Ancient Mesopotamia/Sumer

Gilgamesh took note of the automata's late arrival before leading his soldiers away from the small village. He decided not to point it out at the moment, instead taking charge and riding out of the village. Soon, the Nine were on their way, riding at high speed through the beautiful green lands of the Crescent. They rode past farmlands. They rode past military garrisons, manned by Annunaki as well as their human servants. Occasionally, they even rode past other travelers, mostly humans. Annunaki rarely traveled the roads of the land, preferring to rely on their flying vimanas for transportation.

As they rode throughout the day, they saw the occasional vimanas cross the sky, rode past trading caravans, and watched humans, Elohim, nephilim, and helpers, work the land in the burning hot sun. It was hard labor, something few of the proud warriors were used to. But it was no less harsh on the body than the path they themselves walked, the path of war. The Nine crossed the lands towards a destination few of them knew. Towards the great Annunaki mines that were known as Nihal al Sul. The greatness of the mines were only superceded by the thousands of human slaves who lived, worked, and died, there. Few other than slaves and Annunaki slave owners ever sat their foot in Nihal al Sul, but a major part of Sumer's gold came from Nihal. And few could imagine the horror they represented.

As the sun reached it's peak and boiled the waters of the lands in it's burning rays, the Nine reached the vast mountain formation that surrounded Nihal. A great hole in what seemed like a wall of mountains, served as a gate to the great mines. When the small group of warriors reached it, they witnessed humans, Elohim, and Nephilim, all tied together by chains, wander in through the opening, surrounded by automatas with the strange weapons used by the Annunaki. As they approached in a slow and steady ride, Annunaki guards stepped out to block their path. Gilgamesh turned his head and spoke to his men.

"What we will see here, heroes of the Nine, will not be pleasant. Some would say Nihal is as close to Gehenna as anything in this land of the Crescent. Do not pass judgment, however! It is not our place, our role, or our purpose here today." As he said that, he spurred his horse slightly, taking him closer to the guards. He raised his hand as he stopped a few meters from them, and spoke: "I am Gilgamesh, General of the Nine, defender of Sumer." He announced. The Annunakian soldiers exchanged a quick glance, and then one of them dared to ask:

"Only servants of Supreme God Anu may enter Nihal al Sul! What is your purpose here, General of the Nine?"

"We are here to recruit an army." Gilgamesh spoke. "Its purpose is not for you to know. However, be aware that we carry the blessing of Innana herself in this course. Stand aside and let us pass." The Annunaki threw a glance at his comrade, who offered a nod and shrug. The two stepped aside. Gilgamesh spurred his horse and took the Nine into Nihal. They rode through a large creek, surrounded on both sides by giant cliff walls expanding for hundreds of feet up above their heads. A sharp eye could barely make out the faces of Annunaki soldiers at the cliff edges on the top. While they traveled through the mountain path, on several occasions did they see slaves of all races be transported to the mines, but never away from. Occasionally, they saw Annunaki - or on occasion, humans! - brutally whip slaves without remorse or mercy.

At such sights, Gilgamesh's face remained emotionless.

Finally, the Nine reached the giant, natural amphitheater in the mountain, that had been hollowed out by the Annunaki and turned into the Crescent's greatest mine. It was an unbeliavable sight. Tens of thousands of humans, elohim, nephilim, even neanderthalers and Barbaroi, were working feverishly in the blazing sun. When anyone relaxed, they were whipped brutally. When they resisted, they were executed on the spot. When they couldn't work anymore, they were killed without mercy. The sounds of screams were ever-present, however they were out-voiced by the hacking and ringing sound of miners working the stone in their search for gold for the gods, all the while being watched over like hawks watching their prey, by Annunaki soldiers, and the ever-so-emotionless automatas that served them.

In several places closeby, huge brown piles, surrounded by thousands of buzzing flies, covered the ground. It took a while to realize the piles consisted of corpses of dead miners, along with human excrement. Unlucky slaves worked hard to remove the piles by means of wheelbarrows, but the piles grew faster than the slaves could remove them, spreading a foul stench in the air of the mines. A foul stench of blood, rot, decay, and not least, death.

"So, this is Nihal..." Gilgamesh muttered under his breath, his voice strained, but calm. He threw a sideglance at his men, and muttered with a low, dry voice: "You may look around while I talk to the foreman. Helios, stay with me. The rest of you - do not stray far, for I would not linger in this lifeless hell any longer than I have to."

"So, this is Nihal..." Gilgamesh muttered under his breath, his voice strained, but calm. He threw a side glance at his men, and muttered with a low, dry voice: "You may look around while I talk to the foreman. Helios, stay with me. The rest of you - do not stray far, for I would not linger in this lifeless hell any longer than I have to."

Odin remained where he was while the others sauntered off as he was given no direct command go or to pass. Instead he bore witness to this...'glorious' empire. Tightening the bangles on his wrists restlessly while he watched on-lash after lash- beating a defenseless old man that was on his last breath. The smell of shit and decay was not as overwhelming as the blatant neglect and crude manner the guards were in. It was only a matter of time before trouble would find him.

Being observant made him naturally disjointed from the group in that he liked being aware. His fondness for life yet his barbaric rage that hungered for a cleft skull to which he could drink from like a goblet made him defensive and eager. Though his eagerness was not born from inexperience, but for a lack of shyness and modesty. A guard beating a slave particularly ruthlessly turned his attention and somewhere in his despairing mind thought Odin was a slave.

"Why does this slave carry a weapon?! Elohim are to be bound!" He shouted angrily.

"You would do best to shut your mouth Annunaki, before I rip your jaw off and use it as a cup for my balls. I need no privilege from the likes of you! I am commanded by one general and one alone, lest you try and take my will another way." Odin cracked his neck looking the other way, trying to be absent minded of the lower rank guard.

"How dare you!" The guard retorted in a feverish pitch, lifting his arm and arching his arm. The tail of the whip slung back, bending and arching before cascading forth only to be coiled around the Elohim's massive wrist that was roughly the size of his arm.

Unsurprisingly, Odin gripped the length of the whip and gave it a fair tug uprooting the Anunnaki's feet. The surprised Annunaki was slung forwards into the massive hand of Odin's left arm as it shot forwards, latching onto the reptilian creature and slammed it against the rock edifice, untying the whip from his wrist and tossing it to the side.

"As you can see, I need no help from my "weapon" to whip that attitude of yours. Maybe instead of beating a dying man, you'll do the better thing and think before raising your lash so eagerly."

The machine Amebra started to allow his four legged transportation mammal to carry on its way once more, following the other breeds before him when starting to let out a tiny weak echo of trotting as hooves smacked floors most rocky and crushed once sturdy spike that could indeed be questionably a safety hazard for anyone with not a shell to protect them on their feet or bodies if they fell down, these crunches of breaking stones and rolling grit only continued as the limbs moved onwards with their hidden muscles and veins although the outline of strong and sturdy legs could indeed be spotted beneath the robe that covered the creature as it flex them in it's stride. The beats of hooves on ground drumming with the other horses feet soon became a musical in its own right while the sounds of water dripping and picks slamming into the rock soon joined in to accommodate the sounds they generated. Amebra had no face, no identity and so his expression stayed the same at the various sights he viewed, the only thing that hinted at reaction was the number of twitches and turns his camera like eye started to turn to all the guards and warriors sitting within the caves layers, to the others he only appeared to be looking randomly with no clear direction or reason but through his orbs he was depicting the deference between the slaves and the slaves owners huddled in the crowds of workers as they whipped or order other around. The mechanical man continued to follow through with his horses trotting and seemed to be much more concerned with his targets than his path way and soon found himself quickly halting his beast as he realized the commander has spoken, making the horse turn its head slightly before sitting up in his perfect posture once more as he now looked at what had been happening more closer to him rather than the death and oppression far away. The scope very slowly withdraw itself from the view of those around him as the metal observer was soon consumed by the shadows and now turned his identity into a more holy grim reaper as he wielded that large arm of the anu at his side while holding the robe that connected to the horses maw crept into his cloak, totally alienating any human part of him under his cloak.

