The entire chamber began to shake and rattle violently. A horrendous, shrill ear-piercing scream rung out from way up high. The little creatures began to panic. I chopped off one of the veins and held on as it fell down, taking me with it. I hopped off and landed on a pair of eggs below me. Looking up, I could see blood spilling from the severed arteries like fountains. The heart was beating slower and slower with every passing second. Despite the constant shuttering, I made my way down via the eggs serving as platforms. I could see that more have been hatching but the creatures were too busy panicking to care about me.

I found myself back on the soft, wet pulsating flooring. I approached one of the walls of flesh and began hacking away at it. The shaking had soon come to an end. One last breath was drawn from the monstrous creature I was inside. Its final shriek of agony rung out. I looked up at the heart again. It was no longer pounding. No movement. That meant the eggs were no longer getting fresh blood flowing into them. The shells off the eggs were beginning to dry up and crack. Before I knew it, I was watching the withering eggs break apart, spitting out the unborn fetuses. One-by-one their corpses were falling to the flooring. I needed to focus. With enough hacking the blades incisions were making progress cutting through this thick wall of flesh.

The tissue finally broke. I could see outside the walls. I made the push, squeezing out of the exit I carved out. My body was soaked in the blood that spilled from the exit I had made. I stepped outside. The slugs were all standing in the distance looking up at the towering behemoth I was inside of. Dozens of the little babies were scurrying away and vanishing into the darkness surrounding this massive chamber. So, I made my way over to where they were and could get a better view of the creature. It's lifeless husk sat still. Head lowered over its bulbous belly. The slugs faced me, pressing their hands together and bowing. I think they were showing me gratitude? And here I stood on edge ready to strike if they had turned hostile. That wasn't the case though. I watched as the expansive spread of the Rot began to wither. The dark crimson sinew strands and thick tendrils fading to a deathly black hue. Was I finished here?

Still soaked in blood, I stood idly by while the platform rose back up to the main chamber of the building. All around us the Rot was dying. I started heading for the entrance. I guess the slugs were going to stay here as they simply waved to me and gestured with their hands that they were remaining in place. I nodded and left. My work here in Cerebras was done. I stepped aboard the tram and rode it back over to the district of Cor. Of course, nobody was there to greet me. Not that expected the Doctor to wait for me or anything. I was exhausted. My feet were aching. But perhaps I could rest once I returned to the Spire. I hopped aboard the nearest trolley after directing it to my destination. With a push of its lever, I was well on my way to the Spire.

The automaton remained on guard as I walked past them and entered through the front. Back inside of the Spire I was. Now I knew where to go so I made my way to the elevator. I ascended to the top floor where the Mastermind was. I walked through the barren, steam-filled hallway and stepped into the main chamber. There I saw the Mastermind. It's gazed shifted immediately towards me upon my entrance.

"Nameless One... You returned. Come."

It gestured with two of its eight spindly arms to get closer. I nodded and approached the sentient, appalling biomass surrounded by monitors.

"I felt it. The splintering of the infection. The wail of creeping death. The extinguishing of the Rot. You... Have executed the corrupted womb mother. No longer does the false matriarch breathe life from within her chambers. You have done well... Nameless One."

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I could feel a sense of gratitude from the Mastermind. Like I accomplished something significant.

"Know that this... This is not the end. You want answers. I sense it."

The Mastermind was correct. I now wanted an understanding. With a flick of a certain switch on one of the consoles, a door within the floor opened up. A chair rose up connected to a mechanical arm. It perched itself directly in front of the Mastermind's hub. I sat down in the cold metal chair.

"The Rot did not originate within our walls. No. The infection had started to spread ages ago. Within time... The population eroded. Most had perished once the Rot had entered their systems through the air. A plague. Hellbent on wiping out the residents of Carnis Machina. Basic systems began to fail. As the people fell... Only a select few within this district were rushed to containment to wait out the crisis. Only the machines remained. Automatons. Trolleys. Those with immune systems that warded off the Rot. Alas... It will take much time before re-population can begin. The loss of the corrupted womb mother has set us back greatly. But with the Rot finally withering... We can rebuild. Those within containment were tasked to... Engage amongst themselves. The fertile ones would take the seeds spread within them to produce offspring. The Doctor should return soon with a report..."

It was all making sense now. So the Rot was initially a foreign invasion?

"As for you Nameless One... Your role here is not yet complete. Rest up. Upon my overseeing, I had come to the conclusion... That the Rot was carried by the airship. Outside our walls... Only one way leads out of this region we call home. Exitus... You must go. Seek out the origin of the Rot. It must be purged. A blight on this wretched world of ours. Cleanse it Nameless One. This I place upon you. Your awakening was destined to bring you here. So decrees that born of the flesh of God."

I had to take in everything the Mastermind just said. So... Maybe me waking up from that pod had purpose after all? But there is still so much I do not know about this world as I lack memories. Like that of a newborn. I just nodded and stood up. Behind me I could hear footsteps. I turned around to see the Doctor approaching us holding a tablet. He greeted me with a nod. I nodded back. The Mastermind throbbed and an arm extended, grabbing the tablet. He set it down.

"I... Understand that you have questions Nameless One. In due time. As for your origin... Even I do not know what called you to awaken. Why the pods exist outside our walls. Everything outside Carnis Machina is foreign and outside of my expansive realm of knowledge. Now... Rest up. The Doctor will assign you a living quarter. You must take the airship to leave this place less you take the exhaustive journey by walking. Days it will take. The airship... Will greatly shorten that time. Remember... Purge the Rot from this world."

I understood now. What I must do.

I followed the Doctor who led me down a floor to a series of residential rooms. He handed me a card and pointed to the device next to the door of this particular room. I slid the card through the device. It flashed green and a clicking sound came from the door handle. The Doctor put a hand on my shoulder, nodded, and walked away back to the elevator. I stepped inside the room.

The room was... Cozy. A single bed with a cabinet, sink and mirror. I took this moment to look into the mirror. For the first time, I was staring at a reflection of myself. I knew what I looked like just from feeling my face and examining my body when I had first awakened. But to see my visage with my own eyes... It felt surreal. A mostly humanoid creature with mechanical organs beating and operating beneath my flesh. Just... What am I really?

Laying down on the rather soft bed was comforting. My joints were aching. I felt no ill effects from being within the false womb mother. My understanding of the Rot was deepened during my confrontation with the Mastermind once again. 'Born from the flesh of God' huh? Here I was, thinking that it knew everything but in reality even it only had a limited understanding. Maybe... Just maybe I could find more answers once I leave this place. 'Exitus' was the name. My next destination. My body needed rest. My mind needed rest. I felt a solitary moment of peace as my eyes closed shut...