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Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (93/?)
🕑 Added 2024-08-04 17:05:02 +0000 UTCThe Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. The Hall of Champions. Competitor’s Field. Local Time: 1145
Auris
The world stood still.
And all eyes were on me.
In front of me, a commoner — nay, a newrealmer — daring to impart a display only reserved for equals of pedigree and station.
Sheer shock kept me from moving a muscle, whilst outrage and revulsion filled my very being.
I had, for a moment, forgotten the context of this gesture.
So egregious was it that it acted as the personification of the entire day’s offenses, a symbol of defiance against what should be, a representation of rebellious contempt against what should have happened.
The supposed intent of the gesture was not lost on me.
However, what others may see as a hand extended in reconciliation, was instead a poisoned dagger, one pointed directly at my soft underbelly; where both choice and indecision spelled the same conclusion… death.
Surely others could see this too.
Surely the professor, the symbol of Nexian benevolence and an extension of His Majesty’s will, would swiftly resolve this quagmire by simply removing the offending weapon thus disarming this malicious assault!
Surely she would…
Surely she had to…
But that didn’t happen.
Nor did help in any other fashion arrive.
Instead, I was left on my lonesome, abandoned by a representative of righteousness, to succumb to the wounds inflicted upon me by the avatar of darkness itself.
Its red eyes mocked me, even as we stood as near physical equals.
Its hand, that deceitful gesture, sent both chills and pangs of disgust straight through to my very core.
Why couldn’t anyone else see its malicious intent?
Could they not see this savage cornering a fellow civilized peer?
Why could no one else see that this gesture was simply an extension of its deceitful ways? For just as its masterfully crafted suit was designed to hide savagery beneath it, so too was this gesture extended with the intent to hide this most heinous of assaults beneath a thin visage civility; this mockery of chivalry.
I was cornered, with a dagger held to my throat amidst an audience of weak-willed onlookers.
May His Eternal Majesty forgive and protect me for what I am about to do.
PA-RUM PA-RUM PA-RRRUM PUM PUM
That music, the much-anticipated sounds marking the prelude to the end of classes, filled the air with relief beyond all measure.
The musical troupe arrived on scene to the knowing wink of my most reliable ally amidst this sea of weak-willed ingrates.
The ever-dependable Lady Ladona had managed to even fool me in this instance, as her constructs marched ever forwards to the tune of the class’ premature end.
I was saved.
SCREEEAAAACCHHHHH
Or so I thought.
A massive disturbance in the manafields marked the arrival of the house-sized wyvern, which landed with a deafening THUD, skulking its way towards the constructs with insidious intent.
The music suddenly screeched to a halt as a result, as the entire troupe was crushed wholesale to the tune of a hundred bone-shattering crunches, barring the conductor who was flung up with a forepaw, before ‘landing’ within the beast’s teeth with a silent SLICE… splitting in two before dissipating into mana.
“SHE KILLED THE BAND!” Someone shouted from the crowds, prompting the professor to quickly intervene, but not before the Vunerian could chime in first.
“They weren’t the real band, you idiot.” He announced confidently. “It was a paltry parlor trick.”
“Aptly deduced, Lord Rularia.” The professor spoke, taking a moment to scratch wyvern’s chin. “Let me be clear, class. Whilst I do consider myself to be a tolerant professor, I do not take kindly to these brazen oversteps of authority.” She took a moment to glare intently at Ladona, her wyvern doing much the same. “So please, act like the adults I believe you to be… or don’t, and be treated as the children whose behaviors you mime and mimic.”
Ladona took the best route she could at this point, hiding amongst the crowd, and blending into the audience.
The professor graciously didn’t pursue further disciplinary actions on that route.
What she did resume however, was the very situation the Anurarealmer had attempted to save me from, as the newrealmer stubbornly refused to retract that hand all throughout this brief disruption.
Time once more stood at a standstill, as I reached out a hand, before stopping halfway.
It was time to enact a plan, to propose an offer that the newrealmer could not refuse.