The ancient Servant soon found his neck twisting to look at the digging human next to him, it was a man smothered and dragged in mud, the scent of human feces was all over him but a normal person would mistake such brown mixture as dirt and mud by eye sight alone. Many miniature flying insects swarmed around the sweating pupils he held on his body which one should not go into with how sweat and excrement make a bad mixture, even for the man digging his throat seemed to gasp for air as his muscles flexed over and over when picking once more into the rocky scamps of the earth. The fellows identity was like his own, it could not be seen under the lock of crap covered black hair and shining sweat the sun caused, his was faceless and for a moment the flashes of left eye seemed to search for a mode that would allow him to see past the rotting and mangy exterior the slave had before moving his eyes up to his Adam's Apple which gulped up and down in his thirst and desperate breathes for air. Amebra soon lifted his neck in a hovering fashion, slow and cautious as if he was still inspecting the creature with great interest before suddenly swirling his head to peer at the Elohim discussion with the guard and very easily started to tread forth clapping the ground and squashing any blood or skat it treaded on before stopping roughly next to him, but just a few feet behind. He peered at the man, a minute more than he would anyone else of little priority before speaking out in a very official and electronic tone "The Elohim is apart of the nine. We are sanctioned. I have permission to terminate any interference to the mission of the gods. This will be you're last warning.....move you're excrement higher and the dead bodies to the top of the mine and burn them. The old man is obviously getting weak if you force his aging immune system to suffer from excrement exposure, volatile mining materials and dead bodies, some I can guess are sick. The air is far above the normal pollution level and by leaving it at lower gorunds is building up around the slaves. If you move you're stock of dead and waste, you can at least get more hours out of the young and the old slaves..." He then very lazily twirled his head to the Elohim, there was a strange feeling to it, his posture weakend slightly as if he was un-able to force hismelf to stand attention to such a creature although after a second it returned before speaking in a cold and somewhat bothered tone "Elohim. Would you mind putting him down..it just a waste of stamina to smack about un-neccesary enemies..we do have a war ahead of us"

Gilgamesh returned from his meeting with the mine foreman. There had been no problems. Then, he stepped outside to find Odin with an iron grip around the neck of an Annunaki soldier pressed against the mountain wall. Not far away stood Amebra, pointing out that the guard had bothered the wrong Elohim. The demigod General raised an eyebrow as he approached, followed by his silent bodyguard, Helios. He threw a glance at Odin as he said: "It seems I cannot leave you alone for even mere moments before you inevitably get yourself in trouble, Elohim of the Nine. Let him go." As always, his order carried no room for debate, but his voice was neither sharp nor angry at this time.

He turned his attention to the guard, and he spoke again.
"Do you know me?" The guard, recognizing him on his armor and white mane of hair, nodded quickly. Gilgamesh continued: "Then you know that you have overstepped your boundaries. You would be wise to heed this lesson well, soldier, for the next time, I shall not intervene, and neither shall Amebra here. Do I make myself clear?" The guard nodded again. Gilgamesh added: "My enormous comrade here gave you instructions. Were I you, I would go and see to them. Now." The soldier didn't wait anymore. He ran for his life, out of there, to carry out the instructions Odin had given him.

Gilgamesh looked up at the giant.
"I believe I told you, it is not our place, role or purpose here today to pass judgment on this place. Next time, I expect you to follow such an order." His face softened slightly, and he added: "Good work, Elohim." He turned to the automata, and added: "Amebra, you too. You protected one of your fellow Nine. You did well."

He motioned with his head for the two to follow him, and then walked out into the open.
"Humans!" He called out. His voice was unnaturally loud and booming, thanks to the shape of the mines as an amphitheater, allowing the sound of his voice to travel all the way to the very upper echelons of the mine. All humans seemed to stop their work and turn their eyes towards him. "I am Gilgamesh, General of the Nine. I bring you an offer of freedom! There is war brewing in the North, and I am in need of an army. We will travel to Assur, and bring peace to the region once more, for the glory of the Empire. I offer you your freedom to leave this Hell on Earth, but in exchange I require your lives as deposit!"

He looked around as he asked.
"Who will serve me?" It wasn't long before a storm of "I will" erupted throughout the human ranks, not in particular out of a wish to serve with the Nine, but rather, from a wish to get out of the cursed mines where these humans had been born, raised, and would die unless they took this chance to leave.

Gilgamesh turned to his men.
"We will take these humans. I require a thousand men to serve us, split up into ten units. We will arm and armor them on the way to Assur, but for now, they can bring what little possessions they have. We should be ready to leave at the end of the day. But we'll spend the night outside the mines, and leave in the morning. Do not trust them. Until they've proven their loyalty and worth in battle, we can expect them to try and desert at first sign of trouble. We will have to train them properly. Anyone who is caught deserting will be executed." He frowned as his voice took a hard edge.

"Do not be sloppy with this. We need to instill this in them from day one, that desertion equals death." He looked at Amebra. "I trust you to track down and execute any and all deserters." He turned to Odin. "And you, Elohim, I will expect you to begin training them in the ways of war. We will have some time left until nightfall after we've registerred them - use that time to instill the basics in them."

Odin's firm grip on the Annunaki felt...right in all sense of the word. He felt the scaly, cold-blooded flesh beneath his calloused grip writhe with anticipation. A grin slowly formed over his lips, as he saw the rising fear and worry grip the guard as he realized that an unbound, unchained Elohim was something to be reckoned with. Indeed, the hand that held him several feet off the ground with surprising ease, constricted his throat more and more like a noose. The strange, piercing gaze the Elohim was giving him made the fear rise exponentially, it wasn't until Amebra spoke up did the hand around his throat begin to loosen.

"The Elohim is apart of the nine. We are sanctioned. I have permission to terminate any interference to the mission of the gods. This will be you're last warning.....move you're excrement higher and the dead bodies to the top of the mine and burn them. The old man is obviously getting weak if you force his aging immune system to suffer from excrement exposure, volatile mining materials and dead bodies, some I can guess are sick. The air is far above the normal pollution level and by leaving it at lower gorunds is building up around the slaves. If you move you're stock of dead and waste, you can at least get more hours out of the young and the old slaves..."

"Elohim. Would you mind putting him down..it just a waste of stamina to smack about unnecessary enemies..we do have a war ahead of us"

The Elohim's unhinged look frightened the guard to the point he began to soil himself, but with the Automata's interruption, the furled fingers slowly uncoiled themselves from around the Annunaki's throat revealing notable contusions already forming. 'Ring' shaped bruises from simply catching him in mid air were painful reminders. The Automata was correct in his evaluation, people were dying needlessly because they were being forced to work in unsanitary conditions; disease ridden bodies didn't perform well, they didn't perform at all. Amebra was right on another issue as well. He really didn't have the time to smack people around, the general was coming and he could hear him approaching. But it was too much fun watching the guard squirm against his lone hand in mid air. His arm could never tire of this.

"It seems I cannot leave you alone for even mere moments before you inevitably get yourself in trouble, Elohim of the Nine. Let him go." As always, his order carried no room for debate, but his voice was neither sharp nor angry at this time.

Odin could not refrain from smiling at this comment. He staved his tongue from speaking the words in his head: "Guess I'm just that fortunate."

Nonetheless, Odin did as was commanded. He lowered his monstrous left limb down, setting the humanoid being on his own two feet and relinquished his grip upon the Annunaki. Stepping back, to the side of Amebra who was then adjacent to Gilgamesh. The smug smile never leaving his face however.

