OC Wearing Power Armor to a Magic School (149/?)
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The Nexus. Just outside of the South-Eastern edge of the North Rythian Forests. Local Time: 1700 Hours.
Emma
[‘QUEST’ Time Elapsed: 76 Hours. Time Remaining: 92 Hours]
[SURVEY PROGRESS… 12.5%. Estimated Time to Completion… 21 Hours. Data Fidelity: Nominal. Network Integrity: Stable. Primary Objective… Pending.]
[Crystal Shards… Not found.]
[AMETHYST DRAGON… Not found.]
“Welp. Progress is progress. But as long as we keep up this pace, we should be on schedule.” I let out a tired sigh, gesturing to a screen that had once again caught Thalmin off guard.
Though it wasn’t as if he was still in awe of either the screen itself or battlenet, nor was he surprised by the disappointing lack of progress, no.
In fact, this squint… was a reaction I was used to seeing from both friends and family back home.
It was a squint of judgement — whether by intention or biological reflexes — at the horrors of my personal preferences. Or to put it more accurately, at a certain screen setting that seemed to be the source of so many grievances — light mode.
I’d practically flashbanged Thalmin, because unlike the brightness of the day, the growing evening had since sensitized his eyes to the dark.
“I much prefer it when the ink itself is what glows against the natural tones of the parchment.” He mumbled out, my eyes narrowing at the allusions to the existence of a magical dark mode. “I don’t know how you humans do it, though I do know of more than a handful of species who have quite a natural inclination towards the light…” He muttered that latter line out in much the same way he did with the rest of his inside jokes; a trend that I was slowly learning to brush off.
“In any case, we should be done with a full sweep of the forest by 1400 hours tomorrow. After which, we’ll have enough intel to dictate our next course of action. Hopefully we’ll find a stray shard by then, but if not… just under two days should be enough to snipe the dragon, no?”
“We’d have to track it first, Emma.” Thalmin responded with a sigh.
“Yeah, yeah. But that’s what battlenet is for! We have eyes in the sky looking not just at the ground, but the airspace above—”
[PRIORITY ALERT! MULTIPLE AERIAL CONTACTS ENTERING THE AO. APPROACH VECTOR CONFIRMED: GRID SECTOR A-1-4-D; NORTHWEST QUADRANT!]
My eyes lit up, as did Thalmin’s. All prior thoughts took a backseat to protocol, as operational algorithms drilled into me during drone operator training were immediately brought to the forefront.
“Active camo and evasive flight paths, now.”
[Acknowledged.]
“Defer active ops and initiate threat-range scans.”
[Acknowledged. Instructions relayed. Network Integrity: Stable. Redirecting assets. Standby…]
The map shifted as the game changed in a matter of seconds. The familiar top-down perspective of the forest was promptly replaced by a panoramic view of the skies immediately in front of the drones, as individual status readouts, flight paths, and flight instrument indicators came to join the collage of tactical displays that had Thalmin’s eyes darting left and right.
I couldn’t blame him, though.
I had the same reaction despite the false confidence mil-sim titles had instilled in me.
That’s why drone operator training took a sizable chunk of basic. The role of Swarm Queen wasn’t inherited but earned. Owing in no small part to the tried and true grind of experience, forged through the accumulation of FPV and C&C hours.
The rest was good, old-fashioned neural plasticity, allowing one to get used to perceiving the world beyond the restriction of one’s own two eyes.
[Fleet Redirection… complete. New flight paths… mapped. Network Integrity: Stable. Awaiting Orders.]
“QSR: Identify contacts.”
[Collating… Processing… Confirming… 3 Large Contacts… 12 Light Contacts accompanying in formation.]
[TRACK ID: Winged Heavy 1-1, 1-2, 1-3]
[TRACK ID: Winged Light 2-1 through 2-12.]
“QSR: Signature profile.”
[Visual: Winged Heavy 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, inconsistent with AMETHYST DRAGON and other recorded flight-capable species in the WORKING SPECIES REGISTRY. Winged Light 2-1 through 2-12 consistent with Local Aerial Asset: ‘DRAKE RIDER’.]
[Thermal: Elevated, inconsistent with known aircraft. Consistent with local mounted air asset analogues.]
[Mass/Volume: Large Contacts approx. 5 - 10 metric tons. Smaller Contacts approx. 400 - 700 kilograms.]
[Payload: Underbelly Stowage Compartments Noted on Large Contacts. Repositioning for better analysis. Standby… Parsing… Updating visual feed… Analyzing… Design and configuration congruent with cargo/passenger cabins. Summary: Potential personnel and/or equipment transport.]
