Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (128/?)

Author’s Note 1: Hey everyone! I’m super sorry for the delay on this chapter. I had to go to a wedding today, as well as other family related matters over the past few days that led up to it. This week has been really hectic for me so I struggled to find time to properly sit down for the chapter, but I managed to power my way through it! :D I always want to make sure to adhere to the schedule I set out for myself, so even if it took me until 4am, I’m still adamant on keeping to that schedule! :D I do hope the chapter was okay though, I still tried my best to put my all in this one! ^^; 

Author’s Note 2: I’ve attached the PDF and EPUB versions of this chapter since Patreon is still working on a solution for the recent formatting bug!

Dragon’s Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30, Living Room. Local Time: 1445 Hours. 

Emma

“Conspicuous.” Thacea remarked.

“Suspicious, is how I’d describe it.” Thalmin commented.

“Earthrealmer… do your people know nothing of aesthetic theory?” Ilunor added dramatically, raising a single hand to rest his forehead against as he did so.

All eyes were currently set on the latest addition to the armor. The first in-field modification made with the intent to not only bridge the gap between magic and technology, but likewise, made in an attempt to compensate for what humanity lacked — manasight.

“I admit, it is a bit crude, even by our expeditionary standards.” I nodded in a rare instance of acknowledgement towards the Vunerian’s whinings. “However, I’m sorta pressed for R&D constraints here so this is probably the best I can do for a little while.” 

I began fiddling with the calibration tools, going through the litany of novel solutions created by the EVI, and the various user interface suites the techies had come up with back home for this particular eventuality. 

There had always been the expectation that the EVI would eventually be able to improve upon the barebones of the M-RSAD systems, with the idea being that the current sensor suite would slowly improve and iterate based on the wealth of data the Nexus provided; as being constantly saturated in mana was a far better testbed than any hypothetical model could offer back on the homefront.

However, with the addition of the WAID, these HUDs did start showing their limitations, as they’d been calibrated not for this jury-rigged system of a mana-detection suite, but instead, the carefully tuned and calibrated sensor suite I’d arrived with.

Moreover, there was the issue of the user interface lacking the fine-tuning necessary to work seamlessly, at least not without a lot of iterative design.

And while that was definitely possible, I’d be hard-pressed to get it done within the timeframe of the dragon quest.

Though beyond time constraints, there was also the matter of newfound data that threatened to make the old HUDs just a little bit dated.

The R&D boys back home were limited to what they knew, after all. And while it was sufficient, they were still working under the scope of human innovation up to that point.

This was an entirely novel world and context however. With a completely novel set of circumstances that could come to redefine our approach to layering the magical world atop of the physical.

The best systems were, after all, usually modeled after some natural phenomenon… with the exception of FTL, of course. And what better system to model the new user interface after than the experiences of those who actually lived and breathed mana?

“Right. Here’s where I’m going to need your help, guys.” I began, interrupting the flurry of conversation that flowed amongst the trio whilst I was busy working inside my own little world.

“Help? Hmmph, fancy that. I thought the word was entirely absent from your vocabulary.” Ilunor began with a haughty chuckle. “Well then, let us hear it. How may we, the esteemed members of highborn society, aid you in your… requests, oh Cadet Emma Booker?” 

I couldn’t help but to blink at the Vunerian, and his exceptionally catty antics this time around.

“Erm, well. I had two requests actually. The first probably being the most important for the long term prospects of this whole mana-sight thing. I’d like you to show me exactly what you guys see. I want to know how you guys perceive the world beyond just the ‘corporeal’ one.”

The deluxe kobold’s features grew increasingly more arrogant and sly as I talked, culminating in an inflated grin at the tail end of my request.