"Do you know me?" The guard, recognizing him on his armor and white mane of hair, nodded quickly. Gilgamesh continued: "Then you know that you have overstepped your boundaries. You would be wise to heed this lesson well, soldier, for the next time, I shall not intervene, and neither shall Amebra here. Do I make myself clear?" The guard nodded again. Gilgamesh added: "My enormous comrade here gave you instructions. Were I you, I would go and see to them. Now." The soldier didn't wait anymore. He ran for his life, out of there, to carry out the instructions Odin had given him.

Odin couldn't contain it any longer. He began to chortle at first, before howling with laughter as the Annunaki fled the scene. He wasn't sure if it was because he was Elohim and it was good to see the Annunaki tuck its tail and run, or, if it was because of the scolding that Gilgamesh had bestowed that undoubtedly sealed the man's fear to be instilled in him. Regardless, when his brief laugh was done with Odin turned to Gilgamesh, looking on his commander with a twinkle in his oneyes that, resounded with his intent.

"I believe I told you, it is not our place, role or purpose here today to pass judgment on this place. Next time, I expect you to follow such an order." His face softened slightly, and he added: "Good work, Elohim."

Odin's smirk faded, sobering to the general's words. At first, admittedly, he initially thought he was being scolded himself but seeing Gilgamesh's face soften, renewed the vigor in his own demeanor when Gilgamesh continued on to say he had done well and that Amebra had also done well. When it was suggested that he walk with Gilgamesh, there was no question asked- he went along.

"Humans!" He called out. His voice was unnaturally loud and booming, thanks to the shape of the mines as an amphitheater, allowing the sound of his voice to travel all the way to the very upper echelons of the mine. All humans seemed to stop their work and turn their eyes towards him. "I am Gilgamesh, General of the Nine. I bring you an offer of freedom! There is war brewing in the North, and I am in need of an army. We will travel to Assur, and bring peace to the region once more, for the glory of the Empire. I offer you your freedom to leave this Hell on Earth, but in exchange I require your lives as deposit!"

"Who will serve me?"

Odin's eyes gazed out before the masses. Rows. Columns. Metaphoric fields of people, rose to the opportunity. Had he been so eager to join the cause? Perhaps not at first. But seeing such places as these mines, instilled what he truly desired. Freedom. To see his people freed from a life very similar to this. While human's were prized for their numbers, Elohim were prized because of their renowned strength and tenacity. They could move mountains in weeks, not months and years like humans did. But they were fewer in number as well so were not to be 'squandered' in mines. Odin's eyes, as hard as they were, sympathized with these people because of his upbringing in a culturally extinct peoples. He, now like the masses before him, had a singular wish--to be free of bondage and in that light, to work towards a better conditions between the Annunaki people and the races scattered about these lands.

"We will take these humans. I require a thousand men to serve us, split up into ten units. We will arm and armor them on the way to Assur, but for now, they can bring what little possessions they have. We should be ready to leave at the end of the day. But we'll spend the night outside the mines, and leave in the morning. Do not trust them. Until they've proven their loyalty and worth in battle, we can expect them to try and desert at first sign of trouble. We will have to train them properly. Anyone who is caught deserting will be executed." He frowned as his voice took a hard edge.

"Do not be sloppy with this. We need to instill this in them from day one, that desertion equals death." He looked at Amebra. "I trust you to track down and execute any and all deserters." He turned to Odin. "And you, Elohim, I will expect you to begin training them in the ways of war. We will have some time left until nightfall after we've registerred them - use that time to instill the basics in them."

"I'll kill them myself should they show cowardice." Odin spoke, his voice carrying the weight of absolute truth in its tone. Laden like gold, his eyes never left the crowd of volunteers. Yet his face seemed to now carry a stern understanding of just what it was he had to do, in order to bring about a new future. In his thoughts, he had come to the cognizance that it wasn't just about him or his people. He was being selfish in that respect. No, when he saw the mob of people volunteer their selves, when he saw them swear their allegiance to the cause that he himself had--He wasn't about to let the stragglers, the deserters not work for their freedom while the rest bled and died for it.

Odin's jaw tightened like a vice being clamped tightly shut. He swore that he would help Gilgamesh fight for a very different Annunaki and now they were doing the same. As his eyes narrowed, assessing the numbers before him and almost practically picking out who had the possibility of being a deserter, he turned to Gilgamesh before heading back out to ready the area for training.

"I'll kill them myself if they dare try to desert. Because not only are they quitting on themselves, they are quitting on you, me and everyone who does stand and fight. I will not have good men's names be tarnished by such cowardice. I'm going to ready the field for the training session to determine what needs to be done in order to properly train them. Just send them my way when you are ready."

The servitor slowly twirled his head towards the direction of the sound of armored weighted shoes beating against the dirt, granted it as hard to really direct the sound position when surrounded by screaming and digging but as it got closer the set of robotic eyes underneath the executioners hood found the source of the noise when peering at the commander Gilgamesh, whom was now uttering some words to the guards and mostly just repeating the warnings him and the Elohim had just given, of course in a different way just as they have done, he took a moment to be still when he got praised by the commander before looking towards the warrior, obviously craning up his neck as glanced at the oversized humanoid. That camera was hidden and secure in the darkness, unseen like the void had swallowed it hold the same way water consumes ships beneath its surface but the hinting sounds of twitching and cybernetic gears twirling and smacking against one another gave away the idea that he was now inspecting the fellow more indepthly for a minute before simply turning away and starting to tap his companions feet against the ground with his gun lying by his side in his arm, resting as if ready but yet tired in his duty of killing. The cloak figure mounted on his un-seen steed and the long and runed open palm was not short of anything one would of seen in a gruesome painting about dark tales and beings, the shadowy substance and strange noises emitting from his hood not helping his likable appearance but none the less as he trotted along side the commander he served he could not help but notice that not a single person treaded away or avoided him apart from those that wore the uniform of slavers and guards, if anyone else notice such an occurrence then they surely take aware of his silence, not even bothering to reply to his commander after having been praised.


Them mechanical being slowly let his artificial eyes stream along the pools of flesh, dirt and dead bodies as they all paid attention to the herald of his leader and for a moment he slowly twitched his arm in response, his robotic one with a slight "Bzzzt" as if a wire just over heated inside but despite this he made not a sound or a hint of discomfort. True, this robotic abomination was one of absolute apathy when it came to needless communication and thus his words did not manifest very often but this time his orbs were not moving, the twitching had stopped and he seemed to be as still as a idealized corpses, not a single thing hinted at expression or life before receiving a small verbal transaction from his general of the Nine, responding in his electronic but pondering voice to him "Of course. Commander. I will man a snipping point when they are granted access to movement in case they try to escape..." He freezes for a moment, in fact he even sort of flinches all over before regaining that robotic and lifeless composure he has after suddenly receiving the verbal expressions the Elohim had just delivered and as if he by pure reaction he turned to him and let out in a dull and somewhat more higher electronic voice "Do not worry, Elohim. I can deal with any escapees. Simply stick to you're assigned task and we will both preform at maximum effciency.." but there was a slight difference at the end, a very vague grit to his tone as if he was almost offended by something before simply looking forward and carrying on his sentence in perhaps the most emotionless tone by far, devoid of any pitch and kept in a straight sound wave as he admitted "This is what I am made for...this is what I have always done...be aware that there will be no survivors after you make such an order.." He somewhat directed his words to the giant before just twisting his neck enough to poke the right side of his orb at the commander when speaking in such a solemn and mechanical tone. A very gentle and almost whispering twitch of his scope took place after that, almost like a man erecting his iris in attention to someone reaction.

Gilgamesh nodded to the two.

"You are both great additions to the Nine." He said. He then turned his attention to the automata. "However, Amebra, a man who kills without emotion is not true to himself, nor is he a hero. He's just a common murderer." He frowned slightly, not as if displeased with the automata, but as if thoughtful. "There comes a time in every soldier's life when he must take lives for any number of reasons. But a man who fights without passion lacks something fundamental. He lacks his own humanity." He patted the automata on the shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll understand what I mean in due time. For now, keep an eye on the recruits and use your own judgment on the best course of action if anything goes against plan."

