Blisses by his side, and singing the song of affection, Dailin stood above a crowd of thousands. “I bring with me the cure,” he shouted, voice echoing everywhere. “Freedom from the emptiness inside, the place where all the cold comes from.” The dose of affection was light, just enough to relax them. As such, he could feel, and see their conscious emotions. The desire for what he was offering, to be free of the chills that held them under his bindings. Only a few wondered how the new chant he planned to use would improve his dominion over them.
“But the cold doesn’t wish to be removed, I reveal to you all,” his voice booming louder. “The emptiness is a great Curse.” Fear radiated from the Vails. “It seeks to claim you, to Consume you,” fear became Dread. “It will try to trick you, demand you fight its removal, to cling to it.” So fearful, and hopeful of his words, many began to lift their heads; gaze at him, even if it risked looking upon his helm.
“It knows me, knows I can end it.” His voice drowning out all the hesitant thoughts. Salvation, they wanted it. “It knows I am the Curse slayer, and that I have come to end it. That I have come to save you all.” They gazed at him with such desire, shouted their thoughts so loudly he didn’t need to peer within them. ‘Save me, save me,’ they thought to him.
“I am here now, the light that burns away the dark. Accept my offer, push back the Curse, and you will be free.” He began humming, his form of shining light, encased within silver, began radiating brighter. He called to the Mana, as he had done to Sothsea; then the rest of the Maidens. He willed the emptiness in them be filled with three blessed qualities.
The power surged from him, forming into tendrils that sprouted outward like tree roots. Every tendril sought a person, connected to their chest, and began to cure them. All the while Blisses sang to the crowd of thousands, dosing them with light touches of warmth which helped suppress their concerns. Yet he could still see it, worry, and anxiety as the Mana did its work.
People held themselves, many placing their hands over their chests where the Mana was entering. Some gave token resistances, more out of a forced response than actual rejection. This only slowed the work, rather than repelling it. They were too lured in by the prospect of being freed from the chills—his grip on them— to think of refusing the Cure.
‘Yes,’ he thought to the crowd of waiting killers. ‘Believe yourselves gaining the upper hand. Think you will have the chance to enact your schemes as before.’ They would find the Cure more restricting than any touch of cold; Sothsea showed that. Gone was the wicked abuser, all that remained was a mournful mother trying desperately to make amends to children she’d harmed.
The crowd would be the same. The first steps in curing the settlement, and paving a way to a better, moral tomorrow. The sight had him smiling and willing to the Mana more.
‘Heal them, fill their emptiness with Love, Empath, and Compassion.’ The power reacted to his heighten call, quickening and filling the struggling Vails.
The sight beautiful, with his middle eye open, he saw it all. The change taking place, the shifting of emotional hues. Auras once gray and black blossomed into dazzling colors of greens, and blues. Thoughts moved away from the self; egotistical thinking, they broadened as more and more were cured. Vails looked to each other; tears forming as blessings had them reflect upon all the ills they’d inflicted on one another. The thoughts they’d entertained, the schemes they’d planned, it became horrific memories plaguing their minds.
Remorse, remorse was everywhere, and soon followed by a collective weeping as his work ended. “The touch from Remorse will pass,” he told them with a wave of warmth. One strong enough it would have knocked many into a slumber. But with their change it flowed passed them, only diluting their anguished slightly. “The worst of it anyways,” they looked up at him, eyes full of tears.
“The Curses had you all commit such dark deeds, think condemning thoughts.” He spread his arms; his normal nervousness lost within the euphoria of what he had achieved. “But now you see, your minds clear of their influence. What you are experiencing is normal. The Pain coursing through you a consequence of all you’ve been tricked into doing.”
Many looked away, shame blooming in their auras. “You all see, all mourn, but the touches of Pain can be lessened, Remorse diluted.” Hope bloomed within their hearts, a chance to free themselves from the bangs of guilt. “Help one another,” he told them, as if it was some great insight. But in a realm of self-centered lunatics, perhaps it was. “Raise each other up, face the trials of life together, rather than clawing at one another for small, unworthy gains.”
