Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (12/?) (Patreon)

It was at that very moment that I realized the sheer disconnect between the realities of my world, and that of Thacea’s. In that crossroads between genuine understanding and vague oversimplifications did I finally get it. The SIOP manual had touched on it multiple times, the instructors at the IAS had mentioned and hammered the concept home across several lectures, yet it was only now that I began to viscerally understand the concept of fundamental systemic incongruence.

It was a big concept the scientists threw around for what I could simplify in a single word: ignorance.

Though it went far beyond the textbook definition of the word, and in fact, pushed it into overdrive.

What fundamental systemic incongruence ultimately entailed, wasn’t just your typical lack of knowledge or understanding on a particular topic. Instead, it was a complete and utter lack of any and all context that formed the foundation of the things we all took for granted. Whether it was the concept of something as simple as an LED bulb, or as complex as FTL space travel, every living human in existence had some passing familiarity with these topics, enough to understand some of the fundamentals behind them or at the very least the implications of their existence.

However, when you remove yourself from a life led with constant exposure to said knowledge through formal avenues of learning and passive cultural diffusion alike, you’re left with someone without even the fundamentals required to understand the building blocks of the things you might mention off handedly.

What was worse however was when such a person exists in a reality with a fundamentally different set of universal laws; with a society that has adapted to prefer the utilization of these unconventional laws in the accomplishment of similar and analogous tasks to those performed by traditional and conventional scientific principles. It makes the explanation of something as simple as say, a bomb, far more difficult as they already had existing principles and the established knowledge to replicate something similar. So whilst a casual discussion regarding an explosive was generally understood in passing conversation, we ultimately had two very different entrenched knowledge sets on how that explosive came to be, and how it even worked.

It wasn’t so much that they didn’t have that concept to begin with. If that were the case, that would just be a matter of simply explaining a concept that simply didn’t exist beforehand. It’s that they already had something similar enough, that explaining it to them would require circumventing existing beliefs and understanding.

This made explaining the severity of the situation to Thacea, a potentially difficult prospect. Indeed, this set the precedent for just how difficult it would be to communicate on a variety of other topics I took for granted to the residents and natives of the Nexus and the Adjacent Realms.

So with that in mind, I took a deep breath as I prepared myself to bridge this gap in understanding.

“I’m afraid I don’t quite follow, Emma.” Thacea responded in kind. “Just how is it impossible for the foremost manipulators of mana in the Nexus, to dispel a simple trap spell? You describe it as a bomb, and indeed, we do have such weapons in our arsenal. However no matter how clever or how novel the artificed machinations, even they are prone to the same dispelling measures all Academy graduates, let alone staff, are well versed in managing.”

“Thacea, I’m not sure how well I can explain this but, you remember how I told you that I need this suit to survive right? That mana is dangerous to my kind?” I began, which had clearly begun to turn a few cogs in the avian’s brain as her eyes sharpened once more. The implications of a truly mana deficient realm, leading to a species that had no innate abilities to deal with said mana was starting to sink in.

“Are you saying that this device you speak of, isn’t a form of artificed trap, or a trap spell?” Thacea began, her eyes shifting back and forth as she was running through the Earth shattering realization of a society devoid of any mana-based sciences and technologies. “But that… no, then how would, your armor, your luggage, your civilized tendencies and your knowledge of inter-realm communications… that… those can’t just…” She took a moment to compose herself, taking a deep breath as she looked away from me as if to gather her quickly derailing train of thought.

I gave her a moment to think about the ramifications of this realization. Having her come to her own conclusions and correcting any wrong assumptions was better than me just info dumping on her.

It took a solid minute as she shuddered in place a few times, her eyes ravaged by whatever thought processes were going inside of that avian mind before she was confident enough to address me again.

This time, she reached her hand to touch my armor, tracing up and down my chest plate, my shoulder plates, and even my gauntlets. Her fingers reaching over to tap my tinted lenses as if to reinforce whatever reality checks she was currently going through.

“This… am I correct in assuming that none of this. Not a single piece of masterfully forged metal, is enchanted? Not even these perfectly crafted glass pieces? That the forging process itself wasn’t derived from mana-powered implements or equipment? Or any mana-based methodologies? That… that this, this metal was forged using the same techniques as a backwater mana-poor town’s blacksmith?” She asked with a voice that was surprisingly composed for someone going through a reality altering realization.

Though it was very much far more emotive than the nonplussed, lofty royal inflexions she used back in the Grand Hall.

“That’s right.” I began, although I took a moment to take the princess’ passing remark as a jumping off point. “I assume you guys have blacksmiths that don’t use any mana methods or equipment right?”

