Jcb112
patreon
Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (150/?) Revised Version 1
🕑 Added 2025-11-02 17:58:20 +0000 UTC(Author’s Note: Hey everyone! There’s been a lot of edits in this one, so I strongly urge you guys give this another read through! The biggest edits were done towards the last few sections of this chapter, namely to how Emma and Thalmin deal with retrieving the crystal up until the arrival of Iganlius’ forces. I decided to opt for another version of the plan since I think it fits better with the overall vision I had for this whole encounter, so things have been rewritten to what I hope to be an improved version of that bit! :D It’s added another 1000-ish words to the chapter, so I’ll let you guys take a look at it, and I hope you guys enjoy it! :D)
The Nexus. South-Eastern Quadrant of the North Rythian Forests. Local Time: 1910 Hours.
Emma
My body tensed, and so did Thalmin’s, as the blink blink blinking of the lost drone’s antenna was eventually hidden from view by the slow and purposeful twisting of the dragon’s flighted form.
Its focus, its attention, its entire gaze landed just beyond the killbox it created, over the ridge past the shrubs and through the foliage, before falling squarely on us.
Something that shouldn’t have been possible.
[ACTIVE CAMO: ONLINE]
There — hanging high above the forest — it loomed ominously, its wingbeats kicking up the fine detritus of both trees and former adventurers alike, swirling death into a cyclone that blanketed the whole forest in a thin layer of black and grey ash.
We didn’t dare move. Not especially as the ash started to accumulate atop the active camo tarp.
But this was precisely why we were running a two-layer system, with the tarp covering us beneath Thalmin’s dome of invisibility.
Yet in spite of this improvised union of magic and technology, the dragon’s gaze remained unflinching, its eyes scanning, roaming, and eventually locking on our untouched patch of forested overgrowth.
I turned to Thalmin, gesturing at the invisible magic dome, calling silently for reassurance if only to assess our next move.
The prince’s expressions, however… proved to be anything but assuring.
Ice ran through my veins following a sharp motion of Thalmin’s hands; a Havenbrockian gesture that meant only one thing — position compromised.
We both understood what needed to be done.
We had to move to Plan C.
With a practiced motion, I reached for the railgun, while Thalmin carefully gripped the hilt of Emberstride. Fear, uncertainty, and an overwhelming sense of dread smothered us whole… as the rehearsed motions of plans forged behind safe walls stood defiantly against the reality of a situation no amount of drilling could ever prepare you for.
However, no sooner did we make these moves were we saved by the cavalry, as the two drake riders — momentarily missing from the action — returned.
This time… they each unfurled something akin to oversized needles; tapered javelins with a circular pommel that had some sort of silk threaded through its eye.
I barely had time to register exactly what the weapon was before they struck.
Each of the four spears fired simultaneously, aiming not to pierce the dragon’s flesh but instead… to loop around it.
It didn’t take long for me to realize exactly what was going on and the horrible outcome that was to follow.
Thalmin clearly sensed this too, as he motioned for a massive change of plans.
Fall back.
We began crawling backwards into the underbrush, making swift work towards our two mounts primed for an immediate exfil of the AO.
Throughout all this, I kept one eye locked on the live feed of the skies as I watched in expectant horror at the two drake riders’ aerial acrobatics.
Each loop and every sortie further ‘bound’ the dragon in an intricate web of rope and silk, the thick fabric glowing and thrumming with some sort of magical enchantment.
For a second I thought I must’ve been missing something.
Perhaps there was some physics-defying magical logic that just didn’t come naturally to the earthrealmer mind.
The drake riders were just so clearly confident in this plan that there had to be something to it.
Surely they didn’t think some magical rope could bind and secure a dragon, right?
…
It turned out they did.
Or perhaps just massively overestimated their enchantments.
Because no sooner had they attempted to pull at the dragon, tugging it to follow their flight path, were they both suddenly tugged in the opposite direction.