“I refuse to acknowledge that this competition is over. Far from it, I wish to defer the results of this competition, pending a second, final challenge.” I began, eliciting a hundred gasps from the crowd. “I wish to call upon my points of gentlemanly deferral, to raise the newrealmer the offer of a higher stakes wager which I will honor, provided the newrealmer bests me in this upcoming House Choosing Ceremony.” A smile once more crept across my face as I could feel the newrealmer’s mind racing with a primitive drive to reach for that golden goose, for the coveted desire of earning more by teasing another fight. “Do you accept, Emma Booker of Earthrealm?”
My gambit was set, and even Lady Ladona appeared to be looking on with a rejuvenated hope.
All eyes shifted to the newrealmer’s response, as a ray of hope finally entered the fray in the form of this assured escalation.
“No thank you, but I appreciate the offer!” Came the newrealmer’s words, as she responded in that insultingly upbeat, almost dismissive cadence.
I felt as if a phantom hand had just smacked me right across the face.
My limbs ran cold, and my cheeks burned with the intensity of a thousand suns.
Frustration, hatred, and a seething rage filled me, as I eyed that hand with the accumulated ire of an entire week’s worth of pent up fury threatening to boil over.
And so, with my escape routes blocked off, I would have to fight my way out.
My hand reached down, poised to slap the newrealmer’s hand away.
I felt the alien fabric of her digits, then, suddenly—
“Ah!”
—pain.
=====
The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. The Hall of Champions. Competitor’s Field. Local Time: 1150
Emma
You didn’t need to be an expert or anything to anticipate a slap coming for your hand.
A split second was all I had in order to make a call… not that I needed to think much about it.
I was just so done with the bull, at least for today.
So, to avoid further public humiliation, and to put this entire day’s shenanigans to rest, I took active measures to ensure everything would end right here, right now.
The competition, the wager, the bull’s arrogance (at least for today), ended with a firm grip of his hand.
One that I held just long enough, and coerced into a shake, in order to save both of us from further shame.
I was doing him a favor.
Or at least, I hoped so.
His pained expressions gave me an immediate pause.
However, I quickly realized at the last second exactly why he’d reacted so viscerally.
As a quick pan across my HUD revealed that the EVI had kept my prior orders active; the orders from the arm wrestling challenge that is.
In short, it was set to match, and slightly exceed, any force or strength applied.
The bull could’ve simply avoided this by refraining from his antics.
Instead, he had to have gone for a slap… and a pretty hard one at that.
The man just kept managing to reap what he sowed.
A sigh escaped my breath as I pulled back that hand shake, Chiska arriving on scene, as he managed to recover remarkably quickly from that debacle.
“Well… I guess it’s the gesture that counts.” I managed out with a chuckle, one that would’ve been countered if it wasn’t for Chiska once more addressing both us and the crowds.
“Good sportsmanship goes a long way, and I am happy to see this resolved with a good, solid, handshake! Isn’t that what this was, Lord Ping?” Chiska managed those latter words under her breath, one that when accompanied by the Wyvern’s hot breath, elicited a reluctant nod from the man.
“Good! Now that this impromptu wager has been resolved, I hereby officially grant you, Cadet Emma Booker, free reign to participate in all magical physical activities! Congratulations on your efforts, and suffice it to say, I will be maintaining a close eye on you for the duration of this year’s PE classes!” She beamed brightly, that excitement translating to her energetic jostling of my shoulder, one that I had to purposefully force the suit to follow the motions of.
“Now the rest of you!” She turned to the class. “You all did a commendable job! And for those of you who decided to participate in all of the activities, I award you, each, fifty points!”
A series of gasps erupted from the entirety of class, most were frustrated, whilst others were utterly ecstatic.
Gumigo, for one, began jumping for joy along with the rest of his crocodile troupe.
They’d all participated, which meant a solid two hundred points had just been acquired for their peer group in the span of a single period.
Qiv seemed quite satisfied as well, nodding with his signature smug look plastered across his maw.
“And for those of you who participated in more than one activity, I award you five points per activity!”
A few students began doing the math, which I more or less managed to do in my head right off the bat.
The fifty points were surprisingly fair.
With a total of four stations for the non-magical competition, and five for the magical, six if you count the distances between each station… this more or less added up.
“But don’t think I’ve forgotten about you two!” The professor jostled the both of us again. “For your tenacity and efforts, and in sticking to your word by accepting and following through with the challenge you incited, I award you, Lord Ping — seventy-five points, on top of your fifty points for completing all stations.”
