Chapter 6 - The Vanguard of the Magister

The knowledge littering the libraries of the Institute of War was unlike anything else Vincent had seen. It was only after interacting with the construct known as Orianna that he began to grow interested in the possibility of making objects of the sort, ultimately trying his hand at the creation of inanimate objects that could experience life as though they were another human being. The process was not easy and it often ended with burned husks and the destruction of artificial parts. In fact, several floors of the magister’s tower had to be reconstructed from scratch on three occasions; the magical energy contained within the husks was so large that the miscalculations could have ended Vincent’s life had he not been careful with runic protection. It almost ended the life of his student, Mai, though she was also protected through the tower’s inherent defensive systems. No rooms were touched by the explosions but everything else disappeared in a flash of light.

And then it hit him. He only needed something to stabilize the power, be it living or non-living. He required a catalyst, so to speak. The last husk he picked apart was a woman in her late twenties. She had been conserved as though she was still alive, but the Fiorelli knew better. Frozen in time, the husk never decayed nor was it affected by rot; in fact, it was still warm to the touch the moment he brought her out. Her body was carefully placed on an azure dais where she floated roughly sixty centimeters above it and Vincent began to work. Several incisions were made across her pristine skin as vast quantities of the material Fiorellite appeared to merge with her skin, flesh, and bones. Unlike previous husks, this one showed a particular affinity for the material. The catalyst that he finally utilized was nothing more than the modified version of a particular virus that an ally of the magister had acquired and shared with him.

The sentient virus would merely aid in reactivating the body of the construct and artificially – and biologically – infuse life within it… Until it became part of the construct’s conscience as a whole. They would merge with the neurons of the human brain to create a being whose thought processes were far superior to that of a common human. The sturdy body the construct was given ensured that it could resist the elements as well as many conventional hostilities. The last touch was a heart created from scratch: a Fiorellite core. Shining vibrantly with a powerful mixture of energies, a sizable incision ensured that he could pry open her chest and deposit the heart in the void within the creation’s body. The results were instantaneous. The heart connected with the rest of the body and with the mixed conscience of the woman to finish giving birth to the construct.

Vincent would not dare give such a construct a name, only a title; the Vanguard of the Magister. As a construct and a possible protector to the Fiorelli, she needed means to defend herself. The heart within her activated a complex system of weaponry that bestowed her with different kinds of weapons and armor whenever desired. However, most of the power it contained would prove to be deadly for her at the moment and, as such, several pieces of equipment were sealed until she was ready to accept them. Once she opened her eyes and glanced over at him, she managed to utter two words just like he'd predicted…

Cinnamon Kalonice; her name.

Ultimately, she was worthless to the Red Magister's war research. Perhaps another researcher could make better use of this obsolete piece of work...