Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (129/?) WiP 1 and Announcement

Announcement: Hey everyone! I’m so sorry that I have to do this but I don't think I can finish this week’s chapter on time. I’m still recovering from my severe food poisoning, but I’ve managed to write a good chunk of Chapter 129 still while my fever has been improving! :D Chapter 129 will be posted in full next week, but I’d like to share what I have so far with you guys! :D I hope that this is alright, and I once again apologize for the delay this week. 

Also, the revised version for Chapter 128 will also be released next week before the full release of Chapter 129 as well! Again, I apologize for the delays, everyone. 

Author’s Note 2: I’ve also attached the PDF and EPUB versions of the WiP, since Patreon is still working on a solution for the recent bug! However, it would seem as I'm posting this that the formatting issues have been solved. Can you guys please tell me if you're seeing the formatting as normal on your end as well? :D

The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. En Route to the Hall of Champions. Local Time: 1535 Hours. 

Emma

The input from the gang had the EVI spooling into overdrive, the virtual intelligence going so far as to request a pause from further WAID calibrations until such a time where it had properly worked out the details of the overlay it was cooking up for the manasight analogue.

I took that as an opportunity to finally take on Thalmin’s offer, as we both left for the Hall of Champions, leaving a visibly upset Ilunor to mope at the heels of an increasingly contemplative Thacea. 

While excited by both prospects, the thought of filling out additional paperwork in the form of annexes, addenda, and appendices when it came to the more technical projects sent shivers down my spine.

Though ironically, perhaps one of the largest sections to be filled in this week’s action report wasn’t about the WAID, but something that had yet to transpire — the GUN’s first true joint military exercise with a truly foreign polity. 

A paradigm first in all but pomp and circumstance. 

A paradox was quickly forming. Wherein a lot was happening in my mind without much, if anything, truly precipitating into words, let alone actions.

Words and ideas passed me by as quickly as new thoughts came in to replace them, creating this constant buffering where I had too much to say, without anything being said at all. 

Excitement, anticipation, and giddiness all clouded my mind, as I struggled to really approach what was quickly coming to be.

The sheer number of implications that this carried with it would’ve required a hundred committees to parse… before inevitably collapsing, re-forming, and then collapsing again all in the span of months. 

And here I was, tackling it alone.

Yet at the same time, I couldn’t get past the understanding of what this truly was — a friendly matchup, and nothing more.

This wasn’t something grand, epic, or truly reality-defining.

Instead, it felt like a natural evolution, another step in the path towards forging stronger bonds between two comrades in arms.

It was probably this functional disconnect between what was technically happening, versus what was actually happening that was messing with me.

And at the end of the day… I was probably just overthinking things again.

But I couldn’t help it, especially given how the soldier in me often butted heads with the diplomat I was also meant to embody.

This stray thought eventually gave rise to an opening talking point that was very much needed.

“So… how do you do it, Thalmin? How do you handle being so many things at once?”

“I’m sorry?” The prince responded, cocking his head as he did so.

“As in, how do you handle your disparate responsibilities? From what we’ve discussed, you’re very much deep into the military pipeline, but at the same time, you’re expected to be royal as well right? Like, taking on responsibilities of both state management, and international diplomacy.”

“Ah, so the pressures have finally gotten to you, haven’t they?” The lupinor chuckled, crossing his arms as he did so. 

“It probably should’ve gotten me ages ago, but I guess the constant highs have either started to wear off… or… my brain chemistry has probably adapted to being swamped in adrenaline 24/7. Either way, the effect remains the same. I kinda want to know how you manage to deal with it.”

The prince chuckled cockily at that response, crossing his arms in a show of personal pride. “Breeding, heritage, lineage, and blood, Cadet Emma Booker.” Thalmin spoke uncharacteristically, sporting a smarmy grin that eventually broke out into an uproarious laugh. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” He managed out in between breaths. “But tell me, how was my Ilunor impression?”

The flurry of emotions that rushed through me in the span of a few seconds was both confusing and cathartic, leaving me with little option but to catch the lupinor’s contagious laugh, letting out a series of cackles in the process. 