“Together!” He screamed, warmth pouring from him, yet the crowd remained awake. “You all can remove the last remnants of the Curses, listen to my blessings, follow their guidance, and in time, Pain shall fade. It will be replaced with blessings so worthy you will weep with Joy.” They clung to his words, hungry for the future he promised. “For the truth is, we all can live in abundance, in a place of safety. But the Curses,” he shouted. “They kept you all fighting each other, wasting your Anima on self-harm and quick gratifications.”
The crowd looked upon itself, they saw the truth, and he saw what they envisioned. A spiral of violent acts and betrayals. The secret wars between Houses trying to raise their position in a hierarchy of killers.
“Think of all you could have achieved, if you had worked as one.” They did, the empathy in them made it impossible not to. For the first time in their miserable existences, these Vails were able to conceive of themselves as someone else. Imagine the consequences of their actions; Remorse, remorse, it bloomed waves of reflection.
“You have the chance now,” he told them, appeasing their concerns, delivering them the hope they sought. “The ability to fix everything,” he laid a hand on his chest. “For I am here to guide, and provide.” His body of light flared brighter, and his silver armor shined brightly; both emphasizing the point.
“So do not listen to the last remnants of the Curse in you. It only wishes to drag you back down to the lost empty forms you were before. Salvation is in your hands now,” he added in a gentle voice. “The path that leads to a wonderful future is open. One where you all can stand at my side, freeing the realm of the Curses, and one Rotation, the Nightmare itself.” The name brought forth its images, Vails thinking of beasts of horror, and remembering those thrown out to deal with the threat; only to be consumed instead.
“They work together, so we do not, sending out the weakest of us, armed with almost nothing, and ordered to defeat a foe rampaging across the realm.” They recalled, most looking upon the memories in horror now. The amount of people lost for no reason, no gain, it shook them to the core.
“No more,” he yelled. “You have seen my contributions,” he hoped, and some did. But those within the Inner-tier had been spared the blight of Patrols, hadn’t seen the horrors outside. “It will not stop, no, it will only increase. But with you all by my side I know we can push this encroaching dark back.” He didn’t know, but he was giving them a purpose, something to focus their minds on. And it worked, the empathy had them thinking of the situation others were in, compassion and love demanding they aid.
“Never again will we, this settlement, be divided,” he announced, the words true. “All shall be freed of the Curse, and together we will push back the Nightmare. So don’t wallow in your reflections, think, act upon my blessings and all will be well.” He sent out a wave of extremely dense warmth, and watched in awe as they remained awake, but blissfully happy. The despair in their hearts lessening as they felt and believed they were loved.
“Rest,” he added. “Plan and prepare your holdings to aid in this endeavor. When the time comes, I will be at your side, delivering searing light upon our enemies.”
He left them, retreating away from the horde now consumed with the desire of righting all their wrongs. It put a flutter in his chest, a spring in his step, and a wide grin on his face. The Inner-tier was secure in a new, meaningful way. With his three Blessings guiding them, none would ever dream of revolting, not if he was benevolent. And even then, he doubted the revolt would be violent.
He could now move majority of his attention to the Outer-tier. There were likely some holdouts within the Inner, those who hadn’t arrived to be cured. But Bliss would find them, the emptiness wasn’t something that could be hidden from those able to read minds, feel and see emotions. All would be cured. The settlement of Bae made right, and wholesome.
‘If only there wasn’t the Nightmare.’ The realm could be converted so easily, his cure spreading through the land like a storm. Instead, it would be slow. At least he was no longer the sole person focused on dealing with the threat. He had thousands preparing now, and more to come, once the Outer-tier was cured.
It wasn’t going to stop there either.