Auris' eyes grew wide at that, but that was before Chiska pulled the rug from beneath his feet.
“However! For Lady Ladon’s brazen act of disrespect, I deduct fifty points from your group.” She stated plain and simply, causing Ladona in the bleachers to sink even deeper into the crowds.
“And finally, Cadet Emma Booker?”
“Yes, professor?”
“I award you ninety additional points on top of the fifty points for completing all stations.” The professor grinned brightly, swishing her tail now as she was clearly eager to get to her next points. “This isn’t for you finishing first, mind you. Nor is it for you winning the competition and reaping the rewards for your wager.” She added with a raised finger. “But instead, it’s for a display I rarely see nowadays, and one that I want to see more of amongst the student body!” She made sure to hammer that point home into the crowd, as she directed her voice more towards them than myself. This back and forth started to feel more like a public conversation by the second.
“Sportsmanship! Chivalry! The spirit of honor for the sake of honor, not face! These are the sorts of things that have slowly withered from within the halls of this grand gymnasium. Too long have I seen a shift from wagers, competitions, and challenges made in good faith, to one of vapid gain and plays of shifting political interests. Too long have I seen sports and physical education shift away from its noble origins, into a mere tool for ungentlemanly gains. The Academy is a time for personal growth, to play in a safe and controlled environment that rarely exists outside of its walls! This isn’t the time to perform cutthroat politics… you have your whole lives to commit to that, after all.” That latter statement was made with a certain level of genuine sadness, one that almost brought her spirits down. Almost, being the operative word here. “Henceforth, I wish to see more of this genuine spirit of chivalry and sportsmanship.” The professor made the effort of gesturing towards me this time around, making the impetus behind this speech clear… if it wasn’t clear enough.
“This is not to say I will be overstepping my bounds to limit your points of personal privilege. However, know that I will reward what I see as chivalrous, honorable, and good-faith actions. And understand that I will punish acts of bad-faith, breach of authority, and anything I deem as a gross misconduct of the established rules.” She clarified, before noting the arrival of the real band this time around, as their signature music started to echo across the field. “I wish to see a return to the glory days, a return to better times, and I hope that — against all odds — this year group will be the year to turn that hope into a reality. Now! With all of that being said, class is dismissed! Oh, and, if this wasn’t clear already, with physical education usually taking up one period, this is the final period of this week! Have fun! But not too much fun, for you have a shopping trip and a house choosing ceremony to attend this weekend!”
The crowd’s reaction was mixed this time around, as the professor’s rapid-paced speeches had more or less shoved two Vanavan classes’ worth of emotions into a single announcement.
Most seemed satisfied to have been awarded their points, and their egos stroked, albeit in a roundabout way.
A good chunk seemed to glare at me, before lumping themselves in with Auris as soon as he left the professor’s grip, with less than desirable words and accusations being tossed my way as soon as they’d left earshot.
“Know that whatever happens, we will follow you to the ends of the Nexus itself, Lord Ping.”
“You were duped out of a victory and into this appalling state of affairs, in fact, this ‘professor’ is either delusional or has fallen for the newrealmer’s spell. We will not fall into the same traps, Lord Ping.”
“Strong are the ones who maintain their faith and integrity. And only the strong shall survive the year. You have our support, Lord Ping.”
“As much as I wish to make a standing ovation, does anyone else find it odd how the newrealmer was able to push beyond her earlier limits—”
“A trick and nothing more!”
Yet as much as the loud crowd seemed to take center stage, so too were more groups forming. This time, around Qiv’s orbit, as he weaved his way back towards the stands.
“Truly a disappointing display by our fellow, wouldn’t you say, Lord Qiv?”
“Bested and humiliated by a newrealmer… through an offer of chivalrous de-escalation no less.”
“Whether or not that was a political play or a move made of noble intent, Ping managed to somehow find the worst way out of that predicament. A simple hand-shake would’ve been preferable to the fate he’d inflicted upon himself.”
“As much as I find the newrealmer savage to be simple-minded, it’s clear she’s found her place and has made moves to become a professor’s favorite. I would say it’s remarkable, but given the class she chose to make her moves in is physical education of all things, it’s clear that she’s simply playing to her strengths.”
