Fifteen Carcosan days had passed since we began our work inside the sanctuary of Kuzunoha's mansion—a space outside ti and reality, where innovation and growth flourished without interruption.
The bastioneers had transford, not just in their skill, but in their very being. Each of them, once ordinary in comparison to the eldritch threats of Carcosa, had been molded into sothing greater—a perfect synthesis of human potential and otherworldly power.
Their training had been relentless, specialized for their unique talents and roles. Every mont of those fifteen days had been dedicated to refining their minds, bodies, and souls into forces that could rival entire bastions.
Their loyalty, already unwavering, had only grown stronger. I saw it in their eyes—a quiet, reverent faith in and in what we were building together.
And that was not all. Other than their personalized cultivation, I had also utilized my newfound All-Tampering Divine Dexterity to directly influence their physical vessel.
Yes, I'm talking about a direct gene modification that was instantaneous in its effect.
Through this type of gene modification, each bastioneer now carried a fragnt of my strength—40% of what I could currently muster.
Not an exact copy, but sothing uniquely theirs. My infamous and dexterous hands, which bordered on the miraculous, had inspired adaptations in their nervous systems and motor functions, granting them speed, precision, and control beyond mortal limits.
They were now soldiers, workers, and creators—engineered for survival and for utter victory in anything they dabbled into—a superhuman whose capabilities could only be achieved through Theotech.
Of course, their enhancents didn't stop there.
They might achieve a great result without Theotech, but that doesn't an we shouldn't give them one.
Through my personal persuasion and her easy-to-abuse curious and humorous tendency, Kuzunoha's vast collection of Theotech artifacts had provided them with implants and tools that elevated their worth to near mythic proportions.
Theotech augntations—chanically ancient, miraculous, and conceptual miracles in their own right—worked symbiotically with their newly enhanced bodies, granting them abilities that bordered on the divine.
And their existential height didn't even change, so imagine if they also had elevated existence on top of that.
Though, I prefer them to have a lower level of existence than .
In so way, existential height worked similar to Level in video gas. Sotis, even if your stats are high, you will still receive a forced debuff in your performance when fighting against soone that is far outscale your numbers
And when it cos to enhancent, the bastioneers were not the only ones who got those.
Verina had undergone her own induced transformation. Her training in the mansion's specialized chambers had pushed her spellcasting to terrifying new heights, sure. Her ohrtending had already been a work of deadly beauty, but now, bolstered by a Theotech Implant that heightened her psychic sensitivity, she had ascended in ways I couldn't have imagined.
The implant granted her natural night vision, enhanced day vision, senses outside vision, and a perceptive clarity so potent that she could see the flow of spiritual energy itself without relying on her ohrtending.
Where before she needed spells to perceive the unseen, now it was as effortless as breathing—a continuous, unconscious awareness that elevated her magic to sothing otherworldly. Every bit of her progress stacked upon her already formidable gifts, multiplying her potential to levels that mirrored my own ascension, albeit on a smaller scale.
Yeah, even Viviane comnted that Verina was more than just a simple kilnalan.
It was to the point that, if we told an ohrtending expert that Verina was an ancient kilnalan from a few centuries ago, they would believe it without skipping a bit just by Verina's presence alone.
And her weapon… her lifeline musket had also been reborn.
What once was a singular musket had beco an intricate crystalline firearm-shaped catalyst—a lattice of interlinked and psionically bound crystals, glowing faintly with arcane energy.
Each crystal served as a conduit, amplifying her spells with unparalleled focus and precision. It was no longer rely a catalyst for her magic—it was an extension of her will, a conduit through which her power flowed like a river unbound.
It could also transform into different shapes like sword and shield.
Yeah, she had gone so far from our first eting. I shed tears with how she developed, and how her feelings for were still genuine after she gained so much power in such a short amount of ti.
Though, the more powerful she beca, the more bolder her teasing and flirting. Just yesterday, she locked in a hallway by hugging from behind as she snuggled .
How do I say this, it was as if she beca much more wild, like that of an animal?
I didn't mind this developnt, of course. I might have been able to open her detail screen and check her affinity level for , but her affection was nothing but genuine.
Even Charis reconfird it for , though she was a bit creeped with how layered Verina was in her words and intention.
Lupina was still Lupina. A feral wit, a sharp tongue, and the most trustworthy idiot I had ever allowed into my life.
She hadn't changed much—not outwardly—but she was sharper now, more in tune with herself and her role. If nothing else, her ability to bring lighthearted chaos into our lives was a strength that I didn't expect to have in my bastion.
Verina also felt more stable with her around, so that was good for . She was still feeling a little bit self-deprecating inside because of her head-only state, but we have already laid out our plan to transfer her soul into a Theotech Vessel after we procure one in Carcosa.
Her hope and anticipation for the future had been imnsely increased since then, and her playful joy-bringer attitude had beco even more genuine, which comfort Charis, sothing that I highly approved.
As for Charis.
She had beco even more precious to than I thought possible. The more ti I spent with her, the more I understood what it ant to have sothing—soone—worth protecting beyond all reason.
Every day, without fail, I carved out private ti for the two of us—ten hours of undivided attention, no less. In those monts, the rest of the world faded away.
