Two days after Auster and Orcnig visited them the three Mitchells said farewell to Ragnar for a short while, he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the festival while under the effect of the array while the Mitchells had all been able to shrug off the deleterious effects now. They promised to bring him back some tasty treats and trinkets if they found some.
They made their way down through the tunnels and joined a building stream of Stonewaller’s all heading in the same direction. On the middle layer, at the natural depth of the canyon without going below was the centre of the civilisation. Here were the most of the shops and amenities for the population, the council offices where Lucy had been charged and the grand indoor market that Kyra had spent a lot of time in.
The indoor market was where everyone was headed now. It was a giant catacombs with what looked like giant bubbles carved out of the rock with pillars left between, the size of a half dozen football stadiums.
They stopped with the huge crowd before the large doors to the catacombs. The doors were barred by Stonewallers wearing multi-hued chain mail. The street was packed as far as the eye could see with a friendly, playful atmosphere as everyone was excited to go in.
An ancient looking Stonewaller came out of the massive doors. Supported by Orcnig. The older Stonewaller was walking laboured, the physicality of the Stonewallers had been affected over the years by the array. All stonewallers had almost perfectly spherical heads and a pill shaped body. Their arms and legs were incredibly long and thin, belying the strength they had. The ageing process on the unique people seemed to make walking difficult. The old Stonewaller had his legs bent so far that his knees were almost level with his shoulders. Orcnig was having to hold him under both arms to help him shuffle walk forward.
It might have been easier for him to walk if he was not wearing a ceremonial stone mail robe. Around his neck and shoulders the teardrops of stone began in the light colour of the surface stone on top of the canyon, down his body it changed through the spectrum of hues of rock round down into the depths of Stonewall, at the bottom was the dark almost black rock where they met the constant tide of elemental monsters.
“People of Stonewall!” He began in a loud but shaky voice. “Another mark in our calendar and another note in our history. We join together to celebrate each others successes and company. We are fortunate to have built a society that comes together rather than fracture in our isolation. Tonight is a chance to see the best of what we do here, eat, dance and see wonders. This is an opportunity to deepen our community. Enter and be joyful.”
Everyone was silent listening in respect to the old Stonewaller. James leant in to Kyra who has spent more time amongst the population than the rest of them had.
“Any idea who that was?” He whispered quietly to her while politely clapping as the doors opened, trying to hide the question under the noise.
“He is the elder.” A small Stonewaller child said excitedly. He has been paying close attention to the outsiders, finding them fascinating. “He is the oldest of us, outliving everyone’s grandparents! My grandnan said he outlived her grandnan!”
James smiled down at the excited child and pulled a sweet out of his waist pouch. Getting the nod from the boys parents he handed it over and waved as they moved off on the crowd inside the catacomb.
“There you go.” Kyra replied. “The elder, couple hundred years old by the sound of it.”
“Doesn’t look a day over two hundred.” Lucy joked.
They let themselves be swept forward with the crowd inside. The halls inside had been specially decorated. Normally lit up with the ever present glow lamps tonight they had been lit with tiny glowing stars on the ceiling, twinkling after one another with shifting patterns like starlings flying in formation blocking the hundreds of tiny lights.
They stopped to admire the lights having not seen them in all their time in the city and a stonewaller stepped over a rope that kept the crowd from the very edge and approached them.
“Well met outsiders. Welcome. This is mine and my families contribution tonight, we have been growing light worms for many cycles and have successfully bred them with the rock fungus to make the ceiling you see before you.
“It’s beautiful.” Kyra said to him and the poor stonewaller’s perfectly round, bald head turned red.
James looked around then seeing no one was too close whispered to Lucy. “How do you breed a worm with a fungus?!”
“Are you new here? Magic!” She replied wiggling her fingers at him in a very witchy way.
They made their way out of the first ‘hall’ sphere in the catacombs. Their construction made it an organised space with dozens of spheres, most of the spheres seemed to be hosting another presentation of artistry or effort from the stonewallers. Each presentation proudly has the creator standing with it.
Kyra had to be dragged away from a series of crystals that had been grown to change shape and colour to form the different naturally occurring gems such as sapphire, emerald, Ruby and diamond all from one crystal.
James was especially taken with the food, they hadn’t seen how or where it was grown down here in the caves but they knew that it was a special trade for the stonewallers and they had a wide selection of treats on display, all free to come and try.
Lucy was fascinated by the control of elemental magic in some of the displays. A master earth mover had formed a liquid earth that did a few things, there was a floating column of it in the air both boiling on the outside but in its rolling she saw the rime on the core as its was exposed here and there. It dripped from the tip at the bottom onto the floor and shoot out to form a ring which then jumped like fire, the tips of the flickering ‘flame’ jumping up to rejoin the sculpture.
As they did the rounds Lucy pulled a recording Crystal from a pocket, it had engravings on it where she had altered it to work in the material array with her enhanced understanding. There was music in a collection of five or six exhibits then a smooth changeover to music coming from a different direction from another source with no confliction.