Bliss had proven to be a resounding success, her unrelenting focus on her charge, a reoccurring boon. With the coming conflicts with the Nightmare, he had two other Blessings in mind. One of Hope, so they never wavered, and Courage, so they always had the strength to face the horrors presented to them.
There was going to be plenty of that. Most within the settlement weren’t aware how bad the situation outside was. But with their new found awareness, they would find out, see the problem they left to fester as they played courtly games.
‘They’ll look back and shake their heads in disbelief.’ Dailin thought, leaning his head to the side as he spoke to one of the Blisses following him. “Begin searching the tier, find those uncured, I want a number and the places they reside.”
“As you desire Maker.” She responded in that constant motherly voice of hers, soft and sweet. Dailin pushed the matter from his mind, she would see his request done. Instead, he focused on the works of the tier. The open spaces were shrinking in size, used for new additions such as orchards, and housing for those once dwelling in the Outer-tier.
As Tealhun had predicted, the Worthy had thrown a fit, claimed it a Cursed act, and a sign of failure of those in charge; besides for himself of course. Even with the promise of added time under the effects of his song, they had still complained.
‘How will you all feel now?’ He mused as he walked. In time he suspected the Worthy would beg for more to be done, the unused spaces around them to be filled. The thought made him hurry, he needed to be quick. The Cured would be susceptible to those who were not. They would be abused and used by the Chilltouched if he didn’t make sure everyone was equally moral. The Outer-tier had to be healed, which meant he needed to prepare.
Stride hurried; Dailin made his way back to the Spire. Outside—as was the norm— stood the Knights, Vails covered in warded armor, and carrying Vanquishers.
Before, they had been Vail males with brooding thoughts, constantly wondering of ways to increase their station, or maintain what they had. No longer, they too had been cured, like everyone in the Spire not his children. Their minds were at peace; focused on caring and protecting those near them.
They posed themselves when he approached, stamping their spears on the marbled floor. He hummed, pulsing out warmth, they too remained standing; unaffected by it even as he increased the dose. Not to say it didn’t have a touch, it just wasn’t crippling anymore.
Some Blisses moved away from him, and approached Knights. They gave hugs, whispered words of encouragement, told them the success taking place, and overall rose the spirits of the guards. Dailin himself remained quiet, except for his humming, and carried himself through the Gate that was opened for him. Blisses followed soon after, joining him and his waiting children.
His mirthful laugh, and flowing warmth, was all they needed to know of his success, and them one step closer to being free of their cage. He just had to find the time to finish his project, and they would be able to wonder the tier as they wished; under armed escort of course. Moral people or not, he wasn’t going to take risks.
“My light heals more,” he announced, closing the distance and wrapping children in hugs. His size had continued to increase, now a little over sixteen heads tall, he was forced to kneel so he could properly interact with his sons.
After the bout of affections, he noticed Vollow wasn’t among their number. He asked his sons where he was. “Supervising the Maidens,” one said, but then pointed down a hall that didn’t lead to their chambers. “They’ve been making continual requests to see their Newborns, so some of us have allowed it; under strict observation.” Dailin smiled, not at all troubled by the news. No, it was a good motherly sign. They cared about their children, feared for their wellbeing. Perhaps his kin would finally have the mothers they deserved.
“Blessed news,” he said rising to his pawed feet. “Perhaps I’ll go see how they fair.” He headed down the tunnel, Blisses leading the way, and followed by sons. The two groups interacting with each other, Blisses cuddling eager sons, who were ever hungry for effeminate affection. It was a warming sight to behold, a sign of how much he’d changed things, and so much more that was to come.
They reached their destination swiftly enough, thanks to the guidance of guards, they found the Maidens at the nursery. It was a collection of chambers merged together where infants, to young teens, stayed. The place was howling with glee as children played with each other, and mothers openly adored and hugged their pups. Waves of positive emotions pulsed from the place, saturating it in a beautiful aura of rich colors.
