Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (140/?) WiP 1

Author’s Note: Hey everyone! Here is the Work in Progress for Chapter 140 I hope you guys enjoy! :D 

Thirty minutes.

That’s all fate needed.

That’s all the time we had before our lives became inexplicably intertwined.

Whether by the cold and callous hands of statistical probability rearing its ugly head in the form of dumb coincidence, or whether it was actually fate, the end result remains the same.

That fateful night, those thirty minutes, it was all it took for the lives of so many to be turned upside down.

From family to business and all those caught in the crossfire, my presence had led to this — the disruption of livelihoods and aspirations.

I didn’t like Lartia, not one bit, not especially after he showed his colors.

But did he deserve to die?

I can’t say.

Because it’s neither my right nor prerogative to judge. 

What I do know however is that those under his ‘care’, employ, or whatever you might call it… they all didn’t deserve the ramifications of his death.

A familiar feeling of gross negligence, of personal responsibility started welling up within me again.

A strong sense of uncompromising culpability, even if it was misplaced, blanketed my very being.

The highs of victory, and the calmness that came with our triumph over the vorpal chimera — all of it — was smothered by this cold and gut-churning feeling.

This feeling of complete and utter guilt.

What made it worse however, was that I was staring straight into Solizia’s eyes all the while; eyes which were currently filled with gratitude, gratefulness, and a sense of indebtedness.

It all made me feel sick.

…

But this wasn’t the time to feel bad for myself.

If you screw up, own it. There’s always time for self-reflection, but try not to cross the boundary between moping and inaction. Call me a bit old fashioned for it, Emma, or call it whatever you will. Just know that in life, you’ve gotta own your mistakes by making it up to those that you owe.

I needed to make things right.

With a deep breath and a steadying hand, I quickly turned towards Thalmin.

His features, whilst not carrying with it the guilt-ridden expression I wore, still hinted at the slight surprise that came with the Lord Lartia revelation. 

We exchanged a glance, or at least that’s how I saw it, as the prince didn’t need to hear a single word of explanation before giving me a small nod — signalling a go-ahead for whatever it was I had in store next.

“Solizia.” I began with a dour breath.

“Yes, Sir Knight?”

“I…” I paused, my mind wracking with indecision of exactly what path to take.

It was only after spotting Etholin’s little unopened gift strapped to one of my travel packs that a lightbulb moment hit me.

And I chose action instead of a stream of empty platitudes.

“Have you ever considered working for an adjacent realmer?” 

This question prompted a raise, then a furrowing of the man’s brows, as if he wasn’t at all expecting this non-sequitor of a half-offer.

“Erm, I apologize Sir Knight. But the life of a porter is perhaps beyond my skills, capabilities, and experience. The fact I also have a son makes it such that this… adventurous lifestyle wouldn’t at all fit my current—”

“Oh, no. That’s not what I was asking.” I quickly shot the man’s concerns down with two open palms. “We’re not in the market for porters. So I was just asking, in general, if you guys — being Nexian locals — would ever consider working for an adjacent realmer in the same capacity that you were under Lord Lartia.”

This clarification caused a clear shift in the man’s expressions, his eyes narrowing at the prospects. “As… carters under contract?”

“Yeah! Erm, I’m not exactly sure how adjacent noble business would work in the Nexus, but I do have a friend who seems to be operating a business out of Elaseer. And given that it is a store, there has to be logistics involved in stocking and inventory right?” I turned to Thalmin, who merely furrowed his brows and shrugged blankly in my direction. 

“Erm, regardless! I’m sure he’ll have some sort of a role for you! And from the way you’ve described it, being employed by a noble sure beats going indie, right?” 

That point of further clarification drove the man into even deeper thought, his eyes bouncing back and forth between me and Thalmin.

“I suppose it would.” He acknowledged. “And though there might be certain naysayers over the idea of Nexians — commoners as we may be — taking up contractual employment under an adjacent merchant house… such social stigmas are outweighed by the practical boons of being under contract. Namely, the guarantee of a steady source of income.” 

A smile grew across my face as I turned to Thalmin—

“However—”

—though this was tempered as quickly as it arose.

“—I doubt this will elevate us out of our physical travails."

I cocked my head in confusion, before it finally hit me.

“You’ll still be locked out of the transportium network because Adjacent Realmers don’t have access to it…” I reasoned out loud. 

“That will most likely be the case, yes.” Solizia acknowledged with a nod just as my spirits were poised for another nosedive. 

“But of course… I am not an elf to [look a gift horse in the mouth. 87.23% Accuracy.]” He explained to the tune of a working translation error. “I have learned to wear my pride like a coat. 19.27% Accuracy.]” The translation continued, though this latter analogy left much to be desired. 

The lack of an immediate response, or perhaps the slip of Low Nexian, quickly clued Solizia into the conversation’s climax being lost in translation; prompting the elf to quickly clarify.

“Which is to say, my pride is of least concern now. Only to be worn after first being clothed in the undershirts of practicality.” He elaborated, prompting the EVI to let out an affirmative beep in response.

New esoteric colloquialism added to the [Working Language Database]

“I apologize, Sir Knight, I… may be becoming too much of a back tavern poet in my excitement.” He continued with a nervous laugh.

“So… can I take this as a yes, or do you need more time to think about it?” I responded softly.

This prompted the elf to smile softly, his eyes shifting momentarily towards the eerily empty night sky above, before once more locking eyes with my lenses.

“There is nothing to think about.” He stated bluntly. “Especially when the winds of fate have aligned with such poise and purpose. My answer is a resounding yes, Sir Knight.” The elf quickly dipped his head low. 

“It’s really alright Solizia, please, there’s no need for the whole song and dance.” I attempted to rebuff his display of deference with yet another set of raised hands. “Just contact me when you get back to Elaseer and I’ll hook you up with my guy.” I smiled warmly.