Armories Start Small

Fuyumi guided Tanisha and Aurelius through meditative techniques. She had to enter her core which was now a full silhouette of her body. She could see the mana and maya aspects of her seiðr alloy traveling along the proper channels as each energy was intended to do. The problem was still Aether which slowly but steadily damaged her magic pathways. 

"Focus, Tanisha," Fuyumi's voice was steady. "Push the circulation of your energies faster. Begin with the flow from the center of your being, up to your head, then loop it back down. Keep the tether intact. Control is everything."

She took a deep breath and visualized the energy as a roaring fire she needed to channel through a narrow, winding path. The task demanded splitting her focus into coaxing the power without allowing it to spill out and consume her entirely. Sweat beaded on her brow as her focus intensified, each pulse of energy a test of her will.

Her mind drew parallels to her earlier experiences with the control consoles on the doors, where she had to force aether through intricate maze-like pathways. This was different though. Inside the consoles were predefined constraints, what she called "walls" to keep the energy contained and directed. Here, within herself, she had to construct those walls as she worked, shaping the pathways in real time while simultaneously driving the energy forward.

"The goal is not just to expand the channels," Fuyumi explained, her voice steady but firm. "It's to maintain control while doing so. Only by strengthening the pathways can they endure the strain of your alloy's energies. Balance the flow and the barriers—that is your task."

Tanisha pushed herself harder, but the pressure became unbearable. The delicate tether snapped, and her control collapsed. A sharp, searing migraine tore through her mind, forcing her to grip her head in pain.

As the agony subsided, she quickly assessed her pathways, only to find that all her painstaking progress had vanished, wiped clean like footprints on a shore erased by the tide. Defeated but not broken, she opened her eyes, her body drenched in sweat. Leaning back on her arms, she gasped for breath, her mind already steeling itself for the next attempt.

"Why start with my head?" Tanisha asked, her breaths labored.

"Because circulating mana to your head first enhances your mental acuity," Fuyumi replied softly. "It sharpens your thoughts, quickens your reactions, and most importantly, grants you greater control over your alloy. As a mage and more importantly, as a sage—your potential is exponential. With power and practice, you'll come to understand magic at a depth capable of creating entirely new Disciplines. That is what the sages of old accomplished. It is what my father achieved. And it is what both you and Aurelius are destined to do."

"What—me?" Aurelius's eyes snapped open from his meditative state, wide with disbelief. "No way. You can't be serious." He stood up abruptly. "You're not telling me I'm a sage, are you?"

Fuyumi's eyes opened as well, her hand flying to her mouth as though she'd accidentally revealed a secret. Aurelius looked between them, bewildered. Tanisha shrugged nonchalantly. She'd known ever since she used Identify on him when they first met.

"You didn't tell him?" Tanisha asked.

Fuyumi sighed, scratching her cheek with one finger and a blue blush graced her cheeks in embarrassment. 

"I was planning to tell you after we opened your Blood Gate, once you reached your next breakthrough."

Tanisha was surprised to see Fuyumi flustered.

"To be fair, I assumed you already knew," Tanisha added with a grin. "Uh… surprise? Welcome to sagehood!"

Aurelius stared at the two women, incredulous, before plopping back down into the lotus position with a dramatic sigh. He turned to Bjorn who sat behind Tanisha on a comforter he dragged from one of the beds in the open pods. 

"Did you know too," Aurelius asked, only to be greeted with four nodding heads. He pushed some loose strands of hair from his face. "In the past few weeks, I've discovered I'm not cursed, learned we have to stop an avatar of a True from opening a portal to the Infernal Plane, and now this? I'm a sage? Divines, give me strength."

Fuyumi's tone shifted back to seriousness, drawing the group's attention. "Regardless of how overwhelming this all feels, the reality is this: given the state Tanisha and Bjorn returned in, we need to ensure you three are at peak strength. Tanisha, once we've completed your circulation training, we'll begin your Walking Armory training in earnest. Aurelius, our focus will be on pushing you through your next cultivation breakthrough. You are close and we will need to start the Mana Baptism once it is complete."

"Right." Tanisha confirmed. "Can you guide me through the circulation again?" 

Fuyumi nodded, "Sit up straight and close your eyes."

***

Bjorn woke up with a start. He assumed it had been a few hours as he heard Tanisha explaining what happened during their excursion that day. They were all sitting around the makeshift table in the center of the room eating again to regain their strength. Bjorn had no reason to join them in magical circulation, meditation or cultivation practice like Tanisha. 

His body was that of a True, and it naturally separated the alloy's components in his body to work through their proper channels. Maya was the only issue but that was because he was overly saturated with it when his mother tried to use it to pull into the higher planes. Because of that he needed to wait until he was older to be reintroduced to the demonic power.