He turned to the Elohim.
"You may prepare to set up the training grounds. I shall send you your first recruits very soon, and then I shall join and aid you in the training of them." He turned to other members of the Nine, waving his hand as he spoke out loud: "Heroes of the Nine! We are gathering a thousand men. Line up the recruits, and study them carefully. All with any physical hindrances are to be rejected. We accept only those best suited and physically capable of surviving the training. We gather a hundred men, and send them to Odin. Helios will go with him. They will begin basic instructions while we pick out another hundred men, and so on, until we have the thousand we need. That is all. Get to work!"

The heroes of the Nine began their work as the human slaves lined up in preparation for their one chance at freedom, and soon, the work begun. Gilgamesh stayed with his men for the first hundred recruits. After they had been picked out, however, he followed them out of the great mines, to the training grounds that Helios and the Elohim had begun to set up. While the Elohim was to train the recruits, Helios would prepare for their leave the next morning. As Gilgamesh made his appearance, his old friend and bodyguard withdrew, leaving him and Odin alone with the hundred recruits.

"These are your first recruits, Elohim." Gilgamesh said. "You may begin training them as you see fit. They will need weapons and armor in due time, but for now, there is a forest to the east. I would advise you to have them cut wooden staffs there to train with." He held out his hands, and added: "I must see to the last details with the mine foreman. I will be back in short." WIth that, he turned around and returned towards the grisly mines.

"These are your first recruits, Elohim." Gilgamesh said. "You may begin training them as you see fit. They will need weapons and armor in due time, but for now, there is a forest to the east. I would advise you to have them cut wooden staffs there to train with." He held out his hands, and added: "I must see to the last details with the mine foreman. I will be back in short." With that, he turned around and returned towards the grisly mines.

"It will be so."Odin replied, then turned back to the men before him.

They had never before seen a giant of his stature, particularly one so scarred and marred through the ages. At first, Odin stood still, then, he placed his hands on his immense weapon of choice and unbound it from its location situated on his back. The colossal sword to them, was a fearful sight and they all quickly stepped back. Odin simply thrust it into the earth leaving at as monument to their fear. Fear was good, it kept them on their toes. Beginning to march up and down the crooked aisles of men. He often would grab them by the arm, feeling for muscle and looking them over with almost prejudicial eyes. Finally, he would march before the masses and speak.

"I want 4 columns, rows of five horizontal, and five vertical over here, and 4 of five by five over here." Odin ordered. What was to happen, and did, was the men where 'cut' into sections of twenty-five men. A much more manageable collaboration.

"Look to your right, look to your left. Look behind you, look before you. Chances are, any number of the men around you will not survive first contact, even less will see the resolution of this conflict. But you should only die when the General or I say so! Now, I understand what you're thinking. Why should we fight and quite possibly die, for an empire that makes us work- knee deep in our own shit? Let me be the first to say, that if you even think of abandoning your post. If my mechanical friend doesn't get you-and Gods be praised, you should want him to- I WILL. See, while my friend operates around 'efficiency' He just doesn't have the same kind of touch that I do. Where he would put a bullet through your head, I will drink my wine from your fucking heads! Keep this in mind, that whatever you do from here on out is the service of the empire and what doesn't glorify our leader, well, let's just say your actions speak for your family's as well. So do well, and praise the general for giving your pathetic lives some meaning and honor! Now march to that tree line!"

A cacophony was heard, but the hacking of axes was in conjunction. A unified sound resounded from each prisoner, as the Elohim showed another side to him, a side very similar to Amebra. Like the machine, efficiency was key when it came to combat. Maybe not anything else to the barbarian, but fighting was one thing they would certainly agree on. Each prisoner swung their axe at the same time or they met with the lash of a whip. It would be strange to see someone such contempt towards slavery-have a tool used for admonishing slaves. In fact, he didn't seem unlike the guards with one exception- They did it because they didn't care if they saw the light of the next day, or if they met someone and fell in love. No. They simply wanted an endless supply of earth and rock excavated. But Odin, even if he was as harsh, he wanted more for them than they might have known because Odin himself was a slave, he knew what that life was like.

Once the treeline was cleared to a 'stubble', they began crafting their own weapons with Odin's particularly cleaver methods. Methods of the Elohim. They might have been 'barbarians', they might have been slaves. But Elohim were extremely dedicated craftsmen, as they were ferocious warriors that could nerve any Annunaki. They were unlike the 'Deus' or machine-like guardians of the reptilian race of supposed 'gods'. Amebra's race of highly advanced machines, were made perfect. They were programed to be highly evolved killers. But The Elohim, they were naturally great warriors. Not because of their sheer size and intimidation, but their tenaciousness and bravery.

Next, they were broken up into groups of four; two on two combat. Much like savage gladiators for the Empire's brutal entertainment. Odin, was in fact, a former gladiator. However, he was banished to the outer lying regions after a discrepancy where in, he assaulted an Annunaki guard captain. The Annunaki in charge thought he could kill the Elohim in mortal combat. It turned out quite differently when Odin performed a favored method of the Elohim, as a punishment. It was performed by cutting the ribs of the victim by the spine, breaking the ribs so they resembled blood-stained wings, and pulling the lungs out. Salt was sprinkled in the wounds. The practice was referred to as "Bloody Eagle".

The machine had left the cave with the others but of course he remained as much as he possibly could out of sight of the general peasants by secluding himself within his own hood and walking behind the masses that stumbled and shifted their aching work ridden bodies out of the desolated, depressing confines of the earthen encaved slave labor camp forth into the smell of clear air and the warmth of the sun outside. The ancient device seemed to haunt the group all the way to the point of leaving, as if he was held off from exiting the cave by some unknown fear or seal invisible to the naked eye, only watching them with a slight glow in his eyes as they wandered from the rocks to the forests with their new trainer, standing in said position for a good minute or two even long after the figures would have left the eye sight of any normal human before simply twirling his long cape in a swing as he changed direction and waltz back within the darkness of the caves. He did not take long to find a fitting location for any needed executions, re-appearing only a few minutes later on to top of a rock high up in the sky, only viewable as a tiny speck of shadow with a big stick as he sat on his knees, inspecting the nature of the Elohim's training in a quiet inspection.

His location was far too high and much too a distance to be of any worth to any natural creature to make use of, even with advanced technology but yet perhaps this was a part of his test, any man that would look up at that mountain would see their so called executioner and believe that such a strange fellow from so far away could not reap any blood from such a long line of physical distance from their supposive punisher. The servitor sat high above with his knees scraping against the rocky grit and tiny stigmas with the metal skin that he bore on his limps while a gentle Hum blended with the air from the tiny vents fro his soles which blew any tiny rocks and pebbles behind his feet in the opposite direction that he faced while he lazily let the hand of the Anu vertically stand against the ground, leaning over his shoulder while his organic arm wrapped around the structure in a somewhat friendly hug, forcing his muscles along with the artificials wires to flex on his flesh blessed limb when being twirled and pulled in his arms location grip of his weapon. A tiny sound of pulling static and gasping electricity took place as he continuously changed those rectangles colours, flashing over and over as he looked at the many different solders far away in multiple visions, his scope protruding out as far as it could while twisting around a few times, making the camera get screen glare when the clouds moved out of the way of the sun. The mechanical mans cloak rustled in the wind, blowing from side to side at the back while the middle was gripped by his claws at the middle, making sure his clothing is not drifted away while the back tries to fly off, like a dog attempted to break free from the collar of its masters leash, generating a sound that of growling as it patted and smacked about enough to create an instrumental of beating natural drums.


