Reviews:
Janne Rolfe Jalandoni: The chapters will not stop being exported from the manufactorium as long as I have spare time. The abhumans will learn to fear the will of the Omnissiah! ALL PRAISES TO THE MACHINE GOD!
Forge Master 00: I am wondering if Neo would blame Cinder or the Ad Mech for Roman's death. I have a poll about that on the discord server currently. I like the characters of Neo and Roman as well, and I will admit that I did Torchwick's death scene terribly. If Neo goes against the Ad Mech (which is what will probably happen), then she will have no chance to win. Can't wait for the next Omake chapter, take all the time you need to make it how you envision it. I might expand my choice of Forge World to add the lore as a factor, if I cannot find any suitable ones I might make a homebrew one. I am extremely interested in the game that you are building about the ad mech.
Guest (First One): Trying to figure out who Neo would take revenge on, poll in the discord already. Dear Omnissiah, if there were any sororitas around then Emerald Forest would be ablaze.
Sonic: Good to hear that you liked the chapter.
Guest (Second One): Glad someone picked up on that. Pugnus will not let any enemies of the Adeptus Mechanicus escape judgement.
AscendedHumanity: I do notice that, might make it less pronounced if you guys do not like it. I see Blake's character flaw as that she believes she can fix the situation by herself and runs away when she is in trouble. I personally believe that her views on everything are still affected by Adam's lies. For example viewing the White Fang as just misguided and anyone who fights them as either uninformed, racist, or defending themselves. As for her being paranoid, it is because the Ad Mech broadcast the names of the White Fang members that they have slaughtered. Blake fears that she might be added to the list.
Guest (From Chapter 4): This review raises a good question, what would be a happy ending for this story? (Below are a short explanations about each potential ending)
The Ad Mech and the four Kingdoms working together to destroy the Grimm just to coexist with each other afterword: That would not work, because of Pugnus' plans and Ironwoods ambitions. That would break their character. Happy ending but ruins the story
The four kingdoms fight the Ad Mech off the planet after defeating Salem: That would result in the death of all of the named tech-priest before that would happen. The people in the discord server and multiple reviewers expressed their love for the Ad Mech, and it would take a miracle for the four kingdoms to defeat Pugnus. Not a happy ending.
Magos Errant Verraeter helping Atlas against the Ad Mech: This would force Pugnus to leave no survivors during the battle of Atlas. Even if Pugnus was pushed off planet, then Remnant would taste orbital bombardment. Not a happy ending.
The Ad Mech turning Atlas to rubble after slaying Salem: That would mean every named character from RWBY would either kneel to the Omnissiah or die. Not a happy ending.
Also I noticed you said, "Our opinions" are you reading this story with someone else? I am also surprised you are calling the story grimdark at chapter 4, I thought it would have gone grimdark from chapter 10-12. I regret to inform you, but in the forty first millennium there is no happy endings, only victory or defeat. Bit sad that you will not see the answer to your review in a long time.
Speech Syntaxes:
-Speech- Lingua-Technis
"Speech" Low Gothic/English
"Speech" Demon/Possessed
Notes: Discord code is 8CkRfd if you are interested. From my research I could not find a prayer to the Motive Force that fit the need of the scene. So I fabricated my own prayer to the Motive Force, which means it is NOT cannon to the Warhammer 40k universe. By the Omnissiah's shiny metal ass I am as active as the primarch of the Dark Angels. Finals are coming up so next chapter might be late, but on the bright side school is going to end soon so chapters might be posted either once or twice a week during the summer.
Chapter Nineteen: The Force of Motives
Glynda was doing her nightly patrols thru the school to quickly send any students back to their dorms. That was when she say James in the distance overlooking Vale. She decided to put her duties aside to help a friend, "Trouble sleeping?"
Ironwood turned to face her as he grabbed his prosthetic with his other arm, "Arms was acting up."
"Of course, so logically, you got out of bed, dressed yourself completely and decided to gaze menacingly out into the distance," sarcastically commented the professor. She quickly dropped the attitude, "What's wrong?"
"I've trusted him for years. We both have. I just…I can't help but feel like he's keeping us in the dark. I am starting to believe that the Adeptus Mechanicus is telling us more than Ozpin," confessed the general.
Glynda dismissed his claims, "Don't be ridiculous! You know very well that we are not the ones in the dark."
He could not help but to laugh at her comment, "That makes it worse! I refuse to believe that a man that I've trusted for so long would act so…passively. The Adeptus Mechanicus have the right idea with dealing with the Grimm, but they will betray us. We must strike first."
Professor Goodwitch reassured the conflicted man, "You're a good person, James. You've always done what you think is best for the people, even against strong protest. It's admirable. But it's high time you stopped talking about trust and started showing it. Ozpin has experience that the rest of us lack. And I think that's something worth remembering."
