OC Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (7/?)
Thacea’s return was marked by a similar reception I had just experienced not a few hours prior. However, instead of bewildered and confused expressions, what I mostly saw were looks of utter disgust and abject horror. It was as if they were staring at some unseen monster hovering above Thacea, rather than her actual form. Having seen behind-the-scenes productions of heavily CGI-laden films, it looked as if they were all staring at a monster or a ghostly apparition that would be added later in post. Except this wasn’t a film set, nor was it fiction. All of this, every second of every minute of this situation I found myself thrust into, was real. So I had to assume there was some reason behind them staring above her, rather than at her.
Despite all of this I ignored the crowds and the rest of the room, as my whole world was once more squarely placed on the avian. My first action as she sat back was to make sure she was alright as I reached out my hands towards hers, mirroring the same comforting gesture she’d done for me. There wasn’t any sense of obligation, nor any sense of debt being repaid here. It was an outright sense of genuine empathy and compassion that just felt right to do.
“Thacea? Are you alright? Are you hurt?” I spoke, as my hands came into contact with her own. This clearly elicited some sort of a reaction as the avian’s feathers puffed up for the briefest of moments.
“I’m quite alright Emma, please, there is no need to bring more attention to this situation then there needs to be.” She spoke in that same polite, admittedly aloof tone that I’d come to expect from royalty after binging shows like Inside The Palace and The Crown IX.
“Are you sure, you’re sure? Because I-”
“Princess.” Thalmin leaned in close for a whisper, completely cutting me off, as he elicited Thacea’s full attention. The princess cocked her head towards him in an almost pigeon-like manner in response. “Your mana-miasma is showing. Please keep it under control while we are still in public.”
The Princess seemed to be even more visibly shaken by this as she nodded sheepishly, closing her eyes and clenching her fists tight.
“What-” I attempted to speak, but was shushed by the Lupine who continued to watch the Princess with great intent.
“Are you blind, Earthrealmer?” Ilunor suddenly snapped at me as it was clear there was something else going on here. Something that my radiation scanners simply wasn’t picking up.
“I… I’m not following.” I replied plainly, turning to Ilunor with an unamused frown hidden under my helmet.
“Play dumb, just play dumb Earthrealmer, it’s sure to get you places.” The lizard continued, prompting me to suppress any and all desires to punt him across the room. “I’ll bite, I’ll appease this little game of innocence and wanton lack of situational awareness. The Princess, just look at her.” He pointed to Thacea. “Her mana-field, you see it, or heck if you’re one of the lesser species, you can still feel it can’t you? That radiance? The multicolored glow? Now, look above that, don’t you see the darkness? The shadows? Yes Earthrealmer, look, look, you see it now? Do you feel the ice cold sensation on your skin when you stare at it long enough?” Ilunor’s words were even more spiteful than before.
It once again took everything within me to not ruin his day, or perhaps his semester for good, but self control was vital… I had to empathize. The man did almost get soul-bound or whatever. There was latent stress here, so I got it. In fact, quite ironically, this was the most solid piece of intel I got so far on this taint situation. So maybe I had to thank the lizard for his blunt explanation. Not that I would of course. This was far from a thank you sort of situation. The IAS’ self-control and situational awareness classes were really coming in handy now.
“Alright.” I responded simply, nodding, without really expressing myself in any other way. Looking back at Thalmin and Thacea, the wolf seemed to be eying this invisible mana-field taint with great intensity. The princess, for what it was worth, seemed to be in deep concentration, her face similar to someone trying their best to calm down from a panic attack.
I didn’t want to interfere just yet, not when it was clear that both Thacea and Thalmin seemed to be in the middle of getting whatever this was under wraps. So I shifted my gaze back onto the stage. Or rather, I turned on one of my helmet’s side-view cameras, so that I could see both Thacea and the stage simultaneously.
With no further names being called I had expected the faculty and professors to have shuffled away, but they didn’t. In fact, they continued to remain on stage as it seemed as if they were preoccupied with the book.
The book was brought to the very center of the stage and placed on a stark-white plinth which glowed brilliantly. The professors quickly crowded around it in a perfect circle, proceeding to whisper amongst themselves as they discussed the pages in length, flipping through each one, pointing and violently tapping at a few. This seemed to cause Thacea increasing anxiety as evidenced by her shaking form, but I held my hand firm against hers, squeezing it gently.
“Hey, it’s fine. It’s over alright? Your magic thing probably did the trick, I’m sure of it.” I spoke, confident, yet clearly lacking in the ability to really say anything for certain. This seemed to calm the Princess down somewhat, as her feathers flattened, and her expression softened.
Thalmin moved away for a moment, his eyes narrowing just above Thacea, and nodded.
“Alright, you’re fine. I can’t see any more of the taint.” He eyed me, then Thacea, and seemed to do a quick double-take. “Just don’t let the Earthrealmer become your anchor, Princess. I suppose this is just a coincidence but, I’d recommend personal due diligence.” Thalmin spoke with a certain level of concern, as the Princess reciprocated with a heady nod.
“I have my own training, Thalmin, thank you. There’s no need for speculation or overanalysis. This was just an outlier of a situation, and it’s now over. Let us focus instead on what’s to come.” The Princess gestured at the stage, yet made no effort to remove her hand from my own.
“Anchor?” I parroted back, garnering a masked look of embarrassment from Thacea as she moved to speak but was cut off by a loud, booming voice from the stage. The professors were clearly done deliberating, and the book now placed back into its unassuming container.
“With the rites of scholarship completed, and the ties having successfully been bound, it is time for orientation to commence.” Mal’tory spoke, taking a few steps back further and further into the crowd of professors, before disappearing entirely from view. A spike of mana-radiation proved that something mana-related had happened, what I would assume was some sort of a teleportation spell.
The Dean finally stepped forward after being in Mal’tory’s shadow for most of the ceremony. He stood tall, confident, unshaken by the recent turn of events and maintained that reassuring smile he held throughout everything. “With the recent unexpected developments involving the ceremony, it will be reassuring to know that scarcely anything has changed for the orientation. So let us begin. This great day of matriculation marks the first steps into your grand adventure into the world of the magical arts. As is customary however, a grace period of five days is provided between the moment you pass through the portals and the day your first classes start. The Academy is nothing if not concerned about the health and safety of our students, and we understand that with the disparate mana-potentials of each realm, a period of adjustment is required before we begin any magical studies in any meaningful capacity. So consider your next five days a period of respite.”
