I slowly brought my speed back down to slightly faster than human thought and knelt in front of the child.

  It was pitch black in the forest, the moonlight barely filtering down between the leaves and branches of the trees surrounding us. The soft patch of dirt gave heavily as I settled my weight onto the balls of my feet and knees.

  My body weighing several tons would be something I needed to factor in when interacting with other humanoids across my journey; idly stepping into a home with a wooden floor over a basement might cause problems.

  I ejected a drone from my shoulder that gave off a soft fluorescent glow. Something closely resembling the soft glow of moonlight. The children who were conscious recoiled from the light as it bloomed down around us. The drone started tracing a lazy loop in a figure eight above my head, the soft, sweeping curves adding to the ethereal nature of the small huddle quickly forming around me.

  I waited until the children had calmed, especially the one who'd asked me all the questions. Quietly, I spoke to the child, using as reassuring a tone as I could muster.

  "You are safe now, child. Before I speak to you on any of the matters you've asked me, please help me free the others from their bonds; once that is done, I will tell you of myself."

  The young girl flinched back as I started, but eventually corralled her nerves enough to hear me out. Once I'd stopped speaking, she sprang into motion, undoing gags, loosening bonds, and checking for injuries as she went. Quite the industrious one.

  After some time, the group had gathered before me. Looks ranged from concern and horror to confusion and sorrow. All the same, none of the children were crying now, and all of them were paying their full attention to me. Or rather, part of their attention. Some of them were trying to follow the small light around my head without staring directly into it.

  "Do you like this little toy?"

  I tilted my head back slightly, indicating the drone, and they all nodded, returning their looks to me. I again noted that the girl I'd spoken to first had kept her eyes locked on me the entire time. Something was tickling my intuition with her, and I found that incredibly interesting.

  "I can give one of these to each of you, and then you will all have your own little light to keep the dark away. But before I can do that, I must have you all give me your names, and let me know if you're hurt anywhere, do you agree?"

  Simultaneously, the children blurted out their names with no regard for etiquette or discipline; they spoke over one another, some of them repeating their names in an effort to be heard over the maelstrom of voices. I smiled at the discordant chaos unfolding before me, unphased by it as I'd caught 5 of their names immediately and had already put their profiles into my 'Fingerprint' directory alongside Ava's.

  The first girl was still staring at me but hadn't spoken yet.

  "What is your name, child?"

  I prompted.

  She hesitated, clearly trying to either figure something out or make a decision. Her micro-expressions had me leaning more towards her weighing the outcome of her decision. What a cautious girl! She wasn't quick to give up information on promises alone, and her trepidation was borne out of calculating risk and reward. Impressive for her age.

  I started to suspect there may be more to this girl than was immediately obvious.

  "Why do you want my name? My mother says Names can be used for power."

  She was glaring at me, and whether she meant to or not, she was destabilising the attitude of the other children towards me. Some of them were glancing at the back of her head and then at me with looks of apprehension.

  Others were looking at her like she was going to ruin a good thing for them, like she'd upset me and then none of them would get a drone. Literally my first diplomatic interaction on this planet, and I was being undone by a fucking ten-year-old child.

  I smiled down at her as amicably as I could manage, recognizing that this situation had bad news written all over it if I wasn't careful. I suspected there was some hypervigilance occurring on her side of things.

  The amount of adrenaline rocketing through her bloodstream would have immediately kicked her into fight-or-flight mode, and she was in the middle of assessing whether to fight me or flee.

  I sat back on my haunches and huffed light-heartedly.

  "Child, I need your names so that I can stop referring to you as 'child', nothing more. Surely you witnessed what happened with the goblins; does it strike you that I might require more power than I already possess?"

  Her eyes darted past my side to where the corpses lay, and her face paled ever so slightly more in the wash of my drone's light. Either she was just now recognizing that antagonising someone who had just slaughtered a group of 8 goblins in the time it took to blink was potentially a dangerous move, or the sight of the corpses had upset her stomach.