With the shattered moon high in the sky, Doctor Oobleck silently moved from the stone beam we was sleeping on to pier out into the ruined city. He spotted something unexpected rising from the Adeptus Mechanicus camp across the street. It appeared to be smoke but it was not from a campfire. It was incense. While most of the population of Remnant do not worship a god but still make reference to them, there is still a smaller portion of people who are devoted to one or multiple gods or goddesses. He never had the chance to see any rituals of the Cult Mechanicus, this was an opportunity to record some that has not been documented on this world before.
The professor choose the take the long way around to get to the building across the street, we did not want to surprise Miss Rose or be spotted by the Skitarii. He need to see the rituals without them knowing that he was there because a researcher must never interfere with the subject he is studying. Oobleck was forced to walk to the end of the block to cross the street, lucky for him the Skitarii have been extremely effective in their perimeter sweep leaving no Grimm to break his cover.
Once the green hair teacher reached the house next to his research subjects he started to hear static. He could easily deduce that the noise was the sound of their prayers, but having no idea what they were saying only hinders his findings. Moving slowly thru the rubble as to not make any sounds, Oobleck reached a superior position to see their rituals. What was surprising is that only the tech-priest was currently praying, he thought that the other Skitarii would join her in prayer. After all she was a tech-priest.
He watched silently as Dominus Ferrum stood in front of a shrine to Omnissiah, it could also be dedicated to their God Emperor hard to tell from the distance and the unique language all the words were written in. At different points in time the binary chants would halt for a short period as Ira moved the thurible to allow the incense to pour out of the holes slowly raising to the heavens. It was an interesting practice, which was related to the masses of the Jehovah Witnesses that populate this world. Doctor Oobleck had run into them once while on his twelfth mission, it was not a pleasant experience.
His train of thought was derailed by a mechanical voice, "Doctor Oobleck, I was not informed that you were performing another perimeter sweep." The teacher turned around to see one of the Skitarii pointing his wooden rifle at him. With no response from the professor the cyborg advanced the conversation, "What are you doing here?"
"I noticed the incense coming from your camp and I was curious about the practices of your religion for research," confessed the green haired man. He knew that there was no point lying to the person with a computer for a brain, at least the tech-priest he assumed that the Skitarii would be given the same treatment. The soldier lowered his rifle as gestured for him to follow. Curious at what was happening he obeyed, trailing behind the Skitarii to the room Dominus Ferrum was praying in.
The room was mostly covered in darkness, the moonlight did little but the blue pair of eyes showed the teacher that he was not alone in the room. Ira stepped out of the darkness holding the thurible in one hand and her axe in the other. The only sound was the slow and lethargic shifting of chains on the incense burner as the tech-priest approached him. The professor gripped tighter onto his thermos once he saw she was still armed. The tension in the room was broken when she spoke first, "Doctor Oobleck, if you wanted to be present in the rituals of the Cult Mechanicus you should have just asked. All are welcome to pray to the Machine God."
He attempted to correct her, "You seem to misunderstand what I am doing. I am not here to pray but to conduct research on your religion's practices."
"What better way to learn than by first-hand experience?" countered Dominus Ferrum as she shifted back to the shrine. She placed the thurible onto a holder to free up her right hand, for what he did not know. A small flame appeared from one of her fingers, and with a slow wave of the arm the candles surrounding the shire were lit. He could see that this shrine was dedicated to something that he was unfamiliar with. It was a pure human with blue tinted skin as electricity flows from his veins to his fingertips, this was definitely not the Omnissiah but maybe it was their God Emperor?
Oobleck had to know, "Apologies for interrupting, but who are you praying to. Is it safe to assume that is not Omnissiah but the God Emperor?"
"The answer is…complicated. The Cult Mechanicus worships the divine metal trinity, Omnissiah, God Emperor, and the Motive Force. Omnissiah or Machine God is the one of the three most prayed to in the Adeptus Mechanicus, he is represented by the blessed machine. The God Emperor is the Omnissiah made flesh. Most Adepts do not pray to him, favoring to pray to the Omnissiah himself. The last of the trinity is the Motive Force which is an ineffable and invisible divine power that exist throughout the universe that was responsible for the ability of all life. Whether it was mechanical or flesh, but it is the most forgotten of the three. The electro-priests are the most fanatic followers of it, they are able to call upon its power and summon lighting to fray the enemies of the Cult Mechanicus. I do pray to the Motive Force before battle to allow my enemies to lose their connection to it," explained the tech-priest.
