A new face (Open to Viktor + Accolytes)

The past week or so had been rather hectic for the Machine Herald. Having had to run several errands in order to comply with his various projects and plans, he had been gone for several days and hadn't seen his beloved laboratory for some time. Today, however, of all days he finally returned and no sooner had he stepped through the shutter doors of the former warehouse than he saw a figure rummaging about. Normal people wouldn't have been able to really make out whoever it was, but Viktor was no ordinary individual. He was a sufficiently mechanized Zaunite who sought to transcend his flesh and bone. As such, he possessed certain capabilities that humans didn't. Efficient vision even in the most dimly lit situations, for example, was one such feature of his unique augmentations.

He stood and watched his acolyte, Andrei Tosya, who had returned to Zaun in the last few weeks from his activities with his brother elsewhere on Valoran, for a minute or two, taking note of what tools and materials he happened to claim for whatever thing he was working on. Speaking of which, his curiosity was piqued as he pondered what his unassuming follower was planning to do. "Andrei, may I ask what you have there, or do you not wish to share your designs with me?" he spoke out, calmly and without even an ounce of aggression. His tone was that of an inventor asking another, if amateur, inventor about his product.

Given permission by the hard working assassin who followed the same cause as himself, Viktor nodded and mechanically made his way over to the offered papers which he picked up and looked over. He analyzed them with the highest possible scrutiny, consciously looking for both flaws and perks to the design he considered significantly. After a moment, and upon hearing what Andrei had in mind, he looked away to stare expressionlessly at his subordinate. "Your arm works in a manner similar to my own limbs, whereby a chip that I had installed into your spinal chord near your skull takes in your mental feed and sends a command signal to your arm imperatively."

He set the schematics down in front of Andrei and then let out a soft sigh - more out of habit than any real need to stimulate circulatory activity, due to having replaced much of his anatomy and biology with hextech. Folding his arms across his chest, he then inclined his head slightly leftward as he pondered on the request. "I suppose, if you want it to be like that....I might be able to see fit to making the necessary alterations to your design to make it so. I would have to make direct but subtle changes, however, if you are willing to give me enough leeway for it..." He looked back to Andrei, expectant.

"Very well, then." Viktor gave no indication of his mood in reaction to Andrei's words, but he generally looked at peace with the situation. He actually understood the importance of following through on a design before considering implementing any meaningful alterations. He had been through such a thing many times before, first with Blitzcrank and afterward with his various techmaturgical devices until he created his core "weapons" - his Power Transfer Gear, Gravity Field and Death Ray that he had developed a name for using on the Fields of Justice. Of course, they were at their best off of the Fields but he hadn't had much need to utilize them for combat in the recent months.

"Inform me when you are ready for me to do the necessary alterations. I need to return to the office and work on some blueprints of my own." And with that, he said no more to his acolyte and made his way to the small room in the back of the facility.

While Andrei toiled away at his new armor and mask, Viktor had resigned himself to drawing up some other blueprints. He had a big personal project in store for a certain someone a few days from now, but he wasn't against drawing up some designs for other things - weapons, armor, anything that could be considered a commodity and which he could sell the design for to fund his work. He did this for an hour or so before deciding to go run an errand, leaving the lab and not disturbing his diligent and focused subordinate at the time.

He returned an hour later after seeing some preparations through and went directly to the office to write up some documents for his projects. Finally, when Andrei had finished his work and went to the office to request the Machine Herald's assistance, the mechanized Zaunite did not waste any time to meet with the other and lead him over to a make-shift operating table. "Now, Andrei, do not be alarmed. I assure you that I am not actually going to cause you any harm with what I am about to do. It is simple, really, as I am just going to do some tweaking to your armor to calibrate the equipment you've built to the chip I had implanted at the meeting point of your spinal chord and your skull. Essentially, it will be as though your armor and mask will be extensions of your body, not dissimilar to your arm."