“Yes. Hence why I brought this up given how it’s physically impossible to craft something so advanced without the usage of mana-”

“Alright. Imagine a society, a civilization, that never stopped doing that.” I quickly interjected before the princess could continue, taking a moment to grab my tablet, and having the EVI run through the specific examples I was looking for as an image of a primitive forge was displayed on screen. “We started from the same primitive origins. Yeah. But we didn’t have any mana, or any of this magic stuff to work with. So we improvised.” The image on screen started off with a primitive, backwater forge Thacea had probably conjured up in her headspace, before it moved to more advanced metalworking techniques. Larger blowers, more manpower poured into the art of metallurgy. “Brute forcing it was one way, but we learned about the fundamental principles behind it. First by trial and error and experimentation. Then, gradually, painstakingly, and over a great amount of time, we slowly but surely built up our understanding on the subject using the scientific method.” The pictures moved fast, from old metalworking workshops during the middle ages all the way through to the industrial revolution where factories and foundries containing massive crucibles filled with molten metal sat in endless rows at the height of the pre-automated era industrial scale mass production. “We advanced not with the help of your unseen and untouchable mana, but by using the principles we learned that governed the world… and using them to our advantage.” The images moved quicker still, through the world wars, up to the 21st century with large-scale industrial production that became increasingly more advanced with the advent of automation and computer assisted systems, before finally landing on a factory packed to the brim with CNC machines of varying sizes and makes. “You see, Thacea, it took us thousands of years before we got to where I am. The armor you see me wearing is the culmination of thousands of generations of blood, sweat, and toil. I wear the legacy of a million scientists, engineers, forge workers, technicians, and miners. I carry their legacy on my shoulders every minute of my existence here in the Nexus. Your little mana-poor small-town blacksmith? Well, we were once them, the only discernible difference being we have the benefit of the knowledge garnered by millenia of human tenacity and innovation. All done without the aid and shortcuts mana seems to afford.” I finished off that explanation with a strong sense of pride in my voice.

Thacea didn’t even look or flinch away once as she went starry eyed at the tablet in front of her. In fact, her eyes seemed to have adapted quickly to the blinding light of the device. I knew that a lot of it went over her head. It would take weeks upon weeks to fully explain every little aspect of each photo to her. In fact, I knew that the more modern a picture was, the longer it would take for me to carefully point and elaborate on every single object seen within the pictures. That’s why I stopped at the late 21st century, prior to the advent of truly stellar scale mass production and industrial processes. I didn’t need to explain everything just yet, I just needed to prove a point, and that blacksmith was a jumping off point I just couldn’t ignore.

“I… I am… I am going to assume then that… that this trap, this bomb of yours is formed on the same mana-deficient principles. That you managed to construct such a violent weapon, without the aid or enrichment of mana?” Thacea concluded, her voice bordering between disbelief and a dour severity.

“Precisely.”

There were a solid few moments of silence that followed as the princess moved wordlessly towards one of the couches in the room and sat on it with a slow, practiced movement. She gestured for me to follow which I did, as I took the seat in front of her, and another spike of mana radiation hit me.

ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 225% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS

It was clear that the princess was becoming quite used to making sure the seats I parked myself at were safe from my massive weight.

“This would mean that the Academy staff have no recourse in the dispelling of this… destructive device. This bomb of yours.” Thacea continued, her eyes now filling up with the same worry that I currently felt as the ramifications of this threat grew further and further. “They wouldn’t even have a means of detecting it, if it runs on… on… what? Fire?” Thacea struggled to finish that train of thought. Perhaps, for the first time in her life, she couldn’t find a proper analogue for a principle she thought she understood. No gunpowder, no traditional form of explosive to pull from.

“It’s… a complex mixture of several chemicals derived from synthetic processes.” I began, as I actively tried to ignore the EVI’s attempts at pulling up the encyclopedia page for this incendiary infused conventional explosive device. The stupid thing thinking I needed to recite the device’s entire mechanism verbatim. “The chemicals are mixed and prepared in such a way that it remains stable, even when you kick it or hit it really, really hard. The only way to activate it is using a very specific device that is designed to make it explode. That same device is counting down towards a time where it will explode. It also has the ability to determine if the box is being forcibly opened, in which case, it will also explode. And yes, none of this is mana-derived.” I reiterated, as Thacea’s expression continued to shift between utter shock and serious concern.

“Chemicals.” Thacea mimed back. “Mixing. Preparing.” She continued. “Is this some perverse mana-deficient alchemy?” Again, she was grasping at straws and comparing it to what she knew. Which was to be expected.