Slowly from time to time his eyes would drift to the Elohim and stare at him, diverting his duties to inspect the trainer of his methods and general standing. He did take notes of course as text went back and forth in his vision before twirling his scoped eye for a moment. A second flew by before he looked down at his knees and then back towards the human then swirling his sight very easily from the two as if he was in the idea that he seeing something before fixing his eye sight back to the men performing the sleight of hand needed to craft such weapons. The sounds of wood were indeed too far to be heard but his sight could sense any sound in a visual manner, switching to this as it will tell him when the forms of crafting will stop for anyone as they will not glow a vibrate white as the others as he awaited to commence his general design a memory came staggering back into his head that his Commander had sung back in the caves

Opening previous Memory log. No classification named as in current updating

There comes a time in every soldier's life when he must take lives for any number of reasons. But a man who fights without passion lacks something fundamental. He lacks his own humanity." "Don't worry. You'll understand what I mean in due time. For now, keep an eye on the recruits and use your own judgment on the best course of action if anything goes against plan."

A Moment passed of rushing air before the machine, Amebra replied to himself "My own judgment..." in perhaps a tune that was far less artificial than he ever spoke before. It is pondering and somewhat curious but alas still followed by his electronic tune that chased after his human voice tone.

Odin slipped in between each group of warriors nonchalantly. One hand holding the wrist of the other, while his free hand held the coiled whip. The glistening of sweat was seen upon the backs of the one hundred men as they relentlessly threw themselves at each other. Their determination was only partly because of the warning of their extermination. The other part was their yearning for freedom. Their endless shouts of gathering force to be used or cries of pain when stricken by another filled the sun setting backdrop as a cacophony. They labored themselves, pushing to their limit on their own terms-or at the end of Odin's whip.

Odin's discipline was absolute. He didn't allow breaks when he didn't call for them. When one would slack, or tire, he was quick to "push" them into continuing. He was as harder on them than their Anunaki slave masters were. One man slipped up, falling to the ground and losing his sword. That was one-hundred push ups and they all had to do it together. Finally, he stopped them after they had completed such an event and they all sat around him.

"I, will now be your partner. There will be no quarter given to me. You are to come at me with the single mindedness of defeating me. Like your whore of a mother had the single mindedness to love you- you will want only one thing- victory. Do not stop until it is openly received. If you don't do this, I'll just bash your damn skull in and find the next guy to fill your slot. Make no mistake, the enemy won't be as forth coming about this information as I have been- they will put your head on a pike for all to see."

Odin lent his hand out, and a slave gave him his sword while another stood up. Odin reverted, turning his back to the slave. He walked a few steps back and then turned back around to face the slave. Holding the sword down at his side, not even attempting to define a clear defense for himself. The slave, bare except the linen cloth around his groin area charged. Sweat soaked skin was seen glimmering as he made his way towards Odin. He lashed out with the wooden mock up of a sword, and in an instant, Odin's sword raised just so.

The wood clashed, the smaller man's hands vibrated painfully as it met resistance. Odin, just standing there at first, suddenly brought his left hand up and across to the man's face. The giant fist nearly knocked the man off his feet. He stumbled and fell to one knee but tried to recover. Bringing his sword back up, he was met with the swiftness of a mighty uppercut. Odins fist hat held the smaller sword had connected with the man's lower jaw and actually produced enough momentum to flip the huan's boy completely backwards forcing it to land on his stomach.

Coughing and spitting a tooth out the man's staggered, trying to pick himself up off the ground. True to his word however, Odin moved towards the man.Another furled fist caught the man's cheekbone, jerking him up to his feet before Odin's leg lifted, bent back to his thigh before he extended it fully connecting his foot fully with the humans chest. The force propelled the man backwards an amazing distance. The human's body flopped like a pebble being skipped over the surface of water. Rolling to a stop on his chest, the human gasp for breaths, laboring in the effort. Nevertheless, the sheer willpower of one wanting to see the light of day, wanting freedom was a powerful drug. His legs feeling numb, his hands throbbing. The human picked himself back up. His body was broken, his face a bloody mess. The human lifted his sword shakily towards Odin.

Gilgamesh was done with the mine foreman. Accompanied by Helios while the rest of the Nine had gone to join Odin in training their recruits, the general had moved to the top of the cliffs, and was now approaching Amebra from behind. The automata sat on a rock, studying the human soldiers-to-be below them with his glowing, mechanical eyes, his strange, stick-like weapon at the ready. Gilgamesh gestured for his silent bodyguard, Helios, to stop at some distance, as he himself approached the automata.

"We are different, you and I." He said suddenly, revealing his presence to the machine. He continued without pause. "You are a man of metal and flesh. I am a halfbreed and feeble servant of the gods." He sat down. "But that doesn't mean anything. What truly matters is, I'm not perfect. I was never made to be perfect - unlike you." He gazed up at the sun.

"I have doubts, sometimes, as to whether or not my path is the correct one. Your people were constructed not to feel doubt." He looked at the automata as he added: "But remember, that's not necessarily a good thing. There comes a time when I hope you, too, will feel doubt as to the righteousness of your actions. Feeling doubt is a sign, not of weakness, but of morality. A wish to do what is right." He stood up. "When that time comes, Amebra...remember, when that time comes, you've become fully human. And at that point, you will be truly free of any influence but your own, and you will be your own master."

He took a step away from the automata, but stopped, and added:
"Mindless robots do not belong with the Nine, but even if you do not know it yourself yet, you are different. You are not mindless. You're one of the Nine. Whether the Empire shuns you, whether your entire system of belief is uprooted...whether you decide to side against the Empire - even if you one day have to face me in battle, make no mistake about it..." He patted the automata on the shoulder as he walked away, adding while leaving: "...you will still be a member of the Nine, and they will still be your family. That's the pride, curse, and comfort of being a soldier."

As Gilgamesh walked away accompanied by Helios, the human asked him:
"What good will it do? Is he truly different? He's just another automata." Gilgamesh shook his head.

"No, he's not. And one day he and you both will realize it. He's got humanity within him. And I intend to bring it out. A warrior without a soul can never reach his full potential in battle. Amebra's soul has been covered in sooth and blood, by the manufacturing plants of the Gods. But it's not yet lost."

Gilgamesh proceeded down to the forests where Odin and the other Nine were training the humans to become soldiers. The Elohim was ruthless in sparring them, but a skilled trainer he was, no doubt. When Gilgamesh and Helios arrived, he was fighting a human mercilessly to the point where the human was broken and beaten bloody, trying to crawl to his feet to fight again. Gilgamesh nodded to Odin as he walked up to the human. The slave looked up at him in confusion. Gilgamesh crouched next to him, taking his arm lightly, and helping him to his feet.

"Do not attack blindly." He spoke to the slave, not in a cold, but rather, friendly or outright fatherly tone. "When facing a larger opponent such as my Elohim friend here, you must not put your focus on attacking. He is, by nature, naturally more protected than you because of his sheer size. Instead, you must thus focus on defense, or rather, on avoiding his attacks. Be fast, nimble, and when you see your chance, strike hard and ruthlessly. The key, however, is, knowing when that chance appears." He looked at the Elohim, and added: "Only experience can help you know that. And that is what my giant friend here is offering you. His training may be harsh, and seem brutal to the untrained eye, but it is so for a reason. He is preparing you as best he can, to allow you to survive the hell that is the battlefield. Listen to him...follow his instructions...suffer through his blows... And he will turn you into a great soldier."

The slave nodded slowly, his eyes wide. Gilgamesh patted him on the shoulder, and added:
"Welcome to the Nine, human. You are among friends now. Outside your training, you may relax, recuperate from the Hell that is the mines. Grow strong, corageous and fierce. Fight side by side with your fellow soldiers." He turned to the other humans, and added with a louder voice: "You are all free men now. And as free and proud men you must fight to remain so. The Nine are your family. We will protect you, and fight side by side with you. And one day when somebody seek to enslave you once more, we will fight at your side to protect that freedom you have regained today. Like you, we do not betray or desert our family. Welcome to the Nine, all of you. We will be your family."