“Oh how tragic… the earthrealmer finally admits her limits, her natural limits might I add.” He quickly turned to both Thacea and Thalmin, who looked on at him with varying levels of impatience. “What? I am speaking the truth, am I not? For weeks now, Emma Booker has been gallivanting with bold and noble posturing, claiming parity this, and parity that! Now, we finally see the limitations to this parity! The self admitted cries for aid as a result of her manaless limitations!” He paused, before turning towards my helmet’s eternally poker-faced expression. “I, of course, mean no offense by this, Cadet Emma Booker. I am merely… clarifying matters for the unwritten record.”

“By rubbing it in, no less.” Thalmin growled out.

“‘Tis but an orator’s drive, Prince Thalmin. For a dragon strikes when it tastes weakness in the manastreams.”

“By mocking Emma’s shortcomings?” Thacea chimed in. “Targeting an aspect of her being to which she had no control over in choosing?” She questioned tersely.

“Cadet Emma Booker has made it clear that we are in a long, protracted game of posturing. Be that political, martial, physical, or even personal.” The Vunerian paused, taking a moment to cross his arms as he did so. “This means there are no standards to be held, and no topic which remains sacred.”

“Where I come from, a low blow is a low blow all the same; carrying with it dishonor and shame, Nexian.” Thalmin seethed. 

“Well then thankfully such outdated notions are now matters of domestic politics, rather than relevant conventions of contemporary conversation.” Ilunor shot back just as snappily, prompting me to finally clear the air with a protracted sigh.

“Alright alright. Let’s all just take a step back.” I began, prompting the pair to turn their heads towards me. “Let’s save your strength for the sparring match, Thalmin. Ilunor’s just not worth the effort.” 

This elicited an indignant glare from the Vunerian, who I quickly addressed next.

“And Ilunor? That’s the whole reason why I’m even asking you for your help. Because while I didn’t choose to lack a manafield—” I paused, turning to Thacea with a nod of appreciation as I did so. “—I’m choosing to overcome it by doing what my people always do when faced with the impossible.”

I could practically feel the Vunerian’s inner dialogue through the shift in his features, as I could just about see him going — here we go again — behind those golden eyes. 

“So, if you’d be so kind, how about we stop with the defensive posturing, and show me exactly what the world is like through your noble and discerning eyes.” I urged, as the little mast mounted sensor dome continued spinning in ‘excitement’ atop the suit’s ‘backpack’.

“And how do you propose we go about doing so, Cadet Emma Booker?” Ilunor shot back. “Manasight is a gift, one which no corporeal analogue can match.” 

“I’m not gunning for a one-to-one here.” I countered. “In fact, an analogue is exactly what I’m looking for. And as for how we’re going to go about this? Maybe a quick trip to the ZNK-19 will do the trick.” I grinned.

…

15 Minutes Later

… 

A quick trip to the ZNK-19 most certainly did not do the trick.

But that flop was more broadly attributed to me than anything else.

There was a… learning curve, when it came to much of the interfacing. One that caused more grief than was worth the time being put into it.

“Earthrealmer, exactly how do I force these silly little lines into pools of magma?” Ilunor yapped out, attempting to jab his fingers into the 3D vector ‘cubes’ that had attempted to match his demands, but had turned into little more than a pile of broken assets at the behest of his finagling.

“Earthrealmer, why are your false projections so stubborn and unwieldy?” The deluxe kobold reiterated, moving his hands like he was wading through water.

“Earthrealmer, why is this infernal space not responding to the whims of my will?” He continued, simply resorting to waving his hand haphazardly in the air, as if expecting the hologram to somehow read his mind.

“I showed you the tutorial, Ilunor. You have to specify what you want, and it’ll provide you a brush, palette, and everything else you need to—”

“But why do you not make it respond to my whims as it does yours, earthrealmer?”

That singular line of complaint gave me pause.

Before suddenly, it all just clicked. 

“Because it responds to me telling it what I want it to do.” I began. “Sometimes you don’t hear it because I choose to filter out what goes through my helmet, but my machines have always responded to commands, whether that be voice, iris, haptic, or some form of indirect interface.” 

