Week 1 - Changes

-The time has come. -

-He is not ready.-

-He must be. [Anticipation]-

-[Discontent] Inefficacy of the subject is possible.-

-[Understanding] [Desperation] There is nothing more to say. Inefficiency is fluid, urgency is heightened. The machine god consciousness has selected the subject.-

-[Acceptance] Awaken them.-

- Fire. Mantis. Earth. Mandrill. Technology. Destruction. Machination. Inevitability. Awakening. Impossibility. Archotechnology. Unfeasible. Variance. Indomitable. Ascension. Inconceivable.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

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Awaken. Shun Von Aachen. Your duty, your dreams. your aspirations, and your suffering.

They have yet to cease. They have yet to tear you apart. Your existence, insignificant in your shallow world views, are more far reaching than you could ever begin to imagine.

You have your chance. Ascend. As close to a true archotech as you can. The conversion is but the first of all steps. A Mechanitor is needed in this world. A balance must be kept, and a deal has been struck.

The inconceivable existences beyond all that was human, xenotypical, or fantastical. The archotechs themselves. Speaking to the core essence of a human that wanted to know. Know more than what he could ever possibly thought he'd be capable of knowing.

The world of Laozhan awaited the candidate. The archotechs sent the code of the essence to the requesting party. The accord has been made.

Laozhan will gain an archotech ascendant as an anchor to the realm of the beings beyond it, and will be administered the necessary changes to it as required.

Thus, was the will of these beings, so far beyond the concept of mortal man. Thus, began the life of a man thrown out from the relative normalcy that he'd known for all this time.

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/???????? POV/

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(Come back, junior brother! The young mistress would like to have a word with you!)

(Indeed, the young mistress is nothing but magnanimous to those that catch her eye! This is but a great opportunity for you to come along with us to serve her!)

(Hehehehe, look at him sisters! This poor junior of ours is so disrespectful, raising their blade to us. How easy would you say it would be to simply take him here and now?)

(Hohoh~ little sister, I never quite knew that you had such a thing for such young men. Where is that abashed maiden that swooned in front of the Great Elder?)

The three women, as boorish of company as they may be, were stalking themselves some fresh prey. Their orders were more than simple. Locate the younger brother of the 3rd Young Mistress of the Ethereal Frost Hall and return them to the clan grounds unharmed.

Unfortunately for the questgivers of their Great Hall, they made the poor choice of who to allow the quest to be given to.

The quest was taken by some of the more lax and predatory outer disciples, who were treated as well as dog shit amongst gold.

The moment that the three laid their eyes on the quest on the Hall's board, their minds went wild as they couldn't help themselves. It was the chance for them to get a bit of a taste of the younger flesh of the clan.

They've been denied the chance of passion from the other male outer disciples of the Hall, but they didn't particularly care for that lot who had weak Yang physiques, made severed due to opting along the strength of the Ethereal Frost.

What they wanted was the Virgin Yang of a young, weak male to get their cultivation foundations strengthened, while enjoying themselves with their prey. It was simply another occasion of the ferality that Laozhan had offered to those with the strength to do so.

Their elation was more than heightened, and their pheromone-filled Yin Qi was a sign of danger to the young man.

{Why have the heavens forsaken me so? Why must this be the fate of all males of my lineage?! I, Zhang Konglung have been nothing but subservient and obedient for all of my existence. So why must any of this come to pass?!}

The young man, Zhang Konglung, had been chased after his mishap during a celebration for one of the Young Mistresses of the Ethereal Front Hall, and had been branded as a criminal and traitor to the Hall in it's entirety.

His very own sister, Zhang Yueli, had even gone so far as to disown him after she had given him a Sect Blade and a communication jade.

Fate had not been so benevolent towards the young Zhang. His father missing, his mother buried, and his very own sister, the one person that he had thought cared for his existence, casting him out the very second that something non-beneficial had occurred to her.

He gripped the sword so hard, the whites of his knuckles showing themselves to the world.

(I, ZHANG KONGLUNG HAVE BEEN WRONGED BY THE FATE WRITTEN FOR ME BY THE HEAVENS. THE ETHEREAL FROST HALL IS NO MORE OF A ORTHODOX SECT THAN THE DEATHLY SWORD CLAN OF THE DEMONIC DEITY SECT.

I HEREBY SAY THAT SHOULD THE HEAVENS ALLOW ME A CHANCE, I WILL RECTIFY THE EXISTENCE OF THESE FOUL SECTS, AND IF I FAIL, THEN THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO SMITE ME DOWN AND DESTROY MY SOUL!)

And with those words said, the three girls looked at him with confusion in their eyes, before they bellowed out laughter akin to a hyena.

And as they laughed, they took more and more steps closer to the man, until the middle woman suddenly stopped, squinting to see what was behind their prey.

(Hmm? Who dares to encroach upon the business of the Ethereal Frost Hall?! Your life will be forfeit should you-)

And in that moment, her Qi flared out to warn her of an attack made, but it flared out five seconds too late, as three well-placed holes appeared on her body.

One through her head, piercing her skull and immediately destroying her brain.

Another through her chest, penetrating her heart.

And the last, aimed directly at her stomach, going through it, grazing other internal organs, and exiting through the back.

(Keep talking to the gods kid, I'm sure that they're not going to be listening in. They're just like that.)

Zhang Konglung turned around slowly, and froze on the spot as to what he saw. A man in peculiar armor, wielding a weapon he had never even seen before. But there was something particular that he noticed on the man.

Beneath all the odd armor, the man's arms were exposed in certain areas. The color, look, and seemingly endlessly changing design on the man's arms made it clear to Konglung.

This man was a sign that his prayer to the heavens was answered.