The dragon wasted no time in making short work of their ropes, completely snapping each and every careful weave with the slightest motion and flex. It made sure to chomp hard on the thickest parts of the ropes leading to the drake rider’s leads. At which point, the tables were turned.
From there, it began twisting. Thrashing its head and twisting its body, forcing the pair of drake riders to become unwitting participants in a death spin that went faster and faster until suddenly… they were released.
It wasn’t clear whether the drake riders had managed to undo their leads or the dragon itself had just let go.
Whatever the case was, it was clear my hunch had been right from the start.
Or perhaps, their enchantments just weren’t strong enough to tackle a creature of this magnitude.
What was clear, however, was that the dragon’s… bloodlust seemed to have been sated. As that encounter was over, it seemed to promptly lose all interest in tracking us down.
Instead, it began a mad dash out of the kill zone, prompting me to immediately turn towards the EVI.
“EVI, send Survey Drone 03—”
[Mission Already in Progress.]
“Right.” I acknowledged with a sigh, turning to Thalmin, who regarded me with an expression of relief.
“I’m glad we touched on Havenbrockian hand signals beforehand… otherwise, we may not have been as fortunate.”
“While I still think the railgun could take it… I’d be lying if I said I’d rather not chance it, at least not when it’s in full-blown rage mode.”
“A wise decision.” Thalmin concurred.
“Regardless, we now have a clear lead and with a drone tracking it down, we should be able to locate its hideout soon enough.”
“And then what, Emma? You’ve seen what it’s capable of.” He warned.
“We shoot it.” I declared bluntly. “From a distance, of course. Because if there’s one thing this baby’s good for, it's its range.” I paused, tapping the railgun compartment firmly. “I’ll probably be able to take out a crystal from at least two klicks away. At which point, we can just lay low while it freaks out and then return to snatch our ill-gotten goods when it flies off.”
The plan was foolproof.
It had to be. It was Plan B after all.
However, as was often the case in the Nexus… things weren’t always that easy; the EVI would be quick to remind me.
[Secondary Objective: Confirm Status of SUR-DRONE03… COMPLETE!]
[Priority Reminder! Denial of Asset to Unauthorized Parties Protocols (DAUP-P) in Effect!]
[New Secondary Objective: Asset Recovery and/or Termination of SUR-DRONE03!]
The rug was pulled right out from under my feet.
What had been a surefire plan, a clear-cut path, and a carefully charted trajectory… had just become the unwitting first act to an unnecessary twist.
“Damnit.” I let out reflexively, flinching nervously at a reprisal from Aunty Ran that never came.
“What is it, Emma?”
“There’s been… a bit of an unexpected development.” I began with a sigh.
Thalmin, either out of exhaustion or adventuring fatigue, placed his snout in between both of his hands, forming a triangle with which to poke it through.
“It’s never ever simple when it comes to you or Earthrealm, now is it?” He questioned rhetorically under an exasperated breath. “Go on then. What is it now?”
“Wellll… I’m not sure if you noticed this during the fight, but there was a flashing red light on the dragon’s back.”
Thalmin responded by narrowing his eyes at my lenses, leveling them through what I was now reading as a lupinor facepalm. “I can’t say I noticed, not with the radiance of a raging inferno reflecting off of its crystals.”
“Yeah, well, here—” I grabbed my tablet, pointing at the recorded footage. “If we zoom in there, we’ll see that one of my survey drones is wedged in between its crystals.”
The prince took a moment to consider this, and in a scant few seconds, he let out another bemoaned breath. “From the warehouse incident, no doubt.”
“Yeah. It probably flew into it on its way out. So, good news! I’ve now confirmed that GUN assets have not fallen into the wrong hands!”
“Bad news… is that you’re going to need to retrieve it, aren’t you?” Thalmin muttered out darkly.
“Yeahhh… that’s… more or less part of the deal now.” I offered with a nervous chuckle.
“And there’s no other way? No other option besides retrieval?”
“Wellll… there’s destructive asset denial, which is exactly what it says on the tin.” I offered.
