"That time again huh? Well, lets see if we've got anyone interesting today." I hear a voice, but I don't seem to have any other senses. "Oh? This one has a unique skill. . . Hmm. There was something like that, a while back. Wasn't there?" I almost feel the voice's attention somehow, before it seems to turn away. "Aha! There it is. That should be a good starting point for you." Something is happening, a sensation of falling? [Alert. Racial trait [Machine Soul] conflicts with system [Memory Wipe]. Some memories will be retained.] "Erk, thats. Not supposed to happen." The voice feels further away now. "Well. I guess I can't do anything about it now. At least, not without causing more trouble. Hmm, suppose the Change guys will find it amusing anyway?"

I jolt slightly as I awaken. My gaze swings through a room that looks like a cross between an old decayed library and a puppet maker's workshop, there are partially broken bookshelves, their contents scattered across the floor, numerous tools, that I cannot guess the purpose of, and a random assortment of metallic limbs on an elevated stone surface. Where am I? I tried to speak, but no sound could be heard. Am I mute? {Begin research for component {Voice box} (Y/N)} Yes? {Completion time 72 Hours} Whats going on? . . . 

I abruptly sit up as my mind clears. Wait! This is another world isn't it?! . . Did I ever even watch isekai shows? I look around again before finally noticing that my own body is the same as the limbs scattered across the stone slab. A dull metal, perhaps iron? But for some reason it has a faint golden tint? Whoa. Am I a robot? No well. If this is an isekai setting I guess I'd be a golem? I look around at where I'm sitting, finding myself in a stone chair, surrounded by more tools, these ones mounted to the walls. After a moment of thought something occurs to me. Status? Menu? Display? Inspection? Identify? . . . Scan?

After that rather basic stat display I am all but assaulted by a vision of a complex Blueprint? The outside looks like a ball jointed puppet, an overall androgynous design with only minimal facial details, but there are numerous clockwork like mechanisms inside. And two things that look magical in nature. A "Brain" comprised of an assortment of gemstones somehow fused together, and a heart that looks like a dense bundle of fiber optic cables wrapped around a small crystal. Can I Scan the parts? [Automaton's Heart: Tier 2] Tier 2? I spend a short while inspecting other components in my Blueprint. Finding that my Brain is also Tier 2, but my other parts all seem to be Tier 1.

I stand up from the chair and approach the slab. Can I use Automaton Artificer to build other Automaton? {Lacking components for current blueprint; Automaton's Heart: Tier 2; Automaton's Brain: Tier 2} There are heart and brain components here? I look closer at one of the parts. Scan. [Automaton's Heart: Tier 1 Empty] Ah. I need Tier 2? And I guess that empty means its lacking the crystal too? I dust my hands off with a slight metallic clatter. Guess I'll go explore instead. I head for the door, noting the lack of any kind of knob or latch, before pulling it open.

The door leads into a stairwell heading down. As I descend, I look over the parts of my body I can easily see. The hands have four fingers of equal length, and a thumb. The fingers are all the same size? I grip my hand, testing the flexibility, it seems to have the same range of movement as a human hand. I guess that minimizes the number of different parts that need to be made? I look down at my feet next. They look more like metal slippers than proper feet though. Eha ha. Yeah, function over form. I think? 

At the bottom of the stairs is a large, empty room with two doors on opposite sides. The one closer to the stairway has a large metal bar, currently lifted, mounted on it. The door to the outside perhaps? I set my hands against the large door, then push against it. Its clearly heavier than the one to the room upstairs, but it still moves with surprising ease.

As I step out, I look into a cave? Then up at the building. A tower inside a cave? Whats the point of that? At a distance from the tower is a wide ring of strange symbols written between double layered circles. I stare at the figures between the circles for a moment before stepping over it. There is a quiet breaking noise, then the circles and ring of strange text, disappear? Some sort of ward then? Hope that wasn't important. I head towards the nearest passage.

After walking through a long tunnel, perhaps fifty meters, I find another chamber. Within is a pool of water with a lone, small green humanoid figure with a slightly grotesque and gangly appearance next to it. Wielding a crude wooden weapon and wearing nothing but a loincloth. No way, is that? . . . Scan. 

