AN: Howdy

On the morning of the 11th day, the Omnissiah stirred and moved about his morning tasks. Perfecting the designs of machines and, eventually the morning lesson with his acolytes. The evening of the party, just a few days prior, came back to him; he had intended to create some augments for himself and yet was at a loss for what to incorporate into his form.

Limb enhancements, skins, replacement organs, and synthetic blood were considered. 'The ability to retract or remove the most jarring modifications is an almost necessity to ensure that I do not push away anyone with my appearance.' With that in mind, his time from the morning lesson until the afternoon was spent designing and creating most of what he wished. What was created was a series of mechadendrites, all with independent power systems. There were four; two could be equipped with tools from wielders to data extractors. Shifting between these functions took more than a few seconds, and their functionality was slightly diminished due to its far more versatile and less specialized nature.

Two more mechadendrites were fine motor manipulators, acting as an extra pair of hands. These mechadendrites were in the form of claws with uncanny steadiness. It was formed much like a Zygodactyl claw found in owls; the six claws were turning to a center point.

There could be perhaps more tools or even weapons that could replace these modular limbs, but those ideas could wait for another time. Getting these mechadendrites to not only integrate into his form but to do so in a way that they can be easily removed required a special mounting. Designing it was not overly complicated; the ports that would accept these mechadendrite limbs would be along his spine. Creating an augment that would enhance and modify his body's spine without standing out so much from an average human was not easy. But more time was spent on deciding how many ports were to be.

Initially, only the four additional limbs were considered, but a thought of possible future additions that were equally as good was considered. Eight ports, four from the shoulders to the lower back on either side of the spine. This may have been a redundant number, but it did offer a fitting number. Two arms, two legs, and eight mechadendrites for twelve. However, that did bring another issue.

While half the ports could be left empty however that defeated the point, and rather than double the four mechadendrites, some more aesthetic additions could be made. Some of the gods and goddesses he had met, seen, or heard of had feathered wings. Eros, Nike, and Thanatos all were of very different divine domains and yet their wings made them distinct.

The steel wings that the One of Gold Feathers would have were to be a polished grey with golden highlight engravings. Rather than flapping or using jet thrusters, the Omnissiah would have to figure out another method for the four wings to keep him afloat in future.

He could already lift himself and fly, but if he was creating the wings, they would be semi-practical. It is not as if he could not float or manipulate objects without the other mechadendrites. So, while wings were not needed, none of the limbs were strictly needed.

The designs were fleshed out in an experimental form by the afternoon. The One of Crimson Robes decided a new task or break was in order. Leaving the house and going to Jace, the man was happy to receive further instruction and knowledge. From there, the man and his family then hosted him again for a meal that he decided to contribute to, they seemed to like his incredibly pure and fluffy bread. Both Alexandra both were grateful for a quality sweet wine, though they didn't let Clio have much.

From there, the evening lesson with all the acolytes gave the rest of the night to the trinity. After going over his memory, the primordial deity moved to the forest, Praxis joined the Machine God as he searched. Oritae, or Ash as the nymph had first introduced herself, was a Meliae or ash tree nymph. She and likely a few of her siblings lived in the forests near the chapel. He had met her again on Olympus and had not spoken with her since the party three days ago.

There, on the same rock he had first met her, was Oritae. He glided down, something she noticed as she looked up; her eyes widened before she quickly schooled her expression. The stars began to shine, and the final light of day began to darken from the perspective of the grove the two were in. "Good evening."

"Hello." the two were silent before she spoke again, "I must apologize if I have offended you the first time we met I had-"

One of Gold Feathers waved her off, causing her to stop, "You haven't offended; you need not apologize." he scratched Praxis' feathers. Her eyes were drawn to the bird before returning to him. "I have come to speak with you about the resources in this area, it is quite close to where I have put my primary place of worship. Tell me, are you the only nymph in this area?"

She looked confused and swallowed, "I am; there are more of my sisters across the island, but none within a day's journey, perhaps a couple of hours as the crow flies. What do you mean by resources if it is a place of worship? Doesn't that mean that people are nearby where you intend to take?"

"Perhaps not surprisingly, I am a deity unfamiliar to this land and many of its mortals. And until recently, to its gods. I don't think rambling about all of my names and titles is needed, but I have come to an agreement with Olympus. I shall be able to show my presence to the mortals of Crete undisguised." the nymph's mouth widened in shock before he continued. "I would hear if you have any concerns with myself or my followers using trees and the earth for our purposes."

Her eyes took on a harsher gaze, "How much?" her tone cold.

