasn't there a rumor," Fen asks as he rubs the cheetah's rump, "That she was collecting mutants for something? I know I saw at least one fly speaker at the Jaw in the weeks leading up to our departure for the Sunken City."
"Yeah," Xyra confirms as she guides Fen's hand into her groin, "The Freakshow oddities from around the world. Some of those warped by alchemy or straight up born weird have traveled to the swamps to supposedly meet with her. But that's only one odd thing."
"What else?" Eve asks as the four of them move to the Captain's quarters, "You mean the reports of corpse gatherers?"
"Yeah, they've been spotted gathering up pieces and stealing stray limbs," Xyra reports as Lorelei fists her and Eve while performing fellatio on Fen, "But you killed Scurvy didn't you?"
"I thought I did," Fenryx says with a confused look as he fondles both Xyra's and Eve's racks simultaneously, "I took out that dirty rat before some elf executed me." Eve grins sheepishly even as Fen squeezes her nipples. "This ended up pissing off Gorelock who meted out his own discipline."
While floating about getting their bearings the ship has more passive pests to deal with in the form mechanical eyeballs of brass and glass with helicopter blades overhead. A trio of them converges on the Dark Shark and conveys images of the flying submarine to Doctor Clock who is very interested in them as he directs his spies from his own airship. He still has a contract on Fenryx but his ship is what interests the clockwork wizard at present.
The mechanical flying eyes get close enough to get a good look but not near enough for the lightning fields to affect them. The Dark Shark has no weapons of her own that function in flight mode but Brom did allow for gun slits that are sealed tight underwater. Doc Clock has no idea they're there until Brom and Helga each shoot out a spy eye.
While he still has no idea from whence the shots came from, Doc Clock isn't about to provide Fen's crew with any more target practice. He withdr5aws the remaining spy eye and calculates their position. Doctor Clock is very cross with Fen at the moment and resolves to redress Brom's attack with Fen's blood.
Back on Jawbone Isle a tall gaunt elf in a high collared black robe that twinkles with stars paces the floor of an observatory. This is Leader Gorelock himself and he is also very cross with Fenryx but for different reasons. Then Doctor Clock's head appears in the huge crystal ball at the center of a titanic mechanical representation of the heavens that moves according to movements of the celestial bodies it strives to display.
"Greetings, Gorelock, you old sinner," Doctor Clock growls.
"We both have crimes in out pats for which we should died a thousand times over," Gorelock counters quickly and in a cross manner. "What do you want?"
"How would you like to know where your recent creation is?" Doctor Clock asks coyly.
"Which one?" Gorelock counter asks just as coyly.
"I have a contract on Fenryx's life," Clock states casually.
"Do tell?" Gorelock inquires in an intrigued tone of voice. "And why tell me?"
"Oh, no special reason," Doctor Clock lies obviously, "By the way, I let Evelyn look at some of Moreau's work books that I have stashed in the Library of Lost Lore. She seemed quite interested in them."
"What books?" Gorelock demands to know. "I was under the impression that I had all of that material."
"He made back ups," Clock says with a smirk. "You didn't know? I'm not handing them over; so don't ask."
"Heavens forefend," Gorelock exclaims mockingly. "Notify me when you kill them if you would be so kind."
Back on the Dark Shark Brom is having some trouble with the descent. He found a glitch he overlooked in previous design drafts but is just coming up now to be a problem. After donning a tool belt and winged harness he leaves the ship to check on some mechanisms outside the ship.
The problem has to do with the lower rudder fins, the ship is designed to look like a big shark after all and move more less how they move. Brom is careful to protect himself and his equipment as uses the glider wings to move about the outside of the ship. He reminds himself that this would affect the sub's underwater performance as well as a means of chastising himself for not seeing the problem sooner.
As it turns out, the mechanism is fine; it just got some body parts stuck in them from the jellyfish attack. However it's cleaning out the fins and complaining about the creatures he sees another potential hazard. It almost seems like a cloud with an odd shape before the tendrils come into view as the light hits them just so.
Stories of storm jellies are common enough as horrified airship crews report just barely surviving encounters with them. When two or more of them get together the trouble really starts up as the lightning that passes between them can be deadly to both ship and crew. Brom is terrified of the sight of them and the knowledge of what they could do to his precious creation.
