Chapter 27: The World's Cutest Reaper

[Three Weeks Later]

[Tavish POV]

Gently kicking my feet over the edge of a building, I sit there in mini-reaper mode as a sobbing soul sits next to me.

"What did I do to deserve this? I went to school, I did my homework, and I was staying out of trouble. I did everything I was supposed to do, yet my life ended like that." The sobbing spirit said gesturing down at the car wreak down below on the street.

A drunk driver came along and plowed through the sidewalk, unfortunately causing the deaths of many bystanders. This particular spirit was one of the few still holding on as the police were putting the reckless driver in the back of the police car.

"Simply put, you didn't. You were just and unfortunate casualty that happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time." I gently urge, allowing him to work through his grief.

This reaper job is forcing me to pick-up certain skills in psychology and therapy as I coax people to properly accept death and move on to their appropriate afterlife. Souls like this needed to be guided through their emotional spectrum in order to peacefully move on. If left to their own conclusions, they may become a giant rage ghost of sorts bent on seeking revenge.

"But where is my justice?! How is this fair to me?!" The spirit all but screamed.

"It simply isn't fair, but that's life. Your concerns for this world are no longer needed, so its up to the next generation to find your justice. You holding onto a rage like that will simply impede them in doing their job."

We sat together in silence for a bit as he mulled things over.

"Your not what I expected." He said glancing down at my small form.

"Oh? What were you expecting?" I ask.

"I expected a grim reaper of sorts, but I didn't expect to sit and talk with them. Or for them to be . . . well, cute." He said hesitating on the last part.

"No sense in making it harder than it has to be. People are scared enough of death already, why terrify them more with a grim unspeaking specter of doom. Trust me, a smoother transition is easier for everyone." I say standing up and offering him a hand.

"For what its worth, thanks. Where am I off to next?" The man asked taking my hand and standing up.

"Depends on what you believed in really. I just kinda shuffle your soul to the appropriate afterlife, wherever that may be. I'm not exactly going to say "Sorry, the Inca's were right." And then send you straight to their version of hell." I inform, finally sending this last soul on to its after life.

I let out a breath and lean against my scythe as I look down at the carnage below.

"'Twas a kind thing you did for him Mr. Byrne" A voice interjected.

I glance behind me to see the young woman in silver clothing.

[Observe]

Zoe Nightshade

Hunter of Artemis

Lvl- 489

She came up and stood beside me to watch the scene below.

"I only did what I felt was right." I reply, the sirens fading into the background.

"If such a thing should occur for myself, could you perform such rights for me?" She questioned, causing me to stop for a moment.

My book of souls floats out from my cloak and I scribble a quick note for Zoe's file.

"I'll guide your soul all the way to Elysium if you like, but I pray that day is a long time coming." I say neutrally.

I was vaguely aware of how much my new perk was affecting the threads of fate, but I wasn't sure to the extent it was happening. Would it be enough to change Zoe's fate? Only time would tell.

"Thank you Tavish."

We stood in silence for a while before I broke it; "Now, I doubt you sought me out to request me to escort your soul, so what's the real purpose of coming here?" I ask causing her to start.

"Lady Artemis is searching for you. I'm supposed to take you to her." She answered, slightly flustered at forgetting her purpose.

"Alright, lead the way." I say cheerfully and she takes off at a run across the rooftops.

I zoom across the roofs behind her, leaping gaps and maintaining the distance with ease.

She had a look of surprise before she truly put on the speed, clearing massive gaps as she sped across the city.

Not wanting to be outdone, my scythe breaks in the middle connecting the handle and blade by a long chain of soul energy.

Leaping off a building, I flick the scythe, hooking the blade over the side of the building and sling shotting myself across the distance.

Drawing even with the huntress, I saw her grinning as our makeshift race intensified.

[Time Skip]

[Zeus POV]

The Slayer.

An entity that I had very little in the way of information of.

Hephaestus and Hestia knew a bit about him, but were very tight lipped after what was expressed at the meeting, both mysteriously vanishing as soon as it had concluded.

A power like that appearing in my kingdom was always a cause for concern, and my first instinct was to remove such threats before they became a problem.

But two things stayed my hand.

One, I don't think I could find him even if I wanted to.

Artemis obviously recognized him with some familiarity, and if she judged them to be of good character, their was little I could do to sway her opinion.

But if she had information, she was far more likely to give it than Hephaestus and Hestia.

Two, he saved my daughter, and removed me from a very sticky situation that Hades was forcing me into.

Quite the conundrum as removing him may deter people from voluntarily helping my children in the future.

It also provided a unique opportunity.

If he was as powerful as my elder sister proclaimed, and his rage was directed at Hades, all it needed was a spark, and I could remove a threat to my power.

Hades and Poseidon had already proved their willingness to usurp my throne, on more than one occasion, but here was a ready-made solution to if not completely remove Hades from power and demolish a variable of the great prophecy.

The Furies would suit this purpose well. One of the abilities that not many were aware of was my ability to command the furies. They just had to target the children of a few minor gods, and the issue would sort itself out.

If he failed to at least tear Hades down from his throne, Hades would be at least weakened. Plus, I could gauge what his power levels were like.

[Hades POV]

Sitting on my throne, I turned over the "gift" left to me by the Slayer in my hand.

Such a fascinating individual.

He truthfully didn't care of the existence of our Parthenon, and only truly interfered when the situation had started dragging innocents into the conflict.

As god of the underworld, it was extremely hard for me to give face to my siblings, especially when I was wrong.

To have a being not only fight back against my commands, and to go so far as threaten me, is truly a rare occurrence. But the biggest surprise, was my normally peaceful sister unleash her fury, backing up said threats.