"Likely far more than you are willing; what do you propose as a compromise?" the question to answer her question was not pleasing to the nymph.

"For every tree you take, replant one if not more. I won't have my forest home reduced to charcoal and barren hills, to say nothing of my personal safety." her resolve was commendable, then again, perhaps even though he said he made a deal with Olympus and was seen by the side of Hermes she did not see all the implications.

"Does the tree have to be replanted exactly where it was taken?" her head tilted as she narrowed her eyes at him, "Would it be acceptable to incorporate the trees into architectural features and gardens?"

She sneered, "You would turn my home, the wilds I live in, into a series of gardens?!" her voice was not loud, but it didn't have to be; her anger was evident, "What gives you the right?"

A few moments to consider, "Might." she pulled her head back out of confusion before he continued, "Domain, power, importance. Whatever you wish to call it, I have these in amounts you can't imagine." Before she could retort, she saw something, just as the father of Icarus did, red robes all the more striking, eyes that stood out even more and a patterned halo of glowing light behind his head. An overall overwhelming presence and not just a little disconcerting. "I am speaking with you out of consideration to you since you lived here before I set my claim. But make no mistake, if you do not negotiate, then I will have no reason to compromise and thus will have nothing stopping me from doing as I please."

She swallowed harshly in fear as he continued, "I and my followers need resources; how shall we treat this land? With care to give back to it if in an altered form or stripped and changed with no need to plant anything again. I would hear you if you have another proposal, but my cult's expansion shall eventually require an answer."

Her voice eventually found her, "You can't just do that, Olympus wouldn't allow it." there was a hint of doubt in her voice even as she said that.

The Granter of Directed Motion returned to his more mundane appearance in her eyes as he spoke softly, "Perhaps, but I should think it more likely that they would only give minor protest. Do you think they wouldn't have a good reason for why they allow me to do something they don't allow themselves? I am not trying to threaten you; merely enlighten you about the situation. Both my cult and I will expand Oritae; this will disturb your home. But you can tell me how I am to ensure you have a home when all is said and done."

The Meliae appeared as if she was chewing on something sour, "Fine, what I said previously, but you can plant the replacement tree within building courtyards and gardens, anywhere the tree can grow to maturity."

The All Saviour smiled slightly, "Then we have come to an accord; tell me, where is your tree?" she sent a look of pure suspicion, "If I wanted to hurt you, I'd level the area, I want to know so I can set aside your plot immediately."

"Plot?"

"Yes, set aside the space around your tree as distinct so nothing is built to hinder it. That may be far down the road or sooner than expected." she took a deep breath after a minute of pondering.

The nymph then led him to another grove not too far from the previous one; her tree turned out to be old yet seemingly unremarkable. Before she could ask him anything, a wall of stone began to be constructed from nearby materials and seemingly further rock. The wall was about ten meters in radius from her tree and two meters tall. It went around the surrounding trees while a small entrance gave foot access.

"This?! Is my plot?!" her voice was not loud, but it emphasized her indignation.

"That shall remain completely untouched, yes. Anything far enough outside of the bounds may be moved or used; their new placement or the tree planted in for their removal may be further away." she fumed for a moment.

"I don't know how you are going to find the space if you are truly moving or replacing every tree." she was less concerned since it wasn't her responsibility and more confused, given it was a concession he had offered initially.

"Levels, architecture that allows plants on roofs or incorporates them into the building itself. Creating hallways with glass ceilings is not hard." she looked at him confused before sighing and walking away to her tree, "Goodbye, seek me out if there are issues."

With that, the area closest to Dimitis was now free of supernatural obstacles for expansion. And while he had been a bit heavy-handed, the Omnissiah felt that once he showed Oritae how he would keep his word. She would be…satisfied if not appreciative.

Now, it was time to return and finish the augments for installation to his form. After landing a few minutes later at the house, the Lord of All Knowledge pet Praxis' twin heads before allowing the Aquila to rest in the Rust Root tree.

Refining the mechadendrites and the spinal mount until they were optimal took a few hours, but once that was done, all that was left was integration. 'Though, now that I think of it. If I do have everything integrated, I will need a new robe; my current one has no way for these limbs to exit the robe.' From there, rather than raiding the couple robes that he had already made, the Omnissiah set to work finding more fibers from the environment before weaving them into several sets of robes. Taking a few fruits from the Rust Root made nearly all of these dyed and stowed and hid under the altar table.

But one of the new robes was made and kept out; it had several sleeves out of the back that would allow for the implants to exit unimpeded. Alongside it was a shirt very similar to what he was currently wearing, but the back was open. Once this was done, it was several hours into the evening, 'Hm, before I do integrate these augments, I should rest to see if I have a dream. I may discover something helpful; nothing is lost if I don't.'