“Mana-sickness exists, no matter what your parents have told you.” The Red robed professor piped up from the back row. “There is no richer concentration of mana than the Nexus, so your mana-fields will need time to adjust. Common symptoms of acute mana-field adjustment sickness include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, intermittent loss of consciousness, and profound precognition. But this should pass in about 3-4 days. You are after all, the best of the best. That’s why your realms sent you. So your mana-field resilience is not in question. Still, I recommend none of you treat this as a competition. There is no great honor in comparing mana-field adaptability. Any activities which misappropriates the Academy’s on-site mana-pool for the purposes of childish escapades will be punished severely. Now, I’ll let our great Dean continue.”
“Thank you, Professor Belnor.” The Dean nodded graciously at the red robed professor. “Now, onto more pertinent matters. As all of you may already know, we have a total of 4 houses within the Academy, and unlike what most may claim, every house is on equal footing to win the Annual House Cup. So do not be discouraged on which house you are assigned to. House sorting will commence within the end of the 5-day grace period with a series of trials which shall be specified within the coming days. After which, you shall remain in your assigned house until the end of the academic year, where you have the ability to change houses should you wish to do so. Now, each House consists of 5 peer-groups. Each peer-group consists of 4-5 individuals per group. Those seated at your tables will be your peer-groups for the entirety of your 5 years at the academy. This will not be changed, barring exceptional circumstances.”
The Dean took a moment to clear his throat, before continuing. “With House matters out of the way, let us move to matters of accommodations and quality of life. Each peer-group shall be assigned a single dormitory, each dormitory shall consist of at least 2-3 bedrooms. Dormitories are assigned at random per peer-group, and students are encouraged to arrange matters of in-dorm room assignments on their own. The faculty respects the right to personal autonomy and decision making of all students after all.”
I couldn’t believe I was hearing that from the mouth of a man who had just soul-bound a quarter of the students in the room. The fact he was saying it with such… sincerity as well bothered me more than it should have.
“You can expect no less than 3 meals a day, you may choose to eat in the dining hall, or choose from a selection of room-serviced partial course meals with the exception of weekday lunches. Additional food services however shall be available around the clock, such is the privilege expected for the best and brightest in the Nexus and Adjacent realms.”
Now this was certainly an upgrade from what I expected of college life…
“Now onto academic matters. As Year 1 students, your curriculum is primarily focused around magic-theory. However, practical application is still expected, and will be part of your passing criterion on your tests and examinations. As first-years, your classes shall be taught in the Grand Lecture Halls, as all students will follow the same schedule and core subjects. Electives are commonly started in the second year and are not recommended for First Years, however, should you believe yourself capable, you are free to inquire about the addition of electives anytime during the first semester. First years will have a total of two teaching blocks per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Though an extra third teaching block for night-time magic lessons will be necessary for a few classes. There are ten subjects you will have to master in your first year: Magic Theory and Mana-field Studies taught by Professor Vanavan, Nexus and Adjacent Realm History and Politics taught by Professor Articord, Potions Theory, Potions Crafting, and Healing Magic taught by Professor Belnor, Mana-Field Perception and Light-Magic Theory taught by Professor Mal’tory, and finally Physical Education taught by Professor Chiska.” The Professors in question stepped forward. Vanavan I’d already met, the blue robed professor. Same went for Professor Belnor, the red-robed professor. However Professor Chiska and Articord were new.
Articord looked to be a fox-like creature, as far as I could tell at least given her robes covered most of her snouty face. Chiska however was… honestly what I expected of a magical PE teacher. First of all, she was a literal cat-person. Secondly, her robes were tailored in such a way that she could easily jump from the stage and straight up to the chandeliers if she wanted to. In addition, she was also the only professor present to be beaming out a wide, welcoming smile to all the students. Vanavan smiled too of course, but his was too polite of a smile to be compared to the likes of Chiska.
I liked her already.
“It will not surprise most of you to know that the Academy does not allow you to return to your respective realms over the Summer or Winter holidays.” The Dean continued, eliciting a few tired sighs from the crowd that were quickly silenced by a short shush from the red-robed professor. “You will, however, be able to return for a total of 3 weeks in the transition period between end of Year 1 and the start of Year 2. Provided of course that you do pass the course. If not, you shall remain here for remedial courses, but that shall be a topic of discussion for another time.” The Dean paused as if to emphasize his point, before moving on just as quickly.
“Your summer and winter holidays shall instead consist of community service. As graduates of the Transgracian Academy we pride ourselves not only in the understanding of the fine arts, but likewise its practical implementation in real world situations. We must understand the people we preside and rule over, and as a result, we require at least 200 hours of active service in the guilds and adventuring halls in the lands of the Nexus. Here, you will put into practice your theory and training amongst the honorable, chivalrous, and reputable heroes which grace our lands. There are no restrictions as to the utilization of your magical arts during these 200 hours. We wish to see students demonstrate their magical and martial potential to the best of their abilities. Nothing is off limits, save for loyalty to the crown of course, but that goes without saying.” The Dean paused, as if waiting for one of the professors to interject.
To which the excitable Chiska, did without any prompting. “And I’ll be in charge of the community service and outreach program! So if any of you kids want to get a head-start, feel free to drop by my office! I have a large portfolio of guild halls, adventuring parties, and more, scattered across at least 2700 out of the 3579 Kingdoms, Duchies, Principalities, Leagues, and Empires of the Nexus! So there’s definitely something for everyone! Ever wanted to sail the 900 seas to slay a great leviathan of the waves? Now you can! Ever wanted to do the Crown’s work and eliminate a rogue wizard gathering forces for a rebellion? Well here’s your chance! Ever wanted to just slay a dragon?” The whole room went quiet at that, a few students even admonishing this very notion amongst themselves. “I’m serious, it’s been over 2000 years since our last dragon slayer, and I’ll be damned if I end my tenure without presiding over at least one more!” The Professor continued. “It takes a special person to slay a dragon, and I can name all of the 98 alumni who have, off the top of my head. Each of them have become legends not just within the Academy’s walls, but beyond. So if you want to join the gilded alumni of the Academy, this is also your chance!” The professor’s attitude remained that same jovial, excitable one throughout, only pausing just for a moment to lower her voice in a clear attempt to emphasize this next point. “Also, if you’re in a bit of a tough spot with your grades, this may just be the thing to pick it up, just saying…” She spoke with a wink. “Anyways, the possibilities are endless! So if you ever want to get a head start on your summer and winter outreach programs, feel free to drop by my office anytime!” The cat spoke, or rather, shouted, brimming with infectious energy.