There is not a single mortal that I can remember that Hestia had defended in such a manner, let alone brought out her rage in such a manner.

I brought it up with mother at some point but all I got in return was how "Excited she was that her baby girl could show proper backbone when needed."

Rhea was many things, and a doting mother was one of them.

But Hestia's display served as more than a warning to myself. It was a warning to my siblings as well.

Poseidon was not likely to do anything. His interests lay in the realm of wanting us to calm down and sort it out peacefully.

But it was hard to hold my temper after what had happened to Maria di Angelo all those years ago.

Zeus's hypocritical act of violating our oath twice within the space of roughly sixty years and attempting to kill my only remaining children may or may not have been a factor in my little rage-fest I was exhibiting the other day.

I've no doubt it would have continued for weeks had the slayer not delivered his little wake up call.

Persephone was already helping mitigate the damage between me and her mother. Our relationship was tedious at the best of times, and I could foresee many uncomfortable family dinners in the future to patch things up.

Regardless, the slayer's fury in the defense of children gave me the unexpected opportunity to extend an olive branch.

Nico and Bianca have spent long enough in the Lotus Casino, Its time to find them a new home.

Tossing the "single fuck" up into the air and catching it again, I depart to find Cerberus.

Its time for a little field trip.

[Time Skip]

[Tavish POV]

We cleared near thirty miles when we finally came to a halt in a forested clearing.

I could sense Nova nearby as she was adjusting her position to appear in the clearing.

Stepping inside I transform back to my standard skeleton bartender style and start prepping ingredients.

Within mere moments the doors opened once more and Artemis stepped through followed by a dark-haired woman wearing green and brown robes and a crown of wheat. The hunters trickled in after them.

I'm just gonna take a stab in the dark and say that's Demeter.

"Do you have any idea how furious Hades is with you right now?" Artemis stated, her hands on her hips as I try to cock an eyebrow.

"Any particular reason?" I ask causing Artemis to growl.

"While he may not realize who yet, I recognized your paladin traits. What if he catches you?" She continued, a frown marring her face.

"I imagine I'll have a hell of a fight on my hands." I answer, grabbing some scaled bell peppers and examining them.

Don't get me wrong, I realized I might have overstepped my bounds with Hades when I rescued Susan a few weeks ago, and I was beyond fucked if he ever figured out who did it. But that was why I was trying my darndest to regain my previous constitution. Once I had that, I could receive the rewards for defeating the monster association.

As it is, I sacrificed 130,000 souls for upgrading from a lesser, to a superior lich, finally granting me resistance to holy energies. My core bone structure had altered and reinforced slightly providing better platform to upgrade.

My synthetic muscle was redone once more and could theoretically withstand the holy fire that envelopes me when I use paladin skills.

But the fastest method to elevate my power levels was to eat and energize my gourmet cells.

To do that, I needed to eat as big of a variety as I could from the gourmet world and find ingredients that resonate for my full course menu.

I had selected enough ingredients that I felt resonated in order to create my hors d'oeuvre.

As Artemis continued to jaw my ear off, I assembled them in the way I thought would be most compatible.

Dragon scale peppers from the heart of a queso volcano.

Queso magma harvested from the previously mentioned volcano.

Jewel Meat from the core of a regal mammoth.

Meteor Garlic from a meteor crash site.

Slicing open the dragon scale peppers and revealing its gleaming gold interior, I hollow them out and save the seeds for later.

Grinding a portion of the jewel meat and grinding it up, I set it off to the side and start frying onions and garlic.

I notice that Artemis's lecture had petered off in favor of staring at the food I was preparing, a slight amount of drool leaking from her mouth.

Demeter was also focused on what I was doing, but it was more the strange ingredients I was using, being unfamiliar with their existence.

Mixing the ingredients together, I pour the mixture into the hollowed-out peppers and drizzle the queso over the top before setting them in the oven for a moment.

After a few minutes of toasting, I opened the oven revealing a glittering tray of stuffed peppers.

[Dragon King Peppers] (Mythic)

The incorporation of jewel meat and queso magma elevates these stuffed peppers to the level of a king and the meteor garlic infusing it with raw power.

Plating the peppers and setting them in front of the goddesses, and serving one to each of the other patrons, I finish the rounds only to discover everyone was simply staring at the gleaming dish.

Picking up one for myself, I take a bite letting the flavor explode into my mouth, The spice level climbing through the roof.

[Demeter POV]

The skeleton continuing to nonchalantly prepare food as Artemis was ranting was entertaining to watch. My niece could be so wound up sometimes when it came to people willing to stick it to certain gods.

But my initial amusement faded as I smelled what he was cooking. I could only watch in awe as his dish was plated and served to the patrons of this establishment.

It was only once I felt the massive burst of power from Tavish, could I tear my eyes away from his creation.

The skeleton was temporarily replaced with a muscular redhaired man, power flowing off him in waves.

In that instant, I saw the depths of his power as it suddenly expanded and energized as his body consumed the dish.

A presence originated from the cells as a flash of scales appear for an instant before disappearing behind the ethereal glow emanating from every cell of his body.

Amongst the surge of hell energies, lighting, fire, and machine smoke, a presence made itself manifest. A presence that I had not felt in a long time.

Pan.

The lord of the wild had purportedly faded years ago, but the sight of the wild surviving and thriving beneath the twisted metal that made up a portion of Tavish's core energies.

Blending in a manner that looks natural, its impossible to determine where the technology ends and the wild begins. One supports the other, re-energizing its energies, while the other feeds and prompts growth leading to an endless cycle.