They eventually came across the core of the room, working their way inwards from the edges, they had been there hours already enjoying what was around. The centre was reserved for what Stonewall did best, weapons and armour.
The first pieces they came across were the most recent trainees, still amazing works, with function and style they had seen worse works in the ‘master’ armourers in Vitesse.
There was a spiral pattern to the exhibits now, so every piece could be seen and judged by the masses, as they went forward the crowd got thicker and thicker. There were thousands of people here but the grand space let them naturally ebb and flew, this congregation was new.
They finally made their way forward, in no hurry, to see why there was such a crowd. The penultimate exhibit was by the Master Orcnig, it proudly showed the finished weapon they had traveled here to have made for the contract. It was a huge machine, two four-barrelled anti-aircraft looking guns were mounted on a rotating platform. Each had their own rotating platform for independent movement and the left gun had a mounted seat on the left side, the right gun on the right. It was massive like it belonged on the deck of an American World War Two battleship and it filled the space in the sphere blocking the view to the one behind.
The flow of foot traffic has slowed to a crawl, they weren’t so much moving forward but bunching up with the crowd. When they could see around the gun their curious mood changed. James was the first to see as the Stonewallers were much taller than the girls in the crowd. He slapped his hands together loudly, sending out a wedge of directed aura at the same time startling the Stonewallers who had never felt anything like it. He pushed into the gap pulling the girls with him. As they got to the front Kyra could see why he had been so rude. Teddy was at the centre on this sphere, draped across a table with a covered mannequin on it. He looked half dead, sunken eyes and cheeks, he looked like he was trying to maintain some dignity by propping himself up on one elbow but didn’t have the strength. His eyes were distant until he saw Kyra then they saw the blaze behind them. She rushed to him pulling him into an embrace.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
She had been keeping an eye on him on the interface and saw that he still had full health, now that she grabbed him a new info box popped up.
Theodore Mitchell is suffering from [Dimensional Discorporation]
The ongoing effect of subjecting the user to intense Dimension effects has caused damage to the body.
[Dimensional Discorporation] resists healing and will heal in time.
“How did you do this to yourself?!” She whispered as she held him.
“His powers.” Lucy said. “They’re not dangerous in short bursts, we spoke about this before when we were working together. I warned him about going too far down here on his own. We all felt the effects of the array. But to him, while we’ve been down here for weeks that’s more like months for him how he sees the passage of time when actively using his powers.”
“He has been committed to the craft since he arrived.” Orcnig rumbled, the others hadn’t seen him in their haste to get to Teddy. “We thought to stop him from his work when we saw how he was weakening, he became… insistent.” He showed the welt of a healing wound, the width of Teddy’s dimension blade. “But he was right to persevere, his last work, for we will certainly not allow him to start anew, is his greatest yet.”
Teddy was slumped between Orcnig and the mannequin with the cover on. The master armourer leant over Teddy to pull the sheet but Teddy’s arm blurred and got there first. He paused for a moment as if pulling the sheet was more effort than he had and then he looked Kyra in the eye while he pulled it down. The crowd oo’d at the reveal and Kyra broke his gaze to look up.
The mannequin was wearing a set of armour, it was clearly female, figure hugging in the way that Marvell portrayed female comic book superheroes with the slim waist that hour-glass figure. The base colour was the dark steel he had used in his armour so far. But there was so much detail it didn’t look plain. The now familiar Bahumut scale was evident in patches of black on the inside of its arms and thighs. White enamel highlighted curves of the thighs and waist, the armoured boots and gloves were the same glacial white with the upper section of the torso in a line above the breast. The most striking feature on the armour however was the abundance of diamond. Two straps of diamond covered the top of the boots, six V shapes of diamonds tracked up the outside of each of the calves and thighs with equal spacing between them. The kneecaps had a large rounded diamond on each with a V either side. The abs of the armour were covered in interlocking plates of diamond sheets with tactical plates of diamond on the sternum and upper chest. Shoulder caps of diamond lead down to two Vs of diamond on each upper arm and the forearms were white enamel but had been mostly covered by two diamond plates from either side.
The overall look was a cross between a marvel hero and a sexy space marine that had spared no expense on materials.
Teddy was still looking at Kyra when she met his eyes again. He made a sound like he was trying to clear his voice and managed to croak out.
“To keep you safe.” Then he fell asleep in her arms.
Kyra stroked his head. She looked back at the armour, curious to see what made it so special that it has cost Teddy so much, other than the fact it looked incredible. She reached out with a finger and touched it.
Item: [The Diamond Maiden] (bronze rank [growth], legendary)
A bespoke set of armour, crafted with care and thought from exotic materials. The creator’s deep bond to the recipient has shaped the design on an intrinsic level. The need of the creator to protect the recipient cost him deeply in the making. The end result is armour that will actively protect the wearer to the best of the makers current ability.
