Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (26/?) WiP 1

Hey everyone! Here's the Work in Progress for Chapter 26 I hope you guys enjoy! :D 

It goes without saying that explaining and addressing my particular predicament to anyone who hasn’t been exposed to a mana-less world, was going to be an enormous undertaking.

So considering the fact that every single other dimension under the transdimensional sun does in fact fall under this umbrella, this meant that every single explanation would indeed be a marathon and a half to commit to.

“A long story is it?” The armorer parroted my words, as he once more moved about in a series of exaggerated physical gestures. All of which were perhaps done in an attempt to make up for his lack of discernible facial features, or any other features to emote with for that matter.

“Yes sir, it is. Though I wouldn’t want to impose myself on your schedule. I know I showed up practically last minute, so I wouldn’t want to take up more of time than I already am-”

“Nonsense! Away with this nonsense!” The man interrupted with the raising and subsequent gesticulation of a single hand, the armored gauntlet rattling about wildly, generating a series of distinct metallic clangs from all of the individual segmented pieces of steel rattling against one another. All of which echoed loudly within what sounded like the hollow confines of his armor. “I will be quite frank with you Emma Booker, the time limit I imposed for the weapons inspection is completely arbitrary.” The man beamed out, as yet another series of bellowing chuckles emerged from deep within the armor itself. echoing inside its confines. “And the only reason why I even imposed a time limit at all, was because it was part of the syllabus and thus an obligation I must abide by. Though I did try my best to ensure that it sounded as light hearted and theatrical as possible. I did mention, or rather, I had Chiska mention it was a task to be done by the stroke of midnight or something along those lines did I not? Or perhaps that was lost in translation?” The man continued on, breaking into a weird half-hearted internal ponder. Though that quick transition into internal thought was just as quickly interrupted as he clapped his hands together in a loud clang. “So! Unlike a lot of the other hoity-toity professors who seem to have an unhealthy penchant for making each word balloon with unwarranted importance with little in the way for flexibility or compromise, I on the other hand am the very definition of flexibility!”

The man quickly reached for one of his arms, shifting it, and bending it in a manner that only a contortionist could’ve pulled off. “See what I mean?”

“Yes sir, I can certainly see what you mean.” I managed out warily, as the full extent of Thalmin’s warnings regarding the man’s eccentricities seemed to surface quicker than I could’ve ever expected.

But that wasn’t the only thing that was being put on full display.

As just from this limited exchange alone, I was starting to realize just what the man meant by spellbound now. Context clues and observations over the past few minutes had made it very clear, and with the facts starting to stack up, so too did my anxiety.

The more he talked, the more he moved about, the more I could tell he was literally just a living suit of armor.

Perhaps a soul trapped in armor, as I was in that nightmare.

I shuddered at the thought, but pressed onward regardless.

“Right! So! I hope that has dissuaded any silly thoughts of this being some sort of a time-sensitive task! So please take all the time you need Emma Booker!” The man offered, and despite his over eagerness, this was perhaps the first time any member of the faculty had been even remotely accommodating.

Which was suspicious in and of itself.

“Well sir, I’m certain that the rumors should’ve already trickled down by now. However, I doubt you’ll have to rely on the student body for this sort of thing. The faculty already understands my predicament, so I’m unfortunately going to be parroting a lot of what is already known.” I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the shock and disbelief that was definitely to follow. “I hail from a mana-less realm.” I began, steadying myself for an expression of disbelief to form on the armorer’s face, or rather, in the form of his theater troupe-like movements. Yet none came. I took this as a sign to continue. “With mana being a non-factor in my realm, life evolved without the need of a ‘mana-field’.” I quickly adapted the local terms I was coming across to better suit what was the SIOP’s recommended brief introductory dialogue. “As you can imagine, without a mana-field, I am unable to exist in this realm without the aid of artificial constructs which are able to shield me from the effects of mana. The most obvious of which, being the armor you see before you.”

The way I saw it, there were only one of two options for this man to react to my claims. One, being the path of abject disbelief and denial. Two, being a giddy display of excitement befitting of his more excitable and unconventional demeanor.

None of those manifested.

Instead, I got something else entirely.

“Fascinating. Truly fascinating.” The man nodded in a breakneck pace. His helmet clattering about as he did so. “So the rumors were true then, and with them, all my hopes for a potential reunion are likewise all but dashed.” The man sighed, a clear tinge of disappointment coloring his voice as it was clear that his response was neither denial nor excitement, but disappointment.

“Vanavan told me about you earlier today. He urged me to be extra wary about what weapons you may bring along.” The man spoke in a manner that was absurdly frank and forthright, without even an ounce of discretion in his step. It honestly felt as if he was just speaking whatever came to mind, with no filter to speak of. “However, that’s beside the point. I cared not for the man’s whims or desires. The yammering of that young elf had all but been subsumed by a rekindling of hope that that I had been so self-assured was all but already snuffed out. ” He continued, slower this time around, as the formerly excitable man that had greeted me seemed to have taken a leave of absence. As another, more reserved personality suddenly came into play.

There were several ways for this situation to play out now. The man was clearly different from the rest of the professors. There was a clear disconnect here between how the stuck-ups in the ivory tower acted, and how this man, a reasonable distance separated from the Academy, seemed to carry himself. Whilst I could try to press the issue of the weapons inspection and be over and done with it. Something told me that the man didn’t even care for that, at all. Indeed, the fact that he’d given me so many reassurances to stay, the fact he’d been so ecstatic to meet me at that, contrasted with Thalmin’s account of the man being rushed and rather inattentive.

There was something here that needed to be addressed, and that something compelled me to try to at least bridge what was so clearly an emotional gap.

“Your hope to see another of your ‘spellbound’ kind, sir?” I logically deduced