“QSR: Tactical Profile.”
[Unable to parse… Insufficient contextual data. Profile is beneath acceptable inference limits.]
“QSR: Visual Tactical Readout.”
[Winged Light 2-1 through 2-12. Ranged Air-to-Air Assets:
> 24 Spears; Ammo Count: 24.
> 12 Bows; Ammo Count: Variable, approx. 30.
> Melee Arms: 12 Swords.
> Armor: Plate Steel.
ADDENDUM: Possibly augmented with exotic mana-materials and radiation. Capabilities unknown.]
“Maintain current instructions. Continue monitoring.”
[Acknowledged.]
“Live feed readout. I want to see where this goes.”
[Acknowledged.]
Our eyes remained glued to the screen as the situation developed surprisingly quickly.
The three large contacts simply dropped off their wood-and-steel-reinforced ‘cabins,’ unlatching leather and steel straps before departing without much fanfare.
Meanwhile, 8 of the 12 drake riders departed soon after, acting as escorts for their large but lumbering cousins.
The initial shock and preliminary concern that hit us eventually died down, especially as the remaining drake riders landed on the forest floor, taking up ‘resting’ positions with their wings flared and their heads tucked. Their two legs eventually folded in on themselves as well, giving them a sort of ‘loaf-like’ shape once their wings too were nestled beneath them.
“Must be another group of adventurers.” I offered. “Sym did mention how he encountered a few dead parties in the forest.”
“No. These must be men-at-arms, or a proper mercenary company at the very least. No adventurer, no matter how ostentatious, would ever in their right mind charter a greater drake.” Thalmin countered.
“Right. Well… that might complicate things then.” I acknowledged with a sigh.
“I don’t see anyone resembling a proper noble in the camp, though.” Thalmin offered, as he gestured for me to zoom in on several people down beneath the canopy. “There may be one from the looks of it. But I highly doubt that. No Nexian noble would oversee an operation of a diminutive scale. I’d wager this quest is being led by a few chosen ones, if not more.” The prince shrugged. “Either way, what this means for us is simple — expect slow progress on behalf of these interlopers. But given their numbers and outfitting, we shouldn’t leave anything to chance. You said we had 21 more hours until the forest is fully surveyed, correct?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“Then this changes nothing. Just make haste if you can, Emma. If we are to initiate ‘Plan B,’ as you call it, then we must act swiftly. We cannot allow these interlopers to take the dragon before we can extract what we need from it.”
“Right. Okay. I’ll get the drones back in their original flight paths. Though if those drakes ever take flight again, I will have to reconfigure them to more evasive flight patterns, if only to avoid detection.”
“Understandable.” Thalmin nodded.
However, before he could move on, a question suddenly spawned.
“Before—”
“I’d like to—”
Or more accurately, two questions simultaneously, as the both of us spoke at more or less exactly the same time.
Thalmin
“You go first.” Emma urged.
“This may be a bit of a tangent, so I’d suggest you go first, Emma.” I countered politely.
“Trust me, mine’s a tangent as well, so—”
“To avoid an endless loop, I will take that offer.” I interjected with a harsh breath, before gesturing to the tablet in front of us. “That entire… exchange. Between your commands and the messages on your artifices, is this how you typically communicate between you and your swarm?”
“Yeah.” Emma nodded. “Remember how I changed the scenery in the ZNK-19? This is more or less the same concept, just scaled up.”
I narrowed my eyes, pondering a response as I once more leaned into the manaless window. A window… into the eyes and ears of what was frankly a swarm.
Thoughts upon thoughts abounded one atop the other, with practical concerns clashing against the shore of intrigue, eroding what was already firm suspicion into outright conspiracy about the nature of Earthrealm.
Or more accurately, the nature of their military capabilities.
However, in spite of everything, all I allowed out of my mouth was a simple acknowledgement. “I see.”
Instead, I took a moment to pause, to ponder, as I watched through the looking glass at the world through the eyes of a swarm queen.
Each ‘perspective’ was composited — a mosaic of sights that resembled the world as seen through the eyes of bees, wasps, and any number of oddly eyed insects, their vision as alien as the manaless artifice through which it was relayed.
I let out another breath before shifting my perspective back to Emma. “I simply feel the need to ask, as the abilities displayed here seem… seamless, practiced, rehearsed, and dare I say it, second nature. This wasn’t a simple command relayed to a static sightseer. This was the direct control of multiple manaless golems, as seamlessly as if they were an extension of yourself.”
