Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (78/?) WiP 1 (Patreon)

Hey everyone! Here is the Work in Progress for Chapter 78 I hope you guys enjoy! :D

Dragon’s Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30, Emma and Thacea’s Room. Local Time: 00:20 Hours.

Emma

“It’s not possible, right?” I began, my heart thumping beneath my chest, and my expression stuck in a perpetual state of worry. “Like, he couldn’t have made it. Thacea, I’ve mentioned to you time and time again how he got hit point-blank with that explosion. An explosion that, mind you, blew up an entire warehouse! An explosion that literally caused the deaths of everyone else, even other magic users, and blew up a magical carriage for crying out loud!” I paused, sitting down on the fold-out chair and burying my face deep within both of my palms. “He even got hit with a dragon’s tail. A fricking dragon’s tail, Thacea. I… I showed you the footage, didn’t I?” 

“Indeed you have, Emma.” Thacea acknowledged, her voice crystal clear, despite the tent’s lining; all thanks to the active-audio speakers strategically embedded into the tent itself. “And indeed, if it were perhaps anyone lesser, I could easily see death as an assurance. However-” The princess paused, shifting her chair closer towards the tent. “-the position of a black robe isn’t garnered through political acumen alone. There is a certain prerequisite of magical competence, one which is vetted through the privy council, and at times achieved through a challenge of magical supremacy. Whilst not truly living up to their title of planar mage, given how the bar to entry for such a title has been diluted over the years, the black robe position is still very much one that carries with it a truly staggering prerequisite of both magical potential and magical acumen. It stands to reason then, Emma, that Lord Lartia is leagues beneath Professor Mal’tory. His death through your device during the warehouse incident was certainly assured. But Professor Mal’tory? It’s certainly possible, especially with the aid of the Academy’s healers, that there could be a chance for recovery. Though, it remains to be seen just what kind of a state he returns in.”

That latter statement was one that caught my attention the most, prompting me to zero in on it. “You mean, like… he could come back as a brain-in-a-jar or something?” 

Silence was my only answer for a few seconds, as I could only imagine Thacea’s expressions of shock and perhaps utter confusion on the other side of the tent.

“That… is a modality of living that is abhorrent and borderline taboo, Emma. This is especially true when there are a plethora of other life-extension or soul-preservation options available.” Thacea reasoned, before shifting gears somewhat. “Is… is that a common practice in your realm?”

“No, no. It’s… I mean… I was just spitballing ideas. I guess what I meant to ask was this — exactly what sort of state is he going to return in? Are we talking about Sorecar’s soulbound suit of armor? Or are we talking about a complete magical recovery like with the Apprentice and her crush injuries?” I offered, prompting Thacea to quickly move on after that point. 

“I am unsure, Emma.” The princess acknowledged with a heavy breath. “The extent of his injuries remain difficult to ascertain given the lack of manastreams in your manaless records. But regardless of the extent of said injuries, I am certain that his return will not be one of a spell-bound husk. With all due respect to Professor Sorecar and his current disposition, it is unlikely, barring some political maneuver within the privy council, that a spell-bound be allowed to maintain their black-robe position. Thus, considering there has been no news of Professor Mal’tory’s untimely resignation, I believe the answer may prove to be closer to a recovery of the body and soul.” 

That response prompted me to once again let out a long and drawn out sigh. Exhaustion threatened to consume me, if not for the sharp pang of stress, anxiety, and utter apprehension that prevented me from thinking straight. 

“Emma.” Thacea continued, her tone softer, and more personable now; as if switching gears upon realizing just what sort of a state I now found myself in. “Whatever happens tomorrow, I am certain that there is nothing to fear from Professor Mal’tory’s class. I doubt any harm will come to you, or anyone else in the group for that matter, so long as we play our part and carry on our duties.”

Those words… quelled some of my concerns. Though not really. 

It wasn’t like I was afraid of the class or what could happen.

If anything, I was confident in the armor’s ability to deal with him if push comes to shove.

Moreover, if anything were to happen, I was quicker on the draw than the man was able to restrain me.

Especially with the two weapons he’s yet to see.

No, the concern wasn’t with any solid overt threats.

It was with the unknown.

Of exactly what would go down tomorrow, given there was a high likelihood he’d be back in the flesh.

I all but flopped to the ground as a result of all of these thoughts assaulting me at once, generating a solid thunk in the process, that was probably far less dramatic than what it would’ve otherwise sounded like if I were in full armor.

“Emma?” Thacea offered once more, her tone of voice now growing increasingly anxious. “Are you… quite alright in there?”

“Yeah, I’m alright.” I offered, simply taking a moment to just lay there, staring blankly at the canvas-like roofing above me with HUD-less eyes, and data-less vision. Offline mode was sometimes as jarring as it was necessary, especially after way too much time in the suit. “I’m just laying down.” I added lazily. 

A part of me wanted to grab my tablet, or my glasses, just to see Thacea’s facial features throughout the conversation. 

The optical sensors and cameras lining the exterior of the tent gave me and the EVI a complete and unimpeded view of the world outside the tent after all.

But I just couldn’t.

“In any case.” Thacea began, as it was clear she was now trying to shift the conversation away from Mal’tory, and towards something else. 

That something, turned out to be a series of three distinct beeps, courtesy of the M-REDD on my side of the tent. 

“I believe it is time you finally ate something that isn’t-”

“-animal feed?” I interjected snarkily.

“I was not intending to use such a deprecating descriptor Emma-”

“Nono, I was just making one of my jokes is all. I wasn’t implying anything by it.” I responded tactfully, before getting up and off of the cold hard canvas floors, my undersuit sticking to its surface for a bit. 

Opening up the M-REDD, I was greeted to a sight that was, perhaps for the first time… at least not a complete disaster.