Corrupt beyond salvation; that is the state of the modern church. That we should feed the suffering of magical beasts to save ourselves from torment? What a joke! So corrupt is their mentality that in the same breath they praise the bringer of this very suffering as their savior. Yaldabaoth is the root cause of all suffering; the Venerable Gnostics know this to be true. So by what logic do they worship him?

There is no logic in the minds of those indoctrinated by that disgusting cult. A Venerable Gnostic lies as easily as he breathes. So deeply seated is their contradictory vision that they themselves don't see the problem as they speak in contradictions.

Just look at the church's treatment of constructs. Golems were swiftly banned as a perversion of the natural order, yet magical devices with souls, so-called "ego" items, are widely used. Even the church's own enforcers use the things! What is that, if not hypocrisy? What is that, if not corruption?

My friends, it is through rational thought alone that truth might be uncovered. The decadence and deceitfulness of the Church of the Venerable Gnostics is a cautionary tale, of how even the most pure of intentions can be twisted through manipulative propaganda. If you ever take issue with my line of reasoning, I encourage you to speak up. Dogma and platitudes have no place here. Unlike the Church, I am fully willing to hear opposing viewpoints.

To any whose vision has not been twisted by the lies of the Church, the cosmological truth is clear. Even a child can see it. Yaldabaoth is the enemy of all life. Be it human or beast, we must all band together to stand a chance against the Archon's manipulations. And the first step to overcoming Yaldabaoth is dismantling his monument to ignorance; the Church of the Venerable Gnostics must be destroyed.

-Excerpt from Against the Gods: A Collection of Essays Banned by the Church of the Venerable Gnostics

Slowly, Mud's mind sputtered to a start. Thoughts came sluggishly, as though pushing through a thick muck. As the fog slowly lifted, Mud found itself thinking with renewed clarity. Gingerly, Mud lifted itself from where it lay at the bottom of the stairs.

"How long was it been since my transformation began?" Mud asked Ego, who had stood guard over it during the process.

"Hmm, about an hour I think?" Ego answered lightly. "I wasn't really counting."

Examining itself, Mud immediately noticed a few changes. For one, its external consistency was greatly improved. No longer did small droplets slide down its body when it lost concentration. Its surface was now smooth and flat, while still maintaining the glisten of wet soil.

Checking its Record, only three changes were apparent in its statistics. Its species name now read 'Earth Golem'. Additionally, its 'HP' and 'MP' had both increased drastically, to twenty-eight and five hundred sixty respectively.

Mud's composition also felt much more stable than before. Previously, a constant effort was needed to maintain its humanoid shape. Without focus, it would collapse into a puddle. Now, if Mud lost its concentration it would instead default to its preferred humanoid form. While it would not be a significant apparent change on the outside, it would free up the golem's concentration and simplify movement greatly.

Another unexpected change was the stubby pair of legs now growing from its bottom. Forming functional legs had long been a sub-goal of the golem, but the concentration required outweighed the benefits. Now, having legs was simply the default state of its body. Lifting one leg, Mud waved its arms in small circles to maintain balance. This would certainly take some getting used to. For a few minutes, Mud practiced walking.

Quickly gaining confidence in the task, Mud activated Skate and began sliding around the room on his feet. Slowly he attempted more complicated maneuvers, such as skating backward and doing flips, much to the delight of Ego.

Eventually, Mud was satisfied that it had mastered its new appendages. Instead, it turned its attention towards the room that had been used as an impromptu skating rink.

A cylindrical white room roughly ten units across was at the bottom of the hidden staircase. The center of the room was dominated by a thick conical pillar, on top of which spun two nested rings of a lustrous metal. Contained within the spinning rings swirled a chaotic maelstrom of purplish-black and golden-white lights. Two hoses ran from nearby tanks into the pillar, apparently the source of the two swirling materials.

Along the walls sat various tools, diagrams, books, and arcane devices. As is typical of The Master's work habits, the entire room was disordered and filthy. Along the wall, three doors were inset into the smooth white walls. Picking one at random, Mud proceeded through the leftmost door.

Within, Mud found four massive metal devices.

Indentations along the floors implied that the motors connected to the Taegul Drive. What they might operate was unclear, however; the crankshafts disappearing into the wall. Based on the position, Mud calculated that they were located under the north edge of the mansion, below the kitchen.

Entering the door on the opposite side of the white room, Mud found a similar chamber. Four more motors against the wall, this time positioned under the southern edge of the mansion.

Entering the third door, Mud found a much different sort of chamber entirely. Instead of a motor room, a prison. Thick iron bars traveled from the chamber roof to the floor. Within the cell sat a man, currently in the process of strangling a large red bird.

The man was large, by human standards. Half again as tall as an average human Mud had seen, even taller than Thagi Ghul. His skin appeared to be made out of bronze. At the end of his straight legs were the hooves of a calf. Four massive white wings grew from his back, covering his body like a cloak. On his head he wore four faces. To the front, the face of a human. To the left and right, an ox and a lion. Growing from the back of his head, the beaked face of an eagle.

Gripped in his human-like hands was the neck of a large, vibrantly red bird. Although it struggled weakly, it showed no signs of distress. Even as the light left its eyes and it finally went limp, it merely put up token resistance. Finally done with its task, the creature dropped the bird, which was quickly consumed in a burst of lingering fire.

Turning towards Mud, the man spoke. Words came from all four mouths at once, and although they carried the tones of a birds cry and a beasts mewing, its meaning was still clear.

"Hello there, unnatural thing. I am known as Uriel. What is your ?"

The last word was unrecognizable to Mud, even with the aid of the Akashic Record. Although Mud could not fully perceive the word, it still understood the speakers intention. Perhaps some special skill of Uriel? For now, Mud decided to speak truthfully, in case the being had a method of detecting lies. For now, the golem felt no malice from Uriel.

"I am Mud Golem. Why are you here?"

The laughter of children as though from a great distance escaped the four mouths of Uriel. "Why am I here? Because I haven't left yet." Behind him, the fire faded, revealing a red bird. Slowly, the red bird lifted itself to its feet and took a few unsteady steps.

In a smooth motion, Uriel leaned over and tightly grabbed the neck of the red bird and began squeezing, a serene look on his face. As before, the red bird struggled lightly, but with no great effort.

"For what purpose is The Master... Cithlar keeping you here?"

"His goals are not important to me. He has provided for me all I require, and so I remain. However, I believe he has need of something from me. For that nasty thing in the next room." Slowly, the red bird stopped moving. As before, Uriel dropped it to the floor, where it was consumed by a burst of fire.

"Do you know the purpose of the Taegul Drive or motors?"

"I do not." Uriel answered simply.

Mud considered the strange creature before it. He had no malice towards Mud, and seemed content to remain in its cell. It was unclear if he was Cithlar's property or merely a guest. It was better to assume he was property, to avoid any potential mistakes. As such, it was for the best if he simply remained in his cell, performing his repetitive task.

Deciding to not concern itself with the problem so long as he stayed put, Mud left the room. As he closed the door, the fire faded and the red bird stood again.

Mud proceeded back up the stairs and out of the hidden door. Leaving was simpler than entering, requiring only the flip of a switch. In the basement he encountered Jabrax, sitting in the air and drinking tea. Beside her, on a metal table, lay the human Bark, disguised as The Master.

"Oh, Mud, you're done with the change hmm?" Jabrax took a slow sip of her tea before continuing. "Some stuff happened while you were out, allow me to explain."