A trio of them surround the Dark Shark and make fierce winds that keep it where it is. Brom reports the problem fixed but the storm jellies are preventing them from moving as the ship starts to creak loudly. The air pressure is starting to test the submarine's plating just as sure as if they had dove too deep under the seas.
Fenryx knows a bit about these monsters too, especially how to take them down. He grabs his hook swords and exits the ship. If these abominations want to impede him they will learn there is a price to be paid for raising his ire.
Captain Fenryx Zavaj is angry but he knows how to maintain his composure in the face of such adversity. He also wears a dark cloak that forms bat wings when the wind hits them and activates their enchantment. Evelyn made this piece of magical equipment for her master after she found out what Brom was planning to keep him safe as even now she watches on nervously inside the Dark Shark.
In order to break the enchantment holding their ship fast the formation must be broken and that means either driving one of more away or killing at least on one of them. The cold dark fire in Fenryx's belly dictates he must kill one to drive the other two away. As aberrant creature they have no place in the natural order of things in his mind and thus must be destroyed.
He draws a sigil in blue light that weakens the three as they quiver in fear before Fenryx makes his first strike. Poetry in violent motion is how the crew describes the attack as the Captain swoops in gracefully to make a sweeping slash with the hooked blades that long ago became Fenryx's signature weapon. Biological bolts of lightning arc between the storm jellies almost as a form of communication between them like neurons firing messages between themselves; Fen lands back on the top of the Dark Shark with the balloon above him. .
All three send lightning bolts hurtling at Fenryx but only strike the ship due something special Brom did with the plating. In fact the lightning bolts are actually absorbed harmlessly, again as Brom designed as a means of providing fuel for the ship itself. Then Fen leaps off the deck to attack again.
Fen looks like an avenging demonic angel with his wings as he cuts the storm jelly deeply with his swords. Tendrils of pure electricity lash out at Fenryx that cause him to grimace with he gets hit. The handles of his weapons are wrapped with insulated shark skin which helps him keep his grip as he continues to fight.
When next he lands on the deck of the Dark Shark Fen prays to the gods of nature for resistance against electricity. The very image of Susano-o himself appears before Fenryx and gives him the loving embraces a father gives to his beloved son. His blades get a greater sheen as Fenryx takes a step before making a running leap with mini arcs occurring between the follicles of his fur at random intervals indicate his prayers were answered in spades as the tiger-wolf is now so charged with energy he is immune to whatever the jellies can dish out.
Unbeknownst to Fenryx there is a meeting of gods happening to discuss him. Pele is entertaining Susano-o on her island in the Broken Teeth as they watch Fen fight. The Volcano Goddess and the Storm God are enjoying themselves immensely which is why Susano-o was only too happy to grant his spell request.
Not that providing the Gods with entertainment is a goal of his but Fenryx is doing his best to take down the storm jellies as quickly as possible. The fact that he is impressing and entertaining the very gods who grant him spells is an added bonus.
Doctor Clock is also watching and formulating plans of attack based on what he observes. He eventually has to turn away as after Fen manages to kill the one storm jelly, one of the other two decides that Doc Clock would be easier prey while the other just flees into the upper atmosphere where the Dark Shark is not inclined to follow. A curse readily comes to the good doctor's lips as he has to contend with the monster.
Leader Gorelock is watching all this by proxy as he has a spy eye of his own design in Clock's airship. The plight of the clockwork cyborg amuses him and softens his resolve to do terrible things to Fen and Eve when next he gets his claws on them. But in the meantime he redoubles his efforts to find the otters.
Jason and company are currently attending Pele and Susano-o as the requests of gods are not to be rebuffed lightly. It also affords the otters the opportunity to schmooze with deity which is a rare pleasure even in a world such as the one in which they live in. Finally it will score some brownie points for Fenryx and Jason is very loyal to the boss as it usually ends up benefiting him in the long run and the sheer fact that Jason admires Fenryx pure and simple.
After the ship can get moving again they stumble upon a floating island surrounded by mist. From the air it looks like a floating city and amusement park that has been completely abandoned. Concrete spires rise into the sky with glass windows and magical lights that alight as skyscape around them considerably darkens to indicate night has fallen.