He turned to Odin, and gestured for him to follow.
"You've done good work, Elohim." He said. "Continue as you are. Train them harshly, but fairly. Do not make them hate you, however. At some point, you may have to come to rely on them to fight at your side." He looked up at the giant, and added: "Instruct them to make a camp for the night, and put out guards. We will stay here and rest. Tomorrow morning we leave, and it would be best if they were well rested by then."

The general wandered through what would soon be a camp, followed by his Elohim soldier. Finally, he leaned against a tree, looking towards the lights in the night, that marked the mines.

"Tell me, Elohim..." He said, suddenly. "What is your home like?" He gazed up towards the cliff where Amebra was poised, and continued: "The Nine is known to recruit stray dogs...warriors of all races, who all lack a home. Amebra, the automata, was made in a manufacturing plant, or so it would seem. Helios, my loyal bodyguard - his family was butchered by Barbaroi when he was a mere child, his village burnt to the ground. I found and raised him, earning his friendship and loyalty as I did. Me, I never knew my mother, and my father was as cold and distanced to me as they came, caring about nothing but the glory I would bring to his name. It was hardly something to call a home. In a way, it was no different than what you're putting our human recruits through right now." He gave the Elohim a wry smile.

"In a way..." He continued. "...you're an anomaly. You're the only one here who can claim you come from a home. What was it like? Do you have family? Friends?" His eyes grew distant as he gazed back at the glowing lights from the mines, and he mumbled: "I yearn for such a thing, yet I have never known it, and nor will I ever do. So tell me, Elohim...what is it like? To have a family, I mean? A real family? A home to call yours..."

He turned to Odin, and gestured for him to follow.
"You've done good work, Elohim." He said. "Continue as you are. Train them harshly, but fairly. Do not make them hate you, however. At some point, you may have to come to rely on them to fight at your side." He looked up at the giant, and added: "Instruct them to make a camp for the night, and put out guards. We will stay here and rest. Tomorrow morning we leave, and it would be best if they were well rested by then."

Odin nodded and turned back towards the recruits, tossing his practice sword to one. The half beaten man staring around looking for his next order. There was no hatred to be had for the giant. To the man, his pride now was that of a soldier just freed from Hell itself. His naive human comprehension could yet grasp the full concept of what battle really was, but it had a purpose because he had been given a new meaning to his life: freedom. Odin then called out to them.

"I want ten men as a forward guard, then men as a rear guard, sixty men to set up camp and twenty stay behind and continue sparring until I get back."

Odin turned back, listening t Gilgamesh, his leader as he spoke until he came to lean against a tree. Odin stopped a short distance away, watching his eyes shift up to behind him. He was more than likely looking at or for Amebra, though he couldn't be for sure. That damn thing gave him the creeps, it was like staring at an eight eyed spider for too long- all those metal gadgets and eyes that can 'pop' out. Wasn't natural.


"Tell me, Elohim..." He said, suddenly. "What is your home like?" He gazed up towards the cliff where Amebra was poised, and continued: "The Nine is known to recruit stray dogs...warriors of all races, who all lack a home. Amebra, the automata, was made in a manufacturing plant, or so it would seem. Helios, my loyal bodyguard - his family was butchered by Barbaroi when he was a mere child, his village burnt to the ground. I found and raised him, earning his friendship and loyalty as I did. Me, I never knew my mother, and my father was as cold and distanced to me as they came, caring about nothing but the glory I would bring to his name. It was hardly something to call a home. In a way, it was no different than what you're putting our human recruits through right now." He gave the Elohim a wry smile.

"In a way..." He continued. "...you're an anomaly. You're the only one here who can claim you come from a home. What was it like? Do you have family? Friends?" His eyes grew distant as he gazed back at the glowing lights from the mines, and he mumbled: "I yearn for such a thing, yet I have never known it, and nor will I ever do. So tell me, Elohim...what is it like? To have a family, I mean? A real family? A home to call yours..."

The question or questions rather,stunned and put off Odin. He wasn't expecting them. He had to force himself to stop thinking about the human girl that had liked him rather fondly before his-their capture Though, she was killed in the attempt by the Annunaki. He couldn't forget his home either, really. The way the fruit was so succulent, the waters so fresh. He just responded, after furrowing his brows and looking down at first as he forced himself to recall the memories.

" Most beings that go looking for my home, would simply see a frozen tundra- unforgiving to those who don't respect its seasonal changes. I come from a place surrounded by mountains, far in the eastern lands. Skies...so blue." Odin's eyes glanced around at the sky, reaching up with one arm as though he were already back there.

"It wasn't a warm place, most of the time, it threatened to snow and often did. But it was during that even the Annunaki would appreciate it. Lush greenery, miles of forest spread. The fruit that blossomed there, would feed this army forever. There really was no need to grow anything more. The water would undoubtedly quench a man's thirst forever with an endless bounty of fish. My community was nestled in between a crop of mountains. We called them Belukha Mountain. It was a is a twin-peaked mountain massif. There are several small glaciers on the mountain. Of the two peaks, the eastern peak is higher than the western peak. They were powdered white; very remote place." Odin turned back to Gilgamesh and it became very clear what had happened as his eyes held back tears.

" My family, worked a lot different than what other race's perspective is. The community I was with, as a whole, was my family. We cooked food for the whole, we cleaned for the whole. We fought, bled and we died for the whole. But there was this young woman, she was not Elohim. She was human. He had saved her from a barbaroi attack. Elohim are defensive about outsiders naturally of course, so her reception was...well, there wasn't a warm greeting, let's say that. But when I met her, I wasn't yet sure what to make of her. But as time grew on, I couldn't help but become her friend, which saw me shunned from the rest of the young hunters at the time. But I didn't really much seemed to care. Her name was Katia. She had hair like fine charcoal and eyes like the deep velvet skies of night. In time I came to know her through what we call compagem nostrum . "The Bonds Between Us". It is a sacred rite between an Elohim and their chosen mate. Katia is dead now, her spirit has returned to the earth. My entire community was either enslaved or killed in the capture by the Annunaki. For my ferocity in the battle that was to take me captive, I was auctioned off at first, to be a gladiator in the games. I was forced to kill many people and many creatures. Things that, an Elohim should only do in three occasions. As a warning. In defense. Or ceremoniously through the trial by combat in which case has an Elohim warrior pitted against a slanderer of his good name. But this was, outright slaughter. I didn't need to kill them if I wasn't placed there in the first place. After several years later a high level Annunaki got in the arena with me thinking he could win. I cut his head off and a roaring crowd fell as silent as the trees."

The silent servitore slowly let his vision wander upon the numbers of blood spots that were left behind from the training sessions the solders had to endure before resting his sight upwards on the Elohims back before easily and calmly letting his eyes shift just slightly to the left, revealing a great amount of land to him while a normal mans eyes would gain very little from such a slight change of angle. Those eyes landed on a set of men, both he was sure with black hair and white skin whom were paying not a great deal of attention to the training going on and rather had slid to back of the group. As he watched their lips move in speech he allowed his scope to twists just an ounce, making gentles taps of mechanical gears as he did so when aiming at the two although occasionally tearing his gaze upon all the others too every few seconds. A moment past of tense silence as he awaited the pair to take a chance to leave their lesson although eventually it was broken by the gentle hover of white beneath him, gesturing someone was approaching from his back. His eye sight detected sound and the pats of the commanders boots had more than alerted him to his presence before he spoke. He only flinched his left arm in a quick flicker, showing that he is aware and readying to draw his claws to any attackers although to a mortal such a thing is seen as normal, in automatas there no such thing as a un-necessary movement when doing a task so even a slight changed in stance is notified and normally taken as a warning. He suddenly straighten his back just by a milimetre before freezing as the commander started to speak towards him.


