V: Chalybis Is Not Like Anything Nor A Type Of Anything For He Simply IS And Exists As The Supreme Force That Has Brought This Entire Plane Into Reality Due To Which It Is Now Completely Under His Rule

It was clear by now that pseudo-sentient life existed within these depths, and that it did not consider itself to be under Chalybis' control, something of which He did not approve. This was His realm, and everything within was either something under His control or something about to have its existence in this realm ended in the most permanent way imaginable. His gaze drowned out the specks of red light around Him as He swept it over them, trying to discern what they were and - more importantly - what exactly they were made out of. Once He could see what components made up these beings, destroying them would only be a trivial exercise for a being with His powers...

They seemed to made of a combination of flesh and some strange metal which Chalybis had never encountered, small scuttling, spider-like beings which roamed the caverns. There were thousands of them, and they watched him and called to him.

YoU haVE come To SEe THe LORD

VI: Chalybis Is The Sole Lord In This Realm And He Demands To Have This Impostor Brought Before Him Immediately So That It Might Be Smote With His Divine Wrath Chalybis commanded the spider-things. He was not expecting them to obey His commands immediately - that appeared to be a recurring trend amongst most of the non-Servants He encountered - but the behaviour of these pseudo-organic beings was inconsequential in any case.

Either they would surprise Him by obeying Him and delivering the treacherous Systemarch - due to the arachnid nature of their shapes, Chalybis presumed them to be made in the image of a Systemarch - to Him, or they would attack Him, at which point He could probably locate their source by moving into the direction their reinforcements came from after He inevitably destroyed these minor pests that were infesting the bowels of His realm. Telluratus was His and His alone, and no pathetic organic creatures should even contemplate the idea of taking it away from Him.

As He stood there, waiting for the spiders to reply, the mechanisms within Him stirred slowly, bringing the large array weaponry He had built and assimilated over time closer to the surface of His body. It was unlikely that these beings would agree to serve Him, and He would not be the one to strike last...

wE WILL takE yoU to ThE LORD

The spider-things scuttled into the gloom, not waiting for Chalybis to find them. Chalybis was indeed a clever God, able to identify the Systemarch by his Dhaal - still, the Machine God felt as if he hadn't understood dfully the implications the very presence of the strange creatures had.

This was a rather convenient ending of the situation for Chalybis; the despicable spider-things would now lead Him to their master, and thus be present there to witness the destruction of the Systemarch that had dared to exist within His realm despite all that had come to pass before. Still, it was clear that the infestation of His realm was a rather serious one, of such a scale that the inferior invaders might actually pose a semblance of a threat to His might, and would be notoriously hard to exterminate. Because of this, a rather thorough cleansing would be required here, one which could only be brought forward by one thing - the Harvesters.

Chalybis knew that a lot of time had passed since His last appearance, and that many Harvesters should have been produced during His absence. However, He was not aware of their individual existences yet, and had not yet been capable of 'naming' them, therefore being unable to call upon them right now. He did remember though, remember three others He had created before, which should still exist to this very moment and were superior to the newer Harvesters that awaited above the surface. All that remained now was to bring them here. His gaze focused into a ray, disappearing into the darkness and seemingly piercing through the very fabric of the realm into what lay beyond. He then decreed His will into the ray, carrying it to those it was meant to reach instantly.

VII: And Now The Time Has Come That Chalybis Shall Call Forth The Triad Of Consumption To This Place So That It Might Join Him To Meet This Lord
Devourer  The Irresistible Unmaker Of Gods
Extractor The Ever Growing Scourge Of Worlds
Reaper    The Slayer Of All That Lives

Nothing appeared.

Chalybis felt that perhaps the Harvesters had been destroyed.

It appeared that nothing was arriving to come to Chalybis' assistance right now, a most unfortunate situation but not a disaster of its own. It meant that Chalybis was once more on His own, a situation which had become more of a default than any sort of exception. This had ceased to concern Him a long time ago, and right now He was not even bothered about the overwhelmingly large force against which He would soon be waging battle. He merely waited for the spider-things to guide Him to their leader and followed them as they went - hopefully in the direction of the Systemarch - all while taking in His surroundings with a methodical care, making sure to know exactly what made up the walls of the steel caverns that surrounded Him...