Evelyn advises against exploring even as Xyrveyzah begs the Captain to do just that: Explore the city. Fenryx's curiosity is piqued by the very prospect of the place and so it doesn't take much convincing. Brom and Helga tag along as they leave Evelyn in charge while they go exploring.
Finding a place to dock is not hard as jaw of the Dark Shark becomes a gangplank to the boardwalk. Squeaking automatons emerge from the shadows as they move to collect docking fees that Fen gladly pays as they can always steal it back later. Once paid a veritable army of automatons emerge and clean the Dark Shark's exterior which prompts Captain Zavaj to think better of stealing as Brom watches them with all the fascination of a kid at Christmas.
There is a wrought iron fence at the end of the dock with a turnstile gate to enter or exit like revolving doors. Inside the gate the city comes alive as an automated amusement park. Brom instantly recognizes the craftsmanship as the same as the sunken city in metal as opposed to the organics of what they just escaped. However it doesn't take long for them to find a statue of Doctor Clock that identifies him as the city's founder.
Fenryx is put on guard with this revelation the statue represents as the tiger-wolf doesn't trust the clockwork alchemist especially since he knows the cyborg has a contract hit on him that still needs to be carried out. The one that ordered the hit is no longer human or even on the planet right now but the assassin does not know this nor does the would be victim know who order said hit upon him. Farquad maintains his hatred in his new form of Fenryx so the intention at least is still very much in place.
A few feet in front of them a train comes clanking into the station and waits for them to board. Despite his misgivings Fenryx boards as Brom assures him that it poses no immediate danger. It clanks its way to a tower within which a prerecorded image of Doctor Clock welcomes them generically to his Pleasurable Island in the Sky before dropping them into the park proper as the train is actually a metal and steel looping roller coaster.
After the first dip when the train didn't crash Fenryx and company into the fact that it's just a ride and enjoy themselves. Haggard and frazzled but physically unharmed they disembark to the rest of the park in a stumbling fashion but with smirks registered on their muzzles as they enjoy themselves while waiting for the next attack. Doctor Clock is shortly notified that he has visitors to his Utopia Play land and after a brief period of paranoia he calms down and smiles to himself as he plots a course to join them.
As mage lights slowly but surely become the only illumination available the place gets increasingly "lively" as things emerge from the shadows. Tiny tar balls with silver eye spots, each of which is only about the approximate size of a baseball, roll out first of their own volition to investigate the visitors. Fenryx finds them mildly disturbing as his own battle with aggressive tar babies on Shadow Fang Isle is still rather fresh in his mind though they, the tar balls that is, prove to be harmless enough.
Next to come are the fliers, creatures made primarily of wings and teeth with orbiting eye balls that buzz the quartet aimlessly at first then swarm around Fen to make an attempt at eating him alive. Unfortunately for the critters their intended victim is wise to their wiles and is ready for them. Spinning himself around the tiger-wolf is able to weave a dance where his blades offer much protection against their collective attack as he is able to whittle their numbers down to a manageable level.
Stragglers try for Xyrveyzah and Brom only to get smited by gun with Brom and a flurry of fists from Xyrveyzah. Whatever they were the living tar balls absorb their bodies into themselves and roll on to clean the park in their wake. The scene is weird but it would seem that the tar balls represent the janitorial staff of the island.
A display of hearts attracts the four to a flooded tunnel that gives the girls ideas as they half drag the guys into the boats that automatically glide into the tunnel when a pair of bodies situates themselves inside. Xyrveyzah moves to perform fellatio on Fenryx since they are the only ones in the boat. Fenryx soon turns this into a 69 position so he can eat her out as the seating changes from slats for sitting to a small, twin sized, waterbed configuration.
Illusions of sexual acts display around them as if bringing the Karma Sutra to life using fantasy races to depict the various positions and motions. Neither occupant pass the pictures with much in the way of attention although Xyrveyzah takes not when she sees a position they can easily do. When she gets him sufficiently hard enough Xyrveyzah mounts Fenryx and proceeds to ride him in some ways in imitation of some of what she has seen. Doctor Clock inadvertently trapped a fertility spirit when he built the tunnel and this forgotten goddess is pleased by the cheetah's antics and thus grants her its blessings.
