I'm Going To Need So Much Therapy [M:TG SI] [Nanoha] (2024)

Part 3 - Get Set, Lock and Load! ...wait, how does flight work?
-

It was quite amusing to watch Linith's mouth drop as I spoke.

Bardiche wasn't apparently meant to be speaking before it was bonded with a user, if I was reading the hastily scrawled notes she was taking as she chewed on her lower lip.

Device's AI has developed before before bonding, response to foreign linker core?

Huh, the sensors could pick that up even from here… I would have to test them, maybe I was ignoring some of the input? Might be a mental limit since I never had senses half as good or expansive as these.

Either way, seeing Fate smile hesitantly as I greeted her back was worth whatever issues I had just sparked. The red head, Arf looked surprised before smiling and waving excitedly to which I chimed at her, which seemed to amuse the wolf eared girl if her giggle was anything to go by.

"Can we start now Miss Linith?" Fate seemed pretty excited to start, but I can hardly fault her, I was looking forward to it too. Actually learning magic? That was a fantasy of mine that I had harbored since I first read a fantasy novel, and there was something rather appealing about learning it rather than just going by instinct.

There was a moment where I thought I had pushed a bit too far where the woman looked ready to say no, before twitching ever so slightly. I presume she was recalling Precia's reaction to the idea that she delay Fate's training.

The redhead threw her opinion in during the slight gap in conversation, her rather boisterous personality showing itself. "Yeah, can we start today? Fate has her wand thing now, so we can right?"

I hit the chime to express my displeasure at being called a 'Wand thing'. Bad enough that I was stuck in a Device, now someone is insulting tha-

I was cut off from my little mental rant as Fate lightly gripped the handle of my physical form, removing me from the display case like object and lightly admonished the taller girl, "He is a Device, not a wand Arf."

It was amazing, I could feel her, physical condition, Linker Core, hell even her mind.
And from the pinging of the digital network as I processed that, she was a perfect wielder even with my presence.

Just as I had hoped.

My form changed to the basic golden triangle upon a larger triangle, nestled into her grasp as I pulled on the Blue to cloak and secure my mind from any alterations this could cause, before letting the urging of the pattern take hold and intoning words I had barely thought before they were said.

"Ideal User Detected, Get Set."

That look of surprise on Linith's face was getting old, but she did manage to shake it off quickly, ushering Fate and Alf out of the room and into some sort of garden area. Whatever it was I could see the sky, which was probably a good thing considering what I remembered about pillars of light from Raising Hearts setup.

Once Fate had stepped into the open expanse, I tapped into the cyberpunk representation of the Device in which I resided with a grin, and hit approve all to the stack of access requests. A gleaming circle unfolded into existence beneath her as she grasped the gem tightly between her hands as a low thrum spun into existence as the wind played across us.

"Root Access, New User Setup Function, Full Open." My voice was slightly monotone, like you would be if you were reciting a password, which I essentially was.

It was with a smirk that I realized I held the root access rights, essentially the highest level of control that there was over my new body.

The autonomy these mages granted their Devices had been transferred to me, making me the last word on authority when it came to anything to do with altering me. I later learned that this was because an Intelligent Device is created to be a partner, not a tool.

I didn't need to do it this way, given some time and my Blue, I could have just set it up so Fate could use me without an actual binding, but going through the paces would allay some of Linith's fears, and the added ceremony of the proper bonding was something I felt Fate would appreciate.

And on some level, the idea of cheating this girl out of a proper partner when I knew she would give this her true, honest, all? That was abhorrent to me.

The crafter of my current form had stepped closer to Fate, not within the mathematical formula that was the circle encompassing her, but close enough that she could walk the young girl through the setup procedure.

She seemed more confident now, with me responding to Fate how I imagine she had planned when creating Bardiche. "Repeat after me Fate."

"Lightning within the sky, Thunder throughout the heavens." She intoned the words carefully, Fate repeating them devotedly, sparing only the attention needed to hear the words from her laser like focus on the gem.

I could feel the design embossed on whatever you wanted to call that space respond, a thrumming resonance with Fate's words resounding.

"The unconquerable power of my spirit."

Lock and load, her Linker Core was ready and waiting for the Device to interface with so I gave it a pull, the signature and feel of it linking with the technological graffiti as it was created to. It felt like lightning, raw power writhing and eagerly waiting a purpose with a strength that was close to rivaling my river.

I learned something very interesting about Linker Cores as I felt her mana, but I decided to leave investigating it to later, when we weren't performing a delicate ritual that I might not ever get the chance to do again.

