"Land of Creation, I've returned."
Deep beneath Chardo Port, in a vast underground chamber carved from the earth, the scholar stepped out of a crude mechanical lift and sighed with emotion.
As he stepped out of the lift, the three sages of the Mechanical Church waiting before him bowed respectfully.
There was one human and two halflings.
All three had undergone extensive and horrifying cybernetic modifications. The human mechanic had replaced most of his body with steam-powered machinery, and even the left eye in his remaining head had been replaced with a red prosthetic.
He wore a tattered robe to hide his mutations, but something strange moved beneath it—something that looked like a curled-up arm.
The two halfling mechanics had modified themselves even more drastically.
Not a scrap of flesh remained on their bodies. They were entirely mechanical puppets, with only the wetware cores inside their skulls still "factory original."
There probably wasn't even four ounces of flesh left between the three of them.
"How long has it been since we last met?"
The scholar looked gently at the three before him and said with a sigh:
"When I left, I never imagined we would meet again in the distant future in a state like this. My dear old friends, all these years later, you're still faithfully carrying out your duties and striving toward the goal we once set together.
"Compared to all you've done over the years, I'm like a coward who hid away to enjoy life.
"But at last, our paths have crossed again, my friends. I've glimpsed the ultimate power left behind by the Creator, and I invite you to join me in this undertaking with the greatest excitement. Steve, Marvin, and Eberson, what do you say?"
"It's been a long time since anyone called us by