ULTRAMagic Prelude

Chapter 26

Blood-Wraith was relaxing in his room of the palace, mulling over his thoughts about everything that had happened so far. Fortunately he was feeling a lot better, but his self-reflection was interrupted by Darkness swinging open the door with a smile on his face. "Blood! Can I borrow you for a moment?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Come, we'll walk and talk." Darkness led his brother through the halls, passing by the others. "...so my verdict is that you're not invincible. You can't die, but your form can be damaged to the point where you're forced to reincarnate and that would lead to complications. Did you notice anything at the Metal Oasis?"

Blood-Wraith thought back as they boarded a lift. "Well, my body did start to crack as I got battered around... the metal parts."

"Did they heal afterwards?"

"Yeah. It was a bit uncomfortable while healing though."

The lift was going deep below the surface. Everything was rocky with glowing veins all over the place. "Honestly I feel you need some armor, at the bare minimum. I think I got the perfect idea in mind, but we'll need to do some testing. Plus you'll probably feel a lot better knowing you got some form of protection."

At the bottom, Darkness dissolved into the environment. "Hey, Darkness? Where'd you go?" Blood-Wraith asked as he looked around.

"Don't fret, I'm all around you. Consider this my brain if you will. Shall we proceed to the training room?"

The chamber presented to Blood-Wraith was gigantic. It was made of white stone, with the veins pulsing in alternating colors. A rhythmic beating could also be heard. Platforms, columns, and steps appeared and shifted all over the place. Blood-Wraith was amazed by this and the beauty of the chamber as a whole. It was like he was in a different realm. He walked around until he encountered another pool of black goo, much like the one he had seen on the surface.

"I don't have to get in, do I?"

"Yes, but it's for a good reason. I need to study your... everything so I know what I need to do."

Blood-Wraith took a breath and exhaled. "Alright, let's get this over with..." The viscous substance quickly pulled him under. Once he was secure and comfortable, Darkness got to work. The procedure was gentle and careful, seeing what made Blood-Wraith tick. It tested his durability and briefly activated each of his alternate forms. Being inside the blood was weird and hard to describe. Blood-Wraith did not have a frame of reference for the experience, but could say that it was like a prolonged hug... that poked and prodded at him.

He shuddered a little back in the chamber. "That was strange... what did you find out?"

"You're weird..." Darkness stated bluntly. "...but I do have something in mind." A blob dropped down from the ceiling and began taking a humanoid shape. "This armor I'm crafting should keep you safe. It'll also adapt to your other forms... well most of them."

Blood-Wraith took the suit once it was finished and inspected it. It was stretchy and went up to the base of his head. "What's it made of?"

"A mix of my blood and brain fluid... I'm aware of how weird that seems. Go ahead and try it on."

The suit slipped right on and fit snuggly. After a couple seconds of smoothing it out, everything was ready to go. Sections of it began glowing red, contrasting with the black material. "Wow, It feels... I feel powerful, haha!"

"Now your armor can stretch and flex, but don't push it. The idea is that it should toughen up in response to physical trauma while leaving your mobility unhindered."