After watching his subordinate set himself properly upon the table, Viktor wasted no time in getting to work. The first thing he had to do was to make it so that the helmet-like mask could be extended and retracted smoothly enough to not risk any damage to its owner's head. Fortunately for him, Andrei seemed to have already designed the suit specifically for this purpose, with the mechanisms already built in. All Viktor had to do was add specialized command chips which would accept mental command input from the chip he already installed for Andrei's artificial arm, these would interact with the mechanisms that would slide the helmet pieces appropriately, and ultimately cause the desired effect of the acolyte willing his helmet on and off.

Actually, now that he took the opportunity to analyze the overall functionality he could observe, Viktor couldn't deny the expert craftsmanship and ingenious execution that his own follower's design showed. He had no idea that someone of such mechanical expertise served under him, as most of the acolytes he had recruited up until now had showed no talent for mechanical engineering of their own. And here he found someone who had made an efficient mechanical set up of armor and mask harmonizing ever so perfectly. He felt that mental commendation was not enough for this young man before him, so he chose to voice it. "Andrei. I don't know if you've ever heard this before, but you have quite the talent for mechanical engineering as far as I can see. In fact, I'm so impressed with your armor-and-mask hybridization that I have to give you my highest commendation. What you have designed here is something that even I could not conceptualize, which you should take as a most wonderful thing."

After a few minutes of tinkering, the Machine Herald stepped back to admire his handiwork. Although he did make the necessary adjustments so that his subordinate could command the mask-bearing mechanism as if it were an extension of himself, the entire thing - the armor he wore in addition to the mask that was assembled/disassembled - was something that only Andrei himself could claim credit for. "Subordinate".....Somehow, in the wake of what he saw at that moment, that manner of address did not sound right to him. Here was a fine young engineer, though amateur as he was, who had born fruit to a magnificent mechanical marvel which even Viktor himself would have been proud to call his own were he in the acolyte's place. Viktor shook his head at the notion that this young man should merely remain his follower. Viktor, at this point in time, felt that this one deserved more than he currently had.

"Andrei..." he spoke firmly to interrupt his acolyte from his contented testing of his equipment, which the aforementioned would no doubt be doing. "It would be an utter crime not to recognize you for this glorious achievement you have wrought by your own hands. As an inventor myself, I know the sensation of pride for a successful creation. So, as the Machine Herald, I would like to extend my hand of brotherhood to you..." At these words, Viktor held out his hand for Andrei to take, and while the acolyte hesitated to take it - likely from suspicion or a sense of alarm at the mechanized Zaunite's words - made a fateful offer. "I wish to invite you to the Hexmachina Brotherhood that your own flesh and blood is a part of, so that you can be considered an equal both to him and myself, and so that you would bear my deepest trust and confidentiality. Should you accept this invitation, you would have the honor of having access to any facility affiliated to me and benefit from my own personal protection should you find yourself in any legal trouble with any non-Zaunite party."

As Andrei took his hand and accepted the offered position, Viktor smiled genuinely behind his mask. He had intended for his Hexmachina Brotherhood to be a small elite group of his most trusted and exceptional acolytes, whom he would recognize as equals to himself and be able to see him in a personal light. But now he couldn't help but wonder if it should be a larger thing, as he wanted to affect as many of the peoples of Valoran as possible. In fact, now would be a good time to perform the rite of passage. "Andrei, I have one more thing for you..." As Viktor spoke these words, he slowly brought his right hand up to clutch around his mask while his left went to the back where the three straps connected.

The next moment the straps came undone, falling limply due to gravity, and the mechanized Zaunite pulled the mask down to reveal his face to his newest brother. "With this, Andrei, I welcome you into my Brotherhood. From this point forward there will be no secrets between us, we will dedicate ourselves to being open and honest with each other. My problems will be your problems and vice-versa. If ever you have an issue with something that you feel you can not resolve on your own, you may come to me for assistance and I will do my best to dissolve it."