“Good, perhaps too good if you ask me.” I let out through a relieved sigh. “Honestly, if he carried himself with just half your stoicism, then he’d probably be a lot more menacing than he is.” 

“Well, consider me flattered, Emma.” The prince acknowledged with a dip of his head. “But in all seriousness, I will say that it’s quite impressive how well you’ve held your own Emma. Especially for a commoner. To be quite frank, the way you carry yourself and the decisions you’ve consistently made has pushed me so far as to have completely forgotten that aspect of your identity.” He offered, before promptly adding with a sheepish smile. “And I mean that as a compliment. I hold nothing but respect for your achievements as an individual, not in spite or because of your supposed status.”

“Right.” I acknowledged with a nod, prompting the lupinor to quickly shift his tone.

“But to address your question, Emma? I’ll need to preface this by saying that I’m quite possibly the least conventional royal to ask for advice. Havenbrock and its royal family is, after all… quite unconventional, if you haven’t already noticed.” 

“That does seem to be the general consensus, not that I agree it's warranted.” I replied diplomatically. 

“Indeed, but in any case, how I personally manage the handling of so many disparate responsibilities is simple — exposure. Exposure and experience are the keys to tempering the panic and nervousness that comes with encountering unforeseen circumstances. This is the fundamental principle by which my father and uncle have raised me by, and the one I credit for my continued survival.” He paused as we reached one of the many twists and turns between the dorms and the stadium. “The life of a royal, at least a Havenbrockian royal, isn’t about glitz, glamor, or stately decorum. It is as much about the literal fight for survival, which in turn, makes almost everything else seem superficial by comparison.” 

Thalmin eventually capped that off with another snarky smile. “I told you this wouldn’t be the answer you were looking for.”

“No, no. That… honestly aligns pretty well with something my Aunt said a while back, honestly. Especially the whole perspective shift thing about having been in life and death situations, and seeing everything else after that point as being kinda… trivial, so to speak.” 

This prompted Thalmin to raise a brow, just as we were finally about to leave the towers. “I take it your Aunt is also in some form of military service?”

“She served in our version of, well…” I paused, trying my best to actually explain the whole mission statement of the Terrestrial and Space Expeditionary Corps to Thalmin. “... a form of elite rapid and forward strike group trained for any environment, from space, to other realms floating within it, to traditional surface operations.”

The lupinor paused, pondering this for a moment with wide eyes. “So… does your Aunt ride those firespears of yours into combat?” 

“Well… sort of, like I said before, the ancient firespears I showed you are a thousand years behind me, so she’s—”

“So I was right.” Thalmin whispered under his breath, fist bumping the air in the process.

“I’m… sorry?”

“I had theorized, internally, that those firespears could be used to deploy not just people to the void and other realms, but could likewise be repurposed for the deployment of soldiers to any point on the planet. A sort of void marines, or perhaps even a void diver of sorts.” 

I paused, blinking rapidly at the excitable lupinor who I could only smile nervously at. 

“I mean… you aren’t too far off in your assumptions, Thalmin. Our firespears, even in that era, were also weaponized.” I admitted. “I just didn’t have time to include that in our presentation since actually explaining the void was so…” I trailed off, garnering a narrowing gaze from the lupinor.

“Understandable. However, I would like a glimpse at such weapons in the future, if that is at all possible.” 

“Yeah, sure, I’ll… put that on the roster of things to demonstrate when we get to it.” I offered nervously, prompting an equally suspicious nod before the lupinor moved onto another topic entirely.

“Forgive me if this is intrusive to ask, but I take it since your Aunt has served, that you’re perhaps from a lineage of soldiers of sorts?” The lupinor pondered, raising a hand to rub the bottom of his snout. 

“I mean, it’s somewhat of a tradition, one that members of my Aunt’s side of the family tends to take on sporadically. But it isn’t like something set in stone or anything.” 

“I see.” Thalmin nodded. “You will have to tell me more about your Aunt in the future, Emma, as well as her exploits as this… void diver of sorts.” 

“Oh, yeah, if it’s stories from her you’re looking for… we’re definitely in for an endless number of talking points on our roadtrip.”