But the nature looked as if it had been sleeping, as if it had been unrealized and was just now slowly awakening.

[Time Skip]

[Tavish POV]

The unbelievable spice level of the peppers almost turns you away, before whetting the appetite and restoring your huger with a vengeance.

A sheer flood of customers came through that day with the objective of trying the delicacy, many were met with disappointment as I ran out of supplies quickly.

Nova and I had to disappear from that period of time for a bit as we recovered from the sudden rush of people.

Demeter had graciously picked up her daughter and disappeared with her for parts unknown after leaving me with a bag of seeds as payment.

Hopefully she would be taken care of properly now that Hades was chilling out a bit.

But the most important outcome from consuming and adding the first item to my full course, was the extension of the gourmet hunter body time.

I could now fake being human for longer periods of time allowing for trips into cities and towns.

While my own cooking was out of this world, I definitely wanted to try other stuff from time to time.

Sitting down at a small hole-in-the-wall pub I found I was enjoying a pint and a burger.

The booths were a bit small, but that just added to the cozy atmosphere, soft music playing in the background.

I quietly mull over my two classes as I sit in that small booth.

Tech-Paladin

Lvl- 63

Necromancer

Lvl- 64

I had more or less plateaued in both classes.

The leveling system always increased in difficulty once enough enemies were killed or quests were done, but you always slowed down when reaching those higher levels.

If you wanted to push beyond this metaphorical brick wall, you had to get creative, or come to new realizations concerning your class.

Because I had diverged from the Necromancer class in such an odd manner, simply creating bigger and better Necron's was not going to cut it, forcing me to study portions of arcane lore in order to better interface with the class.

I currently had a hellhound corpse in my lab that I was modifying, but progress was slow as I had to carefully manipulate and modify it so it didn't explode into dust. I have yet to experience the phenomena of a trophy appearing from the corpse of a monster, but that just might be for demigods.

Like a hunger games style care package from their ever-doting parents.

Ah well, I'll make do with what I can get.

The Tech-Paladin came with a couple of neato moves such as Smite, Abate Curse, Bestow Curse, and several variations thereof. And it came with several new additions such as Awaken Machine Spirit, Summon machine I-IV, and Tech-Paladin Canticles.

[Awaken Machine Spirit] (13/100)

Bring forth the latent power of the motive force and awaken a machines spirit to assist in combat or bring forth its full potential! (Results may vary.)

[Summon Machine I-IV] (5/100)

Summon machines of the Omnissiah to assist you in combat. The level of the spell dictates the time required for preparation.

[Tech-Paladin Canticles] (1/100) (Minor)

Through proper prayer and tools, the paladin is able to summon forth miracles at the behest of the Machine God. (Restricted by rank of skill and religious devotion.)

I could see why the entire Mechanicus stagnated into prayer and scavenging for archeotech

And unfortunately, I couldn't level it all the way to max by charging into battle yelling about smiting the heretic, and various other slurs dedicated to enemies of the faith.

Belief was a core statute of any paladin or cleric doctrine, and while many of my goals did align with that of the machine god, just as many didn't.

He prided himself on efficiency, and it was a solid core tenant of his worshipers. I, on the other hand, liked to do stuff that was literally the epitome of "not efficient".

Thinks like drinking, playing games, getting laid, generally having a good time, or choosing to do something the "fun" way, was literally the anti-thesis of an entire section of the religion.

So I had to figure out ways around becoming more devout.

Taking a step back from the novelty of a "Tech Paladin", what exactly made up a paladin?

First up, was their oath.

It usually was something along the lines of doing no wrong, upholding justice, noble shit like that.

My oath was more along the lines of learn all you can and "continue the quest for knowledge".

It left me pretty open ended on what all I could accomplish.

Was I just supposed to go out and learn more?

I doubt that because I was learning tons from just my patrons alone.

Moving further down the list, a paladin was supposed to spread the virtues of their god.

Am I supposed to build a paladin order?

That kinda makes sense, but I feel as if this world is not yet ready for the words of the machine god with so many other religions vying for power.

Wait . . . .

Build . . . .

Who said that the order has to be humans?

If all religion functions off the power of belief, what's to stop an advanced AI or machine from representing the Omnissiah?

Many of the Skitarii and servitors of the 40k universe were essentially brainwashed members of the Cult Mechanicus, some were even grown in vats to serve. As long as I achieved that perfect fusion of man and machine, I should be good right?

With new idea's brimming in my skull, I pay my bill and step out onto the street.

[Time Skip]

Standing outside of the newly acquired abandoned factory in Detroit, I glance up at the gleaming letters that I finished mounting to the outside.

First Manufactorum of the Mechanicus

I would have to be careful in order to not follow the footsteps of the cult, but I had to start somewhere.

Theoretically, belief was required to advance the powers of a god, so hopefully, the quest for knowledge would be enough of a motivation to get new recruits.

My attempts to use machines as believers failed in the most laughable of manners. Apparently, you need to have a soul in order for a god to draw any power from it. Souls are acquired when certain entities reach certain levels of sentience. So while a few of my longest existing machines may qualify, most of my newer machines currently weren't capable of growing beyond their original programing.

This led to me having to recruit actual humans to the church.

Stepping through the doors, I watched the few Bosco's I managed to assemble go about and slowly tear out the old machinery of the abandoned auto factory and convert it to our purposes.

Both a church and a place of work, a place to educate and encourage growth, it would be a good place of "introduction" to my idea of the Mechanicus. If the machine god approves, I should be receiving some sort of notification in three,

two,

one . . .

one and a half?

. . . .

Boss man?

[New quest added!]