Effect: Heavy armour that can deflect the strongest blows of its rank. The magic imbued within the exotic material is recharged by ambient magic to provide a reservoir of power to negate magic based attacks.
Effect: Diamond of the Void. Diamond panels integrated into the armour are subject to a mild gravitational effect, incoming attacks both physical and magical are either mildly repelled or attracted to the Mystic Diamond. The Mystic Diamond being a magical variant of natural occurring diamond absorbs far more damage negating the force of the blow. When enough damage has been received the ruined Mystic Diamond can be rejected from the armour and a new panel will form from dimensional storage built into the armour specifically for this purpose. Mystic Diamond reservoir will periodically need to be replaced in the built in storage. (Alternate panel rejection is to forcefully explode, the damage caused is reflective of the damage sustained by the panel).
Effect: The magic imbued within the exotic material is recharged by ambient magic to provide a reservoir of power to provide a burst of speed. The mana cost of this speed burst is high.
Orcnig looked concerned as she touched the armour. “Mrs Mitchell, while this armour is undoubtedly yours, we would be grateful if the exhibit could stand until the end of the festival. It stands as a potential marking point, a change in our culture. We have shunned the outside world for too long but this may be a sign to welcome others back in.”
“Sure, if it means there’s a chance to help your people to expand their culture again then I can’t say no, we’ll wait nearby. James?”
James summoned his Staff of the Everglades. He had used it already down below and was confident it would work here. He got a lot of attention, this centre section was crammed full of those who’s life was about weapons and armour. He planted it in the smooth rock floor and to all outsiders the Mitchells simply disappeared.
Inside the glade Kyra laid Teddy down in a mossy bed. He looked more restful just from being in the glade. She looked around, normally the glade had tall trees and sunshine. In here however it was luminescence covered rock with giant mushrooms and moss everywhere. There were the roots of the trees winding around the rocks on the outside of the glade.
Kyra wanted to stay with Teddy but said to the others they could leave, she gave Lucy a list of what exhibits she found interesting incase there were any of the items or art for sale.
When James and Lucy emerged they found themselves surrounded by goggling onlookers. James ignored them and looked at Orcnig. “We’ll be back for the armour at the end of the festival.”
They then made their way out of the crowd that was still inspecting the armour. The headline exhibit of the entire festival that their master armourer deemed good enough and it was forged by an outsider.
They wandered around for a few hours, stocking up on food that went into storage and items and art from the talent on display.
They made their way back to the armour in the centre and the glade just next to it. There was still a healthy crowd and Orcnig stood like he was guarding the armour. On their arrival he took down the mannequin of the display and passed it to James.
“If Mrs Mitchell would do us the honour of wearing the armour?” He asked.
James nodded and took the mannequin and he and Lucy headed into the glade.
Teddy was sat up, looking better already for having a few hours sleep. Kyra has made him a cup of tea from the supplies scattered about in the glade.
“Orcnig has asked you to model this on your way out.” James said to Kyra as her eyes went to the armour. “You feeling better bro?”
“Getting there, pretty beat up to be honest. Gonna take me a few days, some sunshine would help.” He smiled weakly.
“Sure thing, we’ll get you out of here and up top.”
James pointed to a curtain of Ivy that conveniently blocked off a small cave to the side that no one has noticed yet and Kyra went over to get changed.
“Teddy you’ve made some incredible things down here!” Lucy said. Showing that she was wearing the bracers and the sword hilt tucked into its dimensional scabbard placed in the wand holster.
Teddy again smiled weakly. “Thankyou, I’m spent for now but there’s a few more surprises coming from the other students. I’ve had to lend the Serenity to them for the time being. It’ll be ready in a day or so.”
Kyra came out of the curtain and took away Teddy’s breath. She looked like a comic book hero. The armour fit her perfectly, sculpted to her lean athletic body. She turned around showing off the glinting diamond, her long golden blond hair was in a thick plait which curved and reached her waist, the divine beads given by hero hadn’t been affected by the array and stayed in her hair and also glinted in the light reflecting it from somewhere and adding the faint haze of divinity. James frowned.
“It’s impressive, but not exactly subtle.”
“James. You just described my wife even without the armour.”
“Oh, in that case good job!”
“It’s form fitting enough she can just put travellers robes over the top if she needs to blend in.”
“Fat chance.” Kyra interjected. “This armour is glorious. It even makes my ass look good, what armour does that?!”
“It’s to protect you, not make you more of a target K. Orcnig wasn’t sure of the design layout, he said they don’t really make armour like that on this world.”
“All I just heard after my comment is ‘out of this world’ so I’m going to assume you’re talking about my ass.”
Teddy sighed. “Yes K that’s about what I said. Shall we?”
He held a hand up to be helped up by James and he leant on James’s elbow as they exited the glade.
Immediately outside they saw they were met by a row of council members.
“Mitchells, the time has come for you to follow us.”