“And will you be able to do so from a distance…?” Thalmin questioned intently.
“We have one shot for the crystal, and another for the drone. Maybe, just maybe, I can kill two birds with one stone.”
“And if not?”
“Then we’ll just have to find some other way to either destroy or retrieve it.”
The prince nodded firmly, smiling before standing up to place both hands on my shoulders.
“You know there’s a saying in Havenbrockrealm. Being a good soldier is hard, but being comrades with a good soldier is hell. I’m starting to see what my men meant by that…”
“I’m sorry, Thalmin, you don’t have to—”
I stopped as Thalmin squeezed my shoulders, leveling his eyes with a determined gaze. “But there’s another saying… Better the fires of honor than the shade of shame. So let’s get this done, shall we?”
I acknowledged with a determined smile of my own. “Yeah, let’s.”
=====
The Nexus. North-Western edge of the North Rythian Forests. Local Time: 1940 Hours.
Captain Ignalius Av-Lisinius
Fire. Freedom. Food. And Spectacle.
These were the elements that truly made these sojourns… tolerable.
No.
More than that.
These were the elements that drew me further into such expeditions into nothingness.
Because far from the light of civilization, away from the hornets’ nests, anthills, and dens of slithering serpents… was darkness.
True darkness.
Not a dark masquerading as the light, as was the case with any noble court, nor a darkness as was the affliction of the tainted, no.
Instead, this was a darkness defined by its truest definition — the absence of all light.
For in this space of commoners and chosen ones, there existed no light — not even a single spark nor flicker — which could match my own.
As in this dark, devoid of structure amidst the rabble of true lowborns, it was my flame alone that lit the encroaching dark.
Like moths to a flame or the ravenous masses to food, my pack flocked to me, gathering and huddling around the warmth of the hearth at the center of camp.
Here at the center of their world, I had their full and undivided attention. Their eyes ogling, locked, and entranced by magics far beyond their capabilities.
Because here… surrounded by darkness, was a fire that danced at the beck and call of my will; an inferno that raged which none other present could match.
A fire which took the form of a bardic tale of my brief but glorious life.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
“There once was a Captain bright and bold who took no quarter and shunned all gold… his hand was cold with no mercy sold… just ask those Rontalis filth.”
“HUAH!”
“Let allll ye who dare, be well a-ware of who lurks fair; let alllll ye who dare try crossing paths with—”
CRASH!
My bard stopped mid-stanza, and so did the entire company as we instinctively moved to arms.
However, before any could respond, a series of coughs alerted us to exactly who had just landed.
“C-captain! Captain! T-the dragon! It returns!” One of the drake riders spoke, practically crawling out of the treeline with his legs twisted and his hips shattered.
A brief scry told the entire story… as I saw his drake battered and broken almost beyond all recognition.
My eyes narrowed as I walked towards him, lowering myself to a crouch before cocking my head in annoyance. “I’m assuming those enchanted silkbinds didn’t work?”
“N-no, my Captain. The dragon immediately ripped them to shreds—”
“Typical.” I seethed, standing up and walking away from the man. “Oh dear cousin… equipping me and my men with sub-par enchantments? Oh, you sure are testing my resolve…” I couldn’t help but let out a frustrated chuckle, pinching the bridge of my nose before allowing a grin to settle itself firmly on my visage.
“Lieutenant Hofar!” I called out, alerting the Shatorealmer as they promptly shot down from the treeline with a kneel and a bow.
“Yes, Captain?”
“Scout ahead and track the dragon. We’ll mobilize and be right behind you.” I commanded.
“Yes, Captain! Do you happen to have the latest whereabouts, sir?”
I sighed, craning my head down towards the bruised and battered drake rider. “Ask him. And then get him patched up afterwards.”
“And what of the drake, Captain?” Hofar asked, only to elicit a dismissive chuckle from me.
