Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (46/?) WiP 1 (Patreon)

Hey everyone! Here's the Work in Progress for Chapter 46 I hope you guys enjoy! :D 

No one spoke. Not a single soul dared to interrupt collective shock that had fallen upon this hall of magical elites.

For the first time in what felt like forever, true, genuine silence actually dawned upon this otherwise ceaselessly chatty crowd. A crowd that found it possible to talk over anything, even the arrival of a dragon following an earth-shattering explosion.

This made their stares all the more palpable, as each and every pair of eyes, round, slitted, and otherwise, all locked on with expressions as diverse and dynamic as the number of species present within the room. Shock and disbelief was the most common amongst them, this was followed up closely by confusion, then intrigue, and even fear and concern amongst a rare few.

To my right was Thacea’s look of anxious worry, and to my left was Thalmin’s excitable gaze only tempered by his otherwise cool expression. To my far left was Ilunor, who looked like he’d just checked out of reality, with that deer-in-headlights expression still holding strong.

To my front was Qiv, whose eyes never once landed on me, but solely and possessively on that shiny object of interest held tightly between my fingers.

The professors on stage fared no better, with Chiska being the most animated out of all of them, her feline eyes all but dilated like a domestic cat having caught sight of a particularly elusive prey.

Though amongst all of these, it was the dean who was the most interesting to read, as his previously warm and condescending expressions quickly shifted to a placid, tempered one. One that was otherwise decidedly calm, if not for those two eyes that pierced straight through my very soul. Two eyes that seemed to not-so-subtly say stop, just short of verbally demanding it.

It was then that I realized I had a call to make, on just how far I wanted to take this, and whether or not I wanted to seize this opportunity for what it could easily become.

This mission was about conducting diplomacy as much as it was about fulfilling, attending, and observing my role as Earthrealm’s candidate in the eyes of the Academy. It was clear however, that seizing this opportunity would be one of those instances where the aims of these two roles would be far from mutual alignment, perhaps even drifting into the territory of conflicting interests.

But this wasn’t anything new.

In fact, it wasn’t as if I hadn’t already tested the limits of my role as a candidate.

The first few hours following my arrival at the Academy was a testament to this, given the awkward position the binding ritual had placed me in. As a candidate, I was obligated to follow through with all of the oaths and pledges. As a representative, I was obligated to reject any oaths or pledges to a foreign power. What’s more, as a representative, I was obligated to make it clear what my presence here meant, so that no one could misconstrue silence with acquiescence.

But that situation was fundamentally different from this.

This time, I wasn’t just responding or reacting.

This time, I was taking the initiative.

Because unlike the binding ceremony, this situation wasn’t instigated by any within the Academy’s ranks.

It was instead initiated by me, out of chance, and on the spot. The latter’s spontaneity being something completely unagreeable to Nexian sensibilities.

The path to diplomacy, to political maneuvering and posturing wasn’t always clear cut. In fact, it was rarely ever straightforward. This wasn’t a pre-planned course, or a strictly choreographed itinerary, it was subjective; and up to the whims of social context which could easily be upended by so many independent variables dictated by an innumerable quantity of independent actors all with their own aims and goals.

To wait for your turn in such a setting would be as good as allowing yourself to be trampled over. It was as good as giving up and packing your bags home.

Diplomacy, at least in a setting as competitively aggressive as this, with draconian rules that lacked the systematic nuance of the UN’s boringly legislated state axes, demanded a more opportunistic and aggressive mindset.

This, definitely fit that bill.

What’s more, it was the perfect opportunity to finally clear up the air, because it marked the first instance that I could finally dictate the course of my own narrative without it being part of some pre-planned Nexian scheme. It was a chance to finally make humanity’s position known to an audience of hundreds. Hundreds of elites belonging to a hundred different governments scattered across a hundred different worlds, all of them as young as impressionable as me.

It was time to seize the opportunity and just run with it.

Starting with something the Nexus seemed overly fond of.

Showmanship.

“I’m assuming that this-” I paused as quickly as I began, running the card between my fingers in a fluid, practiced motion. All those hours of pen spinning tricks actually finally paid off, as I saw Qiv and a good chunk of the student body training their eyes to match the movements of the card. “-is indeed the grand artifact I inquired about.” I allowed my vocoded voice to echo throughout the room, much in the same way the dean’s voice had done before. The acoustics worked both ways, and where magic had helped the dean to project his voice, I had my trusty volume bar to more or less do the same. “Now I’m not much for boasting, nor am I a proponent for the reductive tendencies of ascribing the cumulative worth of a person to a material object, but when the veracity of my honor and integrity come into question, I find that the best means of addressing doubt and lingering concern is to nip the misconceptions at the bud. That being said, I would like to set the record straight. I would like to make it known to all, that Earthrealm’s first representative does indeed fall into the circle of the privileged few who possesses such an artifact. And by that same reasoning, possesses the badge of honor, virtue, and integrity in accordance with the library’s selective scrutiny.” I parroted the dean’s own words not directly back towards him, but towards the room as a whole, triggering the man’s gaze to shift from that of a strong insistence to an outright look of seething indignancy. “I would also like to make it known that this was accomplished within not a lifespan, or a career, but a matter of days upon my arrival.” This fact seemed to be enough to send a good half of my captive audience into a catatonic spiral of pupillary dilation.

“Earthrealm’s intentions has, and always continues to be, one of friendly diplomatic outreach. Our goal when breaching the void between spaces was always fueled by peaceful intent, and driven by the tenets of discovery and exploration. We sought out new worlds with the hopes of discovering intelligent life amongst the breadth of infinity. We reached through the void between spaces with open minds and measured hearts. We did this all, with the intent of peaceful and constructive contact in mind. My presence here, and my candidacy at the Academy represents humanity’s first achievement in those steps towards peaceful coexistence. My procurement of this card represents humanity’s second achievement in this aim.” I paused, taking a breath as I allowed my point to be made. During this, I noted that Thacea, and several other students’ eyes looked on, no longer with shock or concern, but with a knowing gaze as if they were predicting the trajectory of this speech. “For this marks the beginnings of the start to a peaceful, constructive dialogue, between Earthrealm and a second neutral entity.”