The Karcist and the Lord
a S.C.P. Foundation Mythos x M.G.E. crossover
Chapter 35: Steel and Faith
Church of the Broken God organization during the Bronze Age:
The Mekhanites are organized into three main branches, revered to as Litigants, which as follows;
Militant-Litigants: Main army of the Mekhanites, they're those who specialized in the use of the many advanced and divine weapons of the Broken God. Due to the constant threat of being cut off from supply trains and such, becoming a Militant-Litigant often requires knowing how to maintain, repair, and if need be rebuild the weapons one is given to use in battle, as well as how to make your own ammunition when using ranged weapons. Various tenants Militants are to abide by include not leaving their equipment in the field, not retreating or giving ground to an enemy unless doing so ensures greater chance of success, as well as keeping their gear up to standard as is possible within their means.
Fabricator-Litigants: Main engineering branch of the Mekhanites, they build the facilities, factories, and holy places of the Mekhanites, as well as act as the main research department, developing new blueprints and augmentations, as well as studying the universe around them. Has high status within Mekhanite society as a result of being the ones who build the things that brings them closer to Mekhane.
Magi-Litigants: The leadership and clergy of the Mekhanites, often accompany the other two to take care of spiritual manners that are beyond the skill of the other two Litigants. Are appointed into Mekhanite armies to both serve as spiritual guides, and as the generals of the Militant-Litigants. Are also in charge of overseeing the processing and approval of new technologies and the rites to maintain them.
As Hoplite Incorates peered around the corner, he saw that the Mamono that attacked him was not there. Upon realizing the creature somehow fried the electrical components of his gear, the Militant-Litigant immediately had them detach and come off. When he did so, the Mekhanite soldier was able to move freely and almost killed it. However, he knew he needed to recover the weapons and their components, since he can not let them fall in the hands of the abominations.
Where in this beast? I must warn the invasion force of these beings. He thought, finally approaching the corner she ran around from, taking a look in all directions including up at the ceiling with his eyes, making it look like his head was still. Good thing he did, because when he looked behind him, an Arachne was trying to sneak up on him.
As knelt to pick up his gear, Incorates turned and fired at her, missing his shot. The Mamono then turned and ran away on the ceiling, causing the Mekhanite to mutter a curse under his breath. After seeing nothing was around him, the Mekhanite Hoplite collected the various augmentations that he lost in the fight, inspecting them for damage. Thankfully, all he really needed was to replace a few lights, and clean off who knows what is stuck on the various pieces of technology...
After about two hours of wondering the sewer, Incorates heard a sound from behind. He then drew his sword, stopped when he saw it was another Hoplite who holding axe and shield that he had banged, which was the sound Incorates heard. "With open arms to the Broken God..."
"...Humanity shall one day reassemble him, and walk amongst the stars." intoned the other Hoplite, finishing the scripture he was reciting. Incorates sheathed his blade, and then continued walking along, with the other Hoplite in tow. When they came upon a ladder, Incorates climbed up first, then lifted the cover on top. After checking the coast was clear, he climbed out of it, helping the second one up as well. As they walked back to one of the Colossi that could be seen waiting in the background, a Fabricator-Litigant could be seen wandering the streets, likely making sure none of the Mekhanites' divine tech was left behind or discarded. Upon seeing the two, he approached.
"Status of your gear."
"My equipment is need of cleaning, as well as replacing the majority of the electrical parts of it, but overall it is fine. I will also need to commune with the Magos, for I have encountered an abominable species that is be watched out for in future engagements with the Mamono." Incorates explained. He then went into further depth with his encounter with the Dragon Queen, his attempt to terminate one of her escorts, and how he was repelled by a Monster that caused his equipment to be damaged. The Fabricator listened, and visibly grew agitated.
"That is cause for concern. I shall speak with the Magos at once." he said, gesturing for the two Hoplites to follow him at once.
**POV SHIFT**
Lescatie
"This is a bloody nightmare!" Arnis, a Witch said, as she and a Tengu were sustaining a barrier that held back a horde of the warriors the Cult of Nalka from overrunning a tavern in the city, their howls and screams creating a deafening chorus. She managed to save Wilmaria and several of her soldiers just as the red creatures that were reported in by her just started to overrun them, who all were covered in bandages from all the claw and bite marks they had on them. There were around fifty or so Mamono plus their husbands, all of whom looked about nervously. Wilmaria herself was unconscious, mumbling feverishly as Arnis' sister Libby applied a wet towel. "How did they manage to send this many soldiers at once?!" she cried out loud, While the Humans and their Monster wives make a barricade over the windows and doors.