That response gave Ilunor pause for thought too, as he perked up a brow, and immediately crossed his arms. 

“I’d always assumed your projectors were responding to some unspoken form of manaless command, some unholy means by which your will was enforced on these…” The Vunerian trailed off, as it was clear something was now ticking away deep behind those formerly irreverent eyes. 

“It is through your radio isn’t it?” Thalmin responded in Ilunor’s stead. “The same device you used to communicate with me during your grappling gambit to Larial’s private ward.”

“And the same device with which you impressed the library with.” Thacea added, her eyes glowing with thoughtful intent. 

“Well… it’s a bit more involved and complicated than that. Our people have gone deep into not only mastering radio, but iterating on the various forms of frequencies through which we can both wirelessly communicate, and send commands through. For example… beach, noon, zero entities with background ambiance.” I paused, gesturing at the empty grid-lined void around us. One which quickly transitioned to a beachside resort somewhere on the idyllic coasts of Rayong, the simulated sun bearing down on all of us, whilst the Boldy Digital surround sound systems blared both a generic track of tropical music and the relaxing sounds of crashing waves around us. “Suffice it to say, I’m constantly going back and forth between a lot of non-automated systems, and even then, I’m also constantly fine-tuning the general orders of the automated systems whenever the need arises.” 

Ilunor’s eyes began widening something fierce, but instead of him voicing anything just yet, it was Thacea who perked up first.

“This requires a vastly different… skillset to the ones most mages are accustomed to.” She began. “Or more accurately, this approach is inherently far more involved in avenues that are just so much more…”

“Unintuitive.” Ilunor chimed in, his features turning not into one of offense, but genuine intrigue. 

“Different, is probably a better way I’d describe it.” I countered immediately, crossing my arms as I did so. “I assume the issue here is in your approach, as Thacea put it. Mages, at least from what I’ve gathered so far, have little in the way of an interface gap between thought and action. This applies not just for casting spells, but from what I’ve gathered, also applies to your artifices.” 

The Vunerian nodded, urging me to—

“Just get to the point.”

“Right, well, I was just going to say…  you’re more or less used to things just happening seamlessly. No user interface, no gap between tool and user.” I paused once more. “Just pure willpower over your surroundings.”

“Return to Sketchpad Two.” I commanded, illustrating my point as our surroundings returned to the empty expanse of the grid-vector void. 

“Suffice it to say, Ilunor, I’m afraid I can’t get it to bend to your will. As there’s no hidden manaless shenanigans comparable to your manafield going on.” I gestured around us once more. “All there is here, is a learning curve. One that I admittedly underestimated, so you must forgive me for that oversight.” 

The Vunerian paused at that, something once more stirring within him.

“So… theoretically speaking, any human from earthrealm can come to learn to use this projector, your conveyance, and any number of manaless artifices you’ve demonstrated so far?”

“Yeah, exactly. The only barrier to entry is the learning curve involved in the operation of certain tools or machines. But for the most part, these projectors? And multimedia devices such as my tablet? All of those are just intuitive enough to pick up and learn.”

“I see…” Thalmin acknowledged, before turning to a grin. “You’re most certainly not diminishing my claims as to your realm’s nature as a nation of scholars, Emma.” Thalmin chided. 

“Perhaps this is why you often seem so absent-minded, earthrelamer.” Ilunor offered cattily. “If you must consistently divvy up your mental faculties, never focusing on any singular action for long, then I fear for what sort of society this has fostered.” 

A part of me wanted to address that particular subject matter, bringing up the EVI as a point to expand upon.

However, I knew it was better to leave sleeping dogs lie, and to just move on.

This just wasn’t the time for that.

“Perhaps we should focus instead on the task at hand?” Thacea chirped out. 

“Right, yeah, so… it’s clear the ZNK-19 isn’t working out. So why don’t we actually try something a bit more in line with your preferences, then, Ilunor?” I turned towards the Vunerian expectantly, his eyes narrowing, as his grin widened into one of knowing anticipation. 

