91 - Liminal Coil Pt. 3 [Cherno]

A/N: Mentions of Liminal Diving and Liminal Skimming in the previous chapter have been edited to just "Diving" and "Skimming" for lore consistency reasons.

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It took the High Grafter several minutes, but she could, indeed, make sense of Barzai’s scroll.

“You fall within the lower two-thirds of the Liminal Coil’s inbuilt adjustment range,” the High Grafter said. “Extra-fine adjustments will be difficult due to the fact the graft’s physical structure plays a part in its arcane functionality. An expert on the underlying, occult principles will be required.”

As she spoke, Firminus created a ghostly construct of Krahe’s torso with the skin split open down along the spine, the Liminal Coil’s spurs protruding, additional muscle bundles anchored to them and disappearing beneath the skin.

“In simple terms, the spine will protrude out of your back slightly, and the additional musculature required to adapt it for your anatomy will produce the appearance of a strip of skinless flesh. Practically, there is no need to graft or grow skin over the graft-musculature…”

“If anything it would be a liability for maintenance access purposes,” Firminus cut in.

“...but cosmetically speaking, the choice is yours,” Fidelia finished.

“Will the absence of a skin layer not lessen sensation in the area?”

“A reasonable concern. It will not. While Firminus here prepares the procedure, I shall take you to the Inner Vault to pick out secondary graft material best suited to this purpose.”

Another thump of the staff. Krahe followed. Casus moved to follow as well, but Firminus called him: “You stay, I’ll need your help.”

It took some time, but finding the appropriate anchoring muscle bundles was trivial. Fidelia personally pointed out muscle bundles, veins, nerves, and connective tissues from two different graft-saints who explored the same occult avenues as Barzai. Krahe had been ready to try and dig into the documentation or even openly ask what exactly Diving entailed, but one statement from Fidelia made it unnecessary: “I cannot blame you for being drawn to the Liminal Coil. What better defense than to simply become intangible? I only hope Barzai’s fate was caused by his own actions rather than a flaw in the graft.”

“How obscure are the abilities the coil supports?”

“The Inner Vault houses the relics of numerous saints. Of them, the two from whom we took are the only ones alike to Barzai in their pursuits. Diving and Skimming in themselves are not so rare, but are nonetheless quite niche, in no small part due to the rarity of compatible voidkeys; implantation of a voidkey which allows one to dive in exchange for the ability to form barriers is the method most commonly employed. Some orthodox voidkeys allow the user to Skim instead; an extremely short-lived, shallow dive. Some consider skimming short-ranged teleportation of a sort, though the truth is far more limited.”

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Upon return to the operating theatre, Firminus gestured once more to the operating table, this time ordering Krahe to strip down. She did so, having no qualms towards nudity. Her construct-exoskeleton clattered to the ground as disassembled it, and she simply reduced the biosuit to a set of bare-minimum undergarments, exploiting its properties to keep her back and most of her torso clear.

“Is this fine, or do you need full access?” she asked, turning back-first to Firminus.

“That will more than suffice, yes.”

Thus, she laid down on her stomach. She heard Fidelia thump her staff. A moment later she lost the sense of weight as she floated a bit higher above the table.

“May we begin? Is the apostle prepared?”

“Ready.”

Fidelia thumped her staff again. A strange, incomprehensible chant rang out from her, and Firminus joined her in perfect concert. The two flitted about, numerous tool-tipped tendrils and arms emerging from the operating table and acting in synchronicity with their own hands. Before Krahe knew it she felt something sharp press against the back of her head, followed by hot, numb thrumming, similar to when she had implanted the Twin Serpent Voidkey. The vague numbness spread all throughout her body, stopping where her spine was cut.

Several tendrils with translucent tubes pierced her skin and inserted themselves into her arteries, connecting to hidden machinery beneath the operating table. First they injected something, and afterwards she felt blood flow out through one and back in through the other, assuming them to be running her blood through a breathing machine. The injection, she wagered, was likely some type of anticoagulant… Probably mixed with a paralytic, as she felt herself rapidly losing the ability to move even a finger without strenuous mental effort.

She couldn’t make sense of what exactly was going on besides the fact that no actual operation was being done as of yet. Then, all at once, a series of cuts was made on her back and torso following the lines of her ribcage. Pairs of tendrils entered, suctioning and grinding away at her ribs as if they were rotten teeth. Minutes later, something was injected. A few minutes more, and the entirety of her ribcage was pulled out in segments with seemingly no resistance, the bones seeming eaten down somehow. A bone dissolving agent, she wagered. She couldn’t quite tell what actions followed, but she guessed that a great deal of rapid, yet somehow nondestructive tissue removal was carried out to prepare her for the ribcage portion of the Liminal Coil. Firminus telekinetically disassembled the Liminal Coil, while Fidelia just… Shoved her own hands into Krahe’s chest, accompanied by numerous tendrils both from the operating table and from within her own robes.

“I will now reorganize some tissue, veins, and nerves to accommodate the shape of your new ribcage. It may be somewhat unpleasant, so I am warning you ahead of time. I will begin in three… Two… One.”

It was, indeed, unpleasant; a sickly, vaguely ticklish feeling wherever Fidelia’s meticulous hands and tendrils went. Krahe felt veins being moved about, severed and rejoined like nothing. This process took the better part of half an hour. Despite the blood she lost in the process, a much smaller but nonetheless substantial amount than she expected to lose, she nonetheless felt none of the usual symptoms of even minor blood loss.

“Complete,” Fidelia said to Firminus after extricating herself from Krahe’s ribless chest cavity.