  I believed it was a combination of both and pressed the advantage.

  Raising a hand over my heart, I poured sincerity into my voice.

  "I swear on my God's name that no harm will come to you or those you know if you choose to give me your name. Though if you wish for me to continue calling you 'child', I can manage that as well."

  With a look of resignation, she shifted back onto her haunches like I had and begrudgingly spoke her name.

  "I'm Seta, Seta Morethy, daughter of Corlun Morethy."

  I softly clapped my hands, and 6 small drones launched from my shoulders. Each one lazily drifted over to float about the heads of each child. As the children watched their drones, some reaching up to touch or grab them, I settled into a cross-legged pose and spoke again.

  "These little toys are a gift from my God. He has crafted them to be your partners moving forward; they will follow you and listen to your commands; they can do tricks and will help you if you ever get lost again."

  The children stared at me with the kind of doe-eyed wonder only children could manage. Even Seta was looking up at the butterfly-sized drone circling above her now.

  "But!"

  I held up a finger to emphasise the importance of what I was about to say.

  "The only way to keep them working is by offering a prayer to my God at least once a day. If you forget to pray, then they will fall to the ground and no longer follow you."

  The grave look on my face, coupled with my drone falling lifeless to the ground in front of me, was enough to send a small trill of fear coursing through the group.

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  "But, so long as they are within earshot, and you give your prayer to my god, they'll lift right back up into the air again!"

  My drone sprang to life and flitted about the group, glowing several colours as it wove between the children. Small giggles echoed out into the forest as they fell into a much more relaxed state.

  Seta looked back at the other kids and cracked a smile herself, but there was something else there; it looked as though she couldn't decide on something, instead opting to just remain sitting where she was.

  They all began speaking among themselves before I cleared my throat.

  "To answer your... many questions, my name is Vita. I am the First of the Reforged, an Ingot in service to The Iron God, Mechanriel. I watched the goblins take you all from your homes and came here to save you from them. You are currently a little way from the walls of your village, and they still do not know that you've been taken. I will be returning you to your rooms shortly."

  I was counting on the children spreading the story of what happened here tonight quickly.

  The strange man named Vita, and his unknown God Mechanriel. Either the villagers would treat the drones as a curse and purge them, or they would study them and grow more curious about me, my God, and what other gifts might be given. If these gifts were given so freely to six unwitting children, then perhaps there could be more to gain from giving my God their devotion.

  But either way, it would serve as a very concrete example of the existence of us both, and, crucially, lend credence to our Mythos.

  Seta looked at me, puzzling something out in her mind before speaking.

  "My mother says that Rel is the only god we have, and that Rel guides our hands and hearts. Do you know Rel, too?"

  Ah, so there was a god here... at least locally. It was impossible to determine whether the God actually existed or was simply a construct of the people—not yet willed into existence through mass devotion and belief. I shook my head before responding.

  "I do not know Rel, is there a church where I could go to pay my respects to them? Perhaps they and my God have spoken!"

  I attempted to connect with Seta, using the possible relation of our gods as a jumping-off point. Rapport was always a good thing to build.

  The girl seemed to swell slightly upon learning that she knew something I did not, potentially feeling like she had gained some ground in the conversation with me.

  "We take a carriage to the church in Eprie once a season. Mother says it's to keep the mind rot from finding us. Mother says that Rel blessed my birth! I haven't spoken to Rel, but the priests at the church say when I turn 16 there's a ritual and I'll hear Rel if I do it!"

  Her pride continued to swell as she went on. I suspected this was a moderate form of whiplash; the adrenaline in her system would likely wear out in the next few minutes along with the other children, and they would be subjected to the chemical burnout of shock.

  "Very well then, Seta. I will travel to Eprie when I have the opportunity and extend a formal greeting to Rel in the name of Mechanriel; if I am granted an audience, I will be sure to mention a bright, young girl who helped guide my steps to them."