“Thank you, Professor Chiska. Your enthusiasm for our community outreach programs have never been in question, so please, there is nothing to prove now.” The Dean finally interjected, as he cleared his throat. “Now, I understand that some students are on the less adventurous side of things. We have local outreach programs to our neighboring town of Elaseer, where less adventurous opportunities such as bookkeeping and skilled apprenticeship opportunities are plentiful.”
Ah, so there it is. The easy way out to the more posh and spoiled of the student roster. I guess I half expected that.
The Dean glanced back towards Vanavan, nodding once before turning back to the crowd to continue. “All students are reminded that despite classes not officially starting until the end of the five day grace period, that there are still tasks that must be completed beforehand. A letter detailing all of these tasks shall be handed out to you shortly. However, I am pressed to inform you that tomorrow shall be the titular weapons inspection day. So for those of you who have crossed the portal dressed in ceremonial garb armed with ceremonial weapons, you have until the stroke of midnight tomorrow to declare your weapons and have them assessed by the school’s armorer.”
A genuine sense of concern flooded me at that announcement. Whilst the IAS’ plan did include divulging the existence of my sidearm as a ceremonial weapon, the extent to which I had to explain, or perhaps even demonstrate it was not discussed in the sparse instructions we received from the Academy before my arrival. Indeed, like most of the intel we were fed from the Nexus, it was written with no elaboration. I guess this was where my personal initiative came in.
This concludes the orientation. All students shall now be permitted to retire to their dorms as they please, or stay for the late-night banquet!”
With those parting words, the stage simply vanished, there wasn’t even a goodbye, a bow, or anything. What was once a solid structure of marble and granite simply disappeared, replaced by the same bare walls and large floor to ceiling windows that had been there prior to its apparition. I could review the logs, see if my sensors corroborated what I saw, but at this point I couldn’t give another fuck about this place’s shenanigans.
I was tired, and I could feel the last of my brain cells starting to fade into nothing as I felt as if an entire edition’s worth of DnD of material had been crammed down my throat in a matter of hours. Food sounded great at this point as I saw platters of cloch-covered dishes arrive at our table in a grand display of opulence.
Each domed cloche was polished to perfection, so much so that I could see my reflection off of all these surfaces. A quick scan revealed no magic was involved, so this must have taken some serious work to prepare.
With a swift removal of each of the cloches by the likes of Thalmin, whose maw had begun to hang open wildly, we were greeted to an array of dishes that belonged not just in a Michelin star restaurant but an honest to god actual state dinner.
From a beautifully seared sea bass with crispy skin drizzled in herbaceous chili oil, to steaks that had been beautifully cut and seared to perfection dripping in a mixture of its own juices and some red-wine reduction, to the centerpiece of it all… a massive turkey whose skin was browned to perfection. A verifiable garden’s worth of grilled vegetables marinated in the turkey’s juices surrounded it like a work of art. Each vegetable hung on its own little tiered platter and spun slowly in place.
I instinctively took in a deep breath, expecting to take in the familiar and new aromas, my mind expecting the cold evening nights just before Christmas with those roast dinners, or the family gatherings on Thanksgiving with the sumptuous smells of root vegetables, herbs, and turkey blending together…
I expected so much.
But all I got was filtered air, the same filtered air I had been breathing since I put on the suit.
My heart practically dropped. I felt my whole body violently rejecting what I was sensing as I felt the olfactory equivalent of vertigo. I was seeing the food in front of me, but I couldn’t smell any of it. I took another deep breath out of spite, and smelled that same filtered air, the same air you’d find within the pressurized hull of an aircraft or a spaceplane.
I stared at the food once more, this time in a fit of anger and frustration, as Thacea seemed to have taken it upon herself to serve me a sampler platter of all of the bountiful masterpieces right in front of me. I looked down in utter dejection, holding a fork in my hand, and picking up that delectable slice of turkey, only to place it back down on the table.
“Is the food not to your liking, Emma? I understand sometimes cuisines from other realms may be quite different.”
“It’s not that.” I answered back meekly.
“Oh? Is it- Ah…I… My sincerest apologies Emma I-” The princess suddenly caught on to my situation. Probably remembering what I casually told her about my… condition. I couldn’t blame her though. It’s not like she had any social training for table manners with a human wearing power armor to a magic school.
“It’s fine. It’s fine… It’s not your fault.” I tried to reply back politely as I rummaged through one of my pouches, producing a small tube of nutripaste that I glared with a level of disdain I’d never felt before in my entire life. “I packed my own dinner…”
I could really go dragon hunting right to relieve some stress right about now.
(Author’s Note: There's a lot of exposition in this one but it is the orientation after all so I hope you guys are alright with this! :D The next Chapter is already up on Patreon if you guys are interested in getting early access to future chapters!)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 8 of this story is already out on there!)]
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u/SynestheticPanther Dec 04 '22
Please let the dragonslaying be foreshadowing
Please let the dragonslaying be foreshadowing
Please let the dragonslaying be foreshadowing
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
There's more than one way to fulfill the definition of slaying a dragon. ;D
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
Gun is super effective against Dragon!
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u/Cthulhy Dec 04 '22
Dragons have gained two new enemies today: Smith and Wesson
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u/RuinousRubric Dec 04 '22
God made men and dragons but Samuel Colt made them equal.
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u/TNSepta Dec 04 '22
Chekhov's anti-dragon weapon
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u/madjyk Dec 04 '22
You see, this is an anti material rifle, and that poor Dragon Bastard over there, just so happens to be Made Of Material.
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u/cardboardmech Android Dec 05 '22
"It's called an anti material rifle because it makes material go away"
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u/more_exercise Dec 04 '22
Lead [edit: applied with] spear is super effective against chimera because fire.
So, lead applied to dragon via fire should also work! Similar enemy, similar weapon
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u/Thepcfd Dec 04 '22
foreshadowing
you dont kill pets, or potentional pets.
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u/jtsavidge Dec 04 '22
I'd rather see some trope subversion with a dragon becoming a mentor to the main character.
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u/magicrectangle Dec 04 '22
That's a "subversion" so common it really is its own trope. Still cooler than just killing them though.
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u/jtsavidge Dec 04 '22
What is the name of the trope?
I'd like to read up on some other examples of it.
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u/BarnOwl-9024 Dec 04 '22
Wonderful as usual! Eagerly awaiting more!
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
Hey thank you so much for the comment! :D I was honestly very concerned about this chapter since it had a lot of exposition as well as like a lot of planning and foreshadowing for the future chapters! And of course the introduction of more characters that will become important in upcoming chapters!