“I am glad you have evolved beyond your singularly-tracked biases, Cadet Emma Booker. Let us begin then, shall we?”

…

10 Minutes Later

…

We’d left the confines of the ZNK-19 for the living room. Following which, Ilunor had begun bathing the space in yet another dazzling array of colors courtesy not of his sight seer, but his own illusion magic.

However, the whole room wasn’t exactly turned into a fully immersive magical hologram as seen with the sight seers.

Instead, it remained as it was, with the exception of what was rapidly becoming a complex array of colored ‘trails’. Superimposed waves of color that at certain places moved like soupy magma, and at other places looked almost akin to those fast-moving and deadly pyroclastic flows. 

The spectrum of colors on display here even edged into ultraviolet, as the EVI helped to superimpose that atop of what was already a dizzying display.

By the end of it, I was faced with what I could only describe as a rave of fire and magma, as the room around us looked less like the stately and idyllic magical manor I was used to, and more akin to some post-apocalyptic interpretation of the living room.

What’s more, the space around Ilunor himself was now occupied by a larger, almost comical ‘shell’ of what I could only imagine was his ideal form. A shell that ebbed and flowed like the flames around a candle wick, but with the dimensions of what roughly amounted to either Qiv or Auris, stretching and filling the empty space above and around Ilunor.

Streams of both lava and flames spewed from that ‘shell’ surrounding him, acting almost like tendrils that occasionally lapped at the pyroclastic flow circling him.

“This is what I see, Cadet Emma Booker.” The Vunerian beamed, causing me to raise a single questioning hand.

“Ilunor… exactly how much of this is artistic interpretation?”

That singular question was enough to break the shit-eating grin that had formed following this… explosion of illusions.

“You wanted an analogue did you not, earthrealmer? Well, this is the analogue you so wished for. I am unwilling to compromise on my artistic vision, for a fool’s errand that is attempting to replicate that which is unreplicable to the manaless eye.” 

I blinked rapidly, turning to Thacea and Thalmin who had both gone into full facepalm mode.

“Right, step aside and let me try.” Thalmin bellowed out, moving in front of me and quickly casting Ilunor aside, causing the post-apocalyptic shaders and skins to disappear unceremoniously.

The man promptly began cracking his fingers, raising both hands above his head, before twiddling them in front of us.

From there, a stream of colors soon came to paint the canvas that was our living room. 

Predominantly made up of shades of blue and translucent greys, Thalmin’s attempt was nowhere near as grandiose or ambitious as Ilunor’s. 

Either out of a difference in skill, or an adherence to a more realistic approach, the lupinor’s interpretation of manasight consisted of what felt like a complex layering of literal streams of water with elements of ice and snow overlapping between adjacent streams. 

There were currents that moved faster, eddies where currents seemed chaotic, if not borderline violent, as well as parts of the ‘air’ where currents seemed almost frozen over.

Throughout all this, what seemed to be a strange pattern emerged, as the ‘shell’ that had surrounded Ilunor was replicated here too in Thalmin’s demonstration. 

However, instead of the larger than life ‘bulked up’ version of himself, Thalmin’s ‘shell’ seemed to more resemble an outline. One that looked more akin to one of the EVI’s target ID reticles, but thicker, and much more dynamic with how it rose and fell with each and every breath. 

Indeed, instead of the flame-like wispiness of Ilunor’s ‘shell’, Thalmin’s felt much more calm, moving in predictable patterns that either lined up with his breathing or the manastreams surrounding him. 

“This is a much more accurate and true-to-life interpretation, Emma.” Thalmin remarked proudly, prompting the Vunerian to simply puff out a disapproving breath in response.

“Boring and uninspired.” He remarked.

“Reality cares not for your artistic interpretations, Ilunor.” The lupinor shot back.

“But I assure you, Prince Thalmin, that reality is most certainly not as colorblind as how you seem to interpret it through your manavision.”