“If it’s recoverable for this operation, then heal it. If not? Let it die. That’s one more headache for the Sky Warden to deal with.” I grinned.
Equip me with sub-par equipment, will you? Don’t forget… I have two of your drakes on loan, dear cousin…
=====
The Nexus. Near the Geographic Center of the North Rythian Forests. Local Time: 2000 Hours.
Emma
It was dark.
Really dark.
But thankfully, that was a concern humanity had left behind well into the 20th century… or was it the 21st?
Whatever the case was, NVGs and a whole host of complementary sensor systems had already existed well before my time. And a thousand years since then? Well…
“—let’s just say night no longer concerns us, Thalmin.” I spoke proudly.
“Erm… I’m afraid I didn’t quite catch that, Emma.” Thalmin responded awkwardly, pulling the proverbial wind from my sails. “I was just asking if you could see well enough at night, considering your lack of any shadow-sight, inherent or magical.”
“Oh, well… let’s just say that, yeah.” I paused, bringing up the tablet for the tired and frazzled Thalmin to see. “Yeah, we do.” I grinned as the prince’s eyes perked up at the composited image combining LIDAR, RADAR, infrared, and plain-old optoelectrical enhancements to create an image of a world not too dissimilar to how it was during daytime.
“Okay.” Thalmin began as we stopped mid-stride on both of our mounts. “This is genuinely impressive.” He spoke firmly, taken somewhat aback. “Shadow-sight is quite akin to this, but as you can imagine, that’s a privilege reserved for mages and the items they enchant." The prince paused, leveling his eyes with a worn look. “Am I correct in assuming that this isn’t the case in Earthrealm? That once again, such an artifice is standard fare for your regular forces?”
“Correct!” I beamed out. “Though to be fair, they’re not even mil-spec. You can find just as good contemporaries in the civilian market, as well as the open-source file pools.”
This revelation, or rather the subsequent pair of expounding articles, prompted Thalmin’s gaze to narrow, his brows furrowing in confusion. “So this artifice is available for non-uniformed commoners as well? Just how trivial is this tool to Earthrealm? Moreover, what do you mean by ‘open source file pools?’”
“Oh, right. I don’t think I’ve ever discussed the distinction between the universal transaction units, requisition units, and outright direct-source consumer goods, now have I?”
Thalmin’s only response was a blank stare, one that I took as an urging to continue.
“Right, so, do you remember the printer floor back at my apartment during our first sight-seer trip—”
[ALERT! MAP UPDATED! POI SIGHTED!]
“Frick. Alright, we’ll chat later. The drone’s spotted the dragon’s lair.” I announced promptly as I once again pulled out the tablet for Thalmin to see. On it, we observed the dragon from high above the treeline, the camera’s optical zoom getting close-up shots that were almost cinematic in their delivery.
However, little did I know that the cinematic quality of the footage would only intensify from here.
We watched from high above the forest canopy, observing a break in the seemingly endless sea of green stretching in all directions. Here, peaking through the forest like a lone island in a vast ocean, was a rocky hill. One with a particularly precarious ledge protruding awkwardly from one of its sides. It was here that we watched as the dragon perched silently, intently, its posture and the positioning of its limbs not too dissimilar to that of a gargoyle’s. However, instead of staring out into the skies or the endless expanse of untouched nature… it instead sat there, facing the solid rocky hillface, with no cave entrance in sight.
There were signs of what was probably going to be an open cave… in about a few million years’ time, give or take erosion and seismic patterns.
But right now, all there was was a barren hunk of rock.
There was quite literally nowhere else for the dragon to go.
As such, I turned to Thalmin, ready to assault him with a barrage of questions.
That was… until the dragon charged at said wall before abruptly blinking out of existence with a series of purple sparkles.
…
I couldn’t manage a single word after that development.
In fact, I went completely silent and only responded after Thalmin spoke.
“We have it. The dragon’s probably held up in that cave, Emma.” He pointed at the rocky outcropping.
