No Need for a Core?

Mordecai smiled at the three young people who were waiting patiently for their well-earned prizes in the otherwise empty main hall. "You all did very well, and I am proud of all of you. I am happy to say that I can give you everything I had been planning originally, and more besides. Let's begin with Fuyuko."

The first thing he handed her appeared to just be a large patch of leather. The bemused girl stared at it for a long moment before Mordecai prompted her, "Put it on your armor, the rest will take care of itself." She did so, applying the patch through one of the gashes in her outer shirt's sleeves. A change in her armor rippled out from there as the leather thickened and shifted, then changed into a matte texture that looked similar to velveteen, though a very close examination would reveal a sub-layer with a tiny scale-like pattern. Then the armor rippled and her current clothing was absorbed while the armor grew a loose, knee-length skirt of similar material, in addition to the armor's legs.

"Sometimes I forget that some things can be issues that I don't normally care about," Mordecai admitted a little sheepishly. "This seems to be more the style you prefer, though the previous form is still available and there are a few other options you should experiment with later, including the ability to hide itself as a choker if you want to have it available while wearing something else. But there is also an important new feature: You can have your armor absorb up to three outfits of your choice. Once you have done so, it can assume any of those forms while still providing you with protection. While this might seem similar to what your hat does, there are a few key differences. Your hat is very flexible but uses purely illusion. Your armor will actually change its physical form, but the change is only semi-real thanks to the application of the proper shadow and dream magics. So it exists as both the armor and the clothing simultaneously. But be careful about the clothing you pick; while you can always add a new outfit, it has to replace one of the existing three outfits, and you don't get that outfit back. Any materials or workmanship will be gone. Enchantments are a little more unpredictable, but I certainly wouldn't risk anything I really wanted or needed."

He gave her a moment to examine herself before he gave her the next part of her prize, a pair of bracers. "These are based on my own and can store weapons in addition to summoning a shield of force as needed. They are already keyed to your daggers and bow. Additionally, there are a pair of longer swords and a pair of very special guns already stored in them. This does put them at their limit, so your ring for obfuscating carried weapons might still be useful in the future. Now, put them on and summon the guns."

Fuyuko strapped the bracers into place on her forearms, and her daggers immediately disappeared, leaving her with a pair of empty sheathes. But she could sort of feel their presence, along with the presence of new weapons. It took a little bit of practice to get right, but once she latched onto the mental sensation correctly, the two guns appeared in her hands. She frowned as she looked the strange weapons over. She had seen guns before even if she'd never touched one, but there were several bits missing.

"Now," Mordecai said, "according to some of the research papers we've been gifted, there have been several attempts to make guns enchanted to automatically load themselves as they are fired, but there were several difficulties that made it impractical. I went a different route, though it had the difficulty of being able to forge metal able to withstand the intense pressures." And that had been quite the challenge to find a steel alloy that could work. Adamantine would do the job even better, but he couldn't produce that much adamantine for dungeon use yet, let alone enough as loot to make a weapon out of.

"Inside the gun is a small portal to a high-pressure area of the elemental plane of water. Pulling the trigger conjures a small bit of the water into the back end of the barrel where it is frozen into a bullet before the pressure of the chamber is released. While the ice bullet doesn't have the penetrating power of a metal bullet, its primary purpose is to serve as a solid head to the high-pressure water stream. At the pressures released when the triggers are pulled, the water stream can pierce metal and stone. Additionally, the weapons have been sanctified and any creatures struck by the water will suffer the effects of both normal weapon sanctification and holy water. They have a greater range than your daggers, but fall far short of how far your longbow can fire, so they cover a nice mid-range."

As a wide-eyed Fuyuko dismissed the dangerous weapons, Mordecai presented a quiver to her. "Any arrows you store in here for at least a full day will be imbued with an aura that will let them act like both cold iron and silvered weapons. The aura only lasts for a few seconds after you fire them, so only draw them when you need to. Additionally, it can store a lot more arrows than it should, and several times per day it can imbue an arrow with a minor utility enchantment, such as becoming a grappling arrow, producing a magic light where it strikes, or creating a trip line. There are a few others, the full list is in a pocket on the side of it."

The expressions the three of them wore made him happy, but Mordecai wasn't done with Fuyuko quite yet. "And finally, I have a bit of jewelry for you. There are multiple forms I might be able to make it in, but I think an earring will work best. Do you mind having your ear pierced?"

Fuyuko shook her head, "No, that's fine I think."

Mordecai nodded. "This will be easier if you kneel." While the tall girl dropped to one knee, dungeon mana coalesced into a pattern that he and Kazue had been working on for a while. The earring was a deceptively simple platinum loop inlaid with a single line of crystal. But that crystal was purple and gold Core crystal, specifically designed to resonate with their actual core. He felt a bit of relief when the intended enchantment snapped into place in the matrix, and Fuyuko only winced slightly as he used a conjured silver needle to pierce her ear before affixing the earring. As her innate fast healing had begun to manifest with the awakening of her power, the hole should close shortly. The silver of the needle had slowed the healing enough for him to get the earring in place properly.