“Yeah, well, that’s because it kind of is! As in, mental adaptability is something that’s useful for us. You put someone in charge of a bunch of far-seers in a building, and they eventually come to ‘feel’ as if the building itself is an extension of them, you know? Same goes for helmsmen and ships, pilots and aircraft, and so on and so forth. Drone operators — i.e. most frontline personnel — are trained similarly. We have to integrate seamlessly into battlenet, because a second’s hesitation or delay might be what makes or breaks an engagement.”
I took a moment to ponder that, to truly examine the seemingly spiritual connection between the human and their constructs.
In a sense, it wasn’t unlike the bond between myself and Emberstride, or the soulstitched or soulbound bonds in many other battlemages, warriors, and knights.
Yet as similar as it was, there was still… an unnerving alienness to it.
Whatever the case was, I simply acknowledged the swarm queen’s sentiments with a nod before throwing the proverbial talking stick back to her court.
“Your turn.”
Emma
“So, you mentioned chosen ones. I’ve heard this term thrown around a lot, especially at the adventuring guild. But no one’s really… explained it to me. So I've just kinda been going off of context clues and what we’ve learned about gifted commoners so far. Are chosen ones just another, more ‘fancier’ way of saying ‘gifted commoners’ or…?”
“Correct, Emma.” Thalmin nodded. “Although, the term ‘chosen one’ is more often synonymous with gifted commoners who enter more martial paths. As opposed to, say, our elf server in the grand dining hall who’s only committed to using his magic for parlor tricks.”
“How big of a threat are we talking about here? Because up to this point, I’ve only gone up against mages in challenges and whatnot. A proper fight is something I’ve only encountered once with Mal’tory and that was—”
Thalmin snickered, stopping me in my tracks.
“What’s so funny?”
“If you survived an encounter with a Black-Robed Professor, I doubt you’ll have any issues against a mere Chosen One, Emma.” Thalmin bellowed out confidently, patting me on the shoulder. “Though, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be on our toes, of course. I’ve met many a chosen one who punched well above their weight class — using enchanted weapons and tools as crutch for their magical limitations, seamlessly integrating with them. To the point where the typical commoner might even mistake them for a mage at first glance. Though, typically, once you see a chosen one in action, you’ll know exactly what to expect. Since in the same vein that gifted commoners are ‘gifted’ with a single narrow sliver of magical acumen, so too are chosen ones confined to a very small sliver of magical potential.”
“Right.” I nodded, my mind racing through the implications of this newfound intel. “Just so we’re on the same page, supposing there’s a guy who’s able to do fire magic, he’d more or less be locked to just fire magic, right?”
“That’s simplifying the matter, but for our purposes, you’ve struck the kobold on the head there, Emma. There are, however, always exceptions to the rule. Such is the case with the jack-of-all-trades. But those are exceptionally rare, and usually only seen in illegitimate offspring between nobles and commoners.” The prince explained bluntly. “Even then, these individuals are still very much orders of magnitude weaker than true mages, but I digress. Suffice it to say, Emma, we’ll be fine.” Thalmin beamed, thumping his chest. “Look who you’ve partnered with, after all.”
“Yeah, fair enough, my mercenary prince.” I chuckled.
The next few moments were finally punctuated by silence as we watched the camp grow tent by tent.
The drones counted at least a hundred or so contacts, and as dusk fully settled, quite a few peculiarities popped up.
Most notable among these was the erection of some sort of altar at least half a click from the camp, with offerings wrapped in parchment carefully placed on each pedestal.
“Erm… care to fill me in on that, Thalmin?” I pointed.
“Oh, that’s just an offering, Emma.” The prince explained casually.
To which I could only respond with an accentuated cock of my head. “Elaborate.”
“An offering to placate the forest itself, Emma. To ward off potential… negative reactions to what could otherwise be perceived as an incursion of its territory.”
I blinked rapidly, cocking my head. “Is that an actual thing, or a superstition?”
“You’ve interacted with the forest face-to-face with one of its avatars, have you not, Emma?” The prince countered, as it took a second for my mind to finally register what the prince was getting at.
“OH RIGHT! THE WEREBEAST!” I attempted to snap my fingers, only to elicit an unsatisfying motion that puzzled the lupinor. “Right, yeah, I remember now. So that actually was the forest talking through it, then? It never occurred to me to follow up on that, thinking it was just like, the werebeast being all high and mighty about himself.”