Ira turned back to the shrine and began the chants, but this time in a tongue the doctor could understand, "All glory to the domains of the Adeptus Mechanicus, which protected the wisdom of the past, be harnessed by her holy adepts, and so call forth the Motive Force unto the enemies of the Omnissiah, and return their essence back from where it was created. Sing the praises of the Motive Force, so that it might fill us with rage in battle. May the Omnissiah allow us to humbly guide the rage of the machine spirits to those who seek to defile them. Sing the praises of the Motive Force made light, the photonic sword of the Omnissiah. May it cut thru the inferior enemies of man, as a plasma torch does to plasteel. Sing praises for the Motive Force so that it might guide us to the slaughter of the enemy."
Doctor Oobleck was getting worried for the directing the prayers were heading. While most religions pray for peace, love, compassion, and forgiveness. The Cult Mechanicus prays for wrath, fury, vengeance, and death. He wanted to leave the room fearing for his safety. While the teacher knew they would never harm him, if he insulted their gods it might mean his untimely demise. Oobleck was starting to figure out why they call themselves a cult. The only problem preventing him from returning to team RWBY was the Skitarii was standing in the only doorway in the room that lead outside, he could use the windows but that was a last resort. With no other choice he waited for the tech-priest to finish the ritual.
"Blake, are you awake?" asked Yang from her sleeping bag. Once she received a curt reply from her partner she continued the questioning, "Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like, what was he trying to say?"
The Faunus proposed, "Maybe he was just curious."
The blonde was surprised, "You think?"
"No," answered Blake.
Done with her current conversation Yang move to her other teammate, "Weiss, are you awake?"
A little bit cranky from the lack of sleep she nagged, "Of course I'm awake! You two are talking. And I think he…when I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it. But, it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a…moral gray area."
"That's putting it lightly," commented the ex-terrorist.
Despite the interruption the Heiress continued, "Which is why I feel the need to make things right. If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it."
Feeling it was her turn to speak, Blake explained, "All my life, I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be not perfect for everyone. I joined the Academy because I knew that Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the noblest warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy, what will I…how can I undo so many years of hate?"
"I'm sure you'd figure it out. You're not one to back dome from a challenge Blake," reassured her partner.
Her usual face of calm shattered as her eyes were filled with fear, "But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my semblance! I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself. An empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!"
It was now Yang's turn, "At least you two have something that drives you. I've just kinda of always, gone with the flow, y'know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanted a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that. I'm not like Ruby. She's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said, ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today."
"Well, she's still just a kid," mentioned the Heiress.
Blake corrected her, "She's only two years younger. We're all kids."
"Well, not anymore. I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth!" countered Yang.
"It's the life we chose," added her partner.
Weiss summed up everything, "It's a job. We all had this romanticized vision of being a Huntress in our heads! But at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people! And whatever we want, will have to come second."
Dominus Ferrum turned to face the professor, he appeared scared and worried. "What is wrong?" she questioned.
He responded slowly, "It was your prayers, not to say that you should stop praying. But that I have not encountered a religion that asks for wrath and vengeance instead of peace and forgiveness. I am not saying it is wrong but it is…unique."
"That is because the Motive Force is harnessed for war, so we pray to it for what is needed in war. Unbridled fury, devastating wrath, and overdue vengeance. Our other prayers are different but not is not the time to omit those chants because we are in a warzone," lied the tech-priest thru her metal mouth.
To Doctor Oobleck, the tech-priests reasoning did hold fact on this world. He could count off many religions that had a god they prayed to for war, but those prayers are for protection, guidance, and vengeance. His train of thought was broken by a binary emission from the floor below. The Skitarii at the door, responded with another burst of static. During the entire conversation, Dominus Ferrum stared out the window silently.
"Instead of focusing on learning something new, Doctor Oobleck. You should work on retaining and perfecting what you already have," commented Ira without even turning to face him.
That was completely out of the blue for the professor, but if he could understand their language he might be able to understand. "Could you give an example?" questioned Oobleck.
The female tech-priest stated, "Instead of researching the ritual of the Cult Mechanicus, you should make sure that Ruby Rose stays at the designated camp."
Something rushed thru Doctor Oobleck that should never enter the mind of a huntsmen, fear. He fear that his ambition to learn would have cost him a student. Not just any student, but one on a mission not suited for them that Ozpin approved of. Even though the Headmaster tries to keep him out of the inner circle, it is clear he has plans for Ruby Rose. If she were to die under his protection it would mean the end of his career, and maybe the end of Beacon's reputation. He had to ask, "Where is she?"
"She is currently following her dog thru the ruined streets, five Skitarii will accompany you in finding her. I will oversee the rest of team RWBY while you are gone," ordered Dominus Ferrum as the Skitarii at the doorway gestured for the professor to follow him.
Afterword: Sorry for cutting it short, just want to get the chapter out before the weekend.