Moving to the bed, the Lord of the True Path lay down; for a restless few minutes, his body distracted the mind from his goal, but eventually, sleep was had.

The dream was dark and familiar; it was like the last dream. In an enclosed space with shoddy implants that should have been painful, his mind felt foggy. There was ragged breathing that seemed to be coming from his body. The next moment in the same form was different, outside of the darkness in what appeared to be a battle. With no input from the Omnissiah's mind, the body moved. He saw one of his faithful priests in their robes; a spurt of Techna Linguis from the priest ordered his body forward. "Forward Servitor, smite the enemies of the Omnissiah at these coordinates." His right arm came in view, a hulking weapon that fired on an emplacement of dark figures.

The view changed. At first, he had thought he had woken up due to bolting up right from where he lay, but this was not the house or bed he had built. It was a dirty alley with people walking by. He rose and walked; the crowd's faces were all a blur, and none seemed to recognize his existence even as they moved around him. Looking around only revealed a narrow beam of light coming from above between walls that seemed to go on forever. A city of grand proportions with levelled streets and vehicles slowly floating between them despite having no visible thrusters.

It wasn't until he got closer that he was able to examine one that was unloading people and goods onto a nearby platform dock at the edge of a street. Looking down, he saw further levels that seemed to get darker and dirtier as they went, in addition to being more ramshackle and disorganized. More importantly, though, was that upon touching the vehicle, he was able to understand that it was an antigrav lift. It could float short distances, but if the technology was tweaked, it could allow for full-on flight. This particular one though was very power-hungry and seemed to have a sort of reactor that generated power by fusion of atoms. The idea was so simple for one who could directly manipulate said atoms that the fact it had not occurred to him before was puzzling.

As he thought on that he was distracted in his focus. The anti-gravity lift flew off a moment later, leaving him leaning on nothing. He fell, and when it hit the ground, he didn't feel anything. And in fact, it didn't seem to be the city anymore.

Picking himself up from the ground, he was in a scrap heap; looking up, he found several Skitarii peering into a hole that he seemed to have fallen from. "Unit 0-032A, Damage report," he heard before answering. He could no longer move by his own will again, the dream taking him for another ride. The squad joined him soon enough, and they began to dig into scrap, searching. One of them pinged the rest over Vox; the squad gathered around a box, "Archeotech?" one of them questioned.

He took it into his own hands and understood it and, without realizing it, had managed to speak aloud, "Shield Generator." The Skitarii squad looked at him before his vision faded.

When he awoke, it was still dark out. The visions had been long, far longer than before. They were multi-varied and, above all, useful. They were exactly what the God of the Noosphere needed. But that didn't soothe the feelings that the All Anointed felt; the experiences as the so-called servitor had been the most disconcerting; it had felt as if his mind was fogged if only one word could be used. Why, had that been the case, what could have made the augments of the servitor so sloppy?

After a moment of frustration, 'Answers will come, sooner or later, I will know.' Calming down and then examining what he had gleaned about the technologies he had encountered brought a grin back to his face. He set to work immediately improving his augments, the wings especially were given more than just aesthetic purpose, each equipped with small anti-gravity and shield generators.

The power requirements meant that the power packs had to be overhauled. A micro-fusion reactor was put within the spinal mount, the radiation shielding and fail-safes were the majority of the bulk. In the end, it came to about the size of a fist and was spherical. The reactor had to be mounted between the mechadendrite ports and was about a third into the spinal mount itself. The bump on his back would be noticeable if he had none of the limbs attached, but the reactor could be removed, something which would help in the task of refuelling it.

Overall, the capabilities of these augments and any potential future projects would be majorly enhanced. In comparison, there had been little inhibiting technological progress and enhancement aside from resource gathering and human education. This felt like a jump that was incredibly freeing. The Granter of Directed Motion brought himself and the augments to the stone altar outside of his chapel before he moved to finally begin. He felt an unconscious shiver, the memory of the servitor once more resurfacing. A scowl soured his face before he set his resolve, 'Whatever desperate circumstances led to that…perverse thing's creation, it honoured neither flesh nor machine. My work and the work of all I teach shall. Let this be an example for all who come after this work.'

The nerves of the flesh were deadened, and the body was manipulated as the spinal mount was put into place. Some flesh was removed, and the remainder was integrated into the augment, even if organs had to make room for what was essentially a large near-replaced spine. It melded with the surrounding flesh, where the material and its colour was the only distinction. No ridge or line gap was to be seen. Nerves were brought back as a small flash of phantom pain laced through his being, causing an involuntary groan before his body and mind adjusted and the irritation stopped.