“Yes. Sort of. Roughly. I guess it’s superficially similar, yeah.”

Thacea’s gaze pierced through my lenses again. This time however, it was clear she understood what was at stake. “Emma, as much as this goes against social conventions I believe the situation you find yourself in is unorthodox enough that it warrants unconventional solutions. I approve if you wish to try to get your luggage back. However, understand that it may not be possible, especially at this hour. I… I suggest we try first thing in the morning, after breakfast.” Thacea offered.

The cognitive dissonance and logical disconnect I felt at that plan was absolute whiplash. It was clear she understood what was at stake now, heck, she even stated it outright. The fact that she wanted to wait this out just didn’t click with me. “In the morning? Thacea, whoever took the damn containers could be working on prying it open as we speak. We’re risking someone getting seriously hurt, or worse, if we don’t do something about this now.” I shot back.

“Emma. I understand the severity of the situation, however you will find it physically impossible to leave after curfew.” Thacea answered back sternly, without anything else muddying her tone of voice. She was giving it to me straight. “There are measures to keep students from leaving, especially during this 5 day grace period. In addition to this, I can assure you that no one will be attempting to access the contents of your box at this hour. It’s tradition after the binding ritual to maintain vigil and recite powerful spells on the book of names throughout the entirety of the night to ensure that the desired effects of soulbinding takes effect. In addition, I’m more than certain that due to the presence of two anomalous names in the book, yours and my own, that the process will be deliberated and drawn far beyond what is to be expected. Emma…” The avian paused, making sure to emphasize her point by maintaining unflinching eye contact with me through the opaque lenses. “You must trust me and compromise with me on this particular matter. I am certain that we have time. It will be more detrimental if you try to leave now, than wait 5 hours before curfew is over at dawn.” With a solemn sigh and an attempt at a smile, the princess shifted gears back into an attempt at empathetic connection. “Emma. This night has been hard on all of us. I don’t want to see you breaking on day 1 of the Academy before classes have even begun. Now I do not know much about your kind, but if you’re like the rest of us, you need your sleep. So please…” Thacea practically pleaded with a mouthful of coos and whirs ending off her speech.

I remained silent, giving the princess’ words genuine consideration as they were the only reliable sources of intel I had on how best to move forward with any sort of operation I wanted to conduct within the Academy.

The name of the game for my mission was that of long term integration within the Academy. I needed to extract as much as I could from this whole lone newrealmer candidate quest the Nexus had vaguely communicated to Earth. Making friends along the way, and connections to those near the top of the pecking order of both the Nexus and the Adjacent Realms was a bonus. Garnering long-term assets and allies was something I didn’t see myself accomplishing until much later, but as it turns out, connections are just as important here as they were back at home.

Going in guns blazing, rampaging through the halls and sneaking through uncharted and potentially hostile territory was something that would endanger the entire mission.

I had to give Thacea’s suggestions a shot.

I took a few moments to consider my options. It was at that point that I finally noticed the 10 push notifications from my EVI, as it threatened to flood a good chunk of my HUD with its incessant messages.

“What is it?” I asked the program, making sure that my voice was again cut off from the outside world.

“As per your previous command, I have isolated 4 unique instances of intentional interference, and 1 unique instance of conspiracy to theft. I have marked these files on your Pending Priorities folder for review and further deliberation.” The EVI responded in that same, no nonsense, somewhat passive aggressive tone of voice.

Without much fanfare and with the enthusiasm of a vacationer ready to claim the biannual ticket drop for a trip to Alpha Centauri, I instantly opened the folder on my tablet, going through each of the 4 unique instances mentioned by the EVI.

The video feed was cut, edited, and highlighted to display each suspect interaction between the members of the Academy’s faculty and my containers. From the moment the crates found themselves violently flung against the walls of some unknown dungeon-like room after exiting the portal, through to each poke, prod, and tap of the 9 containers, with container 10 always in view of each and every cut of footage.

It was a level of suspicion and curiosity that I’d more or less expected from the Academy, and honestly if they left it at that, I wouldn’t be that annoyed by it. Yet as the timestamp carried on, it was clear that they had some unexplained fixation on container 10.

It was after a full 10 minutes of footage did I finally move to the file marked conspiracy to theft. This one file had perhaps the most damning evidence of all, and in fact, confirmed all of my suspicions and concerns, but likewise of Thacea’s own predictions.

I quickly shot a glance at Thacea, as I turned the tablet around for the both of us to view. “Thacea.” I began. “You need to take a look at this.”