That thought in mind, I couldn't resist pouring a little more power into the node that was my crystalline Spark's anchor to the device, meeting her halfway within the programming and ensuring that everything was set up perfectly for the next stage. The golden triangle that was my physical form was drowning out even the sunlight at this point with it's radiance, bathing the room in the light of Fate's mana.

I triggered a resounding chime as I finished my preparations, the circle unfolding further as the setup protocol advanced and readied for the final step.

"Grant your power unto I!" As she repeated the phrase and held me up, I could feel her Linker Core locking in, interfacing precisely with the representation of the Device.

I could feel the lightning of it glancing against the Blue that I had called up as a Shroud for my mind and Spark, just for a moment before locking into place, ceasing contact with anything but my physical manifestation, the Device.

A moment of indecisiveness had struck me, the thought of dropping the Blue to let it connect to my little piece of Eternity passing through my mind before I recalled the defenses the kaleidoscopic manifestation of my Planeswalker status had brought to bear against the Blind Eternities, the shear resistance it had show against that endless storm. Yeah, probably not the best idea to let that be leveled on her Linker Core just to sate my curiosity.

"Bardiche, Get Set!" Her echoed proclamation pulled me from my musings as I felt the setup hit its final stage, her magic erupting into a pillar of barely filtered mana, multiple symbology embossed bands spaced out along it and containing its power.
It resembled what I had imagined a Solar exaltation would look like.

Fate slowly ascended to the center of the pillar as the bands spun, an externalization of Bardiche's… my willingness to accept her as a wielder. To, as sappy as it sounds, trust her fully, to be her friend and partner in magic.

I barely even hesitate to take the next step, even with my river immersing my Spark in its power and clarity so I wouldn't miss a moment.

"Lock and Load, Setup."

The entire pattern was alight with her power, I barely needed to contribute any mana to the node now, even as dozens of functions lit up and activated. That didn't stop me continuing my contribution of kaleidoscopic light in what could be described as playful competitiveness.

"Welcome, User Fate." The procedure was guiding my words as I acquiesced to its tugs, changing little things here and there to be more me than the remnants of machine.

Telepathy, health monitoring, a minor HUD, a link to her senses, even a mana tap that I was going to be investigating. Even before actually utilizing anything, in only passive functions, this Device was more versatile than any artifact card I had ever played.

"H-hello Bardiche." She seemed somewhat worried, it seemed like she was surprised at the whole floating in the air thing. Linith must not have told her, or she was planning on explaining it before I tore that plan apart by kick starting the setup and barely giving her enough time to get Fate somewhere suited to it.

"Would you like to use the pre-designated [Barrier Jacket] or create your own?"

I pushed the image of the preset to her, some amalgamation of sense alteration and just a touch of mind magic to let her see the already created one. It was the same as the one from the show as far as I could tell, a complicated array of barriers and defensive fields designed for both damage shielding and to allow her to operate in nearly any conditions.

The current options for Device were fine, and I honestly preferred to keep my form to ones that I knew about until I had learned how they worked, but the Barrier Jacket's actual form seemed to just be cosmetic for the most part.

The options for Jackets that would make actual differences beyond appearance were there, but they had been under some form of safety lock until I had assumed control, so it would probably be unwise to give her access to those right now, too many options for her to deal with at this point in time would just confuse her..

Fate replied after a moments consideration. "I'll use the normal one for now."

So with a roar of thunder and blazing lightning the girls attire was altered, the Barrier Jacket overwriting her previous clothes as I shifted to Device form, which resembled my namesake if colored matte black and tinged gold. I noted that the cyber themed designs changed as I did, presumably increasing efficiency and speed for casting.

After that the pillar of power died down, the runic bands fading as a tiny but content smile crossed her lips. I was smiling from my place in that space too, the crystal of my physical form gleaming from it's place, inset in the head of the weapon she grasped.

I wanted to let her get used to this transformed state before trying anything out, so I had chugged Blue and was curiously examining the changes that being properly activated had wrought on the meta-physical manifestation of my form when the same realization hit both of us, her eyes widening as her blonde twin-tails whipped about in the increasing speed and I chiming once in resignation and amusem*nt as I started looking for a solution.

The realization that had hit us?

We had risen about 300 meters into the sky during the setup, and it apparently didn't come with a free feather fall.

-
Not much happening here, but there was a nice breaking point since I am planning on time-skipping to that night after this, and this scene was not something I wanted to just sum up as 'and Fate did the setup thing'.
Hopefully I managed to get everything across right, but it is difficult balancing how would Bardiche act here, when he is going to be dealing with everything that has happened hitting home in the next part.
I might do some editing to this one if the next part is an issue.