Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

It was truly an honor to undertake such a project with one of the kin.

"I'm not even mad y'know, even I kinda want to see the big lump defy Law," Kongyou whispered. "But c'mon, you know you're the one doing all of the work."

The young lord's insight into his own nature was what made the project possible.

"We both know that's a lie."

Launching objects through explosive thrust was not the same. No matter how enjoyable it might be. Any cultivator could hurl an object far and high, and allow its own natural interaction with the Law of Earth to guide it down. Even a mortal child could throw a rock.

"And giving it its own guidance after the throw ain't nothing huh?"

"Mere application of forces," Xuan Shi replied. "A mere application of divinatory principles.."

His kind had long developed arrays to improve the accuracy and firing arc of their shell bound weaponry, those arrays, able to draw on the bottomless well of an upper realm Xuan Wu's qi, could achieve levels of predictive fire impossible for any human cultivator short of a Sovereign. His efforts were merely playing in his ancestors yard, taking the autonomous systems designed for his reactive plating and applying them to projectiles to allow some control mid fall.

A child throwing stones indeed.

"Man, I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing here some days," Kongyou lamented.

True flight was the realm of Shen, and though he had spoken some exaggeration he did not truly think to achieve that at his realm. It was enough to find ways to mimic the mundane flight of birds and other beasts.

"With giant jets of fire."

It was still only manipulation of forces, not their command. He would not give himself to hubris, as Kongyou desired.

"...Yeah. Yep. You've definitely got me. No hubris in your head," Kongyou grumbled.

He inclined his head. Kongyou could be a good companion in their way, but it was important not to forget their nature.

"Young Lord, this one inquires after your preparations," he said aloud, turning from the overlook of the hill they had chosen for their testing, pulling his eyes away from the mirror-like surface of the lake in the distance.
"It feels weird on Gui, like his legs will get stuck on the ringy thingies," the lower self, Gui complained.

"Cease whining, stubborn Gui! It is your fault it took so long to put on!" Zhen, the higher self scolded.

All around him, the scholars of his entourage stepped back. Fitted to the rim of his shell, where his limbs would extend and withdraw from, were ceramic fittings, fluted, curved tubes of sculpted material, assembled from carefully sculpted and layered tiles, connected by highly flame resistant metal. Each of the four was fitted to a harness, stretched around the width of his shell, and connected to a wide, circular control plate installed over the center of his shelled chest. The power matrix, and the vibrantly glowing green spirit stones installed there were a structural weakness. In battle it would be too easy to target for an enemy.

But this was only a test prototype, that was a flaw which could be ironed out once the project's base functions proved sound.

"Do thy limbs catch, your scales chafe? This is worth concern. If the movements of the body were to dislodge a plate, the overall array will be much weakened," Xuan Shi said, brushing politely past one of the younger scholars to examine the fittings himself.

"I, Zhen, do not think so, my friends made the adjustments many times."

"We have been as exacting as possible, young lord, Sir Xuan," said the eldest among them, bowing so low his beard nearly swept the dusty ground.

"...Scholar friend did well," Gui said grudgingly. There were nerves in his voice, Xuan Shi thought. One trunk-like forelimb withdrew into his shell, leaving the fluted funnel installed around it to compress together without resistance. His leg folded back out, and the plates stretched apart on the wires, just as they should. "It just feels weird."

Xuan Shi let out a breath of relief. If they had truly stumbled at the mere fitting…

"You woulda knuckled under and started over again," Kongyou snorted. "You'll grind your hands to paste on a workbench before you abandon an idea you've invested this much into."

… He would have likely locked himself in the workshop for weeks again, going over the details. Bloody minded obsession with a project was often a vice of the Xuan clan.

"These fine scholars must away, to the sheltering nest at the hill's base, to withstand the young lord's rise," he said aloud instead. He was slowly growing better at expressing himself clearly, the blunt directness, and small vocabulary of the imperial tongue still did not sit easy on his tongue though. It was difficult to shape his words into its confines.

"Will it truly be so dangerous," the elder scholar said, stroking his beard. Xuan Shi recognized an academic's fascination in his eyes. A good man and subordinate.

"Yes," Zhengui, both selves said firmly.

"I, Zhen, can feel the amplifying power of these false channels, wrapped around his scales."

"It will get very hot. Please go down to the nest Gui and Handyman made for you, friends," Gui said more kindly.

There were murmurs of agreement then, the men and women descending the hill, toward the dome of raised and fused stone blocks he had made, entwined under a layer of slowly pulsing living wood. By all means, it should shield even lower realms and mortals from anything short of the focused malicious efforts of a peak third realm.

It was a little quickly and haphazardly put together, but to his shame he had not considered their presence until the last moment.

"Ready, Sir Zhengui?"

"You will not go too?"

"This one will endure," Xuan Shi shrugged. He was Xuan, and if he allowed himself some pride, skilled in defensive arts.

"Hmph, as you like," Zhen huffed. Slowly Zhengui pulled all of his limbs in. Xuan Shi watched closely. Nothing caught, none of the plates were misaligned or loose.

He took only a few respectful steps back as he felt the temperature begin to soar, magmatic light flared from every seam in sir Zhengui's scales as he rerouted his flames, not from their usual points of egress, but to the channels in his limbs.

Xuan Shi clapped a hand onto his hat as the dull but deafening roar of flames erupted, scorching bare dirt, cleared for the purpose. Red, orange, pale gold and flickering green, then, as the formations flared to life across the funnel plating, a core of blinding blue and white. Plumes of smoke and dust rose, a cloud of grit erupted outward, sizzling and impacting on his robes and hat as he lowered his head, heat enough to cook a mortal to char wafting out in a shimmering wave.

And a high spiked shell rose, vibrating into the air, ponderous and wobbling, jets of flame visible from within the cloud. Xuan Shi felt his heart soar in pride.

The deafening bang that erupted rung in his ears like a gong, as white hot shards of ceramic shot in every direction like the grapeshot of a cities defense caster, whipping past him, shattering on impact with his body and burying themselves in wood and stone for hundreds of meters around. He waved his hand, dispelling the blastwave that followed on their heels.

And Zhengui crashed back to earth with a tremendous thump.

"Oooooooh, such a loud bang."

He grimaced, hanging his head.

"Pfft, like you were gonna get it on the first try," Kongyou drawled. "But dang was that a cool sight yeah, be cooler to see him way higher before he falls next time!"

Arrogance. Were the material tolerances too low, were the artificial channels in the talisman not shaped correctly to his qi? "This one's deepest apologies young lord."

"Ugh…. I, Zhen, will forgive you, since it worked! But you must make the next one sturdier!"

He supposed that he would.