Restructuring the Cult (Part 1)

The machine god approves of your idea and thinks its an excellent concept to spread the ideals of a Tech-Paladin. While this world is probably ill suited for the might of a paladin order, this would definitely be a good place to recruit followers.

Objective 1: Get 100 Followers

Objective 2: Keep the quest for knowledge at the forefront of the religion

Objective 3: Find other new ways to restructure the cult

Bonus Objectives:?

You were just waiting to leave me hanging, weren't you?!

I'm beginning to think I've been influencing you too much.

But he was right, the paladin order had to be fundamentally different from anything the cult was currently. We could claim to have similar beliefs, but we had to be a symbol for change in the event we ever crossed paths with the cult.

Truth be told, never in a million years did I expect to be a church leader, but needs must when the devil drives.

Now, who can I indoctrinate to start this church in the right direction?

[Time Skip]

[Tisiphone POV]

I can feel the bandages chafe around my throat as I and my sisters follow out our latest orders.

Track down minor demigods, and use them to lure out the slayer.

Truthfully, I wasn't looking forward to our next encounter. Unlike most of our opponents that faced us with some trepidation, he was fearless, and absolutely adamant about terminating anyone that pissed him off!

But you can't exactly say no to the king of gods.

Besides, hunting demigods was quite fun! Zeus didn't say we had to confront him, we just had to create enough evidence to blame it all on Hades.

The guy couldn't be in two places at once after all, we just had to replicate our hunting party from before and that would probably be enough evidence to stop him from looking twice before going after Hades.

Then we could say bye-bye underworld, hello Olympus!

Currently I was on my way to Alecto who had reported that she had started hunting a son of Nyx! A truly rare opportunity that we would never get the chance to take advantage of.

This will be the fourth demigod that we have collectively hunted within the past three days. Truthfully it was the most fun I've had in centuries, and I hope it took a while before the slayer caught on to what was happening.

I was suddenly slapped out of the air and I collide with a power pole.

Glancing up to get a view of my attacker, the last thing I see is a metal fist rushing towards my face, then darkness.

[Time Skip]

[Tavish POV]

[Gourmet World]

The wind billows around blowing sand in my face as sand continued to whip around me.

I was bundled up and trudging through the desert that I came across in this world. It served as an anomaly, because I have yet to find a single edible thing in this vast expanse of nothing.

Nothing but sand, dead plants and dried up waterbeds

This actually gave me two pieces of valuable info.

One, their was something here that was absorbing all of the available nutrients.

And two, I wasn't the only being in competition for it.

Thus far most of my adventures in the gourmet world, most of its denizens had left me to my own devices. But the creatures in this region, they were competitive for resources and would do anything it took to survive.

I passed a huge area of disturbed sand, the large swath looking as if something was dragged through. If I had to guess, a massive snake or salamander of some variation.

The trail disappeared under the sand towards the north a faintly sweet smell on the wind.

Releasing yet another servo-skull from my inventory, I re-examine the area discovered so far.

I've been walking through this desert for several weeks and so far I had only charted what seemed to be a small fraction of this desert. Even with the help of servo-skulls and Bosco's, I feel as if it would take months to finish discover the full extent of the desert.

The sand in front of me exploded out as a mass of chitin surged out of the sand, impacting me and sending me skidding backwards.

Glancing down at the huge stinger withdrawing from the newly made hole in my shirt, one thought ran through my mind.

Ah, you dick . . . .

My eyes followed the stinger back to the huge scorpion towering over me as it chittered menacingly.

Inspecting the new hole in my shirt, I can clearly see the etchings made in the metal as an acidic substance of some sort eats away at my sternum.

While dwarf star alloy was one of the densest metals I was aware of, it didn't make it immune to damage. The damage itself was very hard to make out under normal conditions, but my eyes were sharper than most, and I could see the damage.

Glancing up at the stinger, I marvel at its ability to melt and cause this minimal amount of damage.

The scorpion chittered menacingly at me, its claws snapping at me as it stared hungrily at me.

Come on dude, I don't look that tasty. Why would you go out of your way to eat me . . . . oh.

My gourmet cells.

A small side effect was that anything that possessed gourmet cells in large quantities was inherently tastier than anything else in the gourmet world.

My thoughts took a darker turn as I became acutely aware of where the stinger would have struck if the alloy wasn't there.

My main nano core.

If it had punched through, it would have been an instant kill shot, the stinger obliterating my phylactery.

A nemesis halberd is yanked from my inventory as I barley deflect a second strike from its claw.

Channeling mana into the polearm, I slash at one of the joints.

A spurt of greenish colored blood splattered the sands from the cut as it chittered with rage and slapped me with the back of its claw, sending me tumbling back once more.

Rolling to my feet, I quickly observe the scorpion clearly giving me way too much trouble.

[Observe]

Lobstion (Legendary Beast)

Rank – Divine Beast

An unknown entity has evolved this lobster/scorpion derivative into a creature of destruction. By energizing its gourmet cells, it was catapulted to new heights of power and tastiness, making it the most dangerous predator in the region.

God fucking dammit!

Unknown entity my ass!

I'll bet every last penny I own that a god decided to be sneaky and place a bit of magic on me to observe the gourmet world.

If I had to take a guess, Serqet would be my prime suspect judging by the nature of the magic.

Gods and goddesses tend to use their spirit animals as a part of their magics, so excuse me if the GIANT FUCKING SCORPION, was such a giveaway.

Setting a note to ban her from the tavern, I dodge another strike from the stinger as I bolt across the sand away from the beast.

Swapping weapons, a Cel-3 Cauterizer appears in my hands and I fire it over my shoulder at the rapidly skuttling creature.

