Queen's Island

18. Vailintín.

"Alright, what's all this..." Zoro mumbled, rubbing his head and sitting down in front of the mass staring at him from across a long, shiny table.
"Scientist Vailintín here, sir." piped a figure from the crowd. An angel with sharp, vulture-like features and soot covering his feathered head and shoulders shuffled fowards.
"We are happy to inform you that we have some updates on our project!" He scratched his long neck with sharp, knobbly claws. "Lightning has been hard to catch and has caused... many a casualty, but we've done it. Using our special equipment-"

The crowd of Scientists pulled out complicated and intricate-looking machines in unision. Zoro fliched at the creepiness and formality.
"And, em... how?"
"Well," Vailintín pinched his neck, "We caught it, in jars." He was passed a clunky, illuminating jar making crackling noises. "We can transfer it to lamps to create an on-going source of light, and-"
Zoro held up his hand for silence. "No, no! I mean, how did you catch the lightning?"
Vailintín forced a laugh and grinned a toothy smile.
"We... have our ways."
King Zoro grinned nervously and coughed. "Well... what can this 'electricity' do?" he asked. Vailintín whipped out a clipboard from behind him like it was magic. He scratched at his neck again and fidgeted with his free hand.
"With this new element, Your Majesty, you will be able to power so many things.. to light up the Kingdom eternally, to send surges of electricity through your very hands!"

Zoro tilted his head. "Wait, what?"
"Oh, we didn't tell you? How do you think we contained it? We didn't go after it, instead we let it come to us."
The group of Scientists laughed in unision.
"Anyway, it would be best if you left us to our research, Your Majesty." Vailintín waved frantically. He hurried Zoro out the door and quickly shut it. "We'll need to collect more of it if we want to light up a whole Kingdom..."
Vailintín gazed upwards and his flat, grey eyes shimmered. He sauntered through the crowd of Scientists, "You! Get the inmate, and you! Get the suit. We want to bring it to us without damaging our poor field workers, remember?"
He furrowed his brows and ordered, "Give the rod to him! It's stormy tonight, we want to catch as much as possible!" He scratched at his neck until it stung and billowed his wings.
"I want to... light up the world..."

A Scientist held what seemed to be a demon prisoner by the scruff and threw him onto the ground infront of Vailintín.
"Ah, good job, peasant! You're getting promoted from a mere prisoner to partcipating in a revolutionary project!"
The demon felt icy sheets of heavy metal enclose him. Next thing he knew he was outside with the wind whistling past him, holding a tall, metal rod. Angels circled the top of the rod holding their large, vaccuum-like machines. He heard the booming of thunder and the wind blasting at him and started to shake. Glacing over, Vailintín and others were safe behind a screen.
"Just stay there, nothing bad will happen!" A Scientist called from above.
And as he heard the first sparks and crackles of lightning, it flashed directly above him, and he felt the tortuous pain of electricity surge and shock through him. He was immobile for a few seconds before completely collapsing.

A sharp nail tapped on Vailintín's shoulder. "Um... couldn't we just use non-organic life forms and build a metal machine instead?"
Vailintín chuckled.
"Well, that would just take away the fun of it all, would it not?"