Day 62 - Morning
Three days into the innovation push, and I'd realized a fundamental problem: I was designing equipment for average defenders. But my family wasn't average.
Nyx was a Shadow Primordial dragon. Kas was an Oni warrior who treated physics as suggestions. Yuzu moved like smoke and struck like lightning. Mo could calculate trajectory angles mid-combat. Siraq could tank hits that would pulverize normal warriors.
They needed equipment that matched their capabilities.
And I needed gear that could protect me while keeping some of Earth's more dangerous concepts from spreading.
I called a family meeting in the main workshop.
"Okay," I said once everyone assembled. "Standard equipment is great for most defenders. But you all need something better. Custom gear designed specifically for how you fight."
"Custom armor?" Kas perked up immediately. "Like, SPECIAL armor just for me?!"
"Custom everything. Armor, weapons, equipment tailored to your specific abilities and fighting styles." I pulled out sketches I'd been working on. "I want each of you at maximum effectiveness. That means gear that enhances what you're already good at rather than trying to make you something you're not."
"That's remarkably thoughtful," Siraq observed. "Most commanders just issue standard equipment and expect warriors to adapt."
"Most commanders are idiots. You adapt tactics to soldiers, not soldiers to tactics." I gestured at the designs. "So here's what I'm thinking for each of you."
Nyx's Gear - Aerial Supremacy
"Nyx, you fight in three forms... full dragon, dragonkin, and human. Your armor needs to work for all three without restricting transformation."
I laid out the design: scaled armor that looked organic, almost like a second skin. Obsidian black matching her dragon form, but flexible enough to shift with her transformations. Each scale was individually enchanted with defensive magic that stacked multiplicatively rather than additively.
"The base is shadow-silk from the arachnae, treated with your own shed scales ground to powder and worked into the material. It'll respond to your mana signature specifically... literally part of you."
"That's beautiful," Nyx breathed, running her claws over the sketches. "Knox, this is art."
"Wait, there's more." I showed the weapon designs. "You're most dangerous in dragon form, but you can't always be full dragon in tight spaces. So these... " I gestured at twin blades. "Swords that channel your shadow and fire magic, but more importantly, they can combine."
"Combine?"
"Into a bow. Aerial combat at range, melee when needed, transformation between forms without needing to carry multiple weapons." I pulled out the mechanical sketches. "The bow generates arrows from your own mana, so unlimited ammunition as long as you have power."
Through our bond, I felt her overwhelming approval mixed with something warmer. "Knox, this is... you designed this thinking about how I actually fight. Not how warriors traditionally fight. How I fight."
"That's the point. You're my First Wife, my soul-bond, my dragon queen. Your gear should reflect that."
She kissed me, fierce and claiming. "I love it. I love you. And I'm going to destroy anyone who threatens our family while wearing this."
"That's the goal."
Kas's Gear - Enthusiastic Violence
"Kas, you fight like a hurricane with fists. High mobility, overwhelming offense, absolutely no subtlety whatsoever."
"HEY! I can be subtle!"
"You punched through a wall last week because it was 'in your way.'"
"...Fair."
I showed her design: light armor, almost minimal, designed for maximum mobility. Reinforced at impact points, knuckles, elbows, knees, anywhere she typically struck from.
"The armor is enchanted with kinetic absorption and redirection. Every hit you take charges the enchantments. Every hit you throw releases that stored energy. The longer a fight goes, the stronger you get."
"THAT'S AMAZING!"
"And these... " I showed gauntlet designs. "Reinforced striking surfaces with gravity manipulation enchantments. Your punches can hit like siege weapons. And the boots match, enhanced jumping, wall-running, basically parkour on steroids."
"Knox, I'm going to be UNSTOPPABLE!"
"That's what I'm worried about. So I added safety limits."
"Safety limits are for COWARDS!"
"Safety limits are so you don't accidentally destroy Ashenhearth during training."
"...Okay that's fair."
She grabbed the designs, studying them with intensity. "Knox, you made me gear that enhances what I love doing... hitting things REALLY HARD. That's the most romantic thing ever!"