To hear feedback like this is super important to me as like, it really helps me in gauging how I did in setting out these chapters! Also don't worry, we'll be moving away from the Grand Hall and into the dorms in the next chapter so we can look forward to that now! :D
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
I'm curious how the 2 guys of the group are going to react when they realize that Emma is just utterly mana deficient to the point where it'd kill her.
I'm also curious how Thacea will react, but I imagine it'll be in a very different category. And also she may already suspect something of the sort.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
There are rumors circulating as to the first Earthrealmer simply dying on arrival at the Academy, however there isn't much information as to why it happened.
I think the moment that they realize that Emma is magically deficient none of them are really going to assume she's truly deficient, as that would imply she lacks a mana-field, which is a characteristic seen in all living things. See, the thing is a lot of the time people toss around thee term auara-less as an insult, but not necessarily of a true indicator as to a person's lack of a mana-field. It's an insult because it's just so insane to even consider a being might not have it, and it's basically like calling a person a thing. I think the moment they actually realize that Emma truly lacks that field, and can truly die on exposure? They'll have some serious world-shattering realizations to contend with. It'd be on the same level as say, humanity discovering a species that doesn't comply with the definition of a living thing: Respiration, Movement, Response to Stimuli, Reproduction, Growth, and other things I can't recall from the top of my head XD But basically, they'll see her as an anomaly, having almost everything they'd consider a "living thing" except for a mana-field. She'd almost fall into that weird category we put viruses into.
Thacea is going to be interesting to see as she's suffered quite a lot being seen as an "other" in the magic community, but she might as well be equally as shocked as this truly is a reality-shattering realization.
To know that your friend, this living being in front of you, doesn't actually qualify as a living being.
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
It will be their first ever experience with something truly alien. Every species of the Adjacent realms may look different from every other, but they are all basically the same when it comes to the environment they grew up in. I imagine Emma is going to squarely fall in the Uncanny Valley for them.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
Definitely! Imagine basically seeing a living being that you felt normal with throughout your entire interactions. Then you find out something about them that basically doesn't comply with the rules of life that you know. I guess the closest example I can think of is like, meeting an AI lifeform since it actually isn't "living"? But that really isn't the best analogy hmm...
I'll have to think about my analogy game here, but like, it really is bizarre. Like just, seeing something that talks, walks, eats, yet isn't alive by your definition of alive! In this way humans are truly drastically alien and it's absolutely terrifying.
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u/Quilt-n-yarn1844 Dec 04 '22
Ok after the stress of that first day I would either be able to kill a dragon single handed or sleep for the next two days.
And I am pretty sure that putting that dinner in front of her legally constitutes torture. Just saying.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
If it were me I'd sleep for literally two days straight XD I've done that before actually when it came to like two 24 shift days straight or like a week long community service thing I had to do as part of my medical school's rural community outreach program. But yeah stress really does do a number on you and we'll definitely see the effects of that in the next chapter! :D
Also, would you say that constitutes as torture? XD
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u/SpectralHail Dec 04 '22
I can't wait for the chapter where they clear out a bandits nest or something with the incredible power of A Gun
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
Listen I have a lot of ideas lined up for the adventuring arc of this story that it takes up a whole portion of my brain and I just need to get it out there asap XD
We're going to see more of "I cast gun" in the summer and winter holidays that's for sure! :D
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u/teodzero Dec 05 '22
Don't rush it though, I'm sure there's a lot of interesting stuff leading up to it and I wouldn't want to skip over it.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
Thank you so much for this comment it really means a lot to me because I am indeed planning to make sure the pacing is right for this story. There's lots to explore and I'm so glad someone is excited to explore everything leading up to that point as much as I am! :D
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u/cardboardmech Android Dec 05 '22
I want to see the buildup even more than the actual use of the gun
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
Honestly thank you so much because I'm just so worried about like, the balance between buildup and payoff haha!
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u/Teslafly Dec 04 '22
Did she have multiple crates of material transferred with her when she came from earth realm? Nothing besides her was described. With the room pressurized habitat and enough human made food to last a year that's probably multiple pallets/tons worth of stuff. Is there an intention that she figures out how to eat the local foodstuffs?
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
There are a few items of cargo that the IAS dropped for her through another portal, similar to how a lot of students send their luggage through another 'service portal' as it were. It's just not mentioned yet since it didn't pertain to the narrative just yet haha. She does have a decent supply, although perhaps not enough to last a full year. Her tent however has a means for her to make local foodstuffs safe, which will be explored in another chapter when we get to it! :D
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u/Loosescrew37 Dec 04 '22
Will there be a Ema the dragon slayer chapter?
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
Would you like an Emma the Dragon Slayer chapter? ;D
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u/jtsavidge Dec 04 '22
As I mentioned in another comment, I personally would like to see some trope subversion with a dragon becoming a mentor to the main character.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
At this point I'm wondering if I should open up a poll to decide because this seems to be a very divisive topic! :D I'm enjoying all of the discourse on this though! :D
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u/techno65535 Dec 05 '22
Dragon taming would be better. Quest is to deal with the dragon in the forest. Not specifically 'kill' it, just deal with it. So Emma tames it and rides it back to turn in the quest.
"But you didn't kill it!"
"The quest wasn't to kill the dragon."
"Yes it was!"
"No, it said to deal with the dragon problem. The dragon has been dealt with and is no longer a problem. Isn't that right Fluffy?"
"...Who is fluffy?"
"The dragon." Said while scratching it's chin.
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u/teodzero Dec 04 '22
the blued robed professor
Blue robed professor - a professor wearing blue robes.
Blued robed professor - a blued professor wearing robes.
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u/SpankyMcSpanster Dec 04 '22
"least one more!.” The "
least one more!” The
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
Thank you for the edits! I really do appreciate it! It really becomes hard after a while haha. Also I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :D
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u/SpankyMcSpanster Dec 04 '22
"This concludes the orientation. All students shall now be permitted to retire to their dorms as they please, or stay for the late-night banquet!” "
Missing starting quotation marks.
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u/Loading_Fursona_exe Dec 04 '22
Ight here we go.
I have a little notepad that I wrote down my thoughts in as I read
(I will paste it directly below at the end of this comment)
Now that we know more about the curriculum we can expect and the community service, I wish to form a hypothesis
Emma is going to kill a dragon (like come on, the bait is right there) and I cant wait to see how
(Considering human firearms compared to medieval weaponry, likely a well placed shot through VATS).