“What cave?!” I shot back abruptly. “The thing just… disappeared! Are you telling me it—”
I paused before realizing that I was just hit by the same thing Thalmmin had just experienced seconds ago.
Fundamental Systemic Incongruency.
“Are you telling me that amethyst dragons can fricking teleport? And that this rocky outcropping here… is just a sealed-off entrance to some subterranean cave system?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Emma.” Thalmin nodded bluntly. “I’d always heard of such tales being spoken in hyperbole… but seeing this in action more or less cements these stories as fact.” He openly mused. “It only makes sense… their crystals are naturally occurring shards of impart, after all. This should, logically, grant them a natural affinity for teleportation.”
“But limited teleportation, I’m assuming?” I quickly interjected.
“Insofar as traversing through obstacles such as solid walls and the like? Yes. Their abilities — at least from my recollection — are measured in brisk paces rather than marathons and leagues.”
“Not enough to replace flight or travel, but good enough that they can just phase through solid rock for a good hideout spot.” I sighed out. “No wonder the drones never detected it or a potential cave opening. There simply was none. At least not one we could access.”
Thalmin nodded in agreement as we both squinted at the only remaining anomaly in the area — a faint patch of what looked to be glitter on the hill’s ledge.
However, a brief zoom and a cursory glance was all it took for us to discern exactly what we were looking at.
I felt my heart stop.
There… sitting just at the front of the cave ‘entrance,’ were shards of amethyst. Far larger than what the dragon had left in its wake following its departure from Elaseer but still too small to really make heads or tails of, at least from this vantage point.
“Are you seeing what I’m se—”
“Yes.” Thalmin interjected.
“Does it always do that?” I questioned.
“What?”
“You know… self-destruct crystal shards with every teleport?”
“You’re better off asking Thacea or Professor Belnor about this. I only know dragons as far as tactics and strategies to counter them are concerned, along with a sprinkling of tall tales. Dragon… biology or what have you, is not my forte.”
“Right, okay. Fair enough.” I shrugged as I continued maneuvering the drone into a more favorable position for analysis.
It took a few good minutes, the silence of the night interrupted only by the rustle of leaves and the snapping of twigs, until finally… through the grass and weeds — we found it.
An unstoppable grin soon took hold of my face, as my pupils widened into dinner plates.
“Wait.” I managed out under a shocked gasp. “There it is, Thalmin.” I began slapping the lupinor’s shoulder, grabbing hold of him in sheer excitement. “THERE IT IS!” I reiterated, pointing at a sizable chunk of amethyst hidden well beneath a set of pebbles and dense overgrowth. “WE FOUND IT!” I shouted once more, the EVI chiming in to modulate the suit’s external speakers, if only to keep my volume down out of precaution.
Thalmin’s reactions, however, weren’t so immediate. His whole form remained still, his eyes simply locking onto the stray piece of crystal on screen.
It took another moment of pensive staring before he finally relented, joining in on my excitement, although in a far more reserved manner.
As Thalmin merely breathed out the loudest, most expressive breath of relief I’d ever seen him take, even going so far as to prop himself against Aquastride as he did so. “Thank the ancestors…” He muttered out, garnering a watery whinny from the beast.
“Right then! This has gone from a fire and collect mission to a simple high-priority resource retrieval mission!” I beamed.
“And whilst there’s still the matter of your drone to deal with, we at least no longer have to, as you say, kill two birds with one stone.”
“Correct! Now then… let’s go get that crystal.” I grinned widely.
“Wait.” Thalmin urged. His warnings coincided conveniently with the EVI’s own subversion of my excitement.
[SUR-DRONE03B Battery Critical!]
“What of the rest of your swarm?” The prince quickly added.
“Drained, but charging. Like I said before we were interrupted by the dragon and that unfortunate search party, we’ve spent the past 24 hours running non-stop sorties. The only operable drone I kept on standby is already up in the air, and even then, it’s currently operating at close to bingo charge. Why’d you ask?”
