Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (122/?) WiP 1

Hey everyone! Here is the Work in Progress for Chapter 122 I hope you guys enjoy! :D The revised version for Chapter 121 will be released tomorrow before the full release of Chapter 122!

My eyes ran through the schematics, blueprints, PRINT-sheets, and assembly manuals that had come to clutter my HUD. 

One after another, I scattered them within my virtual world. The mess being created as a result of this managing to even rival that of the infamous window-hoarding I was guilty of back home. 

Whilst my gremlin-like tendencies had been mitigated somewhat by the virtual workspace streamlining briefs courtesy of the LREF VR task managers… such a habit was difficult to overcome.

Especially as I was met with the Bill of Materials.

[VIEW DETAILED ITEMIZED SHEET? Y/N?]

My gaze landed on the orange and red button, but was stopped at the very last second by an outside source.

“Emma? Emma, can you hear me?” Thacea’s voice once again pulled me out of my newfound hyperfixation, just in time for Ilunor to cock his head at my earlier proclamation.

“We are all tired, Cadet Emma Booker.” The deluxe kobold began with a dramatized yawn. “I understand that the act of fabricating entirely nonexistent solutions to unexpected problems is a time consuming process, so please, get  on with your lofty proclamations of impossibilities so that we can simply retire for the night.” 

“What’s so impossible with Emma’s claims of having other options at her disposal—” Thalmin began, but was quickly shot down by an even more dramatic yawn.

“Everything, Prince Thalmin.” He began at the tail end of an extended exhale. “While I can forgive and even accept the existence of the manaless paraphernalia she has brought over from earthrealm — from her bizarre manaless sight-seer, to her otherworldly artifices, and even her alien weapons — what I cannot accept is the existence of what is currently being implied.” The man narrowed his gaze my way. “You’re no doubt going to claim that you have a vehicle with which to bridge the gap between Telaseer and the North Rythian forests?”

“I mean, in a manner of speaking, but—”

“And there we have it.” The Vunerian cut me off, tutting and sighing in the process. “Cadet Emma Booker. You have proclaimed, multiple times even, that you find the magical art of spatial folding to be an impossibility have you not?”

“Yeah.” I played along, realizing that breaking the man out of one of his spirals just wasn’t worth it.

“And we have seen now that most of your crates have been emptied, correct?”

“Yeah, save for a couple.” I replied bluntly.

“And are we to assume that you somehow have within those crates, an entire manner of conveyance with enough space by which to house you?” He scoffed. “I have seen your vehicles, Cadet Emma Booker. Your… ‘cars’, as you call them. Even at their smallest, I doubt any could fit any of your crates.” 

“Well… what if she isn’t talking about a ‘car’, Ilunor?” Thalmin butted in, taking Ilunor completely by surprise. 

“What else is there in earthrealm, Prince Thalmin?” He countered with a hiss.

“Bicycles.” Thalmin responded succinctly.

This was enough to give Ilunor pause for thought, as his ramblings were cut short by a single word.

“I assume you remember just how portable those conveyances were. I doubt they’d even take a quarter of the space of one of Emma’s crates.” Thalmin offered. “Provided, of course, they’re capable of being disassembled and reassembled.” 

Ilunor’s features scrunched up further, before abruptly relaxing, indicating that he’d reached yet another ‘brilliant’ lightbulb moment.

“Ah, but you forget, Prince Thalmin.” He paused, raising a finger for dramatic effect. “Those bicycles were ridden by armorless earthrealmers. Cadet Emma Booker here, is significantly heavier than any of her typical countrymen!” 

That revelation completely shifted the dynamics of the arguments on its head, with Ilunor now firmly on the offensive, and Thalmin now pinned against the wall.

Though thankfully, the skirmish wouldn’t have time to propagate from there, as Thacea came in to shake the conflict of the conversation to its core.

“But what if it was neither?” She began, garnering the perplexed  looks of both sides of the debate. “Or more specifically, what if it was a combination of the two concepts? A conveyance, with the power and resilience of a car—” She raised one wing towards Ilunor. “—but with the compactness of a bicycle?” Then another wing towards Thalmin, before landing her gaze on me. “Your people have powered ships and aircraft using manaless ‘engines’, Emma. I doubt it is beyond reason to assume your artificers and wainwrights have taken advantage of such manaless cores not just for horseless carriages, but perhaps powered bicycles as well?” 

This thought process seemed to break Thalmin and Ilunor, as they both turned towards me expectantly. 

“Well… you’re right on the money there, Thacea.” I acknowledged, giving the princess a brief dip of my head. “Except for one thing.” I quickly added, garnering a barely noticeable quirk of her brow ridge.

“You see, while I intend on using a powered bicycle, or as we call it, a motorcycle.” I paused, the EVI seemingly giving a rather perplexing translation that prompted the trio to at first react with varying levels of confusion, before all collectively nodding in understanding. “I—”

“Show us.” Ilunor demanded, completely cutting me off from what was probably something that would’ve addressed his concerns.

“Well, I was just getting to that, Ilunor. I didn’t pack—”

“Show us, now, earthrealmer.” He insisted with a hiss. 

“Alright, alright.” I raised both of my hands up in defeat, before gesturing for everyone to follow me back towards my dorm room. “Maybe showing you will be easier…” I muttered under my muted mic.

I wasted no time in marching my way towards one of the recently closed crates, as a digital handshake coupled with a security code upon reaching a close enough proximity was all that was needed to unlatch its security seals. This elicited a hiss as pressures equalized, followed close in tow by a clearing of Ilunor’s throat.

Looking at my rear-view camera, it immediately became clear to me what his problem was. As his height made it difficult for him to peer over to see what was inside. 

Though that was probably for the best given his propensity to poke and prod… especially given the nature of the cargo inside this crate.

In stark contrast to Ilunor’s growing frustrations, I effortlessly reached in to grab what for all intents and purposes looked to be a black, nondescript rectangular box.

With the only signifying features being the GUN emblem, the IAS mission logo, and a few company and design bureau insignias surrounding them. 

“Well, earthrealmer? Where is it?” Ilunor egged on, prompting me to simply point to the black box with an underwhelming gesture.

“Feast your eyes, Ilunor.” I proclaimed bluntly. 

“What? What is this? Do not take me for a fool, Cadet Emma Booker. Show me your two-wheeled manaless conveyance right this instant!” He demanded.

“You wanted to see it now right? Well this is all I have of it right now. Because like I was about to say before you cut me off earlier… this is the only component of it that I brought with me.” I stated in no uncertain terms, prompting the Vunerian to back off somewhat, raising a brow at that rebuttal.