I search the floor for anything I could use as a weapon against it and find, nothing. Not even a stray stone I could throw at the creature. My shoulders slump with a slight grinding noise. The Goblin turns my way and grunts, seemingly sniffing at the air. It snorts dismissively then turns away before starting to walk towards a further passage. I could let it get away, buuut. I kinda want to try and level up? I clench my metallic hand into a fist and stare a moment before rushing into the room. I make it most of the way to the Goblin before it hears me and turns my way again with a crude shriek. I swing my fist at the small figure's face. It dodges and swings its crude club at my arm. The club clangs against me, but doesn't seem to have done any damage. Do I even have a sense of pain though? I shake the thought off then wait for its next swing.

It lunges at my face, but I manage to catch the club, then using my greater strength I pull the Goblin off balance before kicking it hard in the chest I manage to keep hold on the club as it staggers back, hands clutching at the point of impact. I change my grip on the club and rush towards the goblin. It dodges my first swing, but then I slam the stick into the side of its head, hard enough that the wooden weapon cracks. The goblin clutches at its now bleeding head and shouts, then charges at me with its claw like fingernails at the ready. I lean back in disgust, then thrust the splintered end of the club at it. The club stabs through its eye, immediately growing slick enough with goblin blood that I loose my grip on the weapon as the goblin flails back and writhes on the floor. After a few moments it grows still. Okay, that was. Worse than I expected. It is, dead right? Scan.

{Generating Blueprint: Automaton-Goblin Type}

Wait, I can get Blueprints by killing things? I stare at the goblin thoughtfully, then suddenly a small semi-opaque crystal and a fang pop out of the goblin's corpse with a burst of blood, landing between me and the corpse. Then the goblin's body starts sinking into the cave floor. Uhm. What? Drop items I guess, but hows the floor thing happening? I cautiously scan the two items [Goblin Fang] and [Magic Stone: F rank]. I grab the two items and walk to the pool of water, watching the floor as I walk. Once I reach the water, I rinse the blood off of myself and the loot. I sigh internally, then start back down the path I came from, then remember to check my own status.

Ack! It did do some damage. And, I didn't level up. Guess it was a little optimistic to think that one goblin would be enough. Once I re-enter the tower I bar the door, then head back up to the room I awoke in. I set the drop items from the goblin alongside the various parts on the stone slab. Allright, I think the magic stone is the same as the crystal in my heart, so, can I build the Automaton-Goblin Type now? {Adjust and Assemble Parts(Y/N)} Yes.

As soon as I think yes, many of the parts start moving around on their own. Hands, sections of arm, even legs crawling their way towards each other. The magic stone rolls itself towards the nearest heart component, which then wraps around it like a spider's web before the now filled heart moves to the center of the moving pieces. After several minutes of activity and small ingots of metal being shed as the components adjust themselves to the appropriate size, there is a goblin like figure similar to myself laying on the table. It is less detailed than the goblin was, so its not nearly as unpleasant to look at. If anything its almost like a miniature elf. {Animate(Y/N)} Yes.

Abrupt pain shoots through my entire being. It feels wrong, almost sickening. Like a cross between a muscle cramp and a burn. But, everywhere. I collapse to my knees arms wrapped around myself. After a few moments the feeling fades. What the hell was that?! Scan!

My SP cap went down? And Spiritual Energy Control? . . DID I RIP OFF A PIECE OF MY SOUL TO MAKE A METAL GOBLIN?!! I brace my hands against the floor to help steady myself as I stand back up. Then I look at the goblin. It's sitting up now, and looking at me, its eyes nothing but white spheres with a single black dot where a pupil would be. Do my eyes look like that? Scan.

It only has five SP. . Ugh. I guess I was right? And its Club skill is lower? Stats are the same despite being two levels lower though. Hmmm. I stare it down, then point to the side. It stands up and walks to where I pointed. Oh? Oh. I think, I can work with that. Assuming I can stand to build some more of them. . .

Chaos_Sinner777

Well, I guess thats about enough for the first chapter. Feels kinda short, but hey, its my first attempt at writing a story, and I'm a little worn down already. I think next time I'll write a bit here and there rather than trying to get myself to type out the whole chapter at once. Anyway, if anybody has any thoughts on a better set for the tags, lemme know. Theres a couple I'm iffy about, and a lot of other tags that probably apply. Also, the Picture I used is kinda meh. Couldn't seem to find anything I liked on google, so I just went with that. If I end up more into writing this than I expect, I'll try to commission one of the artists I know for somethin better.