Chapter 122: Equipment Upgrade
Following the Ascension ritual, Joric chose to remain on the Forge World.
Aside from the need to personally assess the condition of the cruiser NXS-07 and plan its refit details, he had one critical procedure to complete—updating his personal wargear to match his new status as a Magos Explorator, in accordance with tradition.
In the grand hall of the Forge World's Central Armory, Joric completed the requisition protocols for standard-issue equipment.
He acquired two core, iconic items.
First, Dragon Scale Power Armor.
Designed specifically for Tech-Priests, its foundational structure was a composite of Adamantium and Ceramite in a specific ratio, hand-forged by senior artisans.
Its most prominent feature was the complete integration with the user's energy system. Embedded power-conduit matrices connected directly to the user's core, eliminating the need for an external power unit. Theoretically, as long as the wearer's core functioned, the armor would operate indefinitely.
Joric had long studied the superior performance of this armor, previously barred from it by clearance level. Now, it was his.
Second, the symbol of a Magos's authority: the Omnissian Axe.
This was an imposing, long-hafted power weapon. The axe head was etched with precise mechanical prayers, its internal power-field generator emitting a low, constant hum even in standby.
Like the Explorator's Scepter, it was a physical manifestation of status and duty.
The Forge World provided only the standard-issue pattern; subsequent personalization and functional enhancement would be a subject of Joric's independent research.
Additionally, he requisitioned more mechadendrites with varied functions and a batch of new-model servo-skulls, as per regulation.
These were standard allocations for a Magos, routine supplementary gear.
For Joric, the truly critical equipment upgrade came from the precious personal collection he had long kept sealed, now accessible in his private laboratory.
These were the rare artifacts he had secretly accumulated over years of exploration and archeotech recovery. Some possessed dangerous and heretical qualities sufficient to overload Archmagos Vhorx's logic-core.
The first item he retrieved was a Miniaturized Void Shield Generator.
A relic of the Dark Age of Technology, designed for individual use. Its operating principles were homologous with the Void Shields used on Imperial starships, but its miniaturization far exceeded contemporary standards.
Joric had kept it hidden with extreme caution. Now, with Magos-level clearance and the isolation offered by his impending independent research vessel, he could finally study and equip it safely.
Next was a series of carefully "cosmetically altered" Xenos-tech weapons.
Most notable was an energy weapon re-designated as the "Arc Scourge."
Originally a phase-weapon of a "certain" ancient Xenos race (Necron), it fired devastating arcs of energy that writhed like living things.
Joric had thoroughly modified its external form and energy signature to mimic the appearance of an ancient human relic.
Equipped with a multi-spectral disruption field, it could engage multiple targets simultaneously or ensnare enemy war-machines with an overload pulse, capable of reducing a main battle tank to slag in seconds.
Paired with this was a "Tachyon Arrow" launcher, mounted on his other arm.
Also of Xenos origin, this device could transmute a sliver of inert metal into an unstoppable energy bolt. Its penetration was sufficient to pierce a mountain. Joric planned to use it as a concealed, high-impact assault weapon.
He also retrieved a phase-sword from the same source, glowing with an eerie green light.
He did not intend to wield it directly. Instead, he planned to dismantle its core phase-technology to enhance the Omnissian Axe, granting it the special ability to destabilize matter at a fundamental level.
A hand-cannon labeled "Enmity Pistol" (likely a Hexmark Destroyer's pistol or similar) was also on the list.
This weapon fired specific pulses that induced violent atomic repulsion within the target, causing catastrophic internal disintegration.
Most dangerous of all was a "Conversion Beamer" weapon system.
A rare and dangerous variant of conversion beam technology, even by Imperial standards, known for its devastating efficacy at close range.
It required massive energy input; a single shot could erase an entire squad of Terminator-armored warriors.
Joric had lacked the power to drive it—until now.
Finally, there was a relatively "conventional" Volkite Culverin, a powerful thermal-ray weapon left over from the Great Crusade. Though potent, compared to the other items in his collection, it seemed almost mundane.
To power these energy-hungry devices, especially the miniaturized Void Shield and the Conversion Beamer system, Joric knew his existing power core was insufficient.
In the heart of his laboratory, he performed a critical upgrade on himself—installing a new-pattern High-Density Plasma Reactor.
This reactor's output was triple that of his old model. Its complex thermal management and energy-conduit systems occupied the majority of his thoracic cavity.
When the reactor ignited, a ghostly blue light leaked from the armor seams. Joric felt an unprecedented surge of energy coursing through his chassis.
Following the initial weaponization overhaul, Joric's silhouette underwent a significant change.
Integrating the Dragon Scale Power Armor base with additional auxiliary mechadendrites and internal weapon systems bulked his frame by nearly a third, projecting a far more imposing presence.
However, the cost of this enhancement was visibly reflected in his posture.
To power the miniaturized Void Shield generator, the Conversion Beamer system, and other high-draw equipment, the new High-Density Plasma Reactor was not only larger but far heavier than anticipated.
This energy core, continuously radiating heat and a low thrum, was a heavy metal furnace firmly anchored to his back and thoracic frame.
The sustained, massive load forced Joric's once-upright mechanical frame into a slight forward hunch, his spinal structure forming a somewhat stooped arc under the multiple stresses.
This gave his movement a heavy, burdened quality, each step accompanied by the faint hydraulic hiss of power-joints bearing weight.
While this posture diminished the precise, upright elegance expected of a mechanical construct, it added a gravitas of accumulated power and latent danger.
Within his private vault, several extremely rare archeotech relics and Xenos artifacts remained, unable to be integrated into his current frame due to various limitations.
Among them was a control circlet capable of exerting psychic influence over biologicals. Its operation involved subtle psychic-energy mapping, requiring a stable psyker potential to drive effectively.
As a purely mechanically augmented individual with no psychic aptitude, this theoretically priceless relic was, for now, merely an inert, exquisite artifact to him.
Furthermore, several precious Dark Age of Technology relics remained, but the core limitation lay in the physical interfaces and energy-load margins of his current chassis, which were nearing saturation.
Every new high-power system required corresponding transmission lines, heat-dissipation structures, and, most importantly, a stable energy supply.
Though the new reactor's output far exceeded the old, after driving the current systems, its redundant power was negligible, unable to safely support more high-tier equipment.
Therefore, Joric had to make strategic trade-offs, prioritizing the integration of core defensive and offensive systems.
Those precious items he could not yet equip were carefully sealed and tagged as "Pending Future Upgrade Projects."
They heralded a long road of enhancement ahead—whether finding more efficient energy cores, developing advanced interface technologies, or modifying a chassis better suited to bear these dangerous powers. These would be the challenges for the newly ascended Magos Explorator in the next phase.
For now, bearing the weight he carried, he walked with steady steps toward the new ship awaiting him—the mobile base capable of holding more secrets and more power.
(End of Chapter)