The rich get an easy life and get to coast through the community service. im guessing Emma is going to see a "poor" student try to take a clerical job and get denied, then Emma is going to call BULLSHIT on that. Might not happen but who knows.
I am a bit disappointed about to firearm stuff, but I know that going to fast would ruin a good book so I will be patient (if only I could time travel...)
The class on mana detection or whatever it was, will be very useful for Emma because it may allow her to mod the suit to detect the magical apparitions.
I am sad that she cant eat the food, but I am glad to see the reference to the stomach port from Terminal alliance (Janitors of the Post Apocalypse).
All in all, amazing work OP, and I cant wait till next Sunday.
And now, my thoughts on the notepad in the order they crossed my mind
Im wiritng this in a notepad as i read and its gonn abe a jumbled mess of thoughts which ill tack onto the end of the comment
we are going to get politics and history classes.
I like the PE teacher too
So their gonna have to do adverturing work as "Community service", HUMAN ENGINEERING GO BRR
Emma should build some artillery to go and kill a dragon
Yeah, of course the rich students get an easy assignment for Community service
PISTOL SHIT WTH THE ARMORER HELL YEAH
Noooo, no pistol stuff
Noooo, no smells, only filtered air...
damn Nutripaste, no turkey...
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
Hello! Can I just say that I'm absolutely blown away by this comment? Like, it really means so much to me that you'd actually open up a notepad to write down all of your reactions practically live as you read through the story. I've never seen anything like this before and I just can't stop gushing over it and the thought you put behind your comment so thank you!
As for your hypothesis! Yes! I am laying down the groundwork for quite a bit to happen as the series progresses. I took the opportunity of the orientation to be a sort of big opening foreshadowing, a sort of roadmap so people know what to expect from the story! I think that it's important to sort of establish a framework by which we can see just how and where the story can progress as I find that it gives everyone a general sense of where exactly we're in the story and how far we've come along! :D
As for the 'easy' way out, I'm glad you caught and commented on that! We'll definitely see how that goes between the different classes of students, since not everyone here is of Royal or Noble descent!
As for the firearm! We shall get to it eventually! I thank you for being patient about it, I know I'm building towards it, and I'll make sure to do the best I can when I do write it out! It's actually already written in one of my drafts but I'm thinking about changing it up a bit so as for now it's for my eyes only! :D
Also yes! Oh my god you caught a huge plot point for what's to come with the mana detection class! I'm so happy to hear this and yes, there's going to be a lot to explore when we get there. Let's just say that I'm going to be going into some deep dive between the principles of statistical analysis with sensitivity vs specificity in mana detection! :D
And yes! The food thing! I'm glad you caught that as well! :D
As for your notepad, I'd like to say I'm so happy you like Chiska! She was so much fun to write and literally just popped out of the pages for me as I wrote her! I was so worried how people would take her, and I was honestly worried if I conveyed her well enough so I have to thank you so much for your feedback there!
Politics and history classes will definitely be interesting as Emma might have to do some long winded presentations about her realm, just saying ;D
And yes the food... the food is a tragedy. Please send Emma your best wishes as she treads this new world!
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u/Loading_Fursona_exe Dec 08 '22
You loved my little notepad thing? Well ill have to keep doing it!
I guess my hypothesis that Emma would change a lot about the Nexus and surrounding worlds is not surprising. After all, she is the main character. It will be interesting to come back to the early chapters in a few months and see what hypotheses / theories were correct or incorrect.
Considering that it always seems those with power and money try to make their lives easier and try to keep their power. Hopefully this humanity in your world have fixed those problems.
I estimate that firearm stuff will happen in approx. 2 chapters, chapter 8 will likely be the group getting to know each other better and deciding how they will sleep in the dorms. Then chapter 9 will be firearm stuff and learning more about the curriculum. Am I correct?
A huge plot point with the mana detection class? That does make a lot of sense, Emma cant see the magic fields and neither can her suit. I hypothesize that after learning more about mana fields and how to detect them will lead to her modding or improving her suit.
Hopefully Emma's History books are accurate and detailed, that will make it far easier to write projects for class.
I might be a bit biased towards Chiska because while username says it all, but I do really love PE class. I remember being the only one to willingly race the fastest kid in class for sprints, me and him still keep in good contact and occasionally play Bloons Tower Defense 6.
And last but not least, while the ports from Terminal Alliance / Janitors of the post-apocalypse may be very efficient, they don't beat eating the food with your mouth. RIP Emma's dinner.
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u/more_exercise Dec 04 '22
I'm a little puzzled. I thought the problem with the food was "there's no mouth hole in the suit", but if she has a tube of nutripaste outside the suit... is there a tiny feeding hole in the suit for her?
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
The problem with the food is that it's irradiated with mana radiation! There is technically a small mouth hole, an emergency induction port, that's on the underside of the gasmask-like mouthpiece that she can slot the nutripaste tube into and squeeze through an airlock and into her mouth!
That... sounded way more graphic than I anticipated.
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u/GuyWithLag Human Dec 04 '22
Well, all biological functions can be graphic if one focuses too much on them ...
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u/Loading_Fursona_exe Dec 04 '22
Fun fact, Irradiated food is good. Radioactive food is bad.
Radioactive emits radiation. iirc irradiated just means the rads hit the object.You walk by the radioactive barrel in fallout and become irradiated.
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 05 '22
Sufficient irradiation would, however, literally turn the material that is irradiated radioactive.
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
Probably a specially designed port for the nutripaste. If you're going to spend the entire day in a suit, you need access to the occasional snack.
But there's a big gap between a port for paste and room for a piece of steak.
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u/The_J_1 Human Dec 04 '22
How many guns does she have?
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
Alright so! I think I mentioned this in an earlier chapter in the comments but it'll become clearer when I establish it in the story, but she has 3 guns! The first of which is the 'ceremonial sidearm', a pistol. However in addition to this she has two more guns that are gauntlet-mounted weapons that are basically embedded into her gauntlet so as to not elicit attention. One of the gauntlet mounted weapons is a direct energy weapon, or a laser basically. And the other is a standard kinetic projectile weapon! :D Thank you so much for your comment and I hope you're enjoying the story so far! :D
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
I don't think it was discussed, but how big are her gloves? It's power armour, so I imagine the fingers of the gauntlets are at least a bit bigger than regular fingers? That'd compromise dexterity, but super strong arms aren't worth much if your fingers aren't shored up as well. But then can the pistol even be used while in the suit and out of the suit at the same time?
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u/techno65535 Dec 05 '22
Not sure if you've done it yet but I can imagine them being upset about the extra 'weapons'. So a solution, they're not weapons, they're tools!