  Ending this with a wink to her; the other children immediately began clamouring to have their own names brought before Rel and the varying reasons they believed they were worthy of mention.

  I chuckled heartily and assured them that they, too, would be introduced to Rel if I were given the opportunity.

  "Now, do you all remember what I told you about your gifts?"

  They all nodded, though I doubted they would remember much of the words spoken here tonight beyond my name and the name of my God.

  After the cocktail of hormones running through them wore out, they would likely struggle to remember portions of their abduction, let alone the strange rules given to them by some random man in the middle of the forest.

  Odds were good that the goblin raid tale would only raise eyebrows until the hooks on the wall were found, then a search party would be formed and sent out to confirm there were corpses.

  ***

  The drones would probably create a bigger stir after the children explained how they'd come to possess them, along with whatever other information the children could remember about what I'd told them.

  But this was just as well, whispers and mumbling to start, and the seeds of belief would be planted. Especially within this young girl named Seta, I suspected she would be an excellent zealot for my burgeoning religion, once I'd ripped her out of Rels established influence.

  "Good! It's time to get you home and into a comfy bed. I'm sure you're all very tired as it's well past the time you were meant to be sleeping."

  I raised my hand and with a gentle sweep, tore a hole in the fabric of time and space. The movement of my arm was purely an artistic flourish to add to the mystique of my God's powers, and based on the slack-jawed amazement of the children, it had the intended effect.

  "Jol, step over here."

  I beckoned the small child over, patiently waiting for her to creep closer. The look in her eyes made me think she believed I would make her disappear forever.

  "Can you see the other side of this gateway? Does that look like your room?"

  She nodded, abject wonder causing her little head to bobble like it was on the verge of rolling off her shoulders.

  "I want you to step through the gate and into your room for me, can you do that? Once you've crossed over, I want you to turn around and wave to everyone so that you know that we're all still here, do you understand?"

  She turned to look at the others, who simply stared back, just as wide-eyed as she was. Seta wasn't immune to the unbelievable thing happening before her eyes, but also understood that she wanted to go home.

  "Do we all have to go into Jol's room?"

  Her nose scrunched slightly, likely wondering why I would pick Jol's room for my magic.

  I shook my head.

  "No, Seta. I will deliver you all directly to your own beds; this is a small matter for the will of Mechanriel to accomplish."

  Seta crossed her arms.

  "My mother says that only the priests of Rel are allowed to use magic, and they need to ask Rel before they can use it by chanting a prayer, but you used it without asking Rel or Mechanriel."

  Her confusion was palpable and seemed to deepen the more she mulled over what was happening.

  The other children looked like they were fading slowly. The night had been just a little too much for them, and it wouldn't be much longer before they just laid down and went to sleep on the forest floor.

  "If you want, I can speak with you about Mechanriel to quell your questions in the future, but for the time being, we should get you all home before your parents wake up to empty beds."

  I gave Seta an imploring look, hoping to encourage her through my portal. This seemed to break her concentrated effort to glean the deeper secrets of my mysterious powers, and she nodded as Jol took a tentative step across the threshold.

  She spun around, almost as though she believed the world would disappear the second she lost sight of it. But as her eyes met mine, and slid past me to land on the other children, she visibly relaxed and then waved before shuffling over to her bed and getting in.

  The gate winked out of existence, and I opened another, this time to Lema's room. I repeated the process another 3 times until just myself and Seta remained. She was tiring rapidly now, eyelids heavy and swaying slightly on her feet. Despite that, she seemed to fight to remain as lucid as possible.

  "Do you know why I'm sending you back last, Seta?"

  I asked.

  Her eyes narrowed, and she straightened her back slightly.

  "It's because you have something to tell me that the others can't know."

  I was genuinely pleased at how quick she was to understand things. I had suspected she might be a rare intellect among her peers, and likely, in a few years she would be on even footing with the adults in her life.

  Time would tell though, as the mind could be a mysterious thing and nurture was just as responsible as nature in the path a life took.