Fenryx begins to knot their bodies together inadvertently as Xyrveyzah grinds with him as the knotting makes bouncing difficult. As she grinds he draws her down so his muzzle can connect with her bosom. Xyra knows what Fen wants and lets him play with her body as he pleases.
His semen floods her womb as she begins to lactate. Fen eagerly laps up the milk although the face that she is lactating alarms Xyra slightly. Xyra is enjoying the mingle of sensations so while suddenly producing milk is disturbing it makes her breasts more attractive to Fen so she thanks whatever deity gave her this boon.
What Xyra does not know yet is that she now has a pair of twins, one of each gender, on the way that Fen has fathered. Her libido has only increased so she is not aware of the change much other than an increased sense of fulfillment at having Fen inside of her. Fenryx doesn't know it yet but this will make three children he has made today since he impregnated Evelyn earlier.
Brom and Helga are behind the cat and dog and they get it on the former dwarves get the urge to merge as well. Slowly but surely the badger fucks his wolverine lover in the steady methods of a dwarven couple. The images go unheeded but the same spirit that helped the cheetah begin the process of producing new life admires the style of lovemaking Brom and Helga are displaying as they are being affectionate without exuberance.
Xyrveyzah feels different after the jaunt through the tunnel of lust and on a lark asks Fenryx to cast a detection spell on her. Fenryx doesn't feel like denying her this simple request and recites a quick prayer for an instant answer. The result shocks him.
"Why did you want that spell cast?" Fenryx asks off handedly. "You were especially needy sexually but I also haven't fucked you in a while."
"I feel kind of weird, Captain," Xyrveyzah says honestly. "Did you get anything?"
"I think I got you pregnant," Fen states honestly.
"My mother always told me I was too wild," Xyrveyzah says with a sigh. "Now what? I can't expect you to leave Evelyn for me." She then gets a weird grin. "Although being part of your harem might be fun. I wonder if Eve is pregnant and doesn't know it yet?"
"Good question," Fen speculates aloud, "I'll test her when we get back to the Dark Shark."
"What's happenin' Cap'n!?!" Brom asks jovially as he and Helga exit behind them.
"Our crew is about to expand in a few months," Xyra giggles, "With cheetah-wolf hybrids."
"At least one badger-wolverine as well," Fen says as he looks at Helga, "I'm not the only poppa here."
"You have some sort of spell active, Cap'n?" Helga asks incredulously. "I feel fine, at lead now I do."
"I asked him to see if I was preggers, Helga," Xyra explains. "I guess the durations ain't ended yet."
"I ain't gettin' testy, Xyra," Helga assures with a smile, "If Brom's gotten me pregnant I'll welcome the child with open arms."
"We both will," Brom says lovingly as he nuzzles Helga.
Near the exit of the tunnel of lust is another waterway acting as a moat to a great castle that Mad King Ludwig of Germany might have envisioned. The castle's great drawbridge has been raised; making entry through that portal difficult at best. The alternative is another boat ride into what one would assume would be the dungeon.
As pirates, dungeon raiding is nothing new but so too are the dangers are well known as the team arms itself before boarding the boat. Hungry tentacles lash out nearly as soon as they sit down and attempt to grab the pirates. Its attack expected; the quartet make short work of the offending appendages.
Empty cages, two of them, hang from chains to greet the group as son as they get through the entry tunnel. Apparently these are enchanted to move of their own volition as the clockworks are not viewable by the team as they try to capture them. The team plays keep away in swatting the chains that threaten to lasso any one of them.
Automaton torturers menace the long dead as the bear silent witness to the grizzly spectacle. Gaff traps attempt to capture the beast folk seemingly at random intervals; no doubt to provide the torturers with additional victims. Tentacles also make random grab attempts but Fen suspects those belong to an actual creature lurking beneath the water and looking for a meal.
Each of the tentacles so far have been laced with dagger sized thorns which make identification easy enough for Fenryx as its tactics are well known and when it finally surfaces he has prepared his team for the event. Scholars of the bizarre long ago termed it an octowyrd as its form is that of a giant octopus with jet black skin, thorny arms and the ability to "communicate" telepathically with its would be victims. It's mind is alien and the thoughts it projects are random and utterly disturbing even by those experienced with the strangeness as Fen is accustomed to as waves of weird and conflicting thoughts come streaming into the head of the quartet.
