Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (154/?) WiP 1

(Author’s Note: Hey everyone! Here is the Work in Progress for Chapter 154 I hope you guys enjoy! :D As mentioned in the author’s notes of Chapters 152 and 153, the full release for this chapter will be out next week! :D)

Dragon’s Lair. Cave Entrance. Local Time: 2200 Hours.

Ignalius

“LOSANTIA!”

I bore no harsh feelings for the child playing mercenary.

Indeed, if he survived this, I’d have played a vital role in his story. A role which I so craved to be in so many others — the cornerstone.

He’d grow stronger, become wiser to the world, and perhaps even learn a thing or two about things as they are outside of the realm of delusions masking the realities of adventuring and mercenary life.

That is, of course, provided he did survive.

Which, in the flash that followed, didn’t seem likely.

I lowered my wand, but only ever so slightly, as I awaited the dust to settle, amidst an otherwise unsettling sound that tickled my ears.

Hmm… Strange… Can’t possibly be the wind—

CRACK!

I felt myself displaced, forcibly, and without explanation.

I opened my eyes, my whole body trembling, caked in a warm viscous liquid and his majesty only knows what, only to witness the sight of a grisly massacre by my side.

Illuminous… was gone.

And so was my armor.

Which could only mean…

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Dragon’s Lair. Cave Entrance. Local Time: 2200 Hours.

Emma

“What the hell?”

[RAILGUN DISCHARGE COMPLETE. AMMUNITION CYCLE… COMPLETE. CHARGE CYCLING IN PROGRESS...]

My eyes widened, as in what seemed like an instantaneous moment in time… I found that my target had quite literally just… swapped places.

The Alicorn… was gone, no sign of its existence remained save for the mist of red that caked the entire area.

And in the space that it had once occupied, was a now-armorless Ignalius, his pure-white gambeson and pants stained, as was much of the left side of his face.

The whole world went silent.

Nobody moved, and not one person spoke as neither party could make heads or tails of the situation.

No one, save for Thalmin.

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Dragon’s Lair. Cave Entrance. Local Time: 2200 Hours.

Katiya

I couldn’t see.

I couldn’t hear.

My whole body trembled as the golem sent the skies cracking with the sounds of a terrible thunder.

Then, and only when the world had calmed, did I see the beast of beasts, the Master of the Skies second only to the dragonkin… disappear.

I… couldn’t describe it as anything else.

There was, without a shadow of a doubt, nothing else with which to describe what had happened.

A creature that should have been a nightmare for a fully outfitted adventuring party to dispatch, synonymous with an adventuring rank just beneath that of the draconics, had just vanished to an invisible thunder.

I felt my knees wobble, as the golem’s master moved forward to match its posture.

Then, and only then, did the world go mad.

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Dragon’s Lair. Cave Entrance. Local Time: 2200 Hours.

Thalmin

The shatorealmer reacted first, swooping in to lift up his master.

“Emma, kill that guy.” I gestured to the evading party. “I’ll deal with the rest of his ilk.” I spoke darkly, as the 29-strong patrol forces moved in to attack.

…

Which meant one was suspiciously absent — the long-eared leporidian.

Though, even without their party leader, and even with the sheer power of Emma’s attacks, their cohesion still remained.

Admirable. I thought to myself with a bloodthirsty smile.

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Dragon’s Lair. Cave Entrance. Local Time: 2201 Hours.

Salazan the Scaled

Our orders were clear. The Captain had made the call by virtue of his opening attack.

And I intended on following it… in spite of the odds.

As adorning my scales was the product of ten years of hard pay, layer upon layer upon layer of enchanted linens, hardened gambesons, and thrice-forged mana-steel.

And within my hand, was a weapon no fool could evade.

I lifted my weapon, poised to strike alongside the rest of my berserkers, spears ready and—

ZAP!

I felt my whole body clench, my vision momentarily fading and then exploding into a flurry of colors and blurry wisps.

But I ultimately felt no pain, no real damage as a result of my enchants.

This brought a delighted smile to find home on my face, as I only had to endure the lightning, before moving to…

I felt my armor tightening. Skin pinched under armor that felt two sizes two small, and my head aching from crushing forces I couldn’t make heads or tails of.

Then, I heard it.

Screams from Elazen, Bellatri, and then—

CRACK!

I saw them fall, one by one, every comrade dropping like flies, until finally…

I met the lupinor’s gaze, seeing nothing but a focused, condensed rage.

Then, it all went black.