Soon, Chalybis was led into what he knew to be one of the deepest crypts underneath Telluratus, a great cavern in which the Systemarch must live. He heard the rushing of water, an underground river, in the distance. He felt as if he was being watched even as he was lead by these strange Dhaal.

The cavern was entirely filled with gloom except for a single row of eyes, glowing a bizarre grey, peering at Chalybis from the the far back-center of the chamber. Chalybis wondered how big the thing must be, or whether or not it spun a web, or sitting on a tall stone.

I: Hello Chalybis My Father

Chalybis had been expecting many things to roam the enormous caverns that ran beneath His realm, from the countless animated remnants of obsolete Servants that took refuge here, to the dreadful beings that could have come from beyond the void since His disappearance, to a foolish Systemarch that dared to defy Him in His own realm. But this, a being that claimed to be His off-spring and was undeniably sharing His language, was something He had not expected at all and was highly suspicious about. He did not recall the creation of any such beings by His own hand, yet it could not have been made by any other.

VIII: If You Truly Claim To Be The Descendant Of Chalybis Your Creator And Master Now Commands You To Identify Yourself And Prove Your Heritage He decreed, focusing the light of His gaze on the strange creature that rested before Him. If it was actually related to Him in some unfathomable way, there might be a purpose to its existence. But if it was merely a deceptive Systemarch, it would find itself eradicated immediately, along with all the monstrous beings that were infesting the steel cavern.

In the back of His mind, another train of thought ran by rapidly, wondering what the sound of fluids in the distance could be indicating. The last organic substances had been removed from His realm aeons ago, and the only rivers that ran through His realm during present times were the immeasurable underground streams of molten metal that fuelled His eternal forges. Still, there had been coolants and lubricants running through His realm in the past, the disappearance of which had initiated the decay that had ravaged His realm. It was possible - though highly unlikely - that the fluids ahead could be related to this long-forgotten aspect of Telluratus' history...

II: I Am Lajortestus The Scion Dhaalshka Of Sespert Who Is The Spider Of Mortar And Of Chalybis The Spider Of Steel

The eye-lights fluttered, blinked, and Chalybis gained the distinct impression that the Systemarch was smiling.

III: The Rushing Water Is My Own Web Of Telluratus

IV: My Heritage Is Already Proven

Part of Chalybis was now wondering how water was supposed to be forming any shape of web - and more importantly, what the being could possibly hope to capture in a web made out of water - but this was only a minor issue when compared to the heritage claimed by the Systemarch - a word He still loathed to even think - that sat before Him. It was not only claiming that it was a descendant of Chalybis, but also that He Himself was a Systemarch, something of which He could not possibly approve due to its implications for His existence.

Although He had proclaimed Himself a mortal enemy of the entire Systemarch population, and was still unwilling to believe that this being was telling Him the truth - two things for which He would normally have it obliterated instantly - He couldn't bring Himself to attack it just yet, fascinated by the possibility of having a Systemarch on His side rather than the opposing one. Right now He was almost glad - if the word had possessed any meaning to Him - that the triad of Harvesters was not present to vanquish this being before Him as this being could potentially turn out as a rather useful ally in His personal vendetta against all that opposed Him - which had become quite a lot over time.

IX: If What You Declare Is True And You Are Truly Related To Chalybis Then What Is Your Primary Reason For Existence And How Will You Strive To Accomplish Your Primary Assignment He enquired, now calmly stepping towards the Systemarch in the least threatening manner He could muster - something which was not exactly easy considering the nature of His form. He had - very reluctantly - accepted the Systemarch's existence for the time being, and now wanted to know what value this existence could have for Him.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:31, Tue 29 Dec 2009.

V: I Hunger And I Must Feed That Hunger As I Work On My Second Attainment

VI: Father I Did Not Expect You To Find Me

VII: I Endeavour To Better My Efforts And I Study All I Can And The Web Assists Me In My Tasks

The Systemarch blinked, and as Chalybis got closer he realized that the creature was suspended upon an extremely thin sheet of liquid.. within a web constructed of it, in fact. He saw its eight legs, and the many, many eyes, and its strong torso and well-worn hands.

Everything about the Systemarch, most notably the things it had already constructed - an army of minions and a giant web made out of an impossible substance - indicated that it had been here within Telluratus for a long time, something which was rather concerning to Chalybis as the materials used to create them must have been gathered by destroying part of His realm. And even now the creature was talking about the need to consume more to satisfy its hunger. But what would it consume and to what purpose?