The mechadendrites floated over after a few moments of recovery, They mounted into place with the wings taking the four centermost ports. With everything in place, the Motive Forced moved from the body into the machines. The effect was dramatic, to say the least.

The granting of Machine spirits was different from a machine essentially being possessed by the Machine God. Even if these were complex and wondrous machines, they were not grand. And yet they were enhanced and, at least in principle, granted the title of God Machines. An invisible wave shook out from the Omnissiah; a stirring within every machine spirit on a metaphysical level seemed to hum. And through it all, words came to mind, "Twelve Law: The Soulless Sentience is the Enemy of All."

The words came forth from his lips, and he fell limp onto the stone altar, breathing deeply. 'What even does that mean? How can something be sentient and yet soulless? Nothing is animated without a soul. Could it be something I have never encountered? Is there perhaps a thing which removes the souls of organics, leaving them puppet husks? My form was such before I fit within, but that was by design…is this law redundant, a what if?' The idea that this was not merely a hypothetic declaration. A hypothetical declaration against whatever abomination could oppose both nature and design. But indeed, and in fact, knowledge from experience of such a thing was…worrying.

And it certainly could not be referring to a machine husk; nothing was so advanced in this time, and nothing created by himself was unblessed with a spirit…could Hephaestus have made something so advanced? Nothing he made had been anything but gears, but he had not explored anything but his palace. The god's workshop had not been explored thoroughly. Since the spirit within his hammer had not yet been excised, the Lord of All Machine Spirits quickly looked.

He saw the supposedly crippled god at a bench tinkering about some project. To the side was bronze, but in front of him was steel, an imperfect but decent make of the alloy. 'I can not see much from here, I will have to visit him…I suppose I could be honest, but I do not wish to spook him should he have anything damning…I will seek him out with the intent of collaborating. From there, I will gauge if I can or should express my concerns to him.'

'...but if I do find a soulless sentience…'

In the hours before sunlight, further work was done; one of the multi-tool mechadendrites was set aside and in its place was what could be described as an upscaled las gun. In other words, it could be considered a compact las cannon. Testing it would have to wait as not only was it going to be loud, but the morning lesson was soon to start now that the sun had begun to rise. Taking in the intimidating figure that his very recent augments gave him, the limbs were removed as he donned his regular shirt and robe.

As his precious acolytes entered, he moved to write the newest warning before pausing. 'I do not yet understand it, I shall hold off, at least until after I see the forge god.' after that internal assertion, He of Energeia began to instruct his student followers.

"Omnissiah." part way through the lesson, Clio spoke, "I was wondering, um, this…chapel…" she sounded out the foreign word, "Is your place of worship right, like a temple, cause it has an altar, and we pray in it and stuff?" He nodded and motioned for her to continue, "Well, I know you have us learn here, so it is okay, but isn't it weird or bad to do something that isn't praying or sacrificing in a sacred space?"

Despite being a young preteen, the girl was far from stupid, and once she took to confidence in her questioning, that was clear. "Hm, well, I suppose. But could I ask you a few questions?" she nodded eagerly. "You know I am the God of Machines, but I also have domain over knowledge?" she nodded slowly, "What is it that everyone here is doing?"

She thought for a moment, "Uh, learning, talking, uh, writing?"

The trinity smiled at her, "You are right, but I was looking for what you first said. What is learning, do you think?" Clio thought again, "Just say the first thing that comes to mind; it isn't a trick question."

"..Trying to know something, or um, trying to be able to do something?" he hummed in response to that.

"Not a bad definition, even if it is a bit sparse. But yes, to try and know works for what I am talking about. Knowledge sought, you seek to know, and what is that if not worship? If anything, it is the best kind of worship for myself." that last sentence was almost rambling.

That answer seemed to satisfy Clio and the two couples that listened in, but soon, the group returned to work, and the lesson was concluded. The followers left, and the triune deity moved to speak with Korban.

The priest of Athena wasn't at home or the altars but was found amongst the town's folk. A few of the visitors even starred before a local seemed to whisper to them. Soon enough, Korban was in view, and the man greeted his friend, "I haven't seen much of you the last few days. Has everything been alright?"

"Yes, I had a question, if you don't mind. Where is the forge of Hephaestus? Is it mentioned anywhere in the myths that you know?"

"Ah, couldn't be just a cordial visit." the man's tone and smirk made it clear he was mock offended.

"I didn't need your help. I could have found it by myself, but it's fine if just coming to see you isn't enough. I am sure I can find some time in the near future to sit down and talk. Over some food perhaps?" matching smiles.

