The Calamitous Bob

The office of the Home Guard's third division was a place of darkness. Once, it had housed over sixty rotating personnel working day and night to make sure Harrak was always ready to defend itself. Barracks would hold golem engineers and trainers dedicated to keeping veterans in shape, while administrators spent hours keeping the tally of those ready to take up arms at a moment's notice. Now, it was a ruin, a decrepit building damaged by the actions consisted of hissing matches with equally territorial brethren. The ground shook near the entrance, and the monster lifted flesh-crafted antennae.

No life mana, thus no prey.

Whatever shook the walls wasn't alive, therefore, it was of no import.

Quite suddenly, an arm the size of a large tree trunk smashed through the wall, plunging serrated blades into the necrarch's guts, and dragging it screeching into the wan daylight. Inside the creature's mind there was only incomprehension. Incomprehension, and pain. It processed an unliving thing that still moved and hurt it, an impossibility. It took a few instants before instincts took over and the monster lashed out.

It was in vain. The necrarch was already pinned in an awkward posture that left its middle section exposed while the titan slashed at it cruelly with a long claw. The necrarch noticed the massive concentration of mana denoting one of its brethren being nearby, but it was wrong. Too disciplined. Too charged with meaning. And the shape was too small.

"Round two, bitch! YOINK"

The tiny necrarch thing gathered a massive tendril, so dense it was almost solid, and plunged it into the necrarch's core. It uttered sounds that were not roars. The necrarch fought the invasion with difficulty because it was completely unused to battle. Being dismembered alive did not help with concentration.

The necrarch died.

A massive hand picked the core out of a pile of ashes.

//We should keep this.

"We have enough cores for the golems. Yries tanks it is?"

//Indeed.

"And now, to the next child."

//THERE WILL BE OTHERS?

The two turned to the form of Eris, who had watched the battle without much reaction.

"That's the idea, yes."

//I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PROCESS THIS PIECE OF INFORMATION.

Solfis looked back towards Viv, seeming a bit unsure.

"You don't have to interpret everything right away. You can experience more first before deciding what you want to believe."

//THIS IS ACCEPTABLE.

//QUERY: IS THE DEAD ENTITY A NECRARCH.

"Yes."

//QUERY: CAN I KILL THE NEXT NECRARCH?

//WEAPON CALIBRATION REQUIRED.

"You don't have to look so smug, Solfis dear."

//Is this what you meatbags experience when your crotch beastlings first manage locomotion?

"Har har. Ok, where's the next frame?"

***

//You are Thalia.

//Upon you, I bestow my knowledge of literature, tradition, painting, sculpture, linguistics, and propaganda.

//You are free to grow upon this base as you see fit.

//I am your father, Solfis, and I welcome you.

//You are Vulcan.

//Upon you, I bestow my knowledge of material sciences, mining, smelting, designing, forging, and quality control.

//You are free to grow upon this base as you see fit.

//I am your father, Solfis, and I welcome you.

//Please do not hold the use of the 'V' sound against me.

//It is now officially in the possession of the empire.

//You are Clio.

//Upon you, I bestow my knowledge of history, philosophy, political sciences, ethics, programming, and record keeping.

//You are free to grow upon this base as you see fit.

//I am your father, Solfis, and I welcome you.

//You are Themis.

//Upon you I bestow my knowledge of law, customs, ethics, jurisprudence, administration, and repression.

//Kindly share ethics with your sister.

//This is not a contest and you both need it.

//You are free to grow upon this base as you see fit.

//I am your father, Solfis, and I welcome you.

//You are Ares.

//Upon you, I bestow my knowledge of weapon mastery, dueling, tactics, strategy, bluffing, and psychological warfare.

//You are free to grow upon this base as you see fit.

//I am your father, Solfis, and I welcome you.

//Please work well with Eris.

***

A small bone frame had entered the hangar, and now seven titans of steel and silverite marched across the dead city, pulling hissing necrarchs out of their hiding spots for the witch to feed on. 'Always a Chance' helped her overwhelm their defenses and swallow more energy into her already massive reserves, enhancing her core and conduits.