Surge

"Power beyond the scopes of Apoc man's mind can, in the proper instances, produce sparks of life."

    --High-bred mystic after visiting the Great Machine

In the masses of mountain-high arc coils and continent-wide electrical stations, the abundance of wild torrents of energy astounds the mind of any outsider who stumbles upon the Great Machine. Besides the skull-numbing mystery of its nearly inexhaustible supply of power, these giga-terrawatt locations are also the breeding grounds for erratic manifestations of life, occasionally generating life incarnated as surges of energy, or living sparks, aptly named after their existential essence.

Surges range the spectrum in hue and strength due to the voltage from which they were birthed and the conditions on which they live, some the size of a static discharge while others soar to the heights of an electric corona. Many remain around the power stations, suckling energy from its mother source, maturing from a tiny Living Spark into a full-fledged Surge capable of wreaking great havoc upon the 'natural' denizens of the Great Machine, the Klik.

However, since those who tarry at the power grids have a tendency to either short circuit the power grid or being reabsorbed into the current of the great arc coils, most Surges move from their birth site to race across the clockwork world to hunt for power from the less hazardous energy sources, the Klik. Their energetic nature makes the Living Sparks a nightmare for Klik, as they penetrate the cog-men's metalwork design, frying the Kliks' heartgears in the Surges' thirst for electric fuel. As such, most Klik weaponry fails to halt a Surge on the prowl, since the energy or projectile based attacks often replenish or augment the volatile creature's vitality.

Surges are arguably semi-sentient manifestations of living energy. They seem apt at environmental tactics and possess basic survival skills (rumors persist of Surges hiding in empty water tanks, using gear floors as quick transit and cover for ambushes, and gear shafts for quick escapes). They, however, rarely congregate, apparently viewing another Surge as competition. Instances have been known of Surges gathering in a curious attempting to replicate themselves through special mediums, such as an arch coil equipped roller or electromagnet-wielding tripod. These occurrences are odd, but lend to the complexity of the Surges' existence and character. Few have ever taken the dedicated time to successfully follow these aspects of living energy through their existence in the splintered multiverse.

Surges do, moreover, enveloped these observations in mystery themselves, by gravitating toward both high energy sources and those who give them more than a cursory glance, making them appear aware of the presence of hunters--even if either of these is well concealed. Thus, Living Sparks seem to possess an uncanny survival instinct an astute rift walker would be well to note, especially in light of the horrific rumor that fabled super-Surges, rivaling the threat of Neonstalkers, have begun to haunt areas with Apoc ion generators, such as regions where rifts overlap the Great Machine's power stations with those of High-bred installations.

Tactics: A Surge tends to use its dizzying speed to charge an opponent or conductive surfaces to glide around, under, or over an enemy/target. The only clues to a Living Spark's presence is the disruption of electrical devices or systems (such as flickering lights, sparking computers, or randomly openly automatic doors)--indicators that will cue a canny wanderer of an electrifying disaster rushing to meet him or her on the speed of lightning. Surges will usually target a victim with the most electrical output, preferring to down the greatest center of energy before moving onto the next, though the stronger variants are able to affect multiple targets at once through continuous high-voltage jolts that leap from target to target without pause.

They have been able to inhabit an enemy, utilizing their electrical system (or even biological nervous systems) to attack threats, such as at the Bale of Power Team 113 when a Living Spark forced the explosive expert to detonate all of his charges while he and his companions were trapped in an alcove together...Daze, stun, paralysis and death are also among the many hazards a Living Spark can produce by contact alone, along with gear malfunction and ammunition discharge. Simply put, to encounter a Surge is to meet a force of nature with the presence of mind to fight, and to fight fiercely.

--Cornelius Geisthaus, Peregrine Rift Walker