The mechanical man only remained silent for the first few seconds so the leaders words can be spoken clearly although he nether looked back at the speaker and in a way treaten him with more apathy in posture than caring as he kept his vision upon the two that were speaking down the below. He waited a moment and simply let the mountain air blow into their ears before replying by letting off a "bzzzt" of his gun, firing and forcing his shoulder back slightly as he did so, the shot seemed to rather disappear into the woods and a slight crack something filled the air, even if it was minute for those up in the mountains for the people below it was loud and devastating, as if something had just been pierced at a abnormal speed. As a second past he slowly turned his head slightly from the solders and then half to his current commander, peeking over his cloaked shoulder at the man as he spoke onwards. The man remained silent all the way through, it is hard to deduce how he takes this in without a face, he shows no apathy or grief or even boredom to his words, all the while remaining like piece of stone. Un-moving and un-changing as he listened to the commanders words. It did not take long for the short moment of socialization ended and the flesh cored legs carried his leader away, leaving him to glance back at the possible escapees.


Down, in the forest and amongst the trees he scoped in, deeper and deeper before resting on a pair of men thirty metres way from their trainer, standing upon a dead deer with a hole in its skull and slowly started to pull it away. Only a twitch of the scope was all the metal man could muster in response to what he had just done.

Gilgamesh listened to the Elohim in silence. When the man finished his tale, the general crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
"It is not an uncommon tale." He said. "This Empire is so large, so powerful...so glorious..." He spoke. "...it is too mighty to notice the lives it crushes under its bootheels. There is no country I would rather die for than the Empie of Supreme God Anu. And one day I will die in her service, of that I am certain. But before that day comes, I wish to gain such a position of power and influence, that I can change her into something you and I both can believe in." He gazed up at the stars, and smiled a bit sadly.

"When that happens, no longer will stories like yours be told in the same breath as the name of the Empire and our gods. There will be no gladiatorial games, no slaves...no more injustices so unworthy of such a glorious empire. No more families torn apart." He went silent for a while, before he spoke up again:

"Halfbreeds like me are lucky if we rise to any position of prominence within the Empire. I have had to risk ten times as much as anyone else to reach the position I hold today. To reach the position of influence that will allow me to change this empire, though, I will need not just power, but an army. Only then will I be seen as anything but an upstart halfbreed. Only then can I bring justice and equality to this Empire of Anu. Only then can I create Sumer, the Empire of my dreams." He turned to the Elohim, and patted him on the shoulder. "I hope that one day, you will get to see that nation with me."

"If there comes a time when I think the Empire cannot be saved..." He added as he turned to leave. "...then I will destroy her myself, and see our nation rise from her ashes. But unless that happens, I shall continue to protect her as her executioner. This mission we embark on will not be an easy one for our consciences. Anu himself knows these humans have every right to rebel against the Empire. But for the greater good, we must crush them for doing so. I hope you will keep believing in me even when I undertake such a task." He said as he walked away.



Sumer...

It was a few hours after his talk with his two newest comrades. Gilgamesh thought about what he had said. He trusted the Nine, which was why he could speak such words about the Empire. But had he uttered them in any other part of the Empire, he would likely have been stripped of his rank, and executed as a traitor. There were many flaws with his beloved Empire, and few people could see her for what she truly was, that being the case.

Even so, there wasn't a day that passed, that Gilgamesh didn't wonder if he was right.

The sun began to rise, and Gilgamesh and Helios were both up early, waking the Nine, and sending them off to wake their new recruits, an army of a thousand humans. Breakfast was dealt to everyone. It would be a long day - a long march. Everyone needed food to be able to keep up. Gilgamesh looked around for the automata and the Elohim. He found the automata where he had left him the night before, on the cliffside.

Gesturing for him to come down, he proceeded to wake the Elohim up.

"We're leaving soon." He told the two. "I want you two to scout ahead of the main force. Watch out for Barbaroi. We can't afford to fight them. Not yet. These humans aren't soldiers. They're peasants until we shape them into soldiers. They can't fight barbaroi." He gestured towards one of the fires, and added: "Eat your breakfast, then move out. I'll be right behind you boys." He patted them both on the shoulders, and added: "And be careful."

Odin turned once the flaps of his tent came open. Odin was performing an old warrior rite wherein, he would make an oil and saturate his face and blond hair before tattooing his face. Already his arms and chest were depicted in a dark blue 'ink' that was intimidating the common ranks of the Anu as i meant they were fighting 'beserkers'. Feral madmen with immense strength and stamina. Many depictions of these barbaric warriors, had them carrying not just one or two heads, but a collection that was usually fashioned in a belt along the waist or bandoleer extending from on shoulder to the opposite hip. It also usually had them armed with swords-less in scale to Odin's- but the workmanship placed in the weapons gave them awesome cutting power able to damage even metal normally, the added power of a Elohim's arm was what gave it the cleaving property.

He was looking into a reflective stone, and piercing skin over and over with what was reminiscent of a quill or the tip of a feather. The tip was needle sized, and could puncture flesh very easily. It was made by simply taking any piece of metal, heating it then shaping it down to a usable size and attaching it to a bird feather. The recess of the feather held the ink which was made from very potent poisonous berry, but the venom itself was not lethal but excruciatingly painful akin to a jellyfish barb. As a warrior, both of his people and a former slave-pain was something he was accustomed to by now.

His face, chest, arms and even parts of his legs were colored in an expansive tribal tattoo that seemed "flowing" like it didn't have breaks. His hair which was glistening from the bathing oils clung to his painted face. He looked at his leader. He was no longer a rebellious Elohim, but a marked warrior- savage, and powerful.

"Alright, I am with you and will rally the men."

Amebra was as always in his typical routine of being apathetically silent when he had reached the bottom of the mountain, rather than making any real gesture or greeting he simply let his feet pat against the ground with the barely noticeable hints of humming and muted claps of metal, as such the sounds that would generate from his modified limps. He remained still, his arms hidden beneath his large robe while he only kept his back straight enough to stare directly into Gilgamesh's eyes whilst covering his own face from anyones sight except of courses his eyes which shined within the shadows of his clothing like a demon peeking form the darkness below. It was as mentioned before normal for Amebra to be absurdly peaceful in terms of noise, as is the design of a assassin and survivalist based being but today he hardly moved at all, in fact he was barely a thread away from being considered completely mechanical like a robot rather than biological hybrid. His insides did not click or move, his fingers remained still which was properly for the best as such an event normally indicates an attack and that camera nether blink or twisted as it would frequently do so. His feet moved swiftly across the ground, brushing off tiny rocks, mud and sand along with any small bugs unfortunate enough to be in his path. The observers stroll took a minute or two to really come into a reasonable talking distance of his captain being both motionless when digging his heels into the ground upon the ceasing of his movement, the he wields weapon tucked away within the veil of his cloak as he stared forth at him, appearing more as an old man when standing in such a pose with his stick upon the floor and his cowl upon his body.

The automata slowly twisted his neck to face the direction of the Elohim as he stood before them, although it was surprisingly hard to catch exactly what he was looking at, perhaps it was the fact he was no longer making notions of his sight but the fact he simply stared in a direction and also having no kind of iris in his orbs meant he could be staring right past ether of them and they wold be none the wiser although he only gave his sight to the giant for a few seconds before looking once more at the captain. He kept that stance, stubborn in expression like a statue whom knew no other faces and simply bobbed his head up and down in a single hit in obedience with his commander, very quietly replying in his electronic and fake tone "Yes, Sir...I do not require nourishment, Sire. I will move out before hand and report any possible threats..." A tiny glimpse of something else was hidden in his voice this time, normally such a machine would sound neutral or even over optimistic and friendly in complying in its task but this one sounded, lifless, even for an automata.

Gilgamesh watched as the two left. Soon after, the camp began to wake to life. The recently freed slaves gathered what little equipment they had, and prepared to march again. Gilgamesh, and the Nine on their horses took the lead as they soon broke camp and followed the automata and the Elohim towards their destination. Gilgamesh rode in the front with Helios at his side. It would take several days before they reached their destination, but by the evening they would reach the town where they could equip the soldiers. Once they had an army, they would go and end the unrest in the north.

