Partheos, The humming mechanical Chirurgeon
As Partheos descends down to the Underhive, he taps his “Tin of Ashes” every ten steps. This accompanied by a peaceful humming.
♪ Almost joyful ♪: Partheos thinks.
The shrilling sounds of tapping his “Tin Of Ashes” in musical coherence with his humming echoes through the final tunnel shaft towards the Underhive. As he steeps lower and lower, the humming resonates through the confined space.
♪ Almost gracious ♪: Partheos thinks.
Some call the humming a placate to the Machine-Spirit, to soothe the machine is to honors its spirit with soft humming. Partheos always hums, he only stops when he speaks words that not hum. Even when he slumbers, his mechanical parts keep humming, sometimes so silently that only he hears it wallowing through his machinery.
♪ Almost erratic ♪: Pantheos thinks.
Bypassers mostly think the tapping of a “Tin of Ashes” accommodated the humming, in a supportive manner. Others think he has just lost his mind, so much that even the gang members spying the new arrivals, leave him alone. If not for his hulking figure clothed in a thick oily cloak, it is for his chirurgeon apron he constantly wears. Fresh bloodstains always scare men of flesh.
♪ Almost laughable ♪: Partheos thinks.
Nothing could be more wrong, as the “Tin of ashes” is the sole reason of Partheos travelling to the Underhive. Partheos is a trained expert in the way of a Chirurgeon, taught in the way of cutting and restoring the flesh for the imperium. As little as that interest Partheos, he does not care for the flesh. He cares about what the flesh has told him and especially of what it will tell him. The “Tin Of Ashes” is sacred for Partheos, his one fruitful truth confined in a small space. The ash inside the tin consists of every patient he has ever lost or limbs he has severed. For Partheos this is a library of knowledge and his personal history. Knowledge is why he came, and the “Tin of Ashes” will be his container for this.
♪ Almost exhilarating ♪: Partheos thinks.
As he burns just a little piece of flesh of every erratic treatment, he had performed. He is especially fond of the flesh that gets replaced by The Machine-Spirit, this makes his preferable treatment amputating and replacing the weak flesh. Always humming, this Chirurgeon goes to work between the screams of patients, foes or unwilling victims; he is humming. He does not tap the “Tin of Ashes” during treatment, as at this moment the library is open. It only needs to be tapped in remembrance.
♪ Almost delightful ♪: Partheos Thinks.
The Upperhive was too strict for Partheos, too many open spaces, too many eyes to spy, too many rules. This was obstructing his ascendency in the mechanical knowledge. Apparently, it does not matter how skilled you are, if you suggest amputating a finger and replace it for a mechanical one, even not after the severe wound of a papercut.
♪ Almost Heretical ♪: Partheos thinks.
The Underhive would become Partheos new home, small spaces, lots of disposable patients.A mecca for experimentation on the flesh. Nobody would mind some thugs disappearing for the quest of knowledge in the name of the Machine-Spirit. His “Tin of Ash” hungered for new unlimited challenges. More flesh for the scalpel.
♪ Almost meaningful ♪: Partheos thinks.
Before his descend, Partheos informed himself of the political situation in the Underhive. He chose to start his journey in a remote location called the sea of scrap. This appealed to Partheos, as scrap is iron and iron is the flesh of the Machine-Spirit.
♪ Almost dreadful ♪: Partheos thinks.
Arriving at his lodging, offered by some low life thugs “Iron masks”, a small gang compared to the greater powers in the Underhive. Partheos accepted, as he found the name “iron masks” ironic and the area “sea of scraps” entertaining. Knowingly wanting to make a ‘real’ iron mask for one of these scrawny Imperium’s worst. As he stood before “Ray's Happy Birthday Bar.” ♪ Could have been worse ♪ Partheos sighs. Even so with his hand on the door, behind mask lies a dangerously maniacal grin.
As he opens the door.
♪ “Almost complete, never satisfied.” ♪ Partheos thinks.