I guided her education, her foundation of knowledge, and her understanding of the world—not just Carcosa, but Earth, my ho, as well. I shared stories and fairytales from my past life as Lothair, tales of knights, dragons, and heroes who fought against the darkness. Her eyes would light up with wonder, her childlike curiosity untainted by the horrors of the world around us.
I introduced her to technologies, to curious subjects like math, biology, and basic physics. She learned fast because of her unique constitution, but her child-like wonders remained instead of a cold and calculating maturity.
In return, she gave sothing I hadn't even realized I needed. Love. Pure, unfiltered love. She doted on as much as I doted on her, always quick to remind how precious I was to her, as though she knew I needed to hear it.
She was my new light—the anchor that kept tethered when the weight of my responsibilities threatened to drag under.
The voices inside my head weren't so bad when I was around her, since they too know that Charis was a single constant that won't ever betray in the future.
Speaking of a constant.
Viviane had, surprisingly, settled into her role among us. Her once sharp temper had cooled, tempered by ti and camaraderie. The bastioneers, to my amusent, had begun to view her as an elder figure—a second , though she lacked the overwhelming aura that ca with my ascension. They respected her not for her power, but for her wisdom and upright sense of justice and morality.
Even Verina and Lupina had ward to her.
After all, Viviane, despite her stoicism, was a remarkable teacher and ntor. She had taken Verina under her wing, offering her insights into magic and miracles that both Kuzunoha and I couldn't provide.
Kuzunoha also noted that Viviane's knowledge of sorcery extended beyond fae magic—it was an accumulation of traditions, techniques, and principles gathered over centuries, and she shared it willingly. As such, we had nothing but support when it ca to their new ntorship.
Kuzunoha felt a little bit betrayed though.
"The ti has finally co."
The fifteenth day culminated in a gathering within the grand hall of Kuzunoha's mansion—a sprawling, opulent chamber bathed in soft light. I stood at the head of the room, surveying the fruits of our labor with quiet pride.
The bastioneers stood before , their transformations evident in every aspect of their being.
They wore new uniforms—crafted from Neuro Alloy, the miraculous material that Kuzunoha and I had forged, was transford into psychic-sensitive threads that had been woven into form-fitting, practical designs—light enough to move freely, yet durable enough to resist the kind of damage that would obliterate lesser armor.
We nad this uniform, Mindthread.
The na was not the most apt, but it was fitting.
Bla my weird naming sense.
Their Skypiercer weapons had been upgraded beyond recognition. Now, they were multi-purpose, retractable tools capable of shifting between various forms to suit any need—from combat to utility.
In its default state, each weapon resembled an elegant crystal-shaped suitcase, its compact form belying the power it held within. We had even given them a new na—Prismforge.
Their new equipnt didn't stop there. Each bastioneer had been equipped with a geotric, modified Theotech-powered back-devices—the Multipurpose Storage Unit, or MSU.
These devices acted as psionically linked storage spaces, universalizing and conceptualizing matter to store and reconstruct items on command.
Similar to Kuzunoha's arcane storage but has a storage limit. Though, hypothetically, it could store the entirety of our forr bastion inside it.
Not stopping here, a single chanical arm extended from each unit, responding to the user's will with uncanny precision. The MSU even automated hygiene and health regulation through psionic influence, its processes governed by the Organic Calculator that inhabited it. It was, in essence, an extension of the bastioneers themselves—a tireless assistant that ensured they operated at peak efficiency.
Yes, each of these devices are Cognitive Engines that were given the Foundational Template. This is what I ant by specialized vessel for the Organic Calculator instead of just adding the Foundational Template into everything.
MSUs interacted seamlessly with their owners telepathically, forming a bond that blurred the line between human and machine. They carried tools, trinkets, and artifacts gifted by Kuzunoha from her collection, ensuring that they were prepared for any challenge Carcosa might throw at them, even without my intervention.
I planned for an easy and slow stable life, after all. Automation of capabilities was a must for the subjects who served .
Verina stood to my left, her crystalline musket resting elegantly against her shoulder. Its intricate latticework pulsed faintly with power, its crystals shimring like captured starlight.
Lupina, as ever, was carried by her best friend—smirking, biting back so playful quip that she would inevitably unleash at the worst possible mont.
Viviane lingered nearby, her presence calm and grounding. She observed the bastioneers with an appraising eye, though there was a faint hint of pride in her expression.
And then there was Charis, perched beside with her hand resting lightly on mine. Her white eyes sparkled with excitent, a small smile tugging at her lips as she looked upon the bastioneers—her family, in a sense, though she'd never say it outright.
At the center of it all stood Kuzunoha. She had returned to her gothic lolita attire—black and red lace, a crimson scarf draped elegantly around her neck. Her ornate umbrella rested against her shoulder, its intricate patterns casting faint shadows across the room. She looked every bit the eccentric collector she claid to be, though there was no mistaking the power she radiated.
"Well," Kuzunoha said with a smile, her crimson eyes gleaming as she extended her hand. The air around her shimred, rippling with magic as an enormous arcane portal began to form. "Let's return to that wretched world, shall we?"
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