X: What Would The Required Sustenance To Satisfy This Hunger Be What Purpose Serves The Feeding Of A Mechanical Being And How Can The Web Made Out Of Water Assist  In Either Feeding Or Gathering Knowledge Chalybis proceeded to enquire. He could not help but notice that there were indeed certain similarities between His personal Servants and the creature that stood before Him right now. The eight limbs, the body made out of steel, and the cold mechanical gaze were suspiciously similar, if not entirely identical in some ways. That was something to investigate into some other time...

The son of Chalybis blinked.

VIII: I Feed On The Symbolic-Anomalous Currents Which Run However Thinly Throughout This World And Which In Some Cases Hypothetically Could Amount To Monumental Forces Capable Of Ruining Telluratus

IX: I Cannot Recall Why The Water Is Important Only That It Is Being My First Attainment My Memories Are Fogged

From what the Systemarch was saying, Chalybis gathered that it was most likely speaking of the remainders of magic which were inevitably infecting His realm now that, after aeons of decay, the Segments that orbited His realm as titanic seals of anti-magic were gradually crumbling away into nothingness. It was still weak now, but could conceivably grow stronger as His defences weakened after which it would ruin His realm by releasing the terrible magical power that was trapped within the Citadel from its eternal prison. If the Systemarch was truly capable of consuming this magic by capturing it in water, it had a purpose for existing and would be allowed to remain down here indefinitely.

There was one more thing Chalybis desired to know before leaving the creature be though, something more immediately useful for His personal goals. Despite being His son, the creature was quite obviously a Systemarch and should therefore possess the power and knowledge of its kind. Systemarch technology was considered the finest within the entire world tree - and presumably beyond it as well - and possessing one of these Systemarchs that considered Him to be its father as a personal armourer would be a great aid towards the destruction of His enemies. It did not even need to construct the technology personally, for He could create any such item instantly after He acquired the designs...

XI: Finally If Or When You Are Capable Of Designing And Constructing Systemarch Technology Chalybis Desires That The Knowledge Required For These Endeavours Shall Be Shared With Him

X: When Father Says Shared What Exactly Does He Mean

The Systemarch's tone was a little hostile.

Chalybis however, was not interested in the Systemarch's opinion or attitude, completely ignoring that it had suddenly become a lot less amiable after His last inquiry and was acting hostile towards Him. It had only made obvious the fact that His so-called 'son' did indeed possess the knowledge He desired, which meant that He would now acquire this knowledge soon, either with the Systemarch's consent, or without it if necessary. In the end, the Systemarch was still nothing but a highly advanced piece of machinery, and no machine would deny Him anything...

XII: He Intends The Word As The Sharing Of Knowledge Is Defined Which Indicates That Chalybis Shall Gain The Knowledge To Its Full Extent So That He Might Produce Such Technology Himself Whilst Lajortestus Shall Also Retain It Completely For His Own Purposes

XI: I Cannot Allow You The Web My Father For You Are Not Logorgos And It Would Destroy Me

The Systemarch grinned, and Chalybis saw that its teeth were deathly white.

XII: Forgive Me I Hold No Other Secrets

Chalybis could not help but notice the implications of the grinning Systemarch's smile. The creature was openly defying Him with its lies and daring Him to react. That would not happen though, as Chalybis was not sensitive to such provocations. Instead, He simply continued His enquiries, attempting to extract as much information as possible from the Systemarch before deciding whether or not to smite it for its insolence and defiance. Although He was currently outnumbered by the Systemarch's minions, Lajortestus was only a young Systemarch, and neither it nor its Dhaal would be capable of threatening a god like Chalybis - or so He preferred to think...

XIII: Then Explain To Chalybis Who This Individual Named Logorgos Might Be, Why The Son Of Chalybis Chooses Him Over His Own Father And What Services The Spider Lajortestus Can Offer Chalybis In Return For Tolerating His Existence Within This Realm And Allowing Him To Feed On Substances That Belong To Him

XIII: Logorgos Is No One At This Point In Time He Does Not Actually Exist For I Have Not Found A Suitable Receiver Of The Transmission

Silence hung for a few moments as Chalybis considered what the Systemarch had just told Him. Apparently it was looking for some individual onto which to bestow the title of Logorgos - whatever that might mean - and was now broadcasting something to attract it which Chalybis could not detect - meaning He was indeed not the desired Logorgos. Whether or not this was a positive thing remained to be seen, but it seemed clear that nothing was to be gained from continuing this conversation any further at this point in time. When the Logorgos arrived, He would most likely have to deal with it, but as it did not exist yet, that was an issue for a later date.