"Kiraaks. We don't know anything about them, or the Cult of Nalka for that manner." the Tengu replied. "If only I had some time to study the one this horde cam from, we might have some knowledge to use against them, such as what principles their magic on works on." As the scholarly Mamono talked, a faint rumbling sound could be heard, and as they felt something move under their feet, the small crowd of Monsters looked around as an impact sound was heard. When they heard the Dwarf and Demon owners scream in terror, a number of the Monsters grabbed their their weapons and went down to the basement. When they got to the door, they saw a creature had broken down one of the walls, which looked like a headless mole from which the two owners of the tavern were fighting for their lives against the Humans coming out of the open sores on both sides.
The Mamono immediately went on the defensive, fighting tooth, claw and nail against the oncoming attackers, while the mole creature turned around, and went through the hole it made. One of the Mamono, a Minotaur named Therma with an axe in her right hand and a shield in her left proceeded to let out a bellowing war cry as she charged and bowled over several of the Cultists, swinging her axe which hacked through several more at once while they were still distracted, allowing the Dwarf and Demon to slip through. As Therma blocked an attack from her right by a Cultist with a spear made from his arm with the blade of her axe, another one jumped down from the rafters and grabbed her horns as she fell on top of the Mamono, the sudden weight catching Therma off-balance and causing the bull woman to fall screaming as several others dog-piled her.
"THERMA!" the Dwarf co-owner, named Leslie yelled, as the Dhampir next to her fired a blast of purple magic that pushed the Sarkics off Therma. The Minotaur immediately left her weapons on the ground, running through another Human that tried to take her head on. However, before the others who had began clearing the way for her could react, that same Cultist of Nalka suddenly unhinged his jaws, a large tentacle several times his body length shot and grabbed her leg, pulling her down.
After she face planted on the stone floor of the basement hard enough to leave a cracked indentation, the corners of the split mouth of the Human that attacked her turned upwards malevolently, before she was suddenly lifted up by the tentacle emerging from his body and thrown backwards. Then, like a slingshot, the tentacle shot forwards, as Therma was launched screaming into the crowd of Monsters and Sarkics, knocking over and wounding both in equal measures. A cracking could be heard, as the overloaded stairs the Mamono were fighting on collapsed, causing the Monsters not on it to fall into the cheering Sarkics.
However, a Chimera named Samantha who was at the doorway was able to jump down, the half-Angel, half-Demon looking Monster causing the Sarkics to back up as much as was possible to avoid the oncoming blows of the snarling creature. The human who threw Therma tried to do the same trick on her, only to look in shock as she stomped on the tentacle, and then grab it. Just as she was about to pull it, the man bit down, cutting the limb to flail and spew blood all over the various kegs, crates, and bags that were stored in the room, many of which broke and spilled their contents. The Mamono were able to recover, and started using their superior strength to climb back into the main floor of the tavern one by one, causing rage and anger to propel to the Sarkics as they saw their prey escaping.
Most of the Mamono were able to get out, but the cries of pain and fear that could be heard soon testified their comrades were being overrun, and Samantha was the last to clamber out and into safety, kicking the door into the face of a female Cultist who started to follow, before she got up and slammed it again while she still could.
"Keys!" she yelled, but when the owners looked back at each other in dread realization, a banging could be heard, loud and thunderous in its impacts. As the door visible shook and Samantha grunted in exertion, she snarled, "Ah forget it, everyone help me barricade the door!"
"With what?!" an Orc yelled.
"ANYTHING!" Samantha yelled back, her voice echoing resoundingly. Then, a fist punched through the door, a pale white one with bleached fur that almost struck the Chimera, who bit down on it before it could wrap around her neck. She then tore off a chunk of flesh from the beastly limb, and had to force herself to not gag and let go of the now breaking door at the smell and taste of the black and rotting fluids that came out and covered her. The creature squealed in pain, and the arm flew back out, only for the banging to redouble.