“We’re heading dangerously deep into the forest, Emma. As such, I’d rather have the eyes of your hive watching over us as a preemptive precaution.”
“A valid point.” I nodded solemnly. “If we were headed deeper, that is.” I quickly added with a sly lilt to my voice. “But in all seriousness, your concerns are warranted, Thalmin. Which is precisely why I’m not planning to poke around near the dragon’s den.” I paused as I began piloting the drone down closer towards the crystals in question. “I have 03B for that.”
The lupinor’s eyes narrowed as he watched my tablet closely. The visual feed displayed not just the scene it was descending towards, but also the small compartment beneath it that’d opened up to reveal the star of the show — the claw.
“The amethyst crystal should be small and light enough for the drone to pick up, and with my experience around claw machines, this should end up being a simple snatch-and-go operation. We won’t even need to set foot near the ledge.” I grinned.
Thalmin remained silent at this revelation, letting out an inquisitive huff before directing a simple question in my direction. “Your reliance on your golems and drones knows no bounds, Emma.”
“Oh you have no idea, Thalmin.” I chuckled. “You could say I’m something of a swarm queen of sorts.”
=====
Dragon’s Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Local Time: 2000 Hours
Ilphius
Ca-clunk!
The door slammed… but not entirely shut.
Whether by a stroke of genius or by taking a page out of the earthrealmer’s book, Kamil had managed to do the unthinkable.
He’d found a way to keep the door from completely slamming shut without magic, keeping it ajar just after the Avinor and Vunerian had entered… by simply wedging a foot in at the last possible second.
This minimized the chances of us being noticed.
Indeed, this entire turn of events had been Kamil’s own suggestion. Because as it turned out, attempting to break down a dormitory’s door by physical or magical means proved practically fruitless.
It was by all means a boon for all, confirming first hand the integrity and security of the dorms… which would have been quite comforting in any other instance.
Kamil’s quick thinking, however, granted us a unique opportunity to circumvent these otherwise foolproof magics, providing us a way into this den of sin by means of simply… following the pair in.
And so, after quickly assessing the state of the man’s foot, we slowly made our way inside.
Carefully, with spells of silence and obscurance to mask ourselves as much as we possibly could, we crept silently up through the entryway.
It was there, halfway between the living room and the two bedrooms on either side of us, that we had to make a decision.
The dastardly pair were both entertaining themselves in the common living room, which meant we had to pick one of the rooms.
This was a coin toss; either one could be the earthrealmer’s.
But I had to make a decision. I had to make a call whilst we still had the element of time and surprise.
So, putting my fate in the hands of faith, I turned to the only door that was left slightly ajar.
The left door.
Upon a squeeze and a push, I was immediately met with an indescribable sight.
A scene so ghastly and practically indescribable that it caused my stomach to lurch and my manafields to waver.
Because inside where the bedroom’s sitting area should’ve been… was an alien tumor. A gray and blue mass of tubes, boxes, and tarps that violently nipped, rippled, and ripped at the local manastreams.
I turned to Kamil… which was a fruitless venture given his invisibility, but I could only imagine the look on his face.
This… truly was the den of evil.
Which meant we had to get a closer look.
=====
The Nexus. Near the Geographic Center of the North Rythian Forests. Local Time: 2010 Hours.
Emma
It took just under ten minutes of careful maneuvering to get within a safe distance of the crystal.
Anomalously powerful wind shears and inexplicable localized weather gradients had made descending to the rocky outcropping more time consuming than it should have.
But it’d all be worth it.
The crystal was sitting right there, just begging to be grabbed.
I’d even started shrimping even though it was completely unnecessary, as any and all lessons on ergonomics were thrown out the window in lieu of old habits that returned reflexively in what amounted to the highest stakes claw machine game of the millennium.
Thalmin seemed to be holding his breath as well, watching eagerly as I began extending the claw, inching closer and closer towards the crystal with each passing second.
[Distance from Target… 5 Centimeters…]
I held my breath, as the whole world condensed, and then narrowed into that one visual feed just above the claw’s grapplers.