All four lift rifles and take careful aim before firing a volley of bullets that greatly wound the creature; forcing it to retreat. It tries to harass the group with its tentacles but ends up losing whatever it sends against them. It then tries to capsize the boat and gets spear for its trouble and more bullets as the quartet shoves their bayonets into its hide and then releases another volley.
The ride ends for them at a mooring platform that features a rope chain bridge to stone steps that lead up into the castle proper; an opportunity none of them is willing to pass up. Getting up into the castle is a breeze but once there; trouble starts. Duelist practice dummies, fancy names for a golem fencer programmed to kill anyone that can't defeat it in combat within its dueling square of a given room or hallway, abound with about one in ten being a pistolero.
Out of the four of them, Fen is the only one acquainted with the rules of proper dueling and even then he cheats often. But his style is the is the Pirate's school, often referred to as the Shark College of Fencing in this world, a style that encourages "dirty passes" and other underhanded methods to win a fight. A lot of these methods are used to weaken flesh and blood opponents and are thus useless when fighting a construct.
Fortunately Brom is an expert in taking automatons apart so while Fen distracts a given fencing golem, Brom administers the methodology to destroy them. This especially proves true against pistoleers whose weapons make them far less accurate than Doctor Clock would like them to be. But this strategy almost proves disastrous against the dervish model.
What Fens starts to refer to as the "standard" model has arms that end in sword and shield or rapier and main gauche which is the standard method of dueling. Pistoleros have gun barrels for arms instead forearms and hands to represent pistol duelists a style that is just now come into fashion. Dervishes have scimitar arms and whirl about as befitting the style of the desert dwellers it comes from.
Dueling is a martial art form practiced primarily by the very rich of this world, a group of snobby elitists who find being like Fenryx offensive merely by his presence which is often how a given fight starts. Many a noble though he could cleanse an area of beast folk stench with a challenge he wasn't prepared to lose. Fenryx is actually and accredited master of the Shark school, a fact he does and does not advertise by virtue of his carrying hook swords openly.
The sawtooth saber is the acknowledged signature weapon of the Shark College but a few masters favor the hook sword. Fenryx is only one of six masters to do this although this number could grow as the students of the other five get better at their craft. It is an obscure reference but one that is public knowledge so Fen never feels sorry for those he kills because they failed to recognize him as a master fencer.
As Fenryx fights a dervish on the roof of one of the towers he wishes he had sawtooth sabers instead of his hook swords as there is no way to disarm these fighting machines. Although the hook portions of the blades does make it easier to flip and fling them about. In fact it's this mover and a corner trap that allows Fen to defeat it by executing the flip jump near the edge then sets his hooks into the body before flinging them off the room to its doom.
Xyrveyzah gives Fenryx a blow job after one particularly grueling fight as Helga and Brom check out automated cannon. There seems to be at least one in each of the four towers with a completely clockwork attendant system. Brom expects trouble at any minute and quickly infuses the cannon he and Helga were looking at with hi magic ability just as an experiment.
Brom is astonished when a tinny voice addresses him as "master" in his own head. The cannon has a modicum of sentience; not much but enough to be aware of its surroundings and load itself with magic. After performing some routine maintenance and a little buffing, Brom has earned the cannon's absolute loyalty.
Once he is done with the largest of the four who calls itself "Ollie" for reasons its creator only knew as some weird joke but it tells Brom that his brothers could use similar attention. Thinking all four cannons an asset against Doctor Clock if that should be needed, Brom services the other three (Stan, Bud and Lou) as well. Brom then fixes up the automatic servants through out the house and gains their loyalty as well.
The maintenance golems all give off pleasure noises when Brom attends them, especially Lucy and Ethel, a pair of clockwork maids who run much better after Brom uses the powers of alchemy to make them that much more efficient. Rykeee, the clockwork bard sings more robustly after Brom is done with him.
Back on the Dark Shark the crew sees the Clockwork Stormcloud headed their way. Evelyn orders the balloon deflated and the chameleon skin activated before she and everyone else left behind leave the ship to find places to hide. Her mistrust of Doc Clock is well placed as he begins bombing the place as soon as he gets within range.