This caused the pair to once again face off, only for their mini confrontation to be defused by Thacea who wordlessly moved between them.

“If I may?” She turned to the pair, who promptly broke off their aggressions with crossed arms. “Thank you.” The princess continued, before once again filling the room with her interpretation of the incorporeal world.

It started slowly, almost imperceptibly, even. But eventually I started to notice what was effectively a series of white sketchy lines filling the air; the same sort of lines you’d see in weather maps depicting wind currents and weather systems. 

Indeed, there seemed to be much more of a refined precision to Thacea’s take on things, as clear demarcations were made with these sketchy lines, creating what was in effect a 3D version of an animated wind map, filling my vision and causing the EVI to actually beep in some sort of affirmation.

“This is what I believe to be best in your case, Emma. Indeed, while this is far less… true to life to what manastreams actually embody, this interpretation manages to impart the chaos that comes with how said streams influence one’s interpretation of the corporeal world.”

I raised an eyebrow at that, turning to both Ilunor and Thalmin in the process. “Is it actually this chaotic? Like, this is honestly giving me a bit of a headache here trying to make heads or tails of what’s going—”

“When you put it that way, it can be somewhat nausea inducing.” Thalmin acknowledged. “However, all of us eventually just… get used to it, I suppose.” He shrugged. “We can ignore it if need be, but most of the time, it’s merely another aspect of the world. So just as too many flashing lights can cause headaches, there can always be too much or too little of what is effectively just another ‘vision’, if that makes sense?”

It was with each successive demonstration and explanation that I truly realized just how difficult this really was. Akin to describing one of the five senses to someone born without it. 

“Yeah, I guess I do.” I nodded in acknowledgement.

“In any case, the inherent issues with Ilunor and Thalmin’s interpretations is that they try to take into account the… dynamic beauty that comes with the manastreams. This beauty is highly subjective, and leaves quite a bit to interpretation and personal biases.”

“Which is why you went with the bare bones and ‘truest’ version of it.” I surmised.

“Precisely, Emma.” Thacea acknowledged with a sympathetic nod. 

“Can you work with this, EVI?” I turned towards the EVI, receiving an affirmative beep in the process as a progress bar was quickly added right beneath the motorcycle’s. 

“Well, that should be all then, I appreciate the input guys.” I beamed back with a thumbs up, garnering a nod from Thacea, an approving smile from Thalmin, and the beginnings of yet another coy grin from Ilunor.

“It is unfortunate that this will be all you can appreciate.” The deluxe kobold remarked smugly. “You have my sympathies, Cadet Emma Booker, for forever being destined to lack insight into the integral beauty of the world.” 

I took a moment to regard the man, glaring at him even through the lenses of the helmet. 

“I’m not the only one lacking in the ability to see the world beyond the corporeal, Ilunor.” I shot back.

“Oh? Why Cadet Emma Booker… there is no need to be so defensive over such matters. We must all know our limitations after all.” 

“Yeah, and your limitation is clearly your constant inability to grasp that there’s always another side to every coin.” 

“Whatever do you mean by that, Cadet Emma Booker? I am discussing your disconnect from the incorporeal world, the noble sense that is manavision. What could you possibly have that can compare? It’s not as if you have an incorporeal world by which to ponder, appreciate, and…” The Vunerian trailed off, prompting me to simply bide my time with a few taps of my feet.

“Oh… this is bound to be good.” Thalmin chimed in.

…

10 Minutes Later

… 

“I’m sorry I have to do this, Thalmin.” I preemptively apologized, just as the ZNK-19 started revving up its pylons. “I promise this will be quick.” 

“If it’s a matter of countering Nexian primacy, then by all means, Emma.” Thalmin offered, just as the world around us started materializing into a familiar sight.

The sounds of thousands of footsteps reverberated around us, just as the rumbling of elevated rail and ringing cyclists welcomed us back into the big apple.