[4 Centimeters…]
I was one with the claw.
[3 Centimeters…]
The claw was me.
[2 Centimeters…]
The claw was all.
[1 Centimeter(s)…]
[Alert! C.L.A.W. in Range!]
I squeezed my fingers…
[Grip Strength Stable! C.L.A.W. Ready to Retract!]
… and there it was.
The amethyst crystal, in the palm of my hand.
Then—
[ALERT! MOTION DETECTED!]
[PROXIMITY ALERT! INITIATING EMERGENCY ASCENT!]
—a flurry of green.
It all happened too fast, so fast in fact that even with the EVI’s reaction time and the drone’s max speed, there was no escape.
Mossy vines and flurrying leaves shot up both from above and below, enveloping and entombing the drone before it could leave the kill zone.
Every input and command was futile, as the drone fought with all of its remaining strength… only to remain stuck in a web of florid tendrils.
Then I saw it.
A sudden surge of undulating mud made way for extending tree roots that grew towards the claw, poised to grab the crystal.
The claw’s grip remained unchallenged, however… though that only meant that the joint above it was the point of failure, snapping as this ‘hand’ of roots retracted back into the rocky ledge with both crystal and claw in tow.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the enigmatic attack just up and ended.
Vines withdrew, moss receded, and leaves fell back perfectly into place.
Any signs of a struggle had been wiped… just like that. With the only evidence to those thirty seconds of madness being the crumpled and broken 03B that sat idly by the cave ‘entrance.’
I didn’t know how to feel.
Anger, frustration, and rage crept in first. However, confusion and, most of all, a thirst for answers took the forefront.
Though all of that went right out the window now that a new objective dawned.
“Let’s ride and talk.” I urged the lupinor; the both of us soon throttled forward on our respective mounts.
“We’re retrieving the damaged drone, then we’re leaving to regroup and rethink our strategy. Which brings me to my next point.” I spoke before deftly transitioning to the next pertinent topic at hand. “Thalmin… could you tell me exactly what the hell just happened?”
“I believe you just intervened in an offering, Emma.” Thalmin began under a ponderous breath, as if he himself had just put two and two together. “The shard of impart you tried to collect? That was the dragon’s offering to the forest.” He continued darkly. “It was a means of restitution, a payment of reparations to the forest for the transgressions incurred during the night’s burnings… Given how the forest reacted to our attempts to reappropriate said offering? It’s clear it was accepted.”
I didn’t respond, at least not immediately, as I allowed… all of that to sink in.
“Okay.” I acquiesced with a sigh. “I guess we should count our blessings that the forest didn’t swallow us whole or whatever.” I chuckled out rhetorically.
Though the reply I got was anything but rhetorical.
“Correct, Emma. But as I said before, our negligible numbers and impact on the forest makes us practically non-entities in the forest’s eyes.”
“Hooray for that then…” I muttered out as we eventually arrived on the ledge just off of the not-cave.
It didn’t take long at all to secure the drone and any stray parts that’d fallen from it during the fight. Moreover, to my surprise, I even found the little claw poking out from where the crystal had been dragged to beneath the dirt.
“Huh.” I muttered out loudly. “I thought I saw it taking that too…”
“The forest takes what it is offered. No more, no less. One could almost take them for the most honest entities here in the Nexus.” Thalmin shrugged. “Though I guess the followers of the Library would argue otherwise… but you know my thoughts on that fiendish entity, Emma.” Thalmin growled out, as I eventually turned to the patch of dirt where the crystal once was.
“Back to Plan B then, I suppose.” I shrugged. “Right then, we pull out to at least three klicks, have a drone monitor the cave entrance, and then—”
[ALERT! MULTIPLE CONTACTS DETECTED!]
“Emma, we have company.” Thalmin uttered out about the same time the EVI did as the suit’s sensors eventually brought up ten, twenty, then fifty individual contacts and counting.