However, in spite of the two large crowds, a small minority had gathered around the Gumigo-Etholin orbit, clearly roused by the professor’s speech, and to an extent, the mystery surrounding the armor’s capabilities.
“Well well well chaps! Two hundred points!” Gumigo began with a cocky rub of his blunted claws against his leather sash. “But points and our successes aside… is there anybody else who wishes to address…” He paused, his eyes glancing towards me still in the field. “The loud clunker in the stadium?”
“Yes, yes! The noise and the speed! I’ve noticed it too! There must be something to it… it couldn’t have been mere trickery… there was a clunky, unnatural, almost otherworldly noise emanating from the armor during that run.”
“Indeed, indeed! Some form of… dare I say it, unnatural phenomenon. It couldn’t have just been her physicality to have been the source of that. No. Otherwise, why the noise?”
“A distraction, maybe?”
“For what purpose? To hide her physicality? That’s silly. Why create a distracting noise when there is nothing to gain from it being hidden? There must be something more. Something we aren’t seeing.”
“Something beneath the armor?”
“Or perhaps even the armor itself.”
“I can say, for most of us, we didn’t notice the clunks.”
“Well you weren’t on the field where it was most obvious.”
“This is not the place for such talks.” Qiv finally entered the fray, arriving at the stands and scattering the group, as another distinct chunk of the year group now took over from where those stray conversations had taken place.
“ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS!” Ilunor began, having forcibly dragged etholin back up to the highest benches of the stands, forcing the poor thing to once more hold his oversized hat-turned-sack. “With the competition coming to a close, I hereby wish to distribute the spoils of this gentlemanly wager!” He announced triumphantly, with a big fat grin on his face that did nothing but to incur the ire of the crowd. “To Prince Thalmin of Havenbrock, twenty sovereigns!” He dug around the sack, handing the prince this ‘paltry’ sum. “And to the host, to yours truly, with which the remainder of the wagers have been counterbalanced upon—” Ilunor paused for dramatic effect, doing nothing but to elicit even more groans of annoyance at his actions. “—I take away ten-thousand one-hundred and ninety-four sovereigns!”
The deluxe kobold was practically cackling with joy at that point, looking as if he was standing on top of the world, even more ecstatic at the entire affair than I was at winning the damn thing.
However, as quickly as that excitement began, so too was it tempered.
This time, by an unexpected party.
“Ahem.” Etholin vocalized, clearing his throat. “As the purse master, it would be unbecoming of me if I did not ask for my own shares of the winnings, Lord Rularia.”
“I beg your pardon, Lord Esila?!”
“I politely request my purse master’s fees, in both the traditional cut, and as a lump sum surcharge as compensation for the suddenness of the entire affair.” The man clarified in no uncertain terms, and for the first time, looking as if he was actually in his element.
No amount of indignant rage from the Vunerian could keep the ferret down, as he acquiesced surprisingly quickly.
“Two percent, and a lump sum of two-hundred.” Ilunor stated firmly, digging around the sack as he did so, whilst a parchment and quill suddenly appeared out of nowhere, writing down what seemed to be a whole contract in a matter of seconds.
“Ten percent, a sum of one-thousand.” Etholin shot back, his eyes narrowing with a knowing expression.
“Three and two-fifty.” Ilunor countered with an indignant hiss, the floating pen crossing a few lines, only to replace them with the new proposals.
“Nine and nine-fifty.” Etholin rebutted confidently.
“Three point five and three-fifty.”
“Seven and eight-hundred.”
“ENOUGH!” The Vunerian shouted. “Four point five percent, and five-hundred.” He announced with finality, prompting Etholin to nod affirmatively in response.
“Deal.”
“DEAL!”
The whole ordeal was completed with a shake of hands, and a signing of the contract which resulted in the immediate ‘transfer’ of the coins over to Etholin in the form of a trail of gold flowing directly to the little pouch on his belt.
The rest of the gold was quickly dumped out of Etholin’s hat and into Ilunor’s own pouch, one that grew to size in order to fit the sheer volume of gold, only to shrink back into a small pouch that clipped onto his belt.
The whole affair was surprisingly civil, especially when compared to the Auris Ping drama that had preceded it.
