Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (47/?) WiP 1 (Patreon)

Hey everyone! Here is the Work in Progress for Chapter 47 I hope you guys enjoy! :D 

Despite the titles, despite the pomp and circumstance, the end of an assembly seemed to be a universal cultural phenomenon that transcended not just species, but entire universes.

As after the ensemble of musicians had played their final tune following the dean’s final few words, and after the curtains had drawn to a full close, there was no stopping the complete and utter chaos that was the chatter and gossip of a hundred different conversations erupting all at once. This definitely gave the EVI a run for its money as it began tirelessly isolating each and every possible conversation as best as it could.

Hundreds of lines of dialogue now dotted my HUD, each of them unique in their own right, but all of them trended towards three distinct topics.

One being the library and the mystery-student currently at large.

Two being Auris’ magical ass-whooping at the hands of my library card.

And three being the library card itself, and by extension, me.

It was this latter topic that all conversations seemed to eventually circle towards. Like the black hole of drama I was, it seemed as if I was trapping more and more of the undivided attentions of an entire year group within my insatiable gravity well.

What started out as a few scattered eyes occasionally glancing over towards our group, suddenly became an all out wave of a hundred different constant stares that seemed destined to swallow us whole.

This sentiment was more or less confirmed by Thacea, as her expressions said it all. “Emma, it would be prudent if we made our departure post-haste.” The princess whispered out, loud enough that I could note the undercurrents of concern present in her voice.

And while it wasn’t the same type of concern as the life or death struggle of the threats we faced so far, it was still enough to prompt me to follow her lead on this one.

Thacea spent a whole life dealing with nobles after all.

So I began scanning for exit routes in earnest. Or rather, I delegated the task to the EVI, who was definitely way more adept at this sort of thing. Especially when the seconds counted.

“EVI, exit routes.”

“Affirmative, highlighting routes now.”

With only a handful of paths to choose from, I opted for the one with the least resistance. I instinctively took point with the rest of the gang following suit. Looking at one of my rear-view cameras, I noted how Thalmin was being particularly wary of Ilunor as he kept him close at hand. Quite literally in fact, with his hand never once deviating from the Vunerian’s shoulder.

This was definitely a step up from his wariness over Ilunor from before. Which meant there was definitely something up. Something that I’d bring up with him when we got to the dorms.

As we made our way out, a handful of students somehow managed to make their way through the crowd, having managed to blip forward by a good ten or so feet-

ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 340% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS

-cutting us off just short of the doors.

ENTITY IFF CONFIRMED: A72 ETHOLIN ESILA - RONTALIS REALM [NEUTRAL]

It was the short ferret-like being from the previous night. The one that was given a verbal smackdown by the likes of Auris and the rest of the students for giving his honest two cents on the town explosion, only given a chance to speak by Qiv.

He stared up at me with two, clearly intimidated eyes, that looked even more worse for wear as he glanced over at Thalmin and began quivering even further in his boots. “I… I would just like to request an audience with you, Earthrealmer, whenever you may have the chance to do so.” He spoke out in a series of fast-paced chatters, his voice quite literally matching up with his small yet adorably proportioned form. “P-please let me know when would be most appropriate. Thank you.” He scurried off soon after, back into the crowds, blending into the mass of students.

In the time it took for the Etholin to address me, the crowd had just about stopped a good five feet short of our group. The hundred or so voices became an incomprehensible mess at that point, as each student tried throwing question after question at me, resulting in little progress made for any individual question getting through.

Only a few stray students refused to join in, the most notable group of this being Qiv and his entourage, who seemed to study us from afar near the front of the stage. The gorn-like lizard’s eyes looking not too amused at the antics I was causing… or perhaps the attention I was inadvertently garnering.

Eventually, a single voice boomed from the crowd, managing to overpower all others and causing the whole room to go silent for a few precious seconds. “How did you get the library card, newrealmer?”

This once more put me in a unique opportunity, as I had yet another chance to address the crowd, with a simple question that demanded an equally simple answer that I knew would stoke further interest, as well as further breaking newrealm preconceptions.

"By the librarian offering me one, that's how." I answered a-matter-of-factly and with an unseen wink underneath my helmet, before turning around and dipping through those double doors, leaving a whole crowd in turmoil.

=====

We arrived at the dorm without much in the way of fanfare. To be honest, I was expecting at least some attempt at a chase to occur. However, according to Thacea, that simply wasn’t part of decorum.

Apparently there was trying, and then, there was trying too hard. It was more socially acceptable to put your foot in the door if everyone else was doing it, like the literal stampede that occurred within the assembly hall. However, things were different when you were alone and lacked that social net to bank on. We were still more or less the outcasts of the Academy after all, so to have someone actively attempt to chase after us would’ve been a bridge too far, socially speaking.

It would’ve made them look really desperate, essentially. Which certainly wasn’t a good look when you were anyone of literally any standing ‘above’ us.

This was despite the library card coming into play, mainly because the dust from that whole reveal just hadn’t settled enough for everyone to make up their minds about me.

Whatever the case was, and whatever the social intricacies entailed, I was glad we were finally back in the dorms.

But that relief was sorely short-lived as Thalmin not-so-subtly tugged my arm, indicating he wanted to speak… in private.

This meant leaving Ilunor and Thacea alone for a while, and whilst I wasn’t worried about the pair existing in the same room, it just occurred to me just how little I saw of their interactions so far.

Between Thalmin and myself, Ilunor more or less left Thacea alone, save for the odd tainted jab.

Which still boiled my blood to no end but… I had to tolerate it for now, as I shuffled into Thalmin’s room with only a knowing glance exchanged with the likes of Thacea.

“Emma, there is a matter we need to discuss.” Thalmin began, his tone bordering between respectful, yet urgently paced.