"That sounds nice. Now, as to what you asked, I have heard some myths that Mount Etna is the location you seek. All I know is that it is to the west; anything else I can not say. However, I don't know if that is right since I have also heard that that fire-spewing mountain is where the monster Typhon is imprisoned. Apologies if that is unclear."

"Worry not, I am sure I will manage." the two talked as they walked for several more minutes before exchanging goodbyes and a thank you from the Primordial deity.

Returning home led him to change out of what he wore and attach his arguments, including the las mechadendrite. He said goodbye to Praxis who flew off in search of food. Quickly flying off with both manipulation and the anti-gravity generators was interesting. The Lord of the True Path opened his sight to the paths of faith, and a large stream of Hephaestus' faith flowed to the west. A very large island came into view, in fact, it was almost certainly over twice the size of Crete. The faith flowed to a mountain, a very large Vulcano, it would seem.

Gliding down on a part of the mountain that seemed to be steeped in the wilderness, away from the people that lived on the island, was the faith flowing into a space not much unlike Olympus or the underworld. Upon slipping into it, he found himself in a grand entrance hall, there were seats, murals, statues, and several doors leading to places unknown. A minor deity exited a door carrying several cloth-covered bundles and started to walk to another door before noticing the stranger standing at the entrance.

The person who was presumably a servant gave off a similar feeling to a nymph, though not of any river or tree by the feel of it, the Machine God was given to understand the Nymphs of all types were specifically female and their male siblings or cousins were less common and called something else.

"Who are you? Lord Hephaestus didn't say he was expecting any visitors or clients."

"I am the Omnissiah." the male frowned at the unexpected visitor.

"I don't recall that name in any of our ledgers for orders. If you wished to place an order, you should have just sent a message via Hermes or his helpers. My lord Hephaestus does not like to be disturbed, especially while working." his tone was somewhat cross.

"Understandable, but no, I am not here to place an order. I am here to speak with Hephaestus and possibly…collaborate." the minor god seemed to look him up and down. He failed to perceive the mechadendrites compressed on his back, hidden from view before the unnamed servant sighed.

"Wait here." after saying that, the god walked to the door he was previously approaching and entered it. The door shut, and the entrance hall was empty again; with nothing else to do, he began to examine the artwork. Many of the things depicted were discernible to him, though many of the stories were unfamiliar, presuming they were related to any real or imagined event told outside of these murals.

After several minutes of nothing, the Life Sparker began to worry that he may have to settle in for a long while should the servant choose not to speak with his master before returning to lie. It would not be illogical, given that the servant may not wish to incur Hephaestus' wrath over someone he had not heard of who was making odd requests.

About ten minutes later, however, the same servant came out holding nothing at a faster pace, "Ah, Lord Hephaestus has requested I escort you to him, follow me, please. And uh, don't deviate from our path…please." The god wasn't frightened, but he did seem far more concerned with ensuring his task was done and that the Omnissiah was treated politely.

They entered the same set of doors the servant had just come from. As they did, waves of sound came into being. Hammering, metal-to-metal scraping, fires burning and the sounds of machines turning. The faint smell of smoke and metallic dust was in the air, they walked through a hall that had several doors that seemed to have the noise coming from them. They eventually made it to a far larger set of doors that opened into a large cavern-like room that was lit by molten rock and torches. At a workbench not far from what appeared to be a massive forge stood the god he had come to visit.

"Thank you, you may leave us, Seecile." the minor god bowed before leaving without turning around, had he done so he would have likely seen the attachments to the back of the One of Crimson Robe. Hephaestus spoke again, "He came in here and was helping me for a bit before I asked why he had come to see me. Said there was some weird red-robed minor god calling himself 'the Omnissiah' who wanted to talk with me. He said he was going to make you wait before sending you off and not to worry. You should have seen his face when I said to him to send you in post-haste."

The god of cripples chuckled before his expression turned serious, "You know, I get that we didn't set up a time to meet up but it is a bit odd of you to pop by unannounced."

'Well, time for a bit of truth and a bit of omission.' the Motive Force thought with a smile.

AN: As always, please tell me if something doesn't make sense, even if it is minor.

Note to self: This ends on day 12, at around mid-morning which is 3 days until meeting up with the hunters.

3 x 12 = 36

=On the 12th day, the Omnissiah's incarnation gained augmentation=

\ \Augmentation of flesh by steel to improve and safeguard/ /

\ \Wires of copper to flow forth power and purpose/ /

\ \The alloys of silicon to comprehend/ /

++Glory to the Omnissiah++