Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (103/?) WiP 1

Hey everyone! Just as a heads up, I’d recommend that everyone should read the revised version of the previous chapter first as there’s been some big revisions at the end of it that’ll be important to see before jumping into this week’s chapter! :D 

With all that being said, if you’ve already read the revised version, here is the Work in Progress for Chapter 103 I hope you guys enjoy! :D

Nexus. The Crown Herald Town of Elaseer. Ambassadorial District. Mortis’ Mage’s Essentials. Local Time: 1510 Hours.

Emma

“I believe this may be of help, Cadet Booker.” The elemental spoke warmly, her crowd of floating axolotls maintaining their signature perpetual smiles, with one in particular attempting to hand me a sizable wand for its diminutive size.

To say that I had my doubts would’ve been an understatement.

To say that my interest was piqued would also be a massive lie. 

This was because unlike the previous sleazeball, Mortis actually seemed intent on helping, rather than profiting off of my apparent ‘need’ for a wand.

Moreover, the fact she wasn’t overpromising anything, and actually attempted to cater to my requirements was also nothing short of a complete departure from Olli’s business practices.

The expectations here also weren’t outrageous. 

If anything, it boded well for one of the EVI’s current pet projects — the development of a ‘mana-sense visualizer’. 

So if the Nexus truly did have something already cooked up for that very issue, then that might just help bootstrap development significantly. 

Work smarter, not harder was something I lived by after all.

I held out my hand, allowing the little axolotl to drop a wand just about twice its size onto it.

Almost immediately… nothing happened.

Just as I’d anticipated.

“Nothing?” The wandsmith inquired softly. 

“Nope, like I said, I don’t have a manafield to interface with.” 

“Your armor being in the way I presume…” Mortis rationalized out loud, before reaching out a hand to physically tap the wand’s tip. 

ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 250% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS

Not a moment later, following a mana radiation warning, did the etched filigree along the stick begin to glow; pulsating with a soft ethereal light. 

This pathway of light all culminated at the very tip, which glowed bright and began dancing through various colors; sort of like an RGB rave stick. 

This continued for several moments, until suddenly, it stopped — maintaining a simple white glow. 

“I’m afraid I’m not really following how this is supposed to—” 

ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 300% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS

I stopped in my tracks as I felt a force in my hand, tugging it away from the direction of the water elemental, and towards something else. 

“Allow it to guide your hand, Cadet Booker.” Mortis instructed with a motherly tone of voice, coinciding with the tip of the wand turning a deep red.

I nodded, doing as instructed, following the wand’s physical pull towards the direction it seemed almost magnetically attracted to; its force increasing with every degree I turned until suddenly it stopped. At which point, I was face to face with the source of its almost magnetic attraction, and its sudden shift in both color and brightness — the Vunerian’s flame breath. 

“That’s how it’s supposed to work, Cadet Emma Booker.” The Vunerian spoke with his signature smug grin, his smarmy tone of voice egging me on, but failing to do anything as my mind was assaulted with a torrential downpour of ideas, and an earth-shattering realization. 

We’d just skipped several major milestone’s worth of grueling R&D in a single stroke. 

My eyes were now locked onto the object. My hand, my real hand just beneath the base of the armor’s wrist, trembled with not shock, but raw, and pure excitement. 

We were finally making progress!

“Do you have any questions, Cadet Emma Booker—”

“So I’m assuming this thing has three primary modes of use?” I shot out excitedly, my former tone and cadence evaporating almost instantly, as urgency filled every ounce of my voice. “Its physical tugging corresponding to the localization of a given surge in mana, er, the direction a spell is being cast from?” I began, as I practically shot up, taking a step towards the water elemental. “Its brightness corresponding to the intensity of the spell being cast?” I took another excited step, my face beaming with excitement. “And its color… I guess it corresponds to the type of spell being cast?” 

It was around this point that Thacea moved up towards me, grabbing me by the shoulder and staring at me intensely. “Emma, please. It's quite unbecoming of you to—”

“Oh please forgive her, your highness.” Mortis interjected with a raised hand and an amused chuckle. “This is to be expected from those near-blind to manasight. It’s a reaction I don’t often see given how manasight is still present amongst even the most severe of immature mana-fielder cases. So to see this once again, to witness my creations helping those in need… it sparks great joy in my old, old heart. Because this is what I live for.” The water elemental stood up, her axolotls staying behind as she placed a single hand on my shoulder. “I live to serve those in need.”

“Oh, the earthrealmer definitely needs help, that’s for certain.” Ilunor chided with a bemused grin. 

I ignored him, of course, as my attention was focused solely on the wandsmith. 

“And to address your earlier questions, Cadet Booker, you are indeed correct on all counts.” She nodded deeply, sidestepping Ilunor’s chides like a river parting against an immovable rock. Her indifference to him, perhaps a hint as to her own noble heritage. “However, there’s also this—” The water elemental stepped back, grabbing one of her floating axolotls, as the wand began shifting between various fixed colors. “—the fish bowl’s ability to float is a result of a fixed enchantment. Though you must be relatively close to an enchantment in order to ascertain its presence.” 

I nodded along intently, not once interrupting as I awaited every ounce of sweet intel the wandsmith had to offer.

“However, I am afraid this is the limit to what the wand can offer.” She announced with a heavy and regret-filled breath. “This wand was, after all, designed with the integration of a mage’s manafield in mind. And as a result, these features we’ve just discussed, are moreso adjacent accessories to its main function.”

“Its main function is to somehow allow you to better visualize manafields and manastreams, I imagine.” I offered, garnering a nod from the elemental.

“Correct. It does so through a process we call mana resonance.” She began. 

However, no sooner did those words leave her mouth, did I begin to internally chuckle.

“So… I guess you could say it images the world around you through mana resonance.” I managed out with a barely contained chuckle. “In effect, it’s… Mana… Resonance… Imaging?”