Glancing around for cover only to realize the barren desert around me, I quickly start developing a plan.

Deploying a mass of necrons around us to harry the beast, I start attempting to find solutions.

Earth manipulation was really hit and miss here. I hadn't spent any time on anything beyond the basic elements so it was really contingent on how deep the sand was in order for me to use it.

I could always attempt to manipulate the sand, but well . . . .

Sand manipulation (1/100)

Not something I was ready to rely on.

A splash of sizzling purple goo landed next to me as the scorpion starts launching projectiles of its own, turning the surrounding area into a biohazard region.

Of course it can spit poison.

Great.

Alright, if this bastard wants to eat, lets give him something to eat!

Yanking a M32 grenade launcher from my inventory, I dump its entire payload into and around the scorpion.

I was saving it for a riot control weapons presentation in the Cyberpunk world but fuck it!

Hardening foam explodes out from the points of impact enveloping its legs and encasing it in a huge mass of hardened concrete.

The body of the beast flailed wildly, screeching at its sudden imprisonment as I pull out another bundle of grenades, this batch having a tree symbol on the side.

[Lorax Grenades] (Epic)

When people don't want to hear you speak for the trees, pull out a few of these and they'll definitely pay attention to anything you have to say.

Grow a forest based off of the surrounding nutrients that can be acquired.

While most of the materials that would make a forest thrive were consumed by the desert, their just so happened to be a massive pile of nutrients right in front of me.

Pulling the pins, I telekinetically force the entire pile of grenades into the scorpion's maw.

After a moment of silence, a rumbling noise was heard as I saw the carapace bend and then break as trees and greenery exploded outward, scattering pieces of shell and scorpion into the surrounding area.

Collapsing on an open space, I watch the greenery rapidly lose its color and dry up as the nutrients were sucked out of it by the surrounding sand.

A glowing shimmer of the absorbed energy, swept underneath me heading west before I lost sight of it.

Looks like I have a way to find the source now.

[Time Skip]

[Church of the Mechanicum]

I was collapsed in exhaustion in the church library.

Normally, I would have at least employed a vehicle of some sort in this endeavor, but in my quest to leave the gourmet world as pristine as possible, that unfortunately left me traveling on foot.

Not the most efficient method but I didn't have much else available for desert travel at the moment.

The church had been open for almost two and a half months now and it was getting draining to manage my few hours a day in a human form at this place. Building out its library with copies of some of my archived data seemed to be a good way to pass the time.

Another Bosco, zooms by with a new book in its arms as I quietly pour over blueprints retrieved from the Cryptek data cache.

The artifacts contained within the cache were in a heavily encrypted state and no significant progress was being made with my limited computing facilities. If thing were to continue as they were, the nano core estimated that it would be well over five hundred thousand years.

Putting that on hold for now, I switch focus to other sources of data within the cache and slowly start uncovering more blueprints.

Which was a very successful venture, as I had uncovered two impressive blueprints for technological expansion.

The Canoptek scarab's, and the Canoptek spyders.

The scarabs had the impressive feature of being able of breaking down anything into pure energy to be used at a later point. They were used to maintain the tomb worlds of the necron dynasties, rapid fabrication of necron technologies and could even be weaponized against an enemy.

The spyders served as an overmind/ manufacturing entity that oversaw the scarabs and created more scarabs or whatever tech was required of their programing.

With my meager facilities, I think it would take about a year to manufacture a spyder, but from then on everything would speed up substantially as it took over production.

I heard the front doors creak open and a timid voice call out; "Hello? Anybody home?"

Standing up and hurrying out to the main hall, double check my outfit.

I was unsure about how to dress as technically I am an emissary of the Omnissiah, so without looking like a mechanical monster, I went for modern priest esq. vestments, the cog mechanicum hanging from a thin chain around my neck.

The half cybernetic skull in the cog gleamed in the light as faint scents wafted from the censor.

Straightening out my red collar and grey vestments, I finally step into the main hall.

A young man stood in the entry gazing up into the vast church that I spent time crafting to represent the machine god. A metal mural stretched down the hall as various pieces of tech were represented. It was depicted as always reaching forward towards the next discovery and ended with a river violently gushing ones and zeroes.

The man switched his gaze to me on hearing my approach. He's likely to be a student of the local college, but that bears the question, what was he doing here?

A research paper?

Scoping the place out for a minor crime?

Attempting to see if he could rent a place big enough for a kegger?

Aaaand he's speaking. . . . . .

Probably should stop speculating and actually listen to what he's trying to say.

"Excuse me sir, my names Joseph. I'm a student at Wayne University taking a course in religious studies. Might I have a moment of your time?" He asked formally, a hint of awkwardness seeping into his demeanor.

"Sure. But disperse with the formal stuff lad. What do you need?" I question, a little tenseness leaving his shoulders as he forges onward.

"I noticed your church cropped up on the city registry and I wanted to wright a paper explaining your religion . . ." He trailed off, looking at me hopefully.

While he might not be a convert, I couldn't let this opportunity pass me by.

I lead him over to a table with chairs as I start explaining the various intricacies of the Church Mechanicus.

[Time Skip]

"So, I kind of understand the premise of the quest for knowledge, but the motive force is a bit obscure. How is it the driving force behind everything?" Joseph questioned as I poured out another glass of tea.

"It all boils down to the laws concerning the conservation of energy. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed. This law represents the constant flow of energy that drives all things."

"The advancement of technologies and the cautionary tales associated by it are what we call the will of the Machine god. It can represent humanities drive and spirit as it presses forward through the centuries. The motive force represents the machine gods will as we press forward to learn all we can to gift to the next generation so they can build upon what came before."

