Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (89/?) WiP 1

Hey everyone! Here is the Work in Progress for Chapter 89 I hope you guys enjoy! :D

My hawkish gaze never once left Auris Ping, as I made it clear that he would be the target of my full and undivided attention, even as Chiska shifted her attention towards the rest of class. 

“Alright then! Let’s get everyone on the same page! First off, the basic rules!” Professor Chiska beamed out brightly. However, as the class began fixating on her unnecessarily complicated rulebook’s worth of rules and expectations, I was instead turning inward towards my partner in crime. 

“EVI?”

“Yes, Cadet Booker?”

“Initialize sports mode.” I ordered with a devious grin. 

“...”

“Unrecognized command.”

“Alright, alright. Let me rephrase that. Ahem. Initialize High Performance Manual Maneuverability Mode.” 

“Acknowledged.”

Several things started happening all at once. 

[Alert! HP-MM Mode Active.]

First, there was a slight, but noticeable shift in my HUD. Which changed from the typical MIL-HUD on standby mode, to one more resembling what you’d find in the cockpit of a high-performance racing rig. 

[Specify performance parameters.]

Next, came the absolute maze of customizability options, with nested menus and all sorts of virtual sliders, toggles, and raw numbers to toy around with.

“Preset values? Smart Auto-Adjustment? Or manual value settings?” The EVI quickly chimed in, really living up to the virtual assistant part of its mission specs. 

“Preset, personal list, FROM-1.”

“Accessing FROM-1 [FREE RANGE OF MOTION PRESET 1]. Alert: This preset value is not rated for combat or active mission profiles.”

“I know. But this isn’t combat nor an active mission. It’s a contest. And I want it to be as fair as I can manage. I’m more than happy to unleash the full might of technology on Auris when competing with him on a magical playing field. But when it comes to just contests of dumb muscle? I’m not the one to just cheat.”

“... Acknowledged. Applying FROM-1 values.”

My body was immediately met with something it was spared from for most of the week — resistance. As I felt my joints stiffen, my muscles tighten, and the indescribable smoothness of movement that came with exoskeleton-enhanced powered movement, suddenly replaced with the familiarity of partially-powered exercises.

Something that both Captain Li and I absolutely loathed, but that was necessary to ensure I didn’t become too accustomed to having the suit move for me, instead of with me. 

The suit was now operating just above the threshold where the armor’s weight would become an encumbrance, assisting me just enough that my movements were for all intents and purposes, as close to unassisted and unarmored as possible. 

In short, the armor was neither inhibiting or enhancing my movements now. 

This was raw human power, up against what Chiska promised to be raw alien power. 

[Alert! Exoskeleton undervolting detected in servo groups, 1, 2, 3, 4—]

“Deactivate notifications.”

“Acknowledged. System alert summary: all motor systems operating at minimal assistance. Alert: Minimal assistance threshold reached. Operator now responsible for unassisted ROM.”

“Good! That’s the intent. Now, just be sure to override my settings if something goes wrong or something goes haywire. I’m fair, but not bullheaded and dumb.” 

“Acknowledged.”

“Now, let’s warm up.” 

What followed was a series of movements that came surprisingly naturally, as the armor twisted and bent in places that looked like it shouldn’t to the outside observer. So much so that quite a few were distracted from Chiska’s long-winded explanations, with their focus shifted almost entirely to me.

Though it was clear I wasn’t alone in this endeavor, as a small handful of other students seemed to have started their own warmups.

Thalmin, Qiv, and even Auris Ping of all people started their own little routines, either jumping in place, stretching, or performing a whole host of acrobatics in anticipation of what was to come.

Chiska, nodding approvingly at this, continued on unabated.  

“You are to go as far as you can, as fast as you can, at the pace you wish to set for yourselves! I will not be babysitting you for you all should be able to handle a simple run! Aim to last as long as you can, however! This is as much a test about how you handle yourselves without magic, as much as it is about your physical potential! Remember though, this is not a race!” The professor paused, before turning towards both Auris and I. “For the rest of you, that is. In which case, let us begin shall we?” 

A single hand was raised from amidst the crowd, as Ilunor stared lazily at the professor, his arms crossed and his gaze filled with disinterest. “Professor, if I may?”

“Yes, Lord Rularia!”

“Will this exercise count towards our core evaluation?” 

“Unfortunately not, Lord Rularia.” The professor answered with narrowed eyes and heightened suspicion. “It will, however, count towards your grades as a whole.” 

“Thank you, professor.” Was Ilunor’s only response, as I questioned just what his angle was here, especially with his outfit consisting of riding boots and a stereotypically posh jockey getup that looked completely inappropriate for running with.

“Are there any more questions?” The professor turned to the rest of class with a bright smile, her excitement seemingly untempered by Ilunor’s strange and out-of-left-field question.

Not a single soul responded, with almost everyone’s eyes either firmly fixated towards their own lane, or each other. 

Fingers twitched. 

Bodies flinched.

And those students who had ears to emote with or tails to swish with, either stiffened up or double-downed on their movements.  

“Alright then!” She spoke with finality, eliciting sharpened exhales and unsteady breaths.

“Ready!” 

She raised her hand high. 

“Steady!” 

Her fingers contorted, poised for a snap. 

“Go!” 

ALERT: LOCALIZED SURGE OF MANA-RADIATION DETECTED, 100% ABOVE BACKGROUND RADIATION LEVELS

A loud, thunderous, SNAP, erupted from between her fingers.

At which point, all hell broke loose. 

And mistakes were quickly made. 

One, after another, would-be sprinters and one-hundred-meter-dashers began zooming right off of the starting line.

My racing HUD, and its sports-mode reticles, began highlighting the positions of each of these students, as the EVI began playing the role of sports commentator and situational announcer — giving me a picture-in-picture view of the positions of all the students, their names, and their current speed and trajectory.