However, her arrival had caught me off-guard. I had to be ready for her.
"Servo-Skulls!" I summoned my flying minions who immediately heeded my call as they flew from different corners of the manufactorum to come to me- their baleful red eyes looking at me as they chittered- excited to fulfill my commands. My cold metallic fingers found the handle of my Omnissian Power axe. The whirr of servomotors and the low electric hum of the Motive Force echoing as I stood up from my cogitator-throne.
"Burn away the seals. Release the blessed locks. We shall sing the psalms and recite the litanies, for the time has come to open the vault mechanicus."
"skree?!" The flying servo-skulls chattered their shock.
"Yes… Bring forth our greatest artefact, for on this day- on Holy Terra no less!- it shall fulfill its greatest purpose!"
And just before the manufactorum was filled with the reverent chants of the machines, I gave one last glance to the vid-feed of Dragon flying through the sky.
"That's it, Dragon. Back that lower-rear assembly over to Daddy Magos."
CELESTIAL FORGE
LIBRARY PURCHASE ORDER
Magos Aetheric (Warhammer 40k - Adeptus Mechanicus) (600CP)
Though feared and maligned, the existence of the Imperium nonetheless depends upon exploiting the immaterium. Understanding it allows for travel, for communication, and to battle the daemonic on even terms. You have come to be one of the very few experts on the subject of the warp, and know how to manipulate it through technology.
You can easily craft psy-implants that boost or suppress psychic powers, weaponry incorporating psychic components, or hexagrammatic wards. With enough time and resources you could build or even improve upon existing patterns of gellar field generators, warp drives, and immaterial sensors.
You have even made inroads into understanding the genetic influence behind the manifestation of psyker, pariah and navigator abilities. This is not an easy path to tread, for the slightest misstep or moment of carelessness can see you damned, and even with the most exacting precautions it is a road fraught with peril.
END LIBRARY PURCHASE ORDER
End-Node User Points Balance: 0 CP
[Western edge of Brockton Bay City]
"Dragon." A fully-armoured PRT officer saluted her as more PRT officers scrambled around, hauling boxes and pitching tents. "Welcome to the newly designated Outpost 17."
With her Jilocasin suit, Dragon certainly drew awed eyes from the assembled PRT officers in their black uniforms as she touched down on the designated parking lot of one of the more desolate neighbourhoods of Brockton Bay. The snow was falling a bit harder now in this mid-December weather.
"Sorry, you had to see this." the PRT Officer winced, "This is practically one of the worst parts of Brockton Bay."
This was right at the edge of Brockton Bay- one last street running along the edge of the city. On one side of the pot-holed street were nothing but shanty-towns filled with Merchants addicts and boarded up factories of a nascent industrial sector aborted by the arrival of Behemoth. And on the other side of the street was the American wilderness, the Brockton Bay landfill… and Magos' four acre plot of land- the baroque architecture of his tinker workshop peeking just over the treeline.
"The other heroes are gearing up just around the corner, ma'am."
And just like the PRT officer said, just as they turned the corner. The might of the Brockton Bay Protectorate was there. Assault, Battery, Dauntless, Miss Militia, Triumph, Velocity and Armsmaster… all suited up and making their final equipment checks. A camera crew was also on site, ready to record whatever was going to happen and spin it to paint the PRT in a favourable light.
So much for a meet-and-greet, it seemed that Director Piggot mustered everything she had simply to 'talk' to Magos.
Another fully-armoured PRT officer holding a tablet to his chest came to them. And the tablet screen turned on to reveal Director Piggot- likely broadcasting from her office.
"We have new objectives coming straight from the top." the PRT director revealed- meeting their eyes one by one, "Be on the lookout for a thick tome or book-like object. Collect all the data you can about it. Do not attempt to retrieve it."
"That assumes Magos will allow us to enter his workshop." Armsmaster pointed out, and Director Piggot smiled reassuringly.
"According to Director Costa-Brown, Watchdog says you have a good chance if we do this diplomatically." She shared in an almost optimistic tone, "However, if worse comes to worst, PRT officers in plain-clothes were scattered around- ready to evacuate any civilians should talks break down."
"Understood, we will be diplomatic." Armsmaster nodded, and Dragon thought that diplomacy was the best move for them. Attacking a tinker at their own workshop was always a risky proposition regardless of the number of parahumans the attacker had.
"I will monitor the situation from here." Piggot reassured them, "Good luck out there."
And no sooner did the call end, a PRT officer shouted in alarm.
"We have movement!" he pointed and as one, Dragon and the rest of the gathered heroes stood alert.
Billowing red robes stood out from the endless white snow and the dark woods.
Magos…" Armsmaster murmured- gripping his halberd tightly, but still remained in a neutral stance. "He looks armed with an axe. But that may just be for appearances."
"Something's wrong." Dragon spoke aloud- drawing everyone's attention. "Eye witness accounts and surveillance footage had clocked Magos at 5'10" (1.77m) tall, but he's around six and a half feet tall now."
And as he drew closer, it was only then that Dragon saw the full extent of Magos' self-modification.
Like an amalgamation of heavy construction engines arranged in a vaguely human shape: All servomotors and pneumatic pistons. Hands, long and spindly like a metal spider. Legs, all plated kinematic limbs and armoured cog-joints.
And as if four mechanical limbs were not enough for him, two metal arms like construction diggers were also installed onto his upper back, each one tipped with drills and pliers and needles and buzzsaws.
Never before had Dragon seen a human intentionally go out of their way to look as inhumanly mechanical like Magos did right now. Where she had tinkered this body to look approachable and sociable to humans, his body was tinkered to perpetuate his obsessive focus towards inexorable technological progress with not a thought spared for what others would think of him.