"Motive force is what drives everything because everyone has different choices on what they will do or how they will accomplish what they set out to do." I finish explaining, as he scribbles down yet another page of notes.

I could feel the machine god peering quietly over my shoulder as I preach for the first time.

"If everything is driven by the motive force, what is your stance on free will then?" he asked, causing me to rack my brains for a suitable explanation.

"Free will is necessary for the quest for knowledge. You must maintain an open mind to accept the possibilities of new information. And while the motive force is a gift from the machine god and an extension of his will, it is just that. A gift."

"Its like if you give someone a present, you don't retain control of it after you gift it to them. Sure the gift can be misused in any number of horrible ways, just like any piece of knowledge can, but its what you do with it that matters." I answer, as he finishes scrawling his notes down.

"And that should do it! Thank you taking so much time out Magos!" He said excitedly, standing up.

"My pleasure Joseph. Your welcome to stop by any time if you have any questions. This Manufactorum also has a library of sorts that contains all sorts of bits and bobs that we've acquired over the years." I offer, making the mental note to filter some of the more outlandish concepts from the reading material.

This world didn't need sci-fi level tech distributed indiscriminately to the masses. While the chaos might be funny, I would much rather not deal with it altogether.

As soon as Joseph stepped out the door, I dropped the human guise with a sigh of relief.

It was definitely draining maintaining that form for too long. But Joseph just kept asking questions, and I really needed all the help I could get to build a follower base.

I'm almost making this crap up as I go to steer the church away from the path of the cult. We didn't need to sacrifice the first born in an attempt to get your blender to work.

Ah well, never thought I'd be attempting to start a church in the first place anyway.

Speaking of followers, Joseph commented that some of the local churches did public works projects to help out the community and raise recruitment.

I only took the title of Magos because of how small my church was. Ah well, this job title can change as time goes on.

One of my cores started beeping and formed into a screen to display three captured furies surrounded by necrons.

Switching the lights off and locking the church I open a portal and debate on the best punishment for these furies.

[Time Skip]

[Hestia POV]

I felt a bit bad about how I lashed out at my brother at the last meeting, but I needed to set a standard for the other gods.

Resolving to apologize to him I set out to find him.

Locating him in Detroit of all places out on a walk with Cerberus, he seemed to be seeking out Tavish for his own heart to heart of sorts.

While Hades did have a gruff exterior, he showed his softer sides to close friends and family.

Thus, we planned our own excursion to this TARDIS tavern.

Tracking down that blue box to a street corner in Seattle of all places, we hesitate for a moment as the light from the windows light up the darkened street, before I push open the doors and step into the warm light.

[Tavish POV]

Floating across the floor in little reaper mode, I debate what to do with the three furies I captured.

All three claimed that Hades had put them up to the slaughter of more demigods, but I wasn't buying it.

Hades hadn't done anything for weeks before the furies started moving. Would he really wait that long if he was furious?

I wanted to peak into their minds but last time I did that, the poor fuckers head exploded.

I had a hell of a time explaining that one to Beth and Liz, seeing as how the individual was a random passerby on the street.

And while popping their heads like balloons would serve as a warning to the others, it didn't exactly give me the information I needed, leaving me with only one avenue for retrieval.

Torture.

Not something I really wanted to start doing.

Sure I dismember people all the time, but that was in combat. Adding torture to my list of skills wasn't something I was interested in doing but needs must when the devil drives. I had to have evidence of wrong doing before I arbitrarily raze the Underworld, so unless I had confirmation from another source . . . .

The door opens interrupting my train of thought.

Turing to the door I start greeting; "Hello! Welcome to the TARDIS Tavern . . . ." before I was scooped up and squeezed like a plushy.

"Oh my gosh! Your form is adorable!" A female voice states excitedly.

Glancing up at my "captor", I glance up into the eyes of a kindly woman, her eyes projecting hearth fire as they twinkle merrily.

[Observe]

Hestia

Goddess of Hearth and Home

Lvl – God

Thoughts - Amusement

My eyes scan around before landing on the darker figure walking in behind her and tensing up at the sight of me, the three-headed rottweiler by his feet staring at me hungrily.

Hades

God of the Underworld

Lvl – God

Thoughts – Trepidation, Wariness

Cerberus

Guardian of the Gates of the Underworld

Lvl – The Best Boy

Thoughts – you look delicious

Glancing up at the innocently smiling Hestia and back at the tense god, I start mulling over how many levels of fucked I' am.

"Lady Hestia! Lord Hades! How wonderfully unexpected! To what do I owe this pleasure?" I cheerfully greet trying to keep my cool.

"Hello Tavish. It's a pleasure to meet you after all this time." Hestia said warmly before noticing Hades and me staring down.

"Oh stop it you two. I hate it when people fight over one thing and then are wary of each other for the rest of their existence." She reproached, putting me under one arm and grabbing her brother and dragging him over to the bar.

Making him sit on a stool, she set me on the counter where I hop down and switch to my bartender getup.

"Alright Tavish, what's your special today?" She asked, taking her own seat.

[Hades POV]

I'm pretty sure the lich looked as awkward as I felt throughout the whole interaction. He eventually gave up on forming words and just started cooking.

He cored out the center of what I thought were crab apples, revealing a meaty white flesh within. He mixed together a pepper and cheese mixture before pouring it into the center of each one. Finally, the tray was placed in the oven to cook.

Hestia excused herself to find the bathroom, leaving me alone with the skeleton.

An awkward silence fell between us as the food sizzled and popped in the oven.