"I assumed as such given that each of the heads produced a different magic." Failsafe continued his explanation. "It is your body's way of separating the different aspects of your alloy from damaging you. Mortals don't have the luxury of a True's body and resilience to higher plane energies."

"What about maya?" Bjorn asked. "That seemed to hurt me pretty bad."

"Yeah, but that was because we drew too much in at once and you started using power far beyond what you could handle. It damaged us in a way that is beyond just rupturing the meridians."

"That makes sense." Bjorn said.

"What we need most of all is just time to grow." Failsafe explained. "Your body, despite the size, is still that of an infant. We are less than four months old."

"Well time is not something we have a lot of here." Bjorn responded as he stood to join the group.

***

There was definitely more urgency in Fuyumi and Aurelius after Tanisha had told them about the thirty days before the facility would self-destruct. Doxy confirmed and explained that disabling the security would allow power to go to more critical systems. It would become a priority to clear out as many of the golems as possible to give themselves more time.

"Querry: Details about the number of security drones are classified." Doxy said for the fourth time.

Aurelius and Fuyumi exchanged frustrated glances as they continued attempting to phrase their questions in ways that might circumvent the restrictions on Doxy's responses. Despite their best efforts, they were only able to extract partial information about the types of security golems guarding the facility. Once they had gleaned all they could, Fuyumi declared it was time to move on to the next phase of their training. Aurelius returned to his meditation, while Fuyumi and Tanisha began their session.

"We will start with the basics of the Walking Armory." Fuyumi stated. "Most people believe that we are merely making weapons with ice magic. Constructs entirely made from mana, but that's not the whole truth." 

Confused, Tanisha frowned. "I thought they were constructs too."

Fuyumi held out her left hand and a large yari spear made from ice appeared vertically in her grip. Magic coursed through the weapon as Tanisha had expected, but there was something more beneath the icy glint. The magic that surrounded the weapon came from Fuyumi's direction, but not from the ghostborn herself. 

Fuyumi smirked. "What you are seeing is a spiritual echo, pulled through my mana and shaped by my nature. Since I am yuki, it manifests as ice. However, the true Walking Armory is not tied to any specific element, it reflects the nature of the mage wielding it."

"So, where is the mana coming from?" Tanisha asked.

Fuyumi raised her right hand, summoning an identical yari, this time made of real materials: dark wood for the shaft and a stunning blue steel blade with damascus patterns. The new spear emanated the same aura as the ice construct. Now that both weapons were present, Tanisha could clearly see the connection between them.

Mana flowed from Fuyumi into the physical spear, where it seemed to transform. The weapon pulsed faintly, almost alive, radiating an energy Tanisha could only describe as monstrous, not in its nature but in its raw vitality. Then she realized that the weapon breathed, it was a faux-life, like monsters. The mana that created the ice spear was coming from the real one.

Tanisha's mind was awash with questions, so many that they threatened to spill out like water from a broken dam but, before she could ask a single one Fuyumi spoke first.

"Take out all of the weapons you possess." Fuyumi ordered. "Place them on the ground here. Oh, and I have also seen you fight with just your hand to hand martial arts too. Place your armor's boots and gauntlets down as well." 

Tanisha complied, setting down her arsenal: two bardiches, a voulge, a sword, a set of daggers, and the gauntlets and boots from her armor.

Fuyumi looked over the weapons and sighed."None of these resonate with you, but the daggers and the undamaged bardiche have potential." She picked up the bardiche crafted by Joel, examining it closely. "Unfortunately, this one won't work, it's incomplete."

Tanisha crossed her arms, slightly offended. "Incomplete? That's a perfectly fine weapon!"

"It's a good weapon," Fuyumi admitted, inspecting the haft. "But it was designed to be both a weapon and a magical conduit, part staff, part bardiche. The magical aspect isn't fully realized, making it unsuitable for the Walking Armory. As for the sword, it carries the malice of its previous owner—undoubtedly a spoil of battle. That kind of lingering intent will interfere with your alloy. The voulge is mundane steel and won't function well as a conduit. And your other bardiche… well, it's damaged. Put them away."

Tanisha reluctantly stowed the weapons, leaving only her daggers and armor pieces on the ground.

"That leaves these," she said.

"More than enough," Fuyumi reassured her. "Everyone starts small with their Armory. You'll begin with these close-range weapons. First, we'll bind them to you and your essence. But before that, we need to increase your compatibility with them."

"How do I do that?" Tanisha questioned.

"It's simple," Fuyumi declared. "From now on, you must keep these items on you at all times and not in your storage items. You must circulate a constant tether of your alloy through them. The flow should be steady, not enough to activate their effects, though you can in combat. As your resonance with these weapons improves, you'll be ready for the next step."

Tanisha nodded, determination hardening her expression. She picked up the daggers and armor pieces.

"Good," Fuyumi said with a satisfied nod. "Let's begin."