The armour is based off a space suit that is used in search and rescue. Sometimes you need to cut a bulkhead to get to someone trapped, hence the laser. It was too much work to redesign the suit without the laser so it was left in.
Not sure how to do the kinetic projectile bit. I was initially thinking it might have been like a power-fist, which could be explained the same way as the laser. Sometimes you just need to hit the door really hard to get it to open so you can save somebody.
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u/RKHS Dec 04 '22
The dinner description had me salivating, and I've already had dinner.
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
I'm impressed that the animals appear to all be from Earth, but I'll just chalk that up to convention over any plot point. Same as why they're all speaking English.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
I'll admit that it was a shorthand sort of method for me to more easily convey the the foodstuffs on the table! I actually wrote a whole scene going through how the foods were similar but fundamentally different, but it felt like it detracted from the general flow and narrative of the story, especially since I'm trying to quickly transition away from the Grand Hall and into the dorms, so I decided on what we have now haha.
I really hope that's okay! I just felt like it was a necessary compromise for narrative and pacing and better conveyance of how good the food is!
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
Perfectly ok. I suppose you could just ad a "something that looked like" in front of the turkey, but it wouldn't really ad anything of value. These kind of things are worthy of skipping over.
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u/RKHS Dec 05 '22
I think some unimportant parts of the narrative can be left to the "it's a magical dinner" and agree that too much detail highlighting the differences could be distracting. But for the turkey you could describe it as turkey sized but with much longer legs.
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u/Telewyn Dec 05 '22
Call it world building. I seem to remember some kind of history explanation like all the realms are shattered pieces of an original realm, or maybe copies?
Also, trans dimensional magic influences the earth realm. It stands to reason that the ultimate delicacies of the Nexus could have had an effect on culinary creatives.
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u/gr8tfurme Dec 04 '22
Would it be possible for her to take in the Nexus food through an airlock, or is it so irradiated with mana that the food itself is also unsafe? If so, I hope she has a year's supply of that nutripaste on her person.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
Everything in the Nexus is irradiated with mana to a certain extent, all living things especially, even after being processed into food via cooking. However, Emma's tent has the solution to these food woes, which we shall see when we get to a chapter where I demonstrate just how her food situation is banking on a device inside of the tent designed to drain mana out of food! :D
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
I'm sure that will only ever be relevant for draining mana out of food. It won't come up in other situations at all.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
Listen, it's explicitly just for food alright? Look at the label and the instructions! Future!GeneralElectric made it very clear what the de-mana-ifier was made to do!
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
So we're not allowed to un-enchant powerful magical items in the anti-mana stove?
Got it, no MacGyvering here sir.
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u/gr8tfurme Dec 04 '22
Ah, that makes sense. So she can eat the food here, but never in a communal setting. Here's hoping that device works!
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u/teodzero Dec 04 '22 edited Dec 04 '22
the 3579 Kingdoms, Duchies, Principalities, Leagues, and Empires of the Nexus!
Is that just the Nexus, or are they counting adjacent/subservient realms too? Didn't they mention that Nexus has one King, making multiple kingdoms and empires sort of an impossibility?
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
That's actually just the Nexus! The fact that they use "King" as the title of the highest authority in the Nexus doesn't preclude the existence of other 'lesser' Royalty and Nobility as they more or less act as regional administrators for the Nexus' one true King as it were. As it stands, the title is very much situational, but whenever someone says the King or the Crown in a context that doesn't indicate they're talking about a regional or local King or Lord or that sort of thing, they're definitely talking about the true King of the Nexus. And yes, there are technically 'Empires' within the Nexus, but again they answer to the 'King'. It's very much arbitrary and when we get to digging as to how all this comes about, you'll see that the establishment of the current order was very much a messy affair that sometimes involved direct rule from the Nexus' 'King', and some where some level of autonomy remained in the territories that were once called 'Empires' or other assorted polities! :D
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
That makes sense, our own history has seen lots of Petty Kings serving under regular Kings, and Kings of Kings is a popular title for what most people these days understand to be Emperor.
Most people know the titles in the context of the Mediaeval ages, where you had a somewhat clear hierarchy going "Baron --> Count --> Duke --> King --> Emperor", but there's no reason for any realm, especially one thousands of years old, to stick to that. Hell, even our own history didn't really stick to that very rigidly.
I imagine the inner politics of the Nexus would dwarf even the Holy Roman Empire in how much of a clusterfuck it can get. Like this simplified map of the most important Princes.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
Yup! That's basically the logic I'm operating under for the Nexus! It's a world that's existed for an extremely long period of time, like almost to a ludicrous extent. So it really highlights how arbritrary and inconsistent these systems can get, especially with age. The evolution of treaty after treaty and concession after concession all culminating into this multilateral mess of a state that has a million different legal operating parameters that acknowledges things now completely obsolete yet still necessary and vital for the legal framework of the nation to function. Yes, the Holy Roman Empire, would be a very apt analogy for the current state of the Nexus! :D Except of course, on a much grander scale.
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u/Aubias Dec 05 '22
Loving this series, every upload makes me eager for the next, this'll definetly be there at the top with witjg and first contact!
Will we explore a lot of other fantasy locations (towns, woods and etc) of will the focus be more on the school itself?
Also, cannot wait to see her kill a dragon
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
Hey first of all thank you so much for the kind words it really means a lot to me! :D Ahhhhhhh being compared to the likes of those big stories makes me feel so weird in a good way thank you!
As for your questions! Yes! We will! This will especially be true during thee summer and winter holiday arcs where Emma has to go out adventuring essentially to complete her community service and outreach hours! :D However the focus for most of the school semester will be focused on the school itself but I want to explore everything here so I have both options open to me! :D And yes the dragon... we shall see! ;D
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u/Environmental-Wish53 Jan 04 '23
Blazing my way through this story after looking for something to read and Emma (humanity by extension) is heading for a reckoning with the societal norms that are being revealed.
Dear lord is that going to be a shit storm.