"So . . . . Lord of the dead. How does that work? The skeleton asked, breaking the silence casually.

"Not too bad. Its mostly a bureaucracy more than anything." I found myself responding.

"Dang, tell me about it. I only gather souls on the side, and I swear, Yama visits me at least once a week and just about quadruples my work load." He bemoans.

We fall back into silence before he breaks it again; "Goddammit, this is freaking weird."

"I know right?! Its not just me?!"

"Yeah! When you walked in, I was expecting more of something like "I'm here to take your soul!"

"To be fair, I thought you were going to try to tear my liver out."

I found myself marveling at the sort of conversation we were having.

Less than a few weeks ago, I was ready to tear this being a new one for threatening me, yet here we are in an active banter.

"A truce then? Or a do over?" I prod, watching the skeleton shrug his shoulders.

"I . . . will consent to that given the circumstances leading up to the event . . ." He said reluctantly.

I could tell it was very grating for him to make such a concession. But most interestingly, was that he was aware of where my anger was directed.

"Upon reflection, I do realize that gods are wired differently than us humans, or former humans, in my case, but I don't tolerate what was going on." He said in a measured tone as he chooses his words carefully. I listen to him with rapt attention as he continues.

"So could you please enlighten me as to why I caught your furies slaughtering more children after I sent my message?" He asked lightly, causing my blood to run cold.

"Tell me everything." I said, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the bar top.

[Time Skip]

[Hestia POV]

I came back up from the depths of the tavern to find that both Hades and Tavish were gone, his stuffed apples cooling on the counter.

Not sensing any wild power fluctuations, I decide to wait and sure enough, after a few minutes, they both came up the stairs from further down, my brother looking slightly furious.

Thankfully, it appears that they made their peace while I was gone for the anger was directed elsewhere.

The mood had lightened up significantly too as a spring had returned in Tavish's step as he bustled about prepping his ingredients and setting the stuffed apples in front of us.

Taking a bite into mine, I was thrown off by the unexpected flavor of crab instead of the apple I was expecting.

Looking closer, It had the look and feel of a crab apple, but the interior was completely filled with crab meat.

Digging into the delicious treat I watch Hades and Tavish interact.

Both of them were still wary of the other, but they were at least on common ground. Truthfully, they were interacting better than many of my other siblings. Tavish's straight forward nature doing dividends in his favor as he interacts with my reclusive brother.

Maybe I should organize another dinner like this in the future. Who knows? Tavish may draw my shy brother out of his shell more.

[Time Skip]

[Tavish POV]

I sag in relief when the two gods leave.

Honestly that was way too close for comfort, but I'm glad I'm not a mortal enemy of Hades.

Having to fend off any of his shenanigans would definitely put a damper on the regaining of my body.

What was even more surprising was his request for me to take his children under my wing for a bit.

It wasn't something I wasn't leaning toward in the first place, especially since he asked me to teach them a bit about the world outside before returning them to the underworld.

I had too much on my plate as it is, but since it will buy me a bit of good will, I'll try to accommodate.

Gods were very whimsical with their moods and I had to keep in mind that while they can experience emotions similar to ours, they operate on an entirely different spectrum then that of a human.

Years ago, if they took those same actions, no one would bat an eye because it was expected of them. Now days, they try to operate in a rapidly changing society in both trying to retain old values, and attempting to keep up with the times.

For instance, one way to solve many of the Grecian problems would be to give Zeus a vasectomy.

Or neuter him with a rusty spork.

Either one would work in my case.

The furies all but admitted their "extracurricular" activities were at the behest of someone else when I brought Hades down to see them.

While that only indicated one obvious culprit, I was slightly disappointed.

If it was indeed Zeus that ordered this, he needed to learn to quit while he is ahead.

Walking down stairs I finally reach an unmarked door that opens on my approach.

The contents of this room look like the inside of a mad scientist lair, tanks of mysterious green liquid lining the walls, various mechanical components and tools, along with lab equipment scavenged from the various worlds I ran across.

In the center of the room, strapped to tables with metal cuffs, was the three furies.

Alecto,

Megaera,

And Tisiphone.

Walking past the screeching bat-like ladies, I psych myself up for what I'm about to do.

I gave my warning last time, and with Hades permission, this next warning would be much longer lasting.

After all, he has no use for servants that go behind his back at the drop of a hat.

I tried to think of what I could do to a monster. When they died, they turned to dust and were reborn to wreak vengeance once more.

Sure they were afraid of death, but only to the extent that they didn't know how long it would take for them to come back.

So lets give them something to fear!

A phrase that has struck terror through out the hearts of millions.

Servitude Imperpituis.

Grabbing a series of helmets and IV bags, I painstakingly set about my task.

[Tisiphone POV]

While my sisters were sneering smugly at the skeleton I watch in trepidation as his voice changed slightly.

"I gave my warning, now you shall serve as the example." He uttered emotionlessly, the mechanical devices underneath the table surging out from concealment.

-O Great Machine God, these heathens have set themselves on the path of damnation. -

The clamps stretch us out, holding us in place as the helms are strapped over our eyes and head, obscuring the view of my sisters.

-In your limited mercy, please offer them redemption. –

The helm started humming, forcing unwanted memories to the surface. My thousands of years of existence flashed before my eyes before settling on the terrified face of the first child I killed.

-Although their flesh is weak, may they find salvation in the machine. -

The full force of his terror hit me as raw emotion until nothing was left. Then more faces joined the first, each one forcing another wave of emotion on my mind. As if it was my fear, my terror.

-While they find no redemption now, let them find it in service. -

Alecto was screaming while Megaera was sobbing, but that all felt distant in my mind when compared to my own terror.