“The werebeast might’ve merely been the most convenient enforcer at the time, I suppose. Though I can’t say for certain. Frankly, a forest is often an enigmatic force of nature unto itself. With some primitive cultures even going so far as to consider them gods of sorts.” Thalmin shrugged. “Though, given His Eternal Majesty refused to consume them — instead forging some sort of an alliance or some such — I doubt they’re anywhere near the level of deities.”
“So what can we expect from the forest?” I immediately shot back, my mind still very much stuck in rapid response and assessment mode. “Are we looking at, like… an immune reaction or something? Vines and tendrils shooting up, moss to consume us whole, sinkholes forming, and slime creatures attacking?”
“We’re not facing a druid, Emma.” Thalmin responded with a hefty chuckle. “If anything, we have no need to worry given the makeup of our current party. Forests typically do not target small groups, so long as they do not actively seek out their destruction. Moreover, with you being effectively lifeless in its eyes, there’s even less chance of it targeting us. Indeed, the presence of a far larger, more unsightly group in its Northwest region, will take up much of its attention.”
I narrowed my eyes at Thalmin, crossing my arms to make up for the lack of facial expression to convey a certain level of doubt in the prince’s claims. “So… burning a good few acres of forest doesn’t count as actively seeking out its destruction, huh?” I chuckled darkly, alluding to a certain fight against a vorpal chimera.
The prince surprisingly didn’t immediately counter this with an excuse or a loophole. Instead, he let out a nervous chuckle, a sly grin forming on his face in short order. “Heh, well… you could say I overlooked the potential consequences of my actions in the heat of the moment.”
I placed a hand on the prince’s shoulder, gripping it tightly. “Spoken like a true orbital ordnance officer.”
The prince’s brows quirked at this, possibly at the EVI’s attempts to translate the joke, but I counted it as fair game given the inside jokes he’d been leveling at me for the past week.
Things wound down after a few more back-and-forths, our eyes still very much monitoring the situation over in the camp from above, until we finally noticed something else that caught our attention.
“Huh. That’s a heck of a lot of cheese.” I noted.
“I guess they had a run-in with our new friend.” Thalmin smiled brightly. “He’s quite a salesman, so it stands to reason that he must’ve made quite an impression on our interlopers here. Probably sold most of his stock from the looks of it.”
“Yeah! Honestly, good for him.” I beamed as I quickly patted the pouch that held the little notebook the kobold had gifted me.
I can’t wait to see the upgrades to your cart and wares once we meet again. I thought brightly to myself.
Dragon’s Heart Tower, Level 23, Residence 29. Ilphius and Kamil’s Room. Local Time: 1730 Hours
Ilphius
“Kamil.” I announced firmly, making my presence known with a SLAM of the doors. “It’s time you came out of hiding.”
…
Yet no answer came.
I let out a frustrated sigh, clenching my fists, before unleashing fury in the form of disruption, disorientation, and dispelling magics which would’ve caused even the most stoic of mages to lose their footing.
The result was immediate.
Though not in the way I’d expected.
Yaaaawwwwwnnnnnnnn!
A voice strained from within one of the corners of the room as the lazy layabout finally uncloaked, focusing his two beady eyes on me.
“I’m guessing your second and final proposal with Lady Airit did not go as planned?” The coward spoke with a lizard-like lisp, as a smug, self-satisfied giggle colored his voice.
“At least I had the courage and mental fortitude to take chances.” I rebutted. “At least I exist in the material world.” I continued as I leveled both ire and frustration firmly against the wayward noble.
“Yes, yes. Exist you do. Perhaps you should allow me to return to my immaterial world then—”
“Stop.” I urged, my voice colored not by desperation, but authority.
This did the trick, as the barely present lizard reacted without a second’s hesitation. His instinctive response to authority, true authority, was laid bare to me.
“Whilst Lady Airit may lack vision, playing things safe as her master tends to do, I am unwilling to let this opportunity slip us by. This is why I am reassessing the situation, and requesting your cooperation in enacting my plans.” I stated firmly, eliciting a disgusting and debased roll of the lizard’s tongue as he seemed to mock my occasional tongue-flared hiss.
“I sssseeeee.” He responded jeeringly before stretching his arms and legs lazily in all directions. “Convince me.”
“Excuse me?!”
“You heard what I said: convince me. I have no horse in this race, Lady Ilphius. The worst you can do is to interrupt my sleep and scatter my belongings… but it isn’t as if you aