"You were destined to come here. Destined to die here." The smile stayed on her face. Always the smile.
"It's kinder this way. Don't fight. Just give up. I'll make it quick."
"Sure."
Lor put his glowing hands on the floor.
The stone responded immediately.
It moved up his body in overlapping plates, layer over layer, flowing across his arms and chest and back and up over his shoulders and down his legs.
Not rough or jagged. Smooth. Fitted. Interlocking.
The plates sealed together at the joints, flexing slightly as they set, shaped by his mana to follow the exact contours of his body.
The process was quiet except for the soft grinding of stone against stone.
Dust rose in thin trails around him and settled again.
He stood up.
The stone armor covered him completely from boots to collar.
Dense. Dark. Thick enough to matter.
He rolled his shoulders once, testing the weight.
The plates shifted with the motion and locked back into place.