Immediately following that however, I felt a tap on my shoulder, as Chiska gestured for me to follow with an expectant smile. “Walk with me, Cadet Booker.” She urged.
I complied with a shrug, as a privacy screen soon blanketed the both of us.
“There are few things that surprise me in my old age, Cadet Booker. Fewer, that brings me both a sense of excitement and hope. Part of this, of course, comes from your refreshing adherence to the noble expectations of a gentler time. Though I would be lying if I didn’t mention the dragon in the cell, or in this case, your uncanny abilities to defy standard conventions of strength and endurance.” The professor began with that same overture of positivity she exuded from her end-of-period announcement. “With that being said, I understand that there are… certain limits placed upon how much you can elaborate on these uncanny abilities. So, in the spirit of the rules, but in placating that ever present gnawing of curiosity, I must ask… exactly what happened between the mana-less, and magical trials?”
I paused for a moment, as we now reached the foot of the bleachers, with most students currently in the process of leaving the stands. “I applied that which I am not allowed to talk about, professor.” I responded with a knowing ‘wink’. “I pushed beyond my natural limits, using techniques never before seen, or heard of, in the Nexus, and beyond.” I continued vaguely, only eliciting a greater degree of scrutinizing stares from the professor.
“I see.” The professor nodded, placing her chin between her fingers as she entered a state of deep thought. “And is that all?”
“As far as the dean will allow me to say, Professor.”
A frustrated sigh escaped from Chiska’s short muzzle. “I see. Well… it’s not like there’s going to be a shortage of time with you, Cadet Booker. We’ll have to see where this rabbit hole takes us then. Until such time, I bid you farewell.” The professor closed things off with a smile, as she quickly hopped back on the wyvern that’d been following us all this time. “Oh! And do contact me if you ever want to sign up for extracurriculars! My office will always be open to you, Cadet Booker!” She shouted, dropping the privacy screen, and leaving the same way she entered — through the skylight.
This time around, she’d simply phased through the glass, meaning less chance of injury for the few students remaining.
“Well well well.” A familiar voice emerged, one that was accompanied by a loud clink with every other step. “For someone who seems so confused by the theater of life, you seem to play the role of the knight in shining white armor quite well, earthrealmer!” Ilunor began with a voice of unfettered joy.
“It was just a handshake, Ilunor. It was literally just a handshake. Why do you guys have to make such a huge deal out of every little thing? Especially ones meant to de-escalate things?” I shot out with a frustrated breath. “And no, before you answer, I know, I know. It’s a statement of superiority, an affront to the established class order, etcetera, etcetera.” I groaned.
“Intentionally or not, you have made great strides in improving our standing. So thank you, earthrealmer.” The blue thing once more shocked me with this growing sense of appreciation, sending me into wordlessness as I stood there shook by his compliments.
“Do not be enamored by his compliments, Emma.” Thalmin retorted, moving towards us now after sending the ever-enamored Cynthis away. “Note how he only reacts positively when he has something to gain. Which today was three-fold. The points you earned, the reputation you accrued, and the coin you’ve accumulated.”
“The coins which I accumulated, mind you, Prince Havenbrcok! If it wasn’t for my quick-thinking, then there would be no coin to speak of!”
“And if it wasn’t for Emma, then you’d have nothing to bet off of.” The prince growled.
“Therefore, the coin should be awarded to those most deserving of it.” Thacea finally interjected. “Given the nature of the upcoming trip into Elaseer for school supplies, and given the cruel nature of being the candidate of a newrealm, these funds should prove useful.” The avinor began, as she elicited a sigh from the Vunerian.
“I was going to suggest that, princess.” He announced dejectedly.
“I have my doubts about that.” Thalmin butted in, but was promptly ignored by the Vunerian.
“I will hand over only what is necessary for this town trip.” Ilunor clarified. “Only a quarter should cover the costs of her supplies! If she even needs any, that is!”
“We may be looking into using about half, if not more than those funds, Ilunor.” Thacea countered, eliciting a look of shock from the Vunerian, as she gestured for us to continue off and out of the stands. “This may be better discussed somewhere more private.”
=====
The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. Dragon’s Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 30. Local Time: 1220 Hours.
Emma
“You know, that’s what I’ve been considering too, but I never thought that it would be this… simple.” I offered, prompting Thacea to nod once in response.
“Adventurers exist for a reason, Emma. For situations that may require a… third party, or in circumstances where an unaffiliated party may be required, or even in instances such as these, where your own assets may be limited — they offer an easy solution to enhance one’s reach.”
“Provided you have enough coin, that is.” Ilunor chimed in with an annoyed groan.
“Searching for an amethyst dragon… is most certainly going to be expensive.” Thalmin admitted.
“Expensive is a relative term, Prince Thalmin.” Ilunor shot back, before sighing inwardly. “Though in this case, given the coin I just accrued, it may indeed be quite costly."
“My estimates put the potential cost of a search for the amethyst dragon to be at approximately two-thousand five hundred gold, not including provisions, guild fees, taxes, or under-table taxes.”
“And that’s not even including the specialist fees that may be tacked on to such a quest. Moreover, the nature of the quest must be specified, for there may be a difference to the price — either in simply finding it, or to slay it outright” Ilunor perked up. “Because those are two fundamentally different tasks, princess.”
“The former may incur as much costs as the latter, Ilunor. From my experiences in hiring adventurers, there seems to be an equivalent fee in stealth as there is combat. For finding the dragon is one thing, but maintaining stealth whilst approaching and evading it is another.”
“Which may cost as much as actually engaging it, if not a bit less, I suppose.” Ilunor shrugged.
“The real reason why combat missions incur a higher toll, is the potential for compensation for a dead adventurer, or a hefty fee in reviving them.” Thalmin chimed in, eliciting a nod from both Thacea and Ilunor.
“So, find it, or kill it, I gotta ask. How much are we looking at this then, like, total?” I questioned.
“Five thousand gold, give or take? With all the fees included. Not including the potential compensation for lost lives or revivals.” Ilunor chimed in, prompting Thacea to nod affirmatively.
“Alright, well, that seems good enough I suppose.” I let out a hefty sigh. “In any case, maybe we could continue discussing this at a later time? I think we have a library to visit, Ilunor.” I stated bluntly, prompting the Vunerian to shiver in place. “But before that, we need to pay a visit to the armorer, the sign did say he would be open today after all.”
“Oh here we go again… dear majesty, protect me…” Ilunor muttered out under his breath.
Comments
Brachy LP
So to Make short of the Faceslapping Lord Ping (Cursed be his Bloodline) got: Emma chose to be a Sportsman about it and be Chivalrous Chiska just did a Cat, woke up and Chose Ultraviolence at least Politically. I loved the Chapter your Writing gets better and Better every Chapter and my Readers soul Hungers for MORE
erickjosemolina
Cada cuanto sale un nuevo capítulo?
Ariel Huerta
MOAR!!!
Michael Halpern
oh if only they knew she has earned favor with 3 professors already.
Michael Halpern
if it's still there she still needs to be in range
Alexander
Emma can just track the drone still stuck to the dragon?
David
I am thinking the dragon could magically shape an existing scale. Or one that has already fallen off of it. But seeing what value there is, and Booker's straightforward manner. I could see the dragon becoming an ally like the library.
Michael Halpern
One thing to note is right now Emma has 2 cards to play, her library card, and show of force. All other options are situational, and can be more easily dismissed for now,
Dennis Hornsby
Best and worst $5 ever. I got to see the end and I still have to wait a week for the next one 😭
ThomasMC
or Lady Ladon’s brazen act I think there is a typo at the name?
Michael Halpern
wait whens the house choosing ceremony? i bet Emma's going to use the laser for one of those challenges
Michael Halpern
they probably can magic EarPro. unfortunately none of the schematics she can print will work with anyone who isn't human or elf
Bbobsillypants
I hope she brings hearing protection but for the rest of the class.
Michael Halpern
im sure she'll be careful,
Tazeell
Ooh quest giver time, that sounds interesting.
Michael Halpern
A couple of them got close to figuring out the noise was from the suit and was the result of some function.
Michael Halpern
or Emma fabs the tools to alter it
Michael Halpern
we can't assume that the dragon can be negotiated with, and considering it has killed people indiscriminately (burning down a few structures in its escape) it may have to be put down. the question is, do they want some random adventure to do it, or do they do it themselves. Quite honestly, doing it themselves has a lot of advantages, not just cost and shard selection, there is no greater thing that Emma shouldn't be able to do to gain notoriety,
Michael Halpern
Emma probably needs copper and silica sand, aluminum and tungsten if she can get them or their ores.
Michael Halpern
Emma is going to need Chiska to provide a heads up for more than just flying, swimming too be it surface level (buoyancy aids) or underwater, which are probably packed in the same module. It wouldn't surprise me if the suit could handle at least as deep as the IAS "Atlantis II" facility. wouldn't rule out it being able to maintain ~1 atmosphere of internal pressure while deep underwater and in space, no it isn't a constant volume suit but materials to allow that are plausible
Michael Halpern
well gas, could be air, could be helium could be nitrogen and so on, key is that they are fast, and work similar but in the opposite way as hydraulics, with hydraulics you are pressurizing the reservoir of working fluid to push the piston, with pneumatics the reservoir is already pressurized, and you're just opening a valve to push it, most likely it's using double acting open cycle pistons, the released air being used to cool the servos and operator, and provide additional nitrox (approximation to Earth's Sea level atmosphere used by divers and for space applications mostly just 4/5ths nitrogen 1/5th O2) to the operator excess pressure being sucked up and recompressed.
Klembit
Fair, i am no mechanic or have any knowledge in said field. Pneumatics work with air right? Does make sense they would be used
Michael Halpern
she may have to kill it because of the Nexus' fucked up politics
Skrzynek
On of the earlier flashbacks had a comment on golden trims of Captain Li's cape (he was in chapter 44 and 68). It amounted to gold still being nice to look at even if asteroid mining made it cheap.
I Dare Korval
A flying tank,... hope she is careful around the natural flyers.
I Dare Korval
She help free it (by accident but still).
I Dare Korval
Emma might even be able to make use of an already shed scale. Also the dragon owes her for helping set it free and getting revenge on Mal'tory, so it may be alot easier that you think.
I Dare Korval
Actually, I doubt the dragon can "grow" scales in a specific configuration, that would be like asking us to grow a finger nail in a specific way. I think we are going to need the Library to change an existing scale to match the molecular configuration data Emma has in EVI's database for her half. Second of all, they cut the original "Shard of Import"/dragon scale in half to make the communicator. As such, they don't need a whole perfect scale, just a perfect half (left or right side, or front or back side) to make a new copy for Emma. Even an already dropped or slightly damaged scale (on the side they don't need) should work. This should lessen the burden on the adventures and potential reduce the risk if they can find a shed scale that matches the requirements.
Hughes Andrew
Why does she need to kill them at all? She just hires it. Pays for the goods. And leaves.
Michael Halpern
how though? it seems there's no hiding the shard of impart, the only option is if Amethyst dragons have a hive mind of sorts, and decide Earthrealm is the "other" in the "Final confrontation" and have the one aid her before having her kill them. a sacrifice to hide their suspicions and give their hope an edge in the political theater.
Michael Halpern
pretty sure pneumatics were mentioned, probably chosen for ease of maintenance/printing
Michael Halpern
the question is in that case what she can negotiate
Thisisanick
advanced sci-fi screeching noises.. could be anything like shape bending/remembering meta materials to superfluid hydraulics using and servos using high temperature superconductors..
Michael Halpern
she's going to be giddy.
Michael Halpern
she may not have that option, even if its intelligent, actually considering how it has been treated, maybe especially because its intelligent, that said its probably a shaping thing to get it to the right configuration,
UC-79
Chiska's gonna lose it when emma shows up for the flight class. The rest of her classmates too, for that matter. They just won't be quite as happy about manaless flight. Hope sorecar gets to watch that one.
Lorventus
Pneumatic are also better for a mission that is built to survive catastrophic damage. Repairs to Pneumatic systems wouldn't require a new supply of fluids.
Lorventus
My hope is that the dragon isn't mindless, just very grumpy after being used like that for so long. Emma just going around defying all the stereotypes and destroying preconceived notions!
Hughes Andrew
She needs to hire the dragon, and have it make a new crystal of the *exact* right config. She can’t just loot a random crystal off the corpse.
Hughes Andrew
She doesn’t want to kill the dragon. She wants to hire it.