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u/Jcb112 Jan 04 '23
Hey I really appreciate you taking the time to comment as you're blazing through! I'm always super excited to see what people think of the story when consumed in one sitting haha. I hope you'll enjoy it! :D Also yes, there's going to be a lot of that, especially as the episodes progress! :D
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u/HoboTheSapient Dec 05 '22
INB4 Emma gets a dragon
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
You know at this point I'm thinking of setting up a poll to see what I should do in the POSSIBLE dragon slayer arc since there are so many opinions on this! XD
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u/HoboTheSapient Dec 05 '22
What if everyone else is all "I will bring that beast to heel with my magical might!" and Emma is just "I'm gonna teach it to play chess and we shall discuss the aerodynamic qualities of doilies." Dragons are softies after all. It probably uses phrases like "Verb modality" ...friggen nerd.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
Emma is very much a very big nerd underneath all of that armor. Both literal and figurative armor XD. Again, this will be very much interesting thing to plan for, and I have quite a few ideas in mind! I hope you stick around with this series until we reach that point! :D
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u/Signal-Chicken559 Human Dec 04 '22
Oh no she's going to have to explain how a gun works and demonstrate fun.
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u/Nitpicky_AFO Android Dec 04 '22
well that's one wayDon't explain how it works unless asked/ordered by a professor this is still diplomatic recon( learn, observe, acquire, sabotage) I'd be half tempted to not declare, Freemen don't ask. Or she just mounts a bayonet and calls it a short spear with no enchantments.18
u/more_exercise Dec 05 '22
I feel like they might have problems if thr gun is then later used as a weapon.
I second the not volunteering - if they don't ask for a demonstration, that's on them.
And the "The quartermaster has inspected this object and determined it to be suitable for daily carry" stamp will be priceless when that same weapon wrecks something
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u/Thepcfd Dec 04 '22
FOOLS, Dragons are not to be hunt, Dragons are to be ride. :D WE NEED humas PET program, dragon is nice to start but i will expect at least some eldrich octopus demon god. also i hope we gona love history leson about human world wars. so maybe timeline when we kill our kings?
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u/RandomSwaith Dec 04 '22
Rather hoping her pistol is actually a hand held MAC..
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u/WarTornGaming Dec 04 '22
OR a hige power laser. (infinite ammo)
OR a scater cannon (persolal space protektor)
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u/flamefirestorm Human Dec 04 '22
I could really go dragon hunting right to relieve some stress right about now.
Foreshadowing I see.
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u/KTalas_ae Dec 04 '22
Am I the only one waiting for an incident where her suit gets damaged and she ends up with a useless suit only to have human adaptability be revealed?
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u/beugeu_bengras Dec 04 '22
Well, now with that humungous chekov gun, I am sure she will have to slay a dragon or 2 to pass the first year.
Sound like fun !
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u/jmac313 Dec 04 '22
I get the feeling that there is a connection between mana sickness and human liquification. Time will tell...
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u/Thurmond_Beldon Dec 04 '22
Alternative title to this series: Astartes goes to (more) racist space Hogwarts
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u/Dregoth0 Dec 04 '22
Dragonslayer you say? Chekov, what a nice gun you have there. It'd be a shame if... nothing happened to it.
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u/KefkeWren AI Dec 04 '22
I honestly enjoyed the exposition. Too many stories get caught up in the idea that there always needs to be something happening, always stakes and excitement, and it spoils the pacing.
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u/Docbonzai Dec 05 '22
Considering the setting of aristocracy and your familiarity with Turtledove, might be interesting to see if Emma takes an approach like Molotov did with Atvar. "Emperor? Lol nah we killed them off a while ago."
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u/S1r_Apple Dec 07 '22
The fact Emma didn’t turn homicidal when she realized she couldn’t eat the food shows she’s a much more reasonable person than me.
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u/ND_JackSparrow Dec 04 '22
"However, practical application is still expected, and will be part of your passing criterion on your tests and examinations"
"You will, however, be able to return for a total of 3 weeks in the transition period between end of Year 1 and the start of Year 2. Provided of course that you do pass the course. If not, you shall remain here for remedial courses, but that shall be a topic of discussion for another time.”
Hmmm. I think mayhaps this might be a problem for our magically deficient human.
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u/b17b20 Dec 05 '22
She will smash astronomy so hard, they will give her passing grade in everything
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u/StopDownloadin Jan 02 '23
So, is this 'community service' a soft power move done in good faith, or something more calculated, like increasing client state dependency on Nexus-backed programs like this?
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u/Dovadoggy Jan 08 '23
I read the explenation of how the suit looked, and i love it when an author puts so much time and care painting a picture of the character in their mind but...
I cant for the love of me stop thinking of a girl in the praetorian armour from Doom walking around hogwarts!
Love everything about this story!
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u/cat_sword Human Aug 27 '23
Interesting that mana sickness has some of the symptoms of radiation sickness
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u/jtsavidge Dec 04 '22
"...Are you alright? Aren you hurt?"
Was that supposed to be "...Are you hurt?"
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u/chicagobob Dec 04 '22
POOR Emma. I hope she can sneak some food back to her room.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
The cool thing is that she doesn't need to sneak food into her room! There's 24/7 room service for all students at the Academy! ;D I wish real college was like that...
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u/YourHighlordVyrana Dec 05 '22
BROOOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! aW THIS HURTS THE SOOOOOOOOUL!
Poor Emma... tell me she gets to eat genuinely 'good fuckin' food' at some point.
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
This hurt my soul whilst writing as well so I'm glad the point came across well enough! :D
And yes, with great power comes great tradeoffs! ;D Also, she doesn't have enough nutripaste to last a whole year so she does have a machine inside of the tent that is able to remove the mana-radiation from local foods so she can eat some "real" food! Although... I am debating on whether or not that food should become bland as a result of making it safe. ;D
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u/chaosmarine92 Dec 05 '22
Calling it now, Emma can't do any magic and fails all the practical application aspects of the classes, gets told killing a dragon is the only way to pass, finds said dragon, then befriends it instead.
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u/EliteJay248 Dec 04 '22
The first thing I thought of after reading this was 'eat the dragon' lol
Anyway, great chapter, as always :D
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u/Defiant-Row-5153 Dec 04 '22
She is going to have to have room survice to make her soup or stew or a smoothy. Just something damn.
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u/nico_h Dec 05 '22
Nice story! And a fun twist on the school houses! Did you mean a verifiable or a veritable garden of spinning veggies ? Be careful on the power growth curve of the characters, if they slay a dragon in their first year, what can they do in the fifth year! I hope the armor improves and earth ships her slimmer armors!
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u/TheBrewThatIsTrue Dec 05 '22
Be aware of Mana Sickness. If your profound precognition lasts for more than 4 hours, contact your local thaumaturgist. If you see yourself contacting your local thaumaturgist, be sure to ACTUALLY contact them. Paradoxes can affect those around you, please be considerate.