After months—maybe a year—of going without seeing such sights, it left him gawking. To see Maidens once cold and uncaring of their offspring, now holding them tight; laughing with pure joy as they groomed them. Children squealed delighted, many hopping about, and clinging to their mothers. Everyone was so happy, and in turn he was too. It was impossible to be otherwise, seeing, and feeling the emotions coming off them, hitting him in waves.
Even the rows of sons, standing at the outer walls of the chambers—watching carefully— were affected by the well of positivity. They kept guard, all the while wearing enduring faces, and pulsing out waves of relief.
The bonding moments came to a halt when he was noticed. As was the way of his body, it attracted the attention of all. Taking off his helm, and passing it to a Bliss, he put on a large smile; sang out his hymn, and lowered himself to his knees when he was near the infants. They squeaked in delight, calling out: “Father,” over and over, as they rushed him. And like pups, crawled all over him.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“What well behaved Newborns you all are.” He said jovially as he went about combing fur. They clung to him, grabbing hold of his armor plates, fur, even ears.
“We are, we are,” some screamed, holding him tight as they poured out pure unwavering pulses of bright yellow joy. Everything was blissful to them; they were furry bundles of glee, and thrilled with existence. Each innocent and clueless to the dangers of the realm, or to their lucky circumstances.
“Are you treating your mothers well?” He asked playfully to the squirming horde of children, who were trying their hardest to cover the entirety of himself under their collective mass.
“Yes,” they screamed in a mishmash of voices, but before long they grew tired of simply clinging to him, they wanted to play, always play. “Make us fly father,” they shouted delighted, begging for their favorite game.
“Well,” he said rising, the horde clinging to him with all their might. “Since you all have been so behaved.” He hummed anew, performing a simple chant used to levitate objects. Up the children went one by one, howling in wonder as they floated about in the air. They squirmed, the act rotating them, or moving them lightly about. The clever ones began to move in precise manners, synchronizing their limbs so they began to swim through the air; impressing their younger brethren. Not long, all were doing the same. They laughed uncontrollably while the room of onlookers kept quiet.
Mingling with auras of youthful cheer, came pockets of worry, and concern. Most from the Maidens; they kept still, and heads aimed downward when looking towards him. A glance at their thoughts revealed they were worried about being punished, that maybe they weren’t allowed to be in the nursery, that a mistake had been made. He assumed his adult children thought the same, but didn’t verify; their minds he ignored, granting them the privacy they deserved.
However, Vollow did make his way over to him while he sang, worry gray pulsing outward from his frame. His poor son always seemed troubled about something, be it his lover, or the myriad of affairs he watched over.
He smiled at his boy, and when they were close enough, he wrapped Vollow in a half armed hung. The bouts of worry coming from Vollow, and his other sons, died away after that, they saw he wasn’t upset; all was well.
“Blessed to see you Father,” Vollow said after pulling away from him. “I take it the task with the Chilltouched has gone well.”
He nodded, and lowered the children to the floor; to their collective complaints. “Blessings are abound my boy,” he said, free from singing. “The cure has been accepted by all, save for those who might have missed the meeting.” He gestured towards his creations. “Bliss is looking for them, soon my task with the Inner-tier will be at an end.”
Delight fluttered out from Vollow, joined with hope and a thought shouted. He saw it all, knew what his son wanted, what many of them desired. “Will we be able to wander outside the Spire soon?” He voiced, and Dailin nodded.
“Events are falling into place,” he informed. “I will begin working on the final pieces once the Inner-tier is cured.” Ears and fur ruffled with excitement. “Just a little longer,” he told them. “And you will be free to leave your home.” With the Cure in effect, there was little chance of harm coming to them. The Vail would be too taken by empathy and compassion to conceive of such things. Still, these were his children, he wouldn’t take risks. Some added protection was needed to appease his own worries.
“Blessed.” Vollow said, a large grin on his face, whiskers twitching, and Channels lightly pulsing from the excitement
He chuckled, and swept his gaze over the room, looking at the Maidens still docile and quiet. Children moved back to them, began pressing themselves against their worry filled mothers. “It warms my light to see you all bonding,” he let out a pulse of love to illustrate the point. “Don’t let Worry try to control you, this is allowed, in fact, come here as often as you like.” He leaned his frame down. “I’m sure the pups align with Joy to have you all here, right?”
“Yeah,” the children screamed as one, hopping up and down. Relief bloomed from the women, some grabbing hold and clinging to their kids.
“I’ll take my leave,” he said to Vollow. “I just came to have a look, there’s much left to be done before I retire for the Rotation.”
Vollow and the rest of the guards bowed to him. “There’s no urgent reports,” his boy said happily. “So nothing should distract you from your worthy tasks.”
He patted his son on the head, waved goodbye to his pups, and departed, mind already focused on the work to be done.
***
His bedroom, slash workshop, had become quite the mess. A multitude of crystals, be they vision or Animastones, and sections of armor pieces, were scattered about. He didn’t mind, it would have taken him—or anyone with the ability to cast magic— seconds to have cleaned the place. Yet it hadn’t, for variety of reasons, but mostly he didn’t want anything moved. Eventually he would tidy-up the place, once he was done with his project.
In front of him, laid out on his main table, were an assortment of armor components, each manifested and crafted by him with the power of Mana. The pieces were made of ordinary stone that he constantly shifted, slowly building the base of an armor suit that would encompass his children. Truth be told, he could have just put them in Knights armor, in most cases that would have kept them safe. But he wanted to be sure that nothing could harm them. Also, if by some miniscule chance they ended up facing a mob of Chanters, they would come out of the ordeal alive. Plus, and gods he prayed it never happened. If his children somehow found themselves facing down a Nightmare swarm, they would be able to handle the threat.
As such, the suit before him was much larger than the Knights, in a way it was a Vail shaped carapace, where the individual could fit in comfortably and manipulate the armor.
How? He hadn’t a clue, that wasn’t his problem to figure out, it was the Mana’s. He just needed the suit to be bigger so it would hold larger Animastones. Since, in a realm of living monsters able to tear through layers of steel, and ordinary people able to cast spells of destruction. A plain hulk of armor wasn’t going to do much.
The increase in size though, had led to a growing number of problems that needed to be solved. Thankfully the Mana was doing the bulk of that, all he needed was to provide an idea for it to go on.
A glorious feature, since the problems were all linked together. The first had been straight forward, but led to a list of many others. How would the suit stand upright? Since the person inside wouldn’t have the strength, or with how large the suit had gotten, the reach to do such a thing. Which led to the problem of how it would be operated, and moved in the first place. Then the matter of how the operator inside would be able to safely interact with their environment, and others, without causing harm.
Honestly the questions had troubled him, almost enough to scrap the idea, and just put his kids in Knight suits. But he hadn’t, couldn’t, not with Instinct pressing on his shoulders again, warning him of the growing threat. The truth was, the suits weren’t just going to be for his children. He had plans for them, a new tool for Vails to use against the Nightmare outside, and his Blessings.
So, even as questions mounted, he kept at his work, slowly piecing his growing suit together. Carefully building it, so the protection would have the degrees of movement that people took for granted. It was one of the problems the Knight armors suffered, they were stiff and restrictive. Much of which was out of necessity, else the process of making them would have become too complicated, or intricate to produce at a fast pace.
He didn’t have that problem.
Thanks to his dealings with Bliss, he’d become proficient at copying the entirety of an object. Making the process of mass production something so easy it felt wrong for him to be doing so. Not enough to make him stop, but he did feel that if craftsman ever saw what he could do, they would weep.
Freed from manufacturing limitations, his suit was intricate, plates able to fold and slide over each other to allow for a normal range of movement. Even with the use of Mana however, the process wasn’t easy. The thing had to be completely sealed, no weak pointes for a person, or monster, could pierce and get to the person inside.