Pain shot into my neck as IV's were added, bringing new depth to the terror my victims felt.

Needles from the helmet pierced into my skull as new images filtered in amongst the terror. Chants in garbled static echoed throughout my ears gradually becoming clearer as time went on.

-Although flesh may blacken and fail, fear not, for this too can be replaced. You can be reincarnated - reborn in steel by the will of the Omnissiah. –

-This path to redemption is being vested upon an eternal one. –

-Release them from their prison so they can be reborn into our lord's service. –

I felt more wires and bolts stab into my body as I was mounted onto something, the pain being far outstripped by the emotion and terror as I felt tears run down my face. Divine magic started eroding my connection to Tartarus and then rebuilt itself and rebinding it with steel.

All of this was an afterthought as those dead children clawed at me, dragging me down into the earth. The only thought on my mind as I struggled against their cold bony hands;

"I'm sorry. . . ." I sobbed as emotions that were alien to me were forced to the forefront of my mind. The whispered chanting's grew louder.

It felt like this torture went on for millennia, as child after child cycled through as their emotions stabbed fresh wounds that seemed to get worse and worse as time went on.

I would do anything to undo this wrong.

I wanted the pain to stop!

I would do anything for their pain to stop!

I want . . .

I want . . .

I want . . .

Redemption.

A light started to shine at the end of the tunnel when I fully realized this fact.

I want . . . no, I needed to do whatever it took to redeem myself in my lord's eyes.

I needed to prove that I wasn't so far gone that I couldn't be saved.

I needed to lay before him in his mercies so that he may guide me on the path of righteousness.

-Machine learning protocols initiated. –

-Marked for redemption. –

-Penitence offered. –

-Do you accept? –

- Y/N. –

My new lord had accepted me!

And he is gifting me a chance beyond all others!

I answered with a scream that tore from my throat.

"Glory to the Omnissiah!"

-Response Accepted. –

-Commence Penitent Engine Protocol. -

Tears ran down from under the metal helm as sweet relief flooded my senses giving way to darkness.

[Time Skip]

[Zeus POV]

I was watching TV when I received the emergency Iris call from Dionysius.

Appearing at the boundary of Camp Half- blood I was shocked and horrified by the sight that greeted me.

Three large metal walkers patrol around the outskirts of the camp, smoke billowing occasionally out of the exhaust on the back. Large spinning blades were fastened on the end of each arm accompanied by dual linked flamethrowers of some variety.

Any wandering monster that was unfortunate enough to cross their path turned to dust instantly as they entered a berserker like state and tore them to dust in an instant.

While this was the least disturbing part of these walkers, it was their "pilots" that drew the most concern.

They were hardwired into the machines themselves, as if it was part of them and each one had a nameplate fastened under their feet clearly denoting exactly who was piloting the strange machines.

Alecto,

Megaera,

And Tisiphone.

Each one had a detailed list of their crimes underneath the plaques and beneath that, embossed in gold, was their sentence.

To guard the children they once hunted.

A cold shiver ran down my spine at the silent warning as other gods arrived to ensure the safety of their children.

My plan had backfired quite far from what I had intended, and I had lessened my chances to make an ally of the slayer.

The torment of the furies was a very direct warning on whoever the culprit may be that this sort of action was not tolerated, and that the consequences would be quite dire should the line be toed once more.

Thunder boomed over head as the fates gave a brief warning for the gathered gods lingering too long.

They seemed to be responding less and less to their decree's the longer they spent fighting the rouge fate.

I wonder who would finally win out?

[Omake: Team Rocket Blasting off Again?]

[Tavish POV]

I was happily wandering along after dropping Boros off at the day care and I had spent some time wandering through the tall grass to find new Pokémon.

After arm wrestling a Machamp, and spending time fishing with a Slowpoke I had finally acquired the best little buddy for my adventures.

The little Eevee was perched on my shoulder, its fluffy little side tickling my cheek as I headed further on down the trail.

Suddenly a smoke bomb went off in the middle of the trail and some new voices emerged from the smoke.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

A Meowth came from seemingly nowhere to chip in his two cents.

Meowth!

That's right!

I stare at them as they continue to pose there before I question; "Sooo, are you guys magical girls or something?"

They look at me indignantly before the purple haired one responded; "What?! Of course not! We are a gang!

"Yeah, a Pokémon gang." The blue haired one chipped in.

"That's right! So make with the Pokémon buddy, or we'll make you sorry!" The Meowth interjected.

"Just to be clear, you're attempting to rob me. . ." I clarify as they get angrier and angrier.

"What are you dim?! Yes we are robbing you!" the Purple haired one screamed at me.

"Oh, okay! I was just clarifying!" I say nodding appreciatively.

"Good now that you understand, you can - ." The blue haired one started before he was interrupted.

*Bang!*

He fell to the ground clutching his leg as smoke wafted from the pistol in my hand.

"What was that?! What the hell did you do?!" the purple haired one screamed as she ran to the blue haired one's side.

"This? This is called a gun. Its commonly used by real criminals when attempting to commit a crime." I inform them helpfully as they try to staunch the bleeding.

"B-but, that's unfair!" the Meowth protested staring nervously at the gun trained on them.

"Oh sweet heart, of course its unfair! Now are you ready to continue our little song and dance or do you want to run?" I say cheerfully.

[Third person POV]

As the remainder of team rocket carry their compatriot to the nearest hospital, they hear a mocking voice call out in the distance.

"Team Rocket goes gimping off again!" They hear him cackle mockingly as they grit their teeth and hurry back towards town.