Marcus was completely absorbed in the delicate process of constructing void-script symbols when the sudden crash of his front door being obliterated interrupted his concentration. Tony Stark burst through the opening in full armor, his repulsors still glowing from having blasted through the reinforced entrance.
"Besides those two devices, you've got to have other tech with different capabilities, right?" Tony demanded without preamble, his voice carrying the manic energy of someone who'd been awake for too many consecutive days fueled by nothing but caffeine and obsession.
Marcus glanced up from his research, noting the disassembled remains of the Tesla Nervos and Bounce Pad devices clutched in Tony's armored hands. The billionaire had clearly spent considerable time and effort reverse-engineering the technology, and his expression suggested he'd made some significant breakthroughs.
"I have quite a variety of equipment available," Marcus replied casually. "Everything from autonomous defensive systems to orbital strike platforms. Are you interested in seeing something with a bit more firepower?"
The nature of Vauban was fundamentally different from Marcus's other Warframes. Where Ember manipulated cosmic fire and Nekros controlled death energy, Vauban's power came from technological manipulation and battlefield engineering. The frame couldn't directly attack enemies with raw energy—instead, it transformed the environment itself into a weapon.
The two devices Marcus had given Tony were just basic examples of Vauban's capabilities. The real potential lay in larger-scale constructions, like the orbital railgun platform that Marcus had deployed into Earth's upper atmosphere during the frame's initial activation. That particular weapon system could deliver kinetic bombardment strikes anywhere on the planet with surgical precision.
"I knew those spheres were just the beginning!" Tony exclaimed, his excitement barely contained by his armor's vocal modulators. "Show me what else you've got. I need to understand the full scope of what we're dealing with here."
"Hold on," Marcus said, setting aside his void-script research and focusing fully on Tony's request. "The devices I gave you are relatively safe to study and replicate. But something like an orbital weapons platform is an entirely different category of technology."
He gestured toward the ceiling, as if pointing to the satellite currently orbiting far above them.
"We're talking about a kinetic bombardment system that could level city blocks with a single shot. It's essentially a sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's head—the kind of weapon that changes the global balance of power just by existing."
The explanation hit Tony like a physical blow. He'd been thinking in terms of personal defense systems and enhanced armor capabilities, not weapons of mass destruction that could reshape international relations.
"You're saying you know how to build orbital strike platforms?" Tony asked, his voice dropping to a whisper as the implications sank in. "From scratch?"
As a brilliant engineer with extensive knowledge of military technology, Tony understood exactly what Marcus was describing. Orbital kinetic bombardment had been a theoretical concept for decades—satellites equipped with tungsten rods that could be dropped from space to deliver devastating kinetic impacts without the political complications of nuclear weapons.
Marcus nodded, seemingly unconcerned by the weight of what he was discussing. "The technology is actually fairly straightforward once you understand the underlying principles. Gravitational manipulation for orbital positioning, quantum targeting arrays for precision strikes, and matter conversion systems for unlimited ammunition."
He began explaining some of the basic concepts behind the orbital railgun, though he kept the explanations general rather than providing specific technical details. For Marcus, such weapons were relatively mundane—impressive by Earth standards, but hardly revolutionary compared to the cosmic-scale technologies he'd encountered in other dimensions.
For Tony, however, the casual discussion of impossible technologies was exactly the inspiration he'd been searching for. His mind immediately began racing through applications, combining Marcus's concepts with his own extensive knowledge of Chitauri technology and advanced materials science.
"This could revolutionize everything," Tony murmured, his helmet retracting as his eyes took on the distant look of someone visualizing complex engineering schematics. "The power distribution systems alone would require completely redesigning my armor's core architecture."
With new possibilities spinning through his mind like a tornado of technological innovation, Tony barely managed a quick "Thanks!" before launching himself back out through the destroyed doorway. He had prototypes to build and theories to test, and every second of delay felt like wasted potential.
As Tony's repulsor signatures faded into the distance, Marcus returned to his interrupted research with renewed focus. The void-script construction had reached its final stages, and he could feel the anticipation building as the last few symbols took shape in the space before him.
"Finally," he breathed, watching as the final void-word crystallized into stable existence. "Now I can begin proper experimentation."
The completion of his void-script lexicon meant he could finally attempt to create both Riven Crystals and Final Empowerments with some degree of control over the process. While the results would still be unpredictable—that was the nature of Riven technology—at least he'd eliminated the risk of catastrophic failure during the creation process.
"Let's start with a Riven Crystal," Marcus decided, retrieving his portable foundry from its storage space. "The manufacturing process is less complex, and the power requirements are more manageable."
The foundry unit unfolded into a sophisticated crafting station that hummed with barely contained energy. Marcus began feeding raw materials into the device's input chambers—exotic metals, crystalline matrices, and concentrated void essence that would serve as the foundation for the Riven Crystal's chaotic structure.
As the foundry worked, a crystal began taking shape within the central chamber. The object pulsed with unstable energy patterns that defied conventional physics, its internal structure constantly shifting between different configurations. Until the revelation process was complete, even Marcus had no way of knowing what specific enhancements the crystal would provide.
Ding.
The soft chime indicated completion, and Marcus carefully extracted a Riven Crystal that resembled a purple gemstone wrapped in ethereal gauze. The unrevealed crystal felt warm to the touch, and he could sense vast potential contained within its chaotic structure.
"Moment of truth," Marcus said, channeling void energy into the crystal to begin the revelation process.
The gauze-like covering began to dissolve as the crystal's true nature emerged, and ancient symbols flowed across its surface like liquid light. When the transformation completed, information flooded into Marcus's consciousness as the crystal's properties became clear.
[War Fan +55.6% Attack Speed +79.3% Charging Efficiency +114% Attack Range -62.5% Critical Hit Rate]
Marcus stared at the revealed statistics for a long moment, then let out a sound that was half laugh, half groan.
"A war fan? Seriously?"
The weapon category was completely unexpected. War fans were traditional Asian weapons that resembled folding fans but featured sharpened metal ribs capable of inflicting serious damage. They were elegant, deadly, and absolutely nothing like any weapon Marcus had ever considered using.
"This is the fundamental problem with Riven Crystals," Marcus muttered, turning the purple crystal over in his hands. "Completely random results regardless of input materials or intended applications."
Still, the enhancement bonuses were impressive enough to make the unusual weapon choice worthwhile. The attack speed and range improvements were substantial, and the charging efficiency boost would significantly reduce the energy costs of whatever abilities the weapon possessed.
Rather than waste the crystal by attempting to apply it to an incompatible weapon, Marcus decided to embrace the randomness and actually craft a war fan. The foundry could easily produce the necessary components, and it would give him a chance to test the Riven Crystal's enhancement effects in practice.
"Standard materials should be sufficient," he decided, programming the foundry to create a traditional war fan design. "No point in overcomplicating things for an experimental weapon."
As the foundry began crafting his unexpected new armament, Marcus reflected on the inherent unpredictability of Riven technology. He'd been hoping for something more conventional—a sword enhancement or perhaps improvements to one of his Warframes. Instead, he was about to become the owner of what was essentially a magical combat fan.
"At least it's not a fishing rod," Marcus said with resigned amusement, watching the weapon take shape in the foundry's crafting chamber. "Though knowing my luck, that's probably what the next crystal will produce."