Michael Halpern
i am betting that she will get the kill blow. Earthrealm doesn't believe in a fair fight outside of training after all. even in training you train against a stacked deck.
Michael Halpern
Etholin got 958.73, leaving them with 9,235.27 plus thalmin's 10 coin profit.
Michael Halpern
sure but not needed in large quantities
JaxonJak
That option remains available.
FedoraWearingScrublord
With Chiska's direct mentioning of her office being open to Emma, said office having direct links to the adventuring guilds in Elaseer, as well as The Gang thinking to hire an adventuring party, it's looking like Emma may be joining up with a group of Adventurers this or next weekend!
Jimbo1023
I wonder if we'll get to hear Thalmin's thoughts in the finished chapter or the near future. He was also one of the lead contenders in the day's events, but I don't really know much of what was going through his mind during or after.
David Ellis
It does have one of the lowest resistances of the regular metals, which is why gold interconnects *sometimes* actually matter, but presumably 31st Century computing is going to be photonics, and maybe a room-temperature superconductor can actually exist, so the power electronics may not need it either; but if either of those is not true I can see gold still being important for technical reasons.
Michael Halpern
pneumatics, given how the noise was described, pneumatics and servos,
ThomasMC
Does the armor work with hydraulics?
Michael Halpern
I really hope we don't get a "curiosity killed the cat" bit,
Michael Halpern
or at least get them close. i suspect that Emma will end up killing it, she has a railgun
LolaAlphonse
Absolutely loved the gym ark. Had my heart racing through a few spots and loved the imagery of it all. Onwards to the questing!
Bbobsillypants
Wait so there gonna pay someone to hunt the dragon for them? Not what i expected but i guess it make sense given their schedules.
Destinum
I would assume Emma is phrasing it this way to sow dissent. If a person keeps doing things that should be impossible, and when questioned about it her answer is always "Well, I *would* tell you, but unfortunately this other person in a position of authority has banned me from talking about it", it becomes very obvious that the facts of the situation are being censored.
Spencer
A solid conclusion to the whole gym ark. Looking forward to the trip into town!
Michael Halpern
Chiska acknowledged that there are some things she can't mention
Lion3125
Exactly. Her entire reason for why this agreement wasn't so bad was because it wasn't broad enough and specified reasons. Telling her because she asked and is curious is definitely not her spreading it for her own cause. If she didn't have a diplomatic mission and it was just some random enthusiastic stranger who is curious asking that, there would still be good chances she would answer. So it's completely unrelated
Medical-Cyanide
That’s how you truly know you have grown to like them. I adore my friends but every once in a while you need to give em a glare, a noogie or something
Klembit
I still want to occasinally, but he has grown on me.
Klembit
Cannot wait till someone figures out what her armour does. I wonder if they even can that is, as hydraulics are very, very advanced in comparison to medieval tech.
Michael Halpern
with Asteroid mining, given the few practical applications of gold- basically the only thing that sets it apart from most other metals is that its a noble metal, it should be pretty cheap.
Michael Halpern
Rila will show up soon
Oniklo
So, the currency in the Nexus is indeed gold. What is the price of gold in the 31st century ? Would the cost of hiring an adventurer be high or low when converted to Earthrealm currency?
Medical-Cyanide
Much hyjinx shall ensue of course! It’s also a testament to your skills you were able to make someone almost entirely disliked by the community then steadily lift em up in a believable way. So, many Kudos to you!
Tainted_But_Thriving
I am surprised she couldn’t discuss further with Chiska, since it wasn’t to further her own aims but to satisfy the curiosity of a professor
Jcb112
He's certainly making the most of his situation, and considering how his fate is effectively still bound to Emma, he's going to try to navigate this in the way he best sees fit! This, of course, might lead to a slow but gradual begrudging comradery that forms from the sheer necessity of needing to work together! :D
Tainted_But_Thriving
Etholin coming in hot, well done purse-master. Ilunor trying to pull one over on a merchant lord. Ha!
Medical-Cyanide
Nice to see the little somewhat unwanted comradely relationship between illunor and Emma. Heh I still remember when folks constantly joked about punting the discount Kobold
astatine
Glad to see that some Nexians still appreciate good sportsmanship and honorable conduct. And I think the armorer might have some answers for our curious gym teacher, if she's brave enough to ask.