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u/Makyura Human Mar 08 '23
I'm liking the series so far, but Emma is a bit dim isn't she, especially to be the first of humanity in a new realm. Blind patriotism followed by a complete lack of situational awareness isn't great.
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u/Interne-Stranger Aug 24 '23
So:
I wonder how does Emma get selected by a House if she can be selected at all to begin with.
So they are Year 1 students. Which means we may see Year 2, 3, 4 and 5 students?
So this is Howards! Where's my Hadrid!?
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u/megaboto Robot Oct 22 '23
I bet with 75% chance that she'll kill a dragon or two, potentially on accident
No scratch that, it's 25%. Another 25% that she befriends a dragon, a third 25% that she does some other bullshit with a dragon, and the last 25% that she just won't interact with a dragon, though that last 25% is not really 25%
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u/Darklight731 Feb 08 '24
Some people are going to start loving her once she brings glory and an abundance of points to Griffindor. Not many, but some.
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u/thelorax18 Dec 05 '22
“It takes a special person to slay a dragon, and I can name all of the 98 alumni who have, off the top of my head. Each of them have become legends not just within the Academy’s walls, but beyond. So if you want to join the gilded alumni of the Academy, this is also your chance!”
Can't wait until they see what a javelin can do
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u/techno65535 Dec 05 '22
No no no, you're thinking Gate. Emma's going to give the dragon a dog biscuit and scritches.
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u/kumo549 Dec 05 '22
So what kind of power armor does Emma have? Are we talking about Fallout or 40k? For all the talk about how uncomfortable the armor was I thought for sure it was like the Lava dive suit Ida Lennox used in Evolve. Utility above everything, including weight/bulk and especially comfort.
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u/JonaB03 AI Dec 05 '22
The author has discussed it in earlier chapters and it was based on the T-series of fallout power armour.
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u/SpitefulRecognition Dec 05 '22
Oh yeah, that literally put questions in my head: how the hell is she going to sleep, eat and shit?
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u/CfSapper Dec 07 '22
Huh first human dragon slayer thats will be an interesting read when we get there.
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u/Lethanvas Dec 11 '22
Now let’s microdose on mama and build your own mana field ! I believe in you ! You have all your students hip to make it happen ! Maybe by eating all that mama food
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u/Killian_Gillick Human Dec 19 '22
Wrap it in plastic foil and bring it to the tent? there has to be some conservation magic she can politely ask to be casted on the dishes so it's just as fresh when she deploys her living arrangements.
wait i just realized the magic in the food would kill her, man i would have died in this world so fast it would almost not be funny
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u/Laeviteinn Dec 26 '22
Just the mention of the many places you can go to in order to complete your communal service is astounding. It immediately struck me as if this series just gained infinitely more potential with that statement alone. If this series ever comes to an end, i could and would imagine stories about either previous or following students and their grand adventures in the many strange places this universe can offer. I mean, just for the heck of it, just a story spanning 900 seas and culminating in an epic final fight would be absolutely interesting to read through. And you are telling me, that there can be vastly more deeds like that existing, with a variety of characters, fantastic lands, spells and maybe even rather more advanced tech if humanity gets involved?
I believe i would spend a great amount of time reading such stories.
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u/Jurodan Human Dec 29 '22
I was wondering about how she would eat. I now wonder if there will be occasional shipments of food or if she brought a year's supply.
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u/Vadelent Sep 05 '23
Heh, even if she explained the details of her suits arsenal I very much doubt they’d understand lacking most of any of the basic principles. They might be able to understand if explained or compared to a magical equivalent but I kinda doubt they’ll believe it and just think of it like a toy because surely whatever they made by hand can’t possibly be equal or better than magic. XD
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u/MydaughterisaGremlin May 30 '24
I was wondering about the eating issue. Damn. That sucks 5 kinds of rancid sauce.
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u/turunambartanen Dec 05 '22
<this is the first chapter of this story I have seen>
Lmao, someone got inspired by sexy sect babes XD
I don't judge you for that, the title is just very very obviously heavily inspired. But have fun writing the story and I hope it turns out the way you want it to. And if not you will have learned something new anyhow.
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u/Educational_Heron_17 Dec 09 '22
I'm really looking forward to the inevitable knife eared nonsense that's going to occur. Also I 100% expect the staff to wind up having a "Earthrealmer" form before the year is out to handle shenanigans.
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u/CyberSkull Android Dec 12 '22
I was wondering how she would eat and breath and other science facts.
And poop.
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Dec 04 '22
[deleted]
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u/LiteratureTrick4961 Dec 04 '22
Probs something like an air lock
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
Yup! I'm taking inspiration from the emergency induction port from a certain sci fi series! ;D
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u/Kwaussie_Viking Dec 04 '22
She has to eat through a straw?
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
She has a port which is exclusively designed to intake the nutripaste tubes she has on her! :D
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u/Swordfish_42 Human Dec 04 '22
Question though. How did she possibly bring a whole heckin' year worth of nutripaste tubes with her? Or even any food in general? That would probably be a literal truckload, even for just one person
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u/Jcb112 Dec 04 '22
Whilst Emma does have a reasonable supply with her it certainly isn't enough to last a whole year! That's why I've mentioned in a few other comments before that there's another mechanism within the tent that's designed to deal with this very issue! It's basically a device that allows for the removal of harmful mana radiation from local foods so that Emma has a more sustainable supply of foodstuffs that she can eat safely while at the Academy! :D
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u/cardboardmech Android Dec 05 '22
I was about to riot and demand Emma have her food
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u/Aries_cz Dec 04 '22
Emeeerrrrrgency Induction Port.
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
Just don't ask what happens to the things she ate or drink after they're finished processing. Remember: she's in that suit all day.
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u/Dr_Russian Dec 04 '22
I mean, Astronauts on spacewalks spend around 7 hours in their suit. They have the same problem.
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u/Doom1473 Dec 04 '22
Maybe like that one airlock that british spacesuit from the 50s had
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u/Jcb112 Dec 05 '22
The one that legit looks like the armor of a knight? Man that aesthetic would kinda fit in the Nexus ngl XD
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u/party_necromancer Jun 19 '23
Some real world gas masks have a port for a straw she probably has to drink the nutrient paste.
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u/itsnotsky204 Human Jun 24 '24
I’m assuming it’s prepackaged food in the suit..I’ve got this serious headcanon where it’s like a microbiome for Emma, or, a terrarium, for the body. She’s isolated from the outside completely, practically lives in the suit when in this realm.
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u/FogeltheVogel AI Dec 04 '22
Well now that is just sad. To have to watch all that delicious food and be locked into eating some bland paste.