"This earring has a communication enchantment much like the rings you three share, but unlike the rings, it can only hold one link. It is connected to our core, and will allow you to send messages from a great distance if needed." He shrugged before continuing. "It's technically a gamble as you have not formally agreed to become our contractor, but I think if you did choose otherwise you would be willing to trade it back to us for something of sufficient value."

Fuyuko rose slowly and her hand twitched as she forced herself to not touch the fresh piercing. "I, um, thank you. That seems like somethin' very important, even if it's not as powerful the way that the others are."

"You are correct. And it's something we want to give to both Bellona and Kazue's avatar. It's nowhere near as powerful as our link to Moriko, but we wanted to be able to speak with you when you are training elsewhere as well and we've seen how useful it has been to be able to communicate with Moriko. Oh, and while the connection is only to the core, that's where our tie to Moriko resides, so you will be able to talk to her directly, though not without us hearing it as the connection runs through us. The same will apply to Bellona and Kazue's avatar if we can figure out how to get earrings to them." He caught their puzzled expressions and answered the question before they asked, "It's made using core matrix crystal to attune it and let it link from a very long distance. I can't lay that enchantment on normal materials and expect it to work nearly as well, so it's a dungeon-make-only item and not something I can craft manually."

That was the last of the prizes for Fuyuko, so now it was time for Shizoku. "Your first prize is for Bip, I think he'll like it." He presented what appeared to be a strangely slick piece of crystal, despite it being dry to the touch. The kitsune took the crystal while watching him through narrow eyes, but he simply smiled. He wasn't going to tell her beforehand, he wanted to let her be surprised. She knew it wouldn't be anything bad.

She eventually gave in and fed the weird crystal to Bip, who made happy burbly noises for a moment before suddenly freezing. The slime's skin flashed several different colors as a crystalline texture hardened on that surface and then liquefied again. After that, he extended a small pseudo pod that hardened into a crystal structure before ringing with a clean, clear note.

While Shizoku gaped, Mordecai explained, "This gives him some of the abilities that Klastoria has, though he still won't be able to grow bigger. It won't make him much more powerful, but given how much he seemed to be enjoying making music with you, I thought it would be appropriate."

While she was examining the changes to her familiar, Mordecai produced a bundle of cloth. "I think these will make appropriate adventuring clothes for you. These are made of a blend of spider silk and mithral thread, and in between the outer layer and in the lining there is a hidden third layer of tiny metallic scales. I have noticed that you prefer robes unless the environment makes them difficult, so that is their base form, but they also have the ability to transform into a one-piece outfit with a split skirt that ends a little above the ankle. Like Fuyuko's armor, it has a storage form of a choker. Also, it has pockets."

The kitsune looked happy to receive the clothing but looked suspicious when he added that last line. "What sort of pockets?"

"Yes."

That obtuse answer took her a few moments to process before her eyes widened with the realization of what he could mean. "How many?"

"A minimum of thirteen, if you are storing very large items. But if you want to store a bunch of smaller items like alchemical ingredients, you can subdivide them as much as you want. The only limits are that it always has the same capacity, and you have to have a slightly different spot assigned to each pocket."

She looked delighted at the idea but set it down with the rest of her gear for now since she couldn't change into it immediately. By the time she came back, he had her next prize ready. "This is a rifle designed using the same concept as Fuyuko's smaller guns, but with several changes to make it very useful for you. The size alone means that you will have a greater range, and there are some enchantments to help with that. But the weapon's own damage isn't its main use. This section of crystal on the side here is designed to be charged with a spell, and it will channel that charge into the next bullet fired. It can't hold that charge for very long, but it is long enough for you to set up a shot. It will deliver that spell charge to wherever it hits, allowing you to effectively extend the range of some of your spells. Similarly, this port is designed to accept an alchemical vial, and when closed it will teleport that vial into position to be encased in the bullet and will operate similarly. It does have a safety to not allow both to operate at the same time as magically charging ice with a spell while the ice contains an infused alchemical bomb sounds like a recipe for disaster."

He might be willing to create a less safe version for himself eventually, but only after he'd spent a few years extensively testing different combinations.

"I have no idea how to use this," Shizoku muttered even as she began carefully examining it.

"Which is why I will give you some training starting tomorrow. But we aren't done yet, two more items for you. The first is a pair of bracers," which appeared on top of her new robes. They looked more ornamental than protective, with dark bronze bands that wrap around the forearm. "The left one can be attuned to hold your staff, and the right one is already attuned to your new gun."

Shizoku put her new weapon down carefully with her other gear and then turned back to find Mordecai holding a cube of a cloudy white crystal. She stepped forward to examine it but it was clear she didn't know what to make of it.

"Unattuned, unliving core matrix," Mordecai said when she reached for the crystal. He made sure to maintain his grip on it until she recovered from her surprise. "No enchantments, no special purpose. Yours to experiment with and craft into whatever you can design."