Yet he was nearly done. He’d been carefully fitting the final pieces together as Blisses chanted, keeping the suit floating in the air, making it easier for him to work on, and test if everything was moveable.
Sighing, he stepped back, and surveyed his work.
The thing was imposing, the picture of a heroic figure coming to save the land. And that wasn’t even with the Animastones socketed into it yet. Several would line the body, both on the outside and within. The largest would be embedded in the back, around the shoulders where nothing really moved. But before he did that, Dailin stared at the suit, whispered to his power.
‘Copy it, make a perfect replica.’ Mana acted, pulling from him as it collected tightly into itself next to the original, and formed into another suit. In seconds the Mana achieved a feat that had taken him countless hours to accomplish. Motioning to the original, Blisses lowered it to the table.
He focused on the copy, called to the Mana, and formed the various Animastones needed for the armor. They fitted into place, and he filled them with power. The stones did nothing, given the suit hadn’t been endowed with Wards yet, but a quick whisper, and his light went to work.
Spreading over the stone, symbols appeared and shifted about. They were the same he had on his skin, the ever-intricate spirals and holy symbols that represented protection. But it had become more than that as his thoughts broaden, and he whispered every demand he wanted the suit to be able to do.
It was a long list, and he kept reciting his demands as the Mana slowly began to work. The symbols became mingled with new ones he hadn’t seen before, all of it weaving together in an artful tapestry well beyond his, and any mortal’s hands. With a small flash the symbols halted and became fixed in place, then carved into the rock.
The pattern connected with the Animastones, so the Wards remained lit, even as his will and power faded. Inspecting his construct with a free mind, Blisses slowly spun his creation in the air, allowing him to see every surface. Not that it did him any good. He hadn’t a clue if the runes were correct, but it was nice to marvel at it none the less.
“Alright then,” he said clapping his hands together. “Time to see if our work has manifested correctly.” He motioned to one of the dozen Blisses watching, and she came forward. Gesturing to the suit, she went inside, the feat achieved by going through the chest plate that was open. She grabbed hold of a latch, and pulled it shut. The moment it was sealed all of them heard interlocking plates slide together; followed with her locking the door with the use of latches.
A few seconds passed as she fitted into place, and the moment she was done, the suit began to move. Carefully Bliss shifted the arms and hands, everything smoothly gliding together.
“Lower it,” he said, and the suit’s bulky legs touched the floor. The Blisses stopped singing and they gazed at the construct as it remained upright. With care the suit took steps, when it showed she had no trouble keeping her balance. Bliss became more fluid with her movements, testing the limits of the suit’s ability to bend and twist. The sliding plates worked, though not perfectly. Her range of movement was still diminished, but compared to the Knights, it was a huge leap in performance.
Heart pulsing with excitement he spoke: “Begin to run about.”
She did, the movements sluggish due to its size. But the stride was great enough for it to easily traverse the room. It was rather loud though, all that heavy rock crashing against the floor. It would be worse once made of metal, but that was a cost they would have to suffer. It wasn’t like the things were being built for subtlety, they were a statement, and symbol not to be messed with.
“The Newborns are going to be touched with thrill.” He said as the suit continued to circle around the room. “Come here Bliss,” his attention focused on the suit. It stopped, and approached. “Leave it for a moment, I need to make a copy.” The latches unlocked and the chest door opened.
The moment she was away, he’d whispered to his power. A greater amount leaving him since it was copying everything, Animastones included. But in seconds the work was done, and he had two powered suits before him.
With a wave of his hand Bliss entered the new copy, latching the door shut and shifting the armor. “Hold still for a moment, its time to test the defenses.” Without another word he began to hum, first casting a maelstrom of focused wind. Wards glowed brightly where his spell struck, but nothing else, the suit remained unphased.
“Feel anything in there?” He asked, moving on to another spell, this time water and ice, which hammered against its surfaces.
His question was answered with a muffled voice, making him stop. A different Bliss answered a Breath later. “I am fine, but as you’ve noticed, the suit doesn’t have the ability to speak.”