Midrise towers loomed over us this time around however, as did the interlaced ‘green zones’ that made New Brooklyn the model for what was then the ‘solarpunk’ third space movement. An aesthetic that was once a fad, but had now become just as integrated in Acela as art deco was to the old and new quarters.

“Well, earthrealmer? I see nothing but the city you have shown us previously. Your world is very much still as dead as the day you first showed it to us.” 

I didn’t reply, not immediately anyways, as I began booting up what I referred to as first person mode.

Nothing truly changed about our surroundings, at least, not in the corporeal world.

Instead, a familiar sight to most modern humans slowly crept up, starting with a loading screen, and then suddenly exploding into a full blown HUD. My HUD, to be precise.

Or more specifically, the augmented reality interface I mained back home.

Things started slowly at first, with only the time of day, certain push notifications, along with a small to-do list nesting itself on the bottom right hand corner of the POV’s vision.

From there however, things slowly became increasingly more complex, as we walked forwards towards storefronts of local grocers and cafes alike. 

It was in one of those particular cafes however, that I honed the POV’s focus, as the whole physical space was seamlessly integrated into various AR widgets present in my vision. From the soft outlines of the cafe’s bookstore, highlighting books on offer I’d bookmarked previously, all the way to active and public board game sessions that superimposed both animations and stats next to each physical miniature, I made sure to seamlessly show just how the physical world was complemented by an intangible digital one.

These displays prompted the Vunerian’s eyes to widen, as did his maw, as he turned to me with not an incredulous sense of denial, but pure confusion.

“What… what are we seeing, earthrealmer? What are you showing us?”

I took a moment to pause, turning off the augmented reality enhanced version of the world, before turning it back on, allowing the deluxe kobold to process exactly where I was going with this.

“Like I said, Ilunor, you’re not the only one with an incorporeal world to admire and interact with.” I spoke cryptically, before bringing out the POV back to the streets and moving forwards, bound towards one of the many transport hubs in the borough. 

I’d purposefully kept the AR HUD off throughout that entire time, waiting just for the right moment to turn it back on.

At which point, I probably gave Ilunor the same sensory overload he gave me earlier.

What was already a beautiful art deco-inspired elevated rail hub, suddenly exploded into a series  of nested reticles and highlighted paths, detailing everything from timetables to the various lines that passed through the terminal. Each line was represented by a different color, with each train highlighted as they arrived. 

More than that, menus came and went as I demonstrated just how seamlessly the incorporeal world could be cycled through by anything from hand gestures, to voice activation, or just by sight-tracking alone. 

“The major difference between our incorporeal worlds is probably the fact that we built ours from scratch, creating a second world entirely of our design. Sure, it’s not a completely new sense, but it’s an incorporeal world all the same, no?” I offered with a sly chuckle of my own, causing the Vunerian to simply go inert, before forming some sort of a comeback.

“Once again… I must say… your kind has built all of this, created an entirely new… visual incorporeal world. And yet, you did all of this, just to mimic a fraction of what we were gifted with.” 

“Didn’t you once claim something about how your culture values the triumph of the sapient over nature? Or the creations of sapientkind as sacrosanct?”

“Yes? What about—” The deluxe kobold paused mid sentence, as if realizing where I was going with this.

“Well, by that logic, wouldn’t that mean that our incorporeal world is actually much more impressive? As in, we actually had to build every aspect of it… from the communications infrastructure, to the technologies behind… well… actually visualizing it, down to the concepts it visualizes; all of it was made by our hands. So technically, wouldn’t that be more impressive to you?”

Ilunor paused, turning away to the skies as if to find some respite… only to see the highlighted shuttles and planes overhead highlighted with their flight tracking information.

“It is a matter of our inherent…” The man attempted to counter, only to shirk away in frustration. “You’ve made your point earthrealmer. But just know, this is not the same as manasight.”

“Oh, I know, but I’m just showing you what one day could help me at least match the practicality manasight carries with it.” I grinned.