"Your love language is violence. I'm learning."
"The BEST violence! Enthusiastic, protective violence!"
Through her bond, pure joy. She felt seen, understood, valued for exactly who she was.
Yuzu's Gear - Elegant Lethality
"Yuzu, you're the opposite of Kas. Precision over power, misdirection over direct confrontation, making people underestimate you until it's too late."
"You understand me so well," she purred.
I showed her design: armor that looked like elegant formal wear but functioned as full protection. Form-fitting silk with hidden reinforcement, designed to be worn in social settings without obviously being combat gear.
"You're spy, diplomat, and assassin. Your armor should let you be all three simultaneously. This looks like a beautiful dress but it's actually layered defensive enchantments that can stop a sword strike."
"Knox, this is gorgeous. And functional. And exactly what I need."
"And these... " I showed the weapons. "Fans. Everyone expects fans from an Oni woman. These generate wind blades, can be thrown as returning weapons, and have hidden darts coated with paralytic toxins."
"You're arming me for social assassination."
"I'm arming you for your preferred combat style. Which involves making people not realize you're armed until they're already defeated."
She examined the designs with professional appreciation. "The fans are particularly clever. They look ceremonial, almost decorative. No one would recognize them as weapons until too late."
"That's the idea. Let people underestimate you, then strike when they're not ready."
"You understand me better than I expected," she said softly. "Most people see the seduction and manipulation. You see the strategy and planning."
"I see all of you. The parts you show everyone and the parts you hide."
Through her bond, surprised warmth. She felt known in ways that went beyond surface attraction.
Mo's Gear - Calculated Efficiency
"Mo, you don't like front-line combat. You prefer range, analysis, and overwhelming force applied with mathematical precision."
"Accurate assessment."
"So I designed you a weapons platform." I showed the sketches. "Back-mounted system that deploys multiple ranged weapons simultaneously. Crossbow mechanisms that can fire while you're calculating other targets. Enchanted ammunition that you can program mid-flight for specific effects."
"That's... Knox, that's a mobile artillery system."
"That's you being able to engage multiple targets simultaneously while maintaining analytical distance." I pulled out more designs. "The armor has integrated calculation enchantments. Trajectory prediction, wind compensation, threat assessment, all automated so you can focus on strategy rather than mechanics."
Mo was staring at the designs with unusual emotion. "You designed this thinking about how my mind works. Not asking me to be something I'm not, but enhancing what I already do well."
"Exactly. You're brilliant at analysis and calculation. Why not build gear that leverages that instead of forcing you into melee combat you hate?"
"This is the most thoughtful gift I've received," she said quietly. "Knox, you saw what I needed before I knew to ask for it."
"That's what family does."
She made notes, of course she did, but her hands were shaking slightly. Through her bond, overwhelming gratitude mixed with love.
Siraq's Gear - Immovable Object
"Siraq, you're a tank. In bear form, you can absorb punishment that would kill most warriors. Your gear should enhance that."
I showed the design: heavy armor that worked for both human and bear forms, designed to distribute impact across her entire body. Reinforced with layers of protective enchantments that made her even harder to damage.
"But that's defense. For offense... " I pulled out the weapon design. "War claws. They attach to your bear form's natural claws, extending reach and adding enchanted edges that can cut through blessed armor. Plus they store kinetic energy from hits you take and release it as devastating strikes."
"You made me gear that lets me protect people better," Siraq said, studying the designs with approval. "That's what I do, Knox. I protect. You understood that and built equipment around it."
"You're the shield that keeps everyone safe. You needed gear that makes that shield even stronger."
She transformed to bear form, examining how the armor would fit. "This is perfect. In battle, I can take hits meant for others while staying effective offensively. That's exactly what I needed."
"That's why I designed it."
Through her bond, deep appreciation. She felt valued for her protective nature rather than pushed toward more aggressive roles.
Lira and Pip's Gear - Dynamic Duo
"You two fight as a unit. Lira's the distraction, Pip's the striker. You need gear that enhances that coordination."
I showed fairy-sized armor, practically jewelry, but enchanted with serious protection. And weapons: Lira got illusion-generating fans that could create multiple false images. Pip got enchanted daggers that could punch through armor despite her tiny size.
"We get COOL GEAR too?!" Lira practically vibrated with excitement.
"Everyone gets cool gear. No one faces this battle without proper equipment."
"Knox, these illusion fans are sophisticated," Pip observed, examining the designs with professional interest. "I could create dozens of false targets, completely overwhelm enemy target acquisition."
"That's the idea. Make enemies waste time fighting illusions while the real threat... you... strikes from unexpected angles."
Both fairies hugged my face simultaneously. "BEST PAPA! BEST HUSBAND! BEST KNOX!"
"I'm the only Knox you know."
"STILL THE BEST!"
The Three Arachnae Observe
While I worked on the custom gear, Lyria, Velara, and Thessia had been watching from various positions in the workshop.
"You're designing equipment that matches personality and fighting style," Velara observed. "Not just function, but identity."
"Equipment should enhance who you are, not force you to be someone else."
"That's remarkably insightful," Thessia added. "Most military commanders issue standard gear and expect warriors to adapt. You're adapting gear to warriors."
"Because my family isn't standard. Why would their equipment be?"
Lyria approached nervously. "Knox? Could you... I mean, if you have time... could you design gear for us too? Even though we're not officially family yet?"
"Yet," Velara emphasized quietly.
"Yet," Thessia confirmed.
I looked at the three of them, "Yes. But I need to understand how you fight first. Show me."
What followed was fascinating. Lyria demonstrated healing magic with impressive power but terrible coordination, she kept tripping over her own legs while casting. Velara showed necromantic techniques that were elegant and precise. Thessia displayed command-oriented fighting that enhanced allies while weakening enemies.
"Okay," I said after watching. "Lyria, you need armor that compensates for your coordination issues. Automatic balance correction, impact absorption that activates before you realize you're falling. And medical equipment integrated directly into the gear so you can heal while fighting."
"That's possible?!"
"With enough enchantments, yes. Velara, you need gear that lets you cast necromancy safely in combat. Protection from your own magic, environmental hazard resistance, and weapons that channel necromantic energy without corrupting you. Thessia, you need command-focused equipment. Communication systems, threat assessment tools, gear that makes you more effective at coordinating others than fighting directly."
All three stared at me.
"You just identified exactly what we need," Thessia said slowly. "After watching us for ten minutes."
"I pay attention. Especially to people I care about."
Through their presences, overwhelming warmth. I'd just demonstrated that I was already thinking of them as family, already investing in their effectiveness and safety.
"Knox," Lyria said, flushing, "you're designing us custom equipment like you do for your partners. That's... that's basically a declaration of serious intent."
"That's me being practical. If you're fighting beside us, you need proper gear."
"No," Velara corrected. "If you were being purely practical, you'd issue standard equipment. Custom design means emotional investment."
"Caught that, did you?"
"We're not subtle," Thessia smiled. "And neither are you, apparently. Knox, thank you. This means more than you probably realize."
Knox's Personal Gear - Too Dangerous for Production
Late that night, after everyone else had left, I started on my own equipment.
This was the stuff I couldn't share. The ideas from Earth that were too dangerous to mass-produce, too powerful to let spread, too destructive to trust in anyone else's hands.
I started with the armor.
Not just demon-dragon-astral hybrid protection. Something more. I incorporated every defensive concept I could remember from Earth: reactive armor that exploded outward when struck, dispersing impact force. Kinetic barriers that hardened on impact. Thermal regulation that kept me comfortable in any environment. Sensory enhancement that let me process battlefield information faster than humanly possible.
The base was shadow-dragon scales from Nyx's sheddings, worked into a flexible mesh. Over that, ceramic composite plates positioned to protect vitals without restricting movement. The whole thing wrapped in demon-forged metal that responded to my chimera nature specifically.
But the real innovation was the enchantment layering.
I wove together demon magic (raw power and regeneration), dragon magic (elemental resistance and strength), astral magic (reality manipulation and dimensional stability), and that growing divine spark (faith-based protection and corruption resistance).
Four racial magics that shouldn't work together, forced into harmony through sheer stubborn engineering.
The result was armor that could tank hits from divine artillery, regenerate from damage, adapt to different threats in real-time, and remain light enough that I could move naturally.
It looked like obsidian night given physical form, traced with ember-orange, molten-gold, and starlight-silver patterns that pulsed with my heartbeat.
"That's terrifying," Mo said, and I jumped because I thought I was alone.
"How long have you been watching?"
"Twenty minutes. Knox, that armor... the magical resonance alone should tear the wearer apart. But you've balanced four fundamentally opposed magical systems into functional harmony."
"I had practice. I'm literally four magical systems in barely-functional harmony."
"That's why only you can wear it. Anyone else would be destroyed." She approached, studying the armor with analytical fascination. "You're not making this for anyone else, are you? This is the dangerous stuff you're keeping personal."
"Some ideas are too powerful to share. Especially when I don't fully understand the limits myself."
"Show me the weapon."
I pulled out the warhammer design.
Calling it a "hammer" was technically accurate but wildly insufficient. The head was massive, designed to deliver devastating kinetic force. But that was just the starting point.
I'd incorporated gravity manipulation enchantments that made the hammer nearly weightless for me but impossibly heavy on impact. The moment before strike, gravity would spike, multiplying force by factors that made physics professors weep.
Then I added rocket propulsion. Small jets along the back of the hammer head that could fire mid-swing, adding explosive acceleration to already devastating momentum. The jets used compressed ember-magic, essentially controlled explosions channeled for thrust.
But I didn't stop there.
The hammer face had three modes: Kinetic (pure devastating impact), Energy (releases stored magical power on contact), and Reality (brief localized distortion that ignored armor, shields, and conventional defenses).
The handle incorporated a trigger system, different grips activated different modes. Squeeze here for kinetic devastation. There for energy release. Twist for reality-bending nightmare fuel.
And because I was apparently incapable of restraint, I added one more feature: the hammer could store kinetic energy from my movements, walking, running, fighting, and release it all at once in a single strike that could crater fortifications.
"Knox," Mo said carefully, "that weapon violates several fundamental laws of magical physics. Possibly regular physics too."
"I know."
"If you hit someone with that at full power, you won't just kill them. You'll remove them from existence in a very dramatic fashion."
"I know."
"And you're building it anyway."
"Four thousand Paladins, Mo. Ten High Luminary's Chosen. I need overwhelming force at personal scale. I need to be able to fight armies alone if necessary." I looked at the design. "This hammer isn't just a weapon. It's a statement: 'I will protect my family with apocalyptic violence if required.'"
She was quiet for a moment. Then: "I'm not documenting this. The design stays with you only."
"Agreed."
"But Knox? Watching you build something this powerful, this dangerous, this absolute... it's remarkable. You're not building weapons to conquer. You're building them to protect. There's a difference."
"I hope so."
"I know so. Because I know you." She made a few notes. "How long until these are ready?"
"Two weeks for the armor. Three for the hammer. I'm hand-crafting everything, no production line shortcuts."
"Then you better get started. We have ten weeks until the Empire arrives."
Morning Revelations
The next morning, I gathered everyone to show them the standard equipment production progress and their personal gear designs.
The reaction was... enthusiastic.
"THIS IS SO COOL!" Dewdrop shouted, examining the fairy-sized equipment. "Can I have custom gear too?! Please?! I want Papa Knox special equipment!"
"Sweetheart, you're still learning your powers. Custom gear comes after you know what you need."
"But EVERYONE ELSE is getting cool stuff!"
"Everyone else has been fighting for years. You've been a teenager for a week."
"That's not FAIR!"
"Life isn't fair. Also, you're not going into direct combat, so this is moot."
"PAPA!"
Aranyx was more reasonable. "Papa, I understand we're not combat-ready yet. But could we at least have training equipment? Something to practice with safely?"
"That's actually smart. Yes, training gear is reasonable. Something that lets you develop skills without risking yourself or others."
"YES! I'm being MATURE and RESPONSIBLE!"
"You're being a teenager who wants cool equipment."
"I can be BOTH!"
The adults were examining their personal designs with varying reactions:
Nyx kept touching the sketches like they were precious. Kas was practically bouncing. Yuzu studied hers with professional appreciation. Mo was already calculating production timelines. Siraq looked quietly pleased. The fairies were making excited noises.
And the three arachnae were watching everything with expressions that clearly said: He designed custom gear for us too. We're being included in family preparations. This is serious.
"Knox," Thessia said quietly, pulling me aside. "This is more than practical preparation."
"It's exactly practical preparation."
"No. Practical would be standard equipment for everyone. Custom design is personal investment." She met my eyes. "You're already treating us like family. Before formal courtship even concludes. Before commitment is official. You're including us in preparations that matter."
"You're going to be fighting beside us. That makes it matter."
"We could fight with standard equipment. The fact that you're making us custom gear means you're already thinking long-term. Already seeing us as permanent additions."
Through her presence, I felt her certainty strengthening. This wasn't just courtship anymore, this was me demonstrating commitment through action rather than words.
"Maybe I am," I admitted. "All three of you have proven you're serious. Proven you fit with the family. Proven you're thinking long-term about contributing. Why wouldn't I invest in making you more effective?"
"Because most males make women prove themselves repeatedly before showing any commitment. You're committing before demanding proof."
"I'm making sure you survive the battle. Everything else we can figure out after."
She smiled, warm and genuine. "Knox, you don't even realize what you're communicating, do you? Custom equipment, personal investment, including us in family preparations... that's not 'maybe interested.' That's 'you're already mine, I just haven't formalized it yet.'"
"Is it?"
"Yes. And Lyria and Velara know it too. We've been discussing it." She moved closer. "You're courting all three of us by treating us like we're already part of the family. Showing rather than telling. Action rather than words."
"That's just practical... "
"That's love, Knox. You're showing love through preparation, protection, and investment in our effectiveness and safety." She touched my face gently. "That's more romantic than any grand gesture. You're building us into your future through every design, every enchantment, every consideration of how we fight and what we need."
Through her presence, through all three arachnae actually, I felt their realization: I'd been courting them seriously without fully realizing it. Every design choice, every safety feature, every optimization for their specific abilities was a declaration of care.
"Well," I said, slightly overwhelmed. "I guess I'm bad at casual courtship."
"You're excellent at serious courtship. Which is what we wanted anyway." Thessia kissed my cheek. "Now finish our equipment. Show us through completion what you've already shown through design... that we matter. That we're valued. That we're already yours."
She walked away, leaving me processing the realization that I'd apparently been making serious romantic commitments through engineering specifications.
"You didn't realize, did you?" Nyx asked, appearing beside me with amused affection.
"I was just making sure everyone had proper equipment!"
"You were demonstrating love through craftsmanship. Showing you care by ensuring their safety and effectiveness. That's very you, Knox."
I rubbed the back of my neck at a loss for words.
"That's how you express emotion when words are hard. Through action, through building, through making sure people you care about have what they need." She smiled. "You did the same for me with the nest-building, remember? Demonstrated commitment through construction?"
"That's just how I think!"
"That's your love language. And apparently the three arachnae understand it better than you do."
Through all the bonds, I felt everyone's amusement at my oblivious romantic commitment through equipment design.
My life was ridiculous.
But looking at the designs, at the gear that would keep my family safe, at the way I'd unconsciously included three potential partners in those preparations...
Maybe ridiculous was working out pretty well.
[TWO MONTHS, TWO WEEKS UNTIL ASSAULT]
[CUSTOM EQUIPMENT: DESIGNED]
[PRODUCTION: ONGOING]
[KNOX'S PERSONAL GEAR: APOCALYPTIC]
[ACCIDENTAL ROMANTIC COMMITMENT: THROUGH ENGINEERING]
[THREE ARACHNAE: UNDERSTANDING THE MESSAGE]
[FAMILY: BETTER EQUIPPED THAN EVER]
[NEXT: ACTUAL GEAR PRODUCTION AND TRAINING]