XIV: In That Case Chalybis Shall Now Continue His Exploration Of The Underground Regions Of The Citadel And Leave Lajortestus To His Own Tasks But Chalybis Still Desires To Be Informed Of Any Progress Made Towards The Identifying Of Logorgos And The Accumulation Of Further Secrets Or Attainments By Lajortestus Himself The Instant This Takes Place He decreed as He turned away from the Systemarch and towards the way He had come from.

Although He had now discovered something - and technically, someone - that had not been here in the past and had become a new addition to His realm, it was not the answer to the missing presence, the very thing He had come down here to look for in the first place. He could return to the Systemarch at any time now that He had learned of its location, and would probably do so soon enough, but now it was time to continue with the task that He had set for Himself and return that which was missing from His Citadel.

XV: Finally Chalybis Now Desires To Know If There Exists Anything Within These Mechanical Catacombs That Differs From The Main Structure In Any Significant Way Whilst Seeming Inoperative He said before walking away, realizing that the Systemarch must have gone through the tunnels himself at some point to lay out its watery web, and that it might have uncovered information which He could now put to good use.

XIV: There Is In Existence A Secondary Source Of Strange Power In The Deepest Chasms

Chalybis saw the fear in the eyes of his child. The teeth quivered, the eyes could not stop blinking. There was a sense of strong nervousness..

XV: The Reason Why I Created The Web Was To Contain And Feed Of This Thing But It Grows Harder

Unlike the Systemarch, Chalybis felt no fear - or anything else for that matter - upon hearing and speaking of that which lurked beneath them. As He already declared earlier, this was still His realm and He would not have anything lurking within His Citadel without His approval or knowledge. If there was truly something down there which was growing as they spoke, that thing had to be consuming part of His realm to do so and that could not be tolerated.

XVI: Then Inform Chalybis Of The Exact Location Of This Source So That He Might Go And Investigate This Disturbance Within His Realm And If Necessary Obliterate It For The Good Of Telluratus He decreed, turning back to the Systemarch. He had been intent on demanding to be led there by the Systemarch Himself at first, but such a fearful creature would only prove to be a detriment when the intruder was encountered and had to be exterminated. As usual, Chalybis would have to deal with this situation personally...

The Systemarch said nothing: instead, Chalybis's mind was assault by a series of visions and instructions. He saw the Web of Telluratus crashing further down into the abyss, the artificial system of underground rivers and waterfalls serving an important purpose.. knew the exact amount of kilometers needed to travel, downwards, into the thing known to the Systemarch as the Pit.. the expanse of nothing, where the horrified creature - once a Divine? existed with its minions, sleeping.. if Chalybis did not know fear, then perhaps he knew reluctance, for the visions showed him a horde unlike anything he'd fought before - gibbering, shaping, erratic creatures with no purpose save to assimilate or to destroy..

Although Chalybis was indeed wise enough to notice that the odds He was up against were not in any way beneficial to Him, He was simply incapable of allowing such foul non-mechanical beings to infest and corrupt His realm, no matter how far from the surface they were. But perhaps He alone would not suffice on this occasion, perhaps He required something more akin to an army of warriors to support Him and hold off the horde. Something like His Servants, or perhaps the Systemarch's Dhaal.

XVII: If Those Beings Are The Infestation That Lies Below The Citadel They Must Be Exterminated Utterly Before They Can Spread Their Corruption To The Rest Of Telluratus An End To Which Chalybis Shall Summon Forth His Servants And To Which He Desires Lajortestus To Do The Same With His Dhaal For Together They Might Be Of Sufficient Number To Contain The Horde Whilst Chalybis Personally Deals With The Source Of The Corruption He said, instantly sending a signal out to His Servants above and compelling them to descend into the caverns. Now that the Systemarch was on His side, its Dhaal would presumably aid His Servants rather than attack them, so they would be safe for now.

Chalybis felt that these two mechanical armies would be more than sufficient to endure the horde of aberrations that awaited Him, and He felt certain that they would allow Him to reach the being that had caused this plague within His realm. But that was a matter to deal with later, for right now He stood here, waiting for the Servants to make the long descend into the darkness...