And then, Gilgamesh would be in a position that would allow him to change the Empire.

At least, that was what he was hoping for. And he was going to need the help of the Nine to do so. Not just Helios, Xenos, Iñata and the others, but the newest recruits to their ranks, as well - Amebra, who was a loyal servant of the Empire, even more loyal than himself - and Odin, the Elohim who had so many reasons to hate the Empire. Alone, they were all just dogs barking at the Empire for the unjustness it had dealt them. But together, they were a wolf who could tear it to pieces, or turn it into something just, and far more powerful than ever before.

"Can we really change her, General?" Helios asked next to him, as if knowing what he was thinking. Gilgamesh shrugged.

"I do not know, my friend. But the Empire must change, or she, too, will perish, by the hands of you humans." He looked at Helios and smiled slightly. "You humans are far more powerful than you yourselves, or even Anu, realizes."

"And them?" Helios motioned with his head forward.

"Ah, yes..." Gilgamesh smiled. "They are strong warriors. I will need men like you and them at my side if I am to save the Empire from itself. And..." He added, looking around at the humans walking around them. "I will need an army. We will shape one out of these ragged former slaves, an army loyal not to the Empire, but to the Nine. An army that will turn the Empire into Sumer, the Empire of Heroes." He gazed out into the distance, and the two fell into silence. Words like these were treasonous anywhere outside the Nine's protective circle. Even Gilgamesh's own father did not know of his ambitions. A man he hadn't met in many months now.



The automatas had appeared out of nowhere. There were twelve f them all in all. Not enough to conquer a city, but more than enough to attack the small settlement. Everyone had been killed - men, women, even children and the old. Houses were burnt to the ground. Everywhere, there were dead bodies, riddled with holes from the powerful weapons used by the Annunaki. There was the smell of death in the air. A foul, cold, rotten stench. And an eerie silence resting over the place, like a cemetery haunted by the spirits of all those killed by the Annunaki.

From the distance, the village stuck out in the desert like a sore thumb, surrounded by green trees and the glimmer of water. But there was also a heavy black plume of smoke billowing from the oasis. Only a blind man could miss the sign that it made. Far behind Amebra and Odin, even Gilgamesh reined in his horse for a moment as he spotted the smoke.

"This isn't a good sign." He muttered. "That's the direction of the village of swordmakers. Let's pick up the speed. Amebra and Odin will already be on their way to investigate."

"This isn't a good sign." He muttered. "That's the direction of the village of swordmakers. Let's pick up the speed. Amebra and Odin will already be on their way to investigate."

Little to his knowledge, Odin was in fact mesmerized by the columns of black pluming smoke that drifted well above the canopy of trees. Just as Gilgamesh had though, it attracted the Elohim's sense of curiosity but also his eagerness to fight. He looked at Aembra, gathering his huge sword along his shoulders strapping it down at angle.

"Come tin man, lets go investigate! Our men may not be prepared for what lies ahead, and if so, we can't risk them in an open fight just yet. Gilgamesh will have our asses if they get butchered before they even see a season of combat." Odin said, charging forth. It was never his way to scout, rather he saw the importance of it or not--it was relatively hard not to notice a colossal figure such as his, especially in the woods when his weight acted against him and broke limbs ad crushed leaves and other vegetation.

Bounding through the lush environment, his muscular build built up a fierce sweat. It was only reasonable, however, as his legs carried him vast distances at a rather surprisingly quick pace. His long muscle-bound legs spreading the length of a Greyhound's entire body as they stretched out as he sprinted. He only stopped moderate distances away, pausing only to have a quick glance about before he began dodging over and around trees, trampled over brushes and thick shrubbery.

As he neared the town already, his nostrils picked up the distinct smell of burning flesh. He resorted to his animal like instincts. Taking in vast quantities of air and deciphering what was noticeable to him. It paid off living free and wild in the woods where he had to hunt for the livelihood of his community. He had no choice but to react to his surroundings, to be down wind, to wade sluggishly through water so that he would leave no scent to be found or to be trailed. He may not have been as exact as Amebra was, but her certainly knew what he was doing when stalking an enemy. His guerilla warfare style of attacking things was brutally efficient. Nevertheless, little did he know what he was up against. He had only interacted with one automata before and that was Amebra. He had interacted that much with him so their ways were unknown for the most part to the Elohim's sense of combating an enemy never mind scouting.

((Sorry, this post is a bit bad as I had been drawing most of the day and am finding it hard to get back in character after all this time))



The lack of emotion was still evident within the ancient servants actions as he wandered forth as in the way his body remained stiff, rigged and strong in its refusal to move in any kind of fashion, his legs where straight in a rather disciplined stance for such a small task while his arms had seemed to be far too tense to really seem relaxed in any sense of the word. The screen of his camera only glinted with the reflections of the sun which matched the image of a silver ribbon waving in the air before moving out of sight, leaving something a kin to a wave of light on it as it twisted forth in a twirl of movement and thus emitting a small buzz of electronic gears working when he come into vision of the village.A series of twitching went on for a moment or two as he tilted his head up by an inch towards the sky, watching the black cloud arise from the depths of trees, waters and the gaps revealing the village before him. The Automata only peered his orb to his right and then towards his left when he had finished gazing at the sign of destruction before him, for the most part being silent as he peered at the environment around his body. Rocks and trees but hardly a high point came in his sight, any in the way of his eyes were a mile too far or blocked by crowds of trunks and tree tops, the obvious fact that sniping or long range combat being intitated with high levels of efficiency was clearly shoved into obscurity and thus found himself drifting setting his head forward. A wind brushed upwards, spiraling his cloak up a few inches for a moment as he let his scope travel along the entrance to the disarray before quickly making a "TZZZZT!" as he swiftly stared at the Elohim when his words entered his ears.


"Yes. You should get down, I will go forward, my body can handle projectiles with a lower risk of traumatic injurey.I shall see if I can spot any danger ahead" He replied in a somewhat more alert tone now, he had regained some of his human composure and the sense of boring, ragdoll like qualities had faded for a second as he quickly begun to let the two joints in his knees lift up when he started to run forth, making the metal vaguely appear over and over as the cloak flapped behind him his quick run. Amebra's eyes flashed into a different vision, A red one to be exact. The world had changed, what was once before him had only become semi-transparent and colored in utter black, Only those who breathed had shown up in a vibrant and rather violent mixture of orange and red like that of blood mixed with lava and with this his legs slowly started to slow down into a rather careful jog, naturally Amebra made no sounds as he slammed his feet upon the floor when he ran just before but none the less he seemed to rather approach more in a sly manner when his presence had become closer to the possible enemies ahead. A tiny sound entered his ears as his scope protruded out as he wandered forth, his cloak now once again looming around him like the hide of bear, consuming the Automata from sight as he stood utterly still after running a few metres into the woods. A second traveled before the knees of the machine started to fall to the fall while he gripped his weapon in a set of fleshly, spread out limbs which all seemed to carefully float away from his body and onto the ground next to him although the old device seemed far too attached to actually let go. The camouflage of brown and green hardly mixed, however he was fortunately smart enough to sit on a large segment of mud and between the bark of trees, it is true these where a much darker tint but he was still offered more stealth in this position and the fact he was far away without a sound meant his location was most likely secure from being suspected of holding a attacker anyway. The machines world was dark, outlines of trees and buildings was within his gaze as he peered forth along with vision of what bodies, only a dozen or so had seemed to keep their colors although these where far more unique than that of a average organic as the traces of heat were for the most part small, trace or sometimes glowed at different times as if the heat inside was changing. He only sat there, gazing but not at the targets up ahead but slowly to the direction of the giant he had split up with to the pathway towards the town, there a was a strange sensation about his stare, it was that doll like stillness once more when he look at the man.