He groaned: “That’s one more problem,” and recast his spell of water, encasing the suit in a ball of it. “Any getting through?” he asked. Though it would be a rare event for his kids to somehow end up stuck in liquid. He wanted to be sure they would survive it, since drowning was a terrible way to die.
“Yes,” a Bliss by him answered. “There’s a few spots where droplets of water are getting in, it isn’t much, but submerged long enough it will become a problem.”
‘That’s two,’ he thought with a grunt.
“Also Maker,” Bliss added. “What about air for them to breathe?”
“Air!” He shouted, such a thing to overlook. He had his excuses however; personally, it was becoming increasingly common for him to forget. He didn’t need to breathe, same with eat, or drink. His body was so saturated with Mana that its every need was taken care of. “If its sealed, how will they get air?” He thought aloud.
More problems he—the Mana—would have to figure out, either way his excitement began to wane, the suit wasn’t as ready for use as he’d originally thought.
He stopped casting his spell, and with a flick of will, had all the water vaporize. For all the abuse the suit had taken, it looked pristine. Not a scratch marring the polished stone and glowing crystals. A few changes and the suit would be a protective shell he could rely on to keep his kids safe.
“Maker?” A Bliss next to him asked, he raised a brow, motioning for her to speak. “Are the wielders of the constructs supposed to be able to fight back with this, or is this purely defense?”
What a question. But he didn’t fault her for asking it, this base model before them was merely a test, it wasn’t the final form. “Ideally both,” he answered. “I plan to make a modified Vanquisher to go with them.” Not the best against Chanters, but it would help if they ever found themselves surrounded by Nightmares; plus serve as an additional power source to draw on. “As well as a Wrathbringer, maybe, something that will allow for ranged targets to be dealt with.
Some of the Blisses gave him questioning looks: “Why not allow them to chant through the Wards?”
“Because,” he said, then stopped. He was going to say it would be too complicated, that getting Vails to somehow chant through Sigils—without harming themselves—too much for now. Unlike himself and Bliss, who worked Mana the correct way; compelling it with desires. Vails were all formulaic songs and hand movements. Then again, it wasn’t his problem to figure out. All he had to do was provide the Mana a concept to work on, and it would hopefully find a solution.
“Bliss get out of the suit; I’m going to try something.” He said, fast approaching the armor. The moment she left he made another copy. Focusing on the replica, he pictured the place where the passenger would sit, and that it would link them with Sigils. Ones that would allow them to operate the suit easily, and be able to send their own chanted spells outward.
As was the way with doing something new, the substance was slow to react. It remained still as he thought to it, compelling an act he hadn’t a clue how it would be achieved.
It began shifting a dozen or more seconds in; tendrils of power left him, and sank into the armor. Wards rippled, and stone smoothed away as the symbols shifted about. The weave realigning into new, and far more intricate pattern than before. Seconds later they glowed brightly and the pattern solidified into the stone.
Dailin motioned to Bliss to reenter: “Try a simple chant, wind, or a light orb,” then adding. “Sing it as Vails do, don’t will to the Anima.” They all nodded, as one of them entered, and the suit began to move about. It rose a hand, echoes of a hymn coming from it as they watched a ball of light manifest from the palm.
“Yes!” Dailin cheered, and Blisses hummed happily as the suit began to make more, then cast a spell of wind. With encouragement from him, she began casting more complicated chants. Barriers, then lightning that danced from stone fingers, and sent to shatter panels. No signs of resistance came from the suit, the new Sigils allowing the spells to flow through them freely.
Ears stiff with joy he watched Bliss play around with the construct. He pictured his kids, smiling gleefully as they were offered the suits, finally free to spread out, and witness all that was taking place.
The vision soothed him, one less problem, one less worry gnawing at his mind. He clapped his hands, gaining the attention of his creations. “That’s enough,” he spoke. “Time we run a few more tests and get this wonder ready for its debut.”