"Sun and Moons Mordecai," Shizoku swore, "that's just crazy. Did you hand this out as prizes before?"

"No, but I never thought to do so before. And I have good cause to trust the heir apparent to the Azeria clan." Mordecai said, and when the other two turned to stare at Shizoku he innocently added, "Oh, did you not mention exactly who your gran gran is?"

Shizoku scowled at him even as she made sure to hold the crystal close. "I'd have told them. Eventually. And what do you mean?"

"Well, don't you think I should be able to trust my own bloodline?" Technically it was Aia's right to decide when to tell Shizoku, but Mordecai didn't really want to hold on to this secret. Traxalim made his relationship to Mordecai semi-public already, and this was significantly more private than that had been. And this too was a prize, a gift of knowledge.

One that came with a small side benefit for him. This was probably the best series of expressions he'd yet seen cross the emotionally spiky teenager's face as she pulled together a bunch of different facts. Then about the time she was beginning to recover, he added, "Oh, and when you next talk to your patron, let Norumi know that her father sends his love."

While the kitsune recovered her equilibrium, Mordecai took the time to briefly cover an explanation of what he was talking about for Fuyuko and Derek. Shizoku sighed when she finished processing it all. "I assume Gran Gran already knows? And that's why she was so confident about coming here?"

"Correct. Now, are you satisfied with your prizes?"

When she nodded, Mordecai moved on to Derek. "I had to modify my planned prize for you, but I think the additional enchantments should work." A small crate appeared next to Derek's other gear. "Inside of that, you will find some special armor and a shield. It's a blend of mycelium and spider silk that can protect you as well as chainmail can, and the main body reinforcement is equivalent to a chest plate. The shield is made of the same material but crafted to be rigid. Additionally, it's all been treated and enchanted to resist fire, and there are crystals embedded in the armor and shield that are too small to be seen, along with some splinters of the elemental wood you summoned earlier. If you summon your wood armor and shield, it will be partially absorbed, leaving only a thin layer of wood over the armor. The absorbed portion will go to repairing this armor."

As he continued to speak, Derek opened the crate to examine the armor. "There is also a helmet that goes with the set. It has a core of metal and crystals and uses the substrate and silk blend as both padding on the inside and to cover the metal core on the outside. While it does protect about as well as any other helm, that was something I was able to add to the base design. Its primary purpose is to act as an amplifier for channeling your powers. A small portion of that amplification is effectively free, coming from the enchantments themselves, but you can also push the amplification and use it to draw more power from you at once than you normally could. This is dangerous, so I don't want you to even practice it without supervision by somebody who can intervene if you draw on your stamina too much. Do you understand?"

After Derek acknowledged the warning, Mordecai let him know about some additional abilities of this outfit. "The helmet can transform to appear as a simple steel circlet with a quartz in the front. It will still be fully functional in this form, though it needs to transform back to protect your head properly. Similarly, the shield can transform into a left bracer, and the armor can transform into a right bracer. The armor is designed to fit over most clothing, though some things like cloaks will be pushed out instead."

Mordecai would have liked to give Derek a direct weapon, but if the boy couldn't use his powers he probably didn't have the strength to wield a normal weapon either, so he figured it would be best to let the boy focus on practicing with his conjured weapon.

"Now, I also have some utility items for you to bring you roughly up to par with the gear that these two have. One cloak, enchanted to ward against most weather and to keep you from getting too hot or too cold. One haversack with plenty of handy expanded space pockets and that is already loaded with survival gear and some really good rations. Boots with basic utility enhancement to protect your feet and keep your footing, and also designed to merge with your armor when it is out. And a bandoleer designed to hold potions and alchemical items and keep them readily accessible. I've also stocked it with a set of some of our most potent healing and restorative potions and elixirs. These are something you should be prepared to have available."

Derek looked a little troubled, and at Mordecai's encouragement asked, "Sir, these are very nice, and I understand that I should learn to use my powers so I don't make any mistakes with them. But I wasn't planning on becoming a mercenary or anything like that."

"Well," Mordecai began thoughtfully, "That's not exactly the only reason why you might need this sort of equipment. For one thing, if you are going to start doing proper delves on the combat path, you will need this gear." Now, how to phrase this right without pushing things. "And I think you like spending time with Shizoku. It will be a long time before she possibly takes up the mantle of Matriarch, and I have no doubt that Aia will have interesting training or tasks for her in that time. If you think you might want to travel with her and help out, you are going to need these exact same supplies. It is always good to be prepared after all, and it certainly won't hurt to have it available."

The boy was able to accept that explanation, so Mordecai had a bunkin show Shizoku and Derek their rooms for this stay. Fuyuko still had the same one. "Go, take baths, get sleep, come out for food. Try out and show off your new gear. Have fun, you've all earned it and more." There were also letters from Shizoku's and Derek's families waiting for them, but he felt it best to not announce that in front of the girl without any such letters.