It felt like all my sences were stripped from me and all that I was and will ever be, was just there, in an nebulous void. My mind foggy and numb like a dream where all I knew was deafening silince, trapped in oblivion for what felt like an eternity. And just as quickly as I entered this space, I felt something grab onto my very being and pulled. The next thing I saw was a loading bar at the bottom of my vision, gray and pixelated. I watched as it slowly went from left to right, taking small breaks in between smaller bursts. Once it finally filled up all the way however, it started over again, only slightly faster. This repeated several times with increasing speeds until the bar was filling up so fast, I thought it explode. The next thing I knew there was a blinding flash and a wave of sensations washed over me like a ceaseless tidal wave. My eyes shot open, adjusting and coming to focus as a figure emerged from my left and loomed over me, it's aged face coming to detail.

He was short in nature, even shorter now as he rolled around in his intricately crafted electric wheelchair adorned with an array of mysterious tools and gadgets with a stearying stick on one side. He loomed over me as I got a closer look at his sickly pale skin, slinted green eyes magnified by his wide thick lenses examined me just a few inches away from my face. His mustache cascaded down like a waterfall from beneath his short boulbouse nose, flowing gracefully down the sides of his mouth with a fluidity that swayed gently with the slightest movement of his head as he talked in strange words that were long and fast. He wore a plain white button-up dress shirt, its simplicity juxtaposed against the complexity of his surroundings. Over it, a white lab coat draped, a symbol of his expertise. I felt a strong familiar connection to this strange being, as if bound to him somehow. Something clicked in my mind and a message popped up.

Master: Gakuji Gnomomoto

Race: Gnomura Gnome

Level 80 Golem Automancer

These words were different than the ones speaking from Master Gnomomoto's mouth and the words that were projected on dull green screens in the background. These words floated in my vision and were understandable although some unfamiliar, like "Automancer" or "Gnomura Gnome" but that didn't matter. Master Gnomomoto's portrait, his face twisted in a big smile with his arms crossed holding a pair of large power tools, sat in the corner of my vision with a transparent grey line connecting from one side to his forehead. All I needed to know was that I had a sences that this is the person to listen to!

He was a stark contrast to the other figure that came into view, this one much younger as he towered over the other wearing a similar uniform. His face carried serious, contemplative expression, accentuated by his thin-rimmed glasses, high cheekbones, and a strong jawline. His eyes are sharp and focused, reflecting his intense intellect and deep concentration. I noticed his ears were at least a foot long as he fingered through his short light-brown hair absentmindedly. The word "elf" popped in my mind and without knowing exactly what it is, I somehow knew that's what I was looking at, despite not feeling any connection to him at all.

"Did it set this time? I had to really dig for this one and I couldn't tell you how old it is." a note of desperation in his voice. The tiny elder produced a tool from an unseen pocket. It's end blinking rapidly, casting reflections off his shiny bald scalp as he prodded at my open chest.

"Oh yes, I believe we've found a good mind stone this time. I do see signs of data rot but the integrity isn't compromised." he declared. "But that was the last full mind stone, we have plenty of empty ones and I can copy and paste him over to them but..." he trailed off, locking eyes with mine. "Can you understand me?" he asked and I could tell he was expecting something, perhaps a response, so I just smiled and nodded.

"So we can progress to standardizing upgrades and transition to the second phase?" asked the elf, relief evident in his voice. The older man nodded, turning to grasp a large switch. With a decisive pull, darkness engulfed everything once more, signaling the beginning of the next stage.

The next time I woke up, I found myself situated within what appeared to be a storage cubby, surrounded by rows of identical metal figures, on both sides and across from me, each also exhibiting a palpable sense of confusion. As we all looked around, at ourselves and each other, it became evident that we shared more than just our bewildered state. We all looked identical like we were brothers born from the same design, each of us bearing two large round yellow eyes and big angular jawlines, squared off with defined edges. Though our limbs were thin and our silver bodies appeared emaciated but solid, the joints offered a remarkable range of motion, allowing us to bend our four fingers backwards and at odd angles or rotate our wrists. One of the others across from me even began slowly spinning his head, testing the limits of our newfound capabilities.

A sudden surge of authority mixed with unity swipt across all of us like a crushing wave, causing us to freeze in place. For no reason I could possibly fathom, I felt this strong urge to get into formation and as one, we all stepped out of our little cubbys and fell in line. As we walked, I got a good look at the rest of the dimly let room. The ceiling was low, maybe five inches above my head and I could get a good glimpse of the other rows as we transition our way down a narrow corridor until we came across a round door that split open into different directions,there was a moment of brightness as our eyes adjusted to the bright flores ant lights that hummed a dull tune.

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There he stood upon a tall platform, the tall one, the sense of authority radiatiting off him like the blazing sun. His mere presence demanded our full attention. He seemed to be interacting with something invisible while I burned his likeness into my head. His hair was neater since I saw him last and he wore a nice silvery business like robe with curved shoulders that tipped upward matching his ornate mantle. Beyond him, the walls were lined shelves brimming building meterials. The tall master seemed pleased when he stopped waving his hands around, gazing over us with a satisfied smile. I smiled back at him and I have no doubt my brothers did the same. His smile faltered at that as if unsettledbut he recovered. From behind us I could hear the slight whirl of the wheelchair as he drove through and around us, I guess to further inspect his work.

"Initiate the protocol," Master Gnomomoto called, his voice carrying a weight of command that brooked no hesitation. The younger scientist nodded and pressed a series of buttons on a control panel in front of him. A series of beeps echoed through the room, and suddenly, holographic screens flickered to life around us, displaying intricate diagrams and streams of data in square windows.

"We're moving into Phase Two," the young master announced. His voice was calm but carried an undercurrent of excitement. "Each unit will develope research equipment and laboratories. Follow the indicators to your designated stations."

A soft hum filled the air as the floor beneath us began to light up with arrows and symbols, guiding each of us to individual workstations. With thirty of us in total, we started out by putting seemingly random pieces together from the shelves. We didnt fully understand what we were doing but we didnt need to. We had this connection that fed simple information into us like insert peg A into slot B and so forth. But it also taught us how to use our bodies to work and move, our flexable joints allow us to screw in bolts rapidly and our connection made it so we worked perfectly within sync with absolute zero error.

Using pickaxes, we created more rooms and another floor down below. Sparks flew as beads of metal fused together the metal frames with our sparky welding wands that were powered through our batteries, charging through direct contact. The rhythmic clang of tools echoed through the cavern as we worked tirelessly, the glow of molten metal illuminating our progress. Dust and debris danced in the air, settling on our metal bodies, while the hum of energy coursed through our circuits.

Each strike and spark brought us closer to completing our subterranean sanctuary. Before we knew it we had a automatic belt that ran a few miles going up and down along everywhere in every direction carrying even more parts for us to put togther. The sheer scale and complexity of the operation were astounding, and the constant hum of the machinery and the flouresent lighting became a familiar soundtrack to our days.

There were these annoying set of bars in the top left corner of my vision labeled health and battery. Heath never seemed to change but the battery bar was always draining at a slow but steady rate, the more we move the more battery we use, thus we must make pilgrimage to the recharging stations were things get weird. We get conformable in our little cubbys, Plug the cable into a slot in the back of our heads and our minds become directly linked to one another somehow, melding our collective experiences and memory. It was hard to determine who's was who's but I figured in the end we were all the same anyway so why did it matter? While in this state, we don't really sleep so much as sorta meditate, like we know time is passing by but at an accelerated rate. And before we know it, we're charged and ready for another day.

The source of this power remained a mystery until we performed maintenance in the Nexus Room, hidden deep within the labs. There, a bright red spherical orb sat prominently in the center of the small room atop a pedestal. Thick, glowing red cables spread in every direction from the base, connecting to humming machines with flashing yellow lights, while a wall of monitors displayed graphical data—except for one showing a series of cat videos. Small streams of corruption seeped from a large crack in the orb, a black oily substance that seemed to consume whatever it touched. We had to use our spark wands to melt the corruption into a crystalline square container akin to a jar. The masters were thankful that the damage seemed to be only surface-level, but sealing the crack remained beyond their capability.

When we finally completed the construction of the labs and other rooms, the tall one announced that we were moving to phase three, during which a small handful of other scientists were brought in. From where exactly, I had no idea, as there didn't seem to be any exits that we were aware of. Some of them were six-foot-tall elves with long ears and vibrant colored hair, their features sharp and elegant. The others were tiny by comparison—gnomes, as we later discovered from overheard conversations. These gnomes stood about three feet tall, with slightly larger heads and big curious, almond shaped eyes.

They all marveled at us and the lab equipment we built as the still nameless master walked them through the facility, talking animatedly as he gave a grand tour. The scientists examined every corner, their eyes wide with fascination and approval. The tall one pointed out the intricacies of our designs and the precision of our work, his voice filled with pride. It wasn't long until they chose a few of us at random, me included, to be part of their so-called "Dungeon Diver" program that the new scientists were raving about. They led us into a smaller, more secluded chamber where the air hummed with a palpable sense of anticipation. The room was lined with advanced machinery, arcane symbols etched into the walls, and mystical equipment that seemed to pulse with energy.

The master tall one explained the program in more detail, describing how we would be equipped for expeditions into ancient, forgotten realms to recover lost artifacts and hidden knowledge. The select few of us lay on work tables in the maintenance room while the master gnome wheeled back and forth, explaining how we worked and how to repair or replace our parts. As the final adjustments were made, the scientists prepared their tools and equipment, ready for the next phase of our development. The blonde elf scientist, with her short golden hair and green-lensed goggles, carefully inspecting a small flat metal rectangle. She glanced at her colleagues and nodded.

"Time to power down," she whispered sweetly as her hands moved with practiced precision, initiating the shutdown sequence. My vision dimmed, the lights in the room fading as energy drained from my circuits. The world around me blurred into darkness, and as my consciousness ebbed away, the last thing I saw was the blonde elf’s excited smile.