Her avian eyes once more locked onto my screen as it began playing the footage that showed container 10 in plain sight, and 3 figures standing right next to it, with another figure in the far upper right of the screen hidden from view, but clad in a signature blue robe. Whilst the identity of the figure hidden from view was to be decided, the 3 figures currently in view and collectively staring at the container was undeniably the black robed Mal’tory, the female elf from a half hour prior, and her armor-clad gargoyle.

“I would have preferred to study everything, however, it is clear that the Earthrealmer has a… decidedly tenacious independence to her. Removing more than a few of her belongings would more than likely trigger a violent reaction befitting of her less than enlightened primitive tendencies. Such is the nature of the newrealmers.” I felt my blood simmering once again, but allowed the video to continue playing regardless. “They are territorial, bloodthirsty, and they act more like a pack of wild animals laying claim to land and property like the unruly dragons of the realm. As such, I deem it wise to remove only one item from her strange collection of eclectic boxes.” Mal’tory pointed towards container 10, and not once made contact with the box, more or less relying solely on the female elf and the gargoyle to shuffle and move it around.

“Professor, this is outrageous.” An unseen voice uttered from off camera. The same voice belonging to the blue robed professor. “You’re acting like a savage pillager, pleasee, let us be sensible. If you wish to study her anomalous belongings, then wait until the morning to request as such. To take and to claim a bold faced lie is unbecoming of a man of your titles-”

“Vanavan.” Mal’tory interjected with a seething, cold annoyance. “I am doing this for your Dean. A message must be sent to the Earthrealmer that concessions must be made for insubordinate actions against us. Given your lack of a spine, it is clear that I am the only one to be capable of shouldering this responsibility.”

“Professor, listen to me. You know as well as I the ramifications of the Earthrealmer’s mere presence here. She should not be able to walk amongst our own, and yet she does so with ease and indifference. We’ve seen the existence of a nullfielder, a mana-less, an aura-less capable of feats of craftsmanship that shouldn’t be possible. Consider the ramifications of a society behind the portal that is capable of such a feat without the aid of mana-”

“Silence!” Mal’tory shot back, losing his temperment for a split second before pulling himself together in the same ambivalent fashion. “Your fear blinds you, Vanavan. Your lack of initiative further hobbles you. If you fear the Earthrealm so much for its anomalous existence, then work with me to understand it. Further, consider this possibility: how likely is it that a world lacking mana is capable of such feats?”

“Under standard conventions it should not be possible. They should be flinging sticks and stones like barbarians, or trapped in the early iron age in small towns and villages.” Vanvan responded.

“Then entertain this hypothesis: is it or is it not possible that another realm or another magical patron has bestowed upon the Earthrealmers the gifts of advanced mana artificing? That they are but a race of spoiled children or the pawns of some greater force working to undermine the Nexus and all we stand for? Is it not more likely than the existence of a completely mana-less society creating such wonders?” Mal’tory professed, which prompted Vanavan to go entirely silent.

“Consider that fact, Vanvan. Consider it with great severity. The Earthrealmers may simply be the scouts for another unknown power which threatens the integrity of the Nexus and the Adjacent Realms. I have no doubt in my mind that they are mindless, savage pawns, dressed up to confuse and to throw us off. There is no possibility that a civilization lacking mana is capable of any of these feats.” It felt to me like Mal’tory was pushing further and further into his own delusions, as the rest of the containers were slowly carted off, meaning the camera was being carted off as well.

“I still don’t think this is the best way to move forward, Professor. However, we have more pressing matters to attend to. The binding ceremony’s followup rituals are already underway. Considering the tainted one and the Earthrealmer, this might take us a night or two.” Vanvan spoke, as the footage cut off right then and there as the rest of the containers were carted off to a very familiar set of halls.

Thacea turned to me with an expression that was very much becoming the theme of the entire night, one fraught with concern but blanketed by an general look of exhaustion. “I am going to assume that this is yet another one of your mana-deficient artifices meant to hold moving images and sounds?”

“Yes.”

The avian took a deep breath, exhaling it with a small melody perhaps as a means of dealing with all of these stresses. “I will also assume that these are accurate memory shards of the events preceding the arrival of your luggage to the room?”

“Yes.”

Another deep inhale and exhale punctuated the silence between Thacea’s response. “It is clear that we have sufficient evidence to support our assumptions now. Your luggage has indeed been taken, and the aims of this seizure of property is both political and practical. It is likewise clear however that the Professor will be preoccupied for the entirety of this night and perhaps the entirety of tomorrow too. As a result of this, my point stands, Emma.”

With an affirmative nod of understanding, I finally gave in and acquiesced. “You’re right. Let’s get this whole operation on the road first thing in the morning then.”