When several Mamono came through with a table, Samantha dodged it and the sudden smashing down of the door. A white eye-and-noseless ape- monster of some kind came through the hole, and screamed as it grabbed the table with both arms, one of which had a long black and oozing gash. While the Mamono were slowed down, they still managed to work in one last push that sent the creature screaming back down into the basement, and the screams of the Mamono within could still be made out with in the frenzied screams of the Humans below. As they got out a number of swords and shields made from wood planks, Samantha pressed against the wall, allowing her to pass the improvised shield wall as throwing axes and javelins were thrown at them, and the ape creature then climbed back up, back covered in what remained of the thing it fell on. One of the men then shot it with the musket he was carrying, and got it in the head, and smiled upon seeing the thing that threaten his family recoiled in shock.
However, instead of dieing, the beast recovered, then charged in rage as the Mamono braced and another ape monster started to climb up. The Human man then recoiled in anger. Seething in rage, he then started ranting.
"WHAT IN THE NINE CIRCLES OF HELL..." he screamed, "...IS LITERALLY EVERYTHING IMMUNE TO DEATH BY GUNSHOT?!" as two more musket-men shot the first beast and it finally dropped, the second stomped over its companion and screamed.
The Mamono in front were knocked down, and one of them screamed as the creatures legs crashed over her own. Samantha, who found herself face to face with it, then grabbed it head and ripped it off. She then kicked the body several feet into the room, at which point a Sarkic who was just starting starting to peek over the doorway looked back, then jumped back down. For the most part, the snarls died down, while the the Humans outside on the surface could still be heard snarling and screaming at the Mamono still remaining. However, they were now on the alert, having to listen to both the screaming horde outside, and the cries and screams of their companions still in the basement...
**POV SHIFT**
Heaven
As Ion looked down and inspected the Bernina kingdom being burned down by the Mekhanites, he could barely contain his fury. Even here, these meddlesome tinkerers of toys and machines still plagued his people and their efforts!
How did they find out I was here? And how much do they know about my plans for this world? He thought in anger, his face contorted visibly in sheer contempt, before stopping and thinking about things more clearly. Of course, you idiot! What makes you think they wouldn't know something was wrong when you disappeared from Earth?! Your a god, your mere presence was enough to make other beings tremble in fear and terror! But still, the fact they sent this many means they have plenty of spare soldiers.
Ion curled his hands into fists. He also knew that this can only mean that the Gods have alerted them. However, at the same time, they must have been taught about where to seek them out. It was confirmed back when Aries was stupid enough to challenge Ion, that they were too young to know and recognize him, although Dionysus was the sharpest of the Pantheon, given she was the only one who actually realized he was more the 'a mere Human.' That already narrows down the list to the Chief God and her corrupted counterpart. And so, when the Chief God entered the room where the Gods sat and made counsel, she immediately noticed it was just her and Ion.
"Is something bothering you, Lord Ion?" she asked. As the God-Eater stared at her from the Throne of Battle, Ion replied.
"Why yes." he admitted, a false smile of civility on his face. "As it happens, its about a new party that has become... involved with this world. And this group is one I find rather... antagonistic." Ion explained, showing the Colossi that were now regathering the Mekhanite soldiers that were brought with them. As the Chief God looked back at Ion, she frowned, her eyes narrowing to slits of blue.
"Cut the crap. You want to know if I brought them here, don't you?" At this Ion similarly grew confrontational.
"Of course I do. In fact, I anticipated they would've found this world eventually, but they came here sooner then I was prepared for. Right now, you are a suspect, being one of the only two beings with the knowledge to actually know where to look, and how to convince the Mekhanites, as they call themselves, to come here and throw some complications into my plans. That, and currently your the one I consider most likely to have been involved with this, since only the Void Seraphim, who are your domain have the capacity to travel back to my home world of Earth." As the Chief God worked out the logic of Ions' explanation, she sighed and closed her eyes.
" And if it turns out to not be me, then the only other suspect would be the Fallen God exercising her powers somehow without your notice. Well, I never sensed the Fallen God having tunneled through space and time to make another portal, and if you want, I can bring a full record of the few Void Seraphim that exist, to show none are missing." the Chief God asked, as Ion nodded. After that, she left the room, and could feel the ascended Human watching her movements...