“They’re closing in fast.” I noted, Thalmin nodding in acknowledgement as we both hopped back on our respective mounts.
The advanced warning couldn’t have come sooner, as we managed to make swift headway down from the ledge and back towards the treeline, slipping past an empty flank of the advancing forces under the cover of dark, foliage, and a good serving of both magic and tech-based active camo.
It was here, about a good few klicks out from the hill, that we momentarily stopped.
A cone of silence was added atop of the invisibility barrier, as I turned to Thalmin
“We can’t just fully extract.” I spoke quietly, despite it not being necessary.
“Agreed. The fact that they’re converging on the dragon with this large a force could only mean one thing.”
“They’re making their final push.” I spoke darkly. “And if they succeed, well… this means that this will be our final shot at nabbing ourselves a crystal.”
“Then we stay and observe. Anticipate that they fail, allowing us to stalk the dragon and enact ‘Plan B.’ However, if they succeed… we’ll at least need to be close to enact a ‘Plan D.’”
“But we don’t have a plan—”
“Precisely.” Thalmin interjected. “We’ll have to think of something, should these mercenaries succeed.”
“Right.” I acknowledged before swiftly turning back at the mercenary’s operations.
It was clear from their opening moves that they were at least somewhat professionally trained, as they set up defensive perimeters, patrols, and structured ranks immediately upon arrival. Following which, what looked to be the elven leader took center stage, walking up towards the ledge with a shatorealmer in tow. From here, they began what appeared to be some sort of magical survey using all sorts of enchanted tools and equipment, probing, punching, and even stabbing the earth and stone with various sets of multicolored rods. The oddest part of this survey was the shatorealmer striking the earth with enchanted gauntlets throughout the process.
This continued for several more minutes until finally, the shatorealmer and elf left the ledge, allowing a bunny-looking Nexian to begin inspecting the rock more closely.
The elf and shatorealmer pair continued walking, talking amongst themselves about the dragon, their losses, and a whole host of personal affairs that weren’t relevant to this whole operation.
Which was what made the next few moments all the more unexpected.
Because abruptly and without warning, the shatorealmer slammed their gauntleted fists into the dirt, sending a jagged rift heading straight in our direction, before blowing clean open the treeline we were positioned behind.
“Well, well, well! A dome of silence and invisibility? My my… I wonder who you could be hiding from? Or shall I say, what could you be hiding from, hmm?” He began, before promptly gesturing to the shatorealmer’s fists. “Next time, consider understanding that the ground itself can be a medium of detection, hmm?” The elf announced loudly, his voice straining cheerfully. “In any case, I would say it’s a pleasure, but whether or not I can say that at all is entirely up to you.”
His tone lilted with courtesy in a polite but sing-song manner before finally landing into something between a flat and dry curtness. “So then… shall I call you friend?” He paused, before the corners of his mouth pulled into a drawn yet earnest smile. “Or foe?”
Comments
Allen Mainville
Emma is literally never going to hear the end of the arachnid jokes from Thalmin until she reveals her human form at this point.
Skrzynek
Good. I always prefer that both the good guys and the bad guys show how *smart* they are, instead of just bumping into each other at (in)opportune times due to author's will. While the previous version was understandable, with Emma just having drones on charge-up, and explaining that might be enough to make previous version work - here we see both Emma and Ignalius be SMART and COMPETENT in order to get to a similar situation as before. I vastly prefer this. Especially since it gives us the OUTSTANDING bit about claw machines and Emma "shrimping" as she finagles with it! :D The only two things that I find in any way unclear are: - the "few klicks away" part, where Emma got apparently talked to from kilometers away - but that got addressed on voice chat already so no more pestering from me. - how come Emma's SUR-Drone was not able to come down to the forest floor near the shard for a few minutes? Either it was really, really saving up on the battery power, or the forest was trying to prevent it getting closer to the offering. Perhaps both? But regardless, just minor nitpicks about an overall PHENOMENAL revision! :D