  "Yes, I believe you might be someone special among your people, and as such, may be at a greater risk than the others."

  Instead of objecting immediately, she internalised my words and thought for a moment in silence. It seemed she had also considered this, either that, or the people around her made her aware of it indirectly through their actions.

  Social ostracization was common for those who displayed extraordinary talents, often eliciting envy and suspicion. Even at a young age, it appeared she was already aware of how she was being differentiated by her community.

  "What kind of risk?"

  She asked in return.

  She wasn't asking me because she didn't know; she was asking because she wanted to know if I understood what she was going through. It confirmed my theory that she had been holding back in front of the other children. It was possible she had already surpassed her adult counterparts and had long since learned that displaying these kinds of traits would lead to nothing but trouble.

  I imagined what life would be like for her in a village where she was expected to tend to fields and play with other pre-teen children, marry and eventually have children and care for the homestead, all while slowly going insane from the sheer boredom.

  Of course, in this world, people with her kind of mind would more often than not land themselves under an executioner's axe for stirring up trouble of one kind or another.

  Either that, or they'd slowly languish in a field, digging up roots or reaping wheat, utterly wasting their talents and blessings.

  "The kind of risk that puts you on the wrong side of a priest's spells and rituals. The kind of risk that would turn a village against you. The kind of risk, Seta, that would lead to a mind like yours going to waste somewhere out in the wild, hiding from inquisitions and the persecution of a God that had blessed you at birth and then abandoned you as a martyr,"

  Her eyes widened with each successive sentence.

  "Yes, the moment you first spoke I knew it was only a matter of time before your mind forced you to do something that would put you at risk among your people."

  I nodded appreciatively as I spoke, conveying an air of understanding.

  "You hide it well, but your pattern of speech, the enunciation of your syllables, the quick wit and incisive eyes were plain for me to see. Your questions are far more informed than they have any right to be, and I could see the distance between you and the other children."

  Tears were welling in her eyes now, a tremble developing in her balled fists as her small cotton dress shook.

  "I'm going to offer you a future now, and whether you decide to take it is your choice alone. The toy I've given to you differs from the others."

  I brought the drone down for it to settle into the palm of my hand as I looked it over while speaking.

  "I've modified it to guide your mind even further down the path of knowledge. Contained within it is the collective wealth of all known things."

  A small projection flared to life above the drone, showing a string of letters and numerals before it winked out and lifted off my palm once more.

  "Your toy has most likely just become the most valuable artefact on this planet."

  She looked up at the small drone fluttering softly around her head and then back to me.

  "Will you take it away if I refuse?"

  I smiled at her.

  "The Iron God Mechanriel only knows how to give, but as an extension of his will, there are times where I must be the one to take in his stead. I will not rob you of the gift my God granted you; however, I will take the modifications I've made to it. I cannot allow someone who does not believe in my God to so freely revel in His boons."

  Her hands were now clasped in front of her; it was obvious her nerves were finally fraying and the events of the night were taking their toll. I'd given her a second wind with the little display of the alphabet and numerals, but it was time to wrap things up here.

  "One last thing before you go, I've given all the toys the ability both to listen, and to carry my voice if needed. As long as you keep that toy, I will hear you. If you ever find yourself in a situation you can't get yourself out of, then please use it to call on me."

  She just nodded and then thanked me; it was taking most of her concentration to stand now. I swept my hand through the air and then waited for her to cross.

  She turned after entering her room, waved and then thanked me again.

  She would be an incredible asset in the years to come—instrumental in spreading the name of Mechanriel and his works upon the world. I needed more, though. I needed to cultivate a strong enough constituency to carry on my work in my absence.

  Much of my time would be spent in the bowels of this planet creating the vast foundries needed to craft the tools of my God's work. I needed a host of technological priests to spread the gospel of The Great Machine God.

  But for now I had to secure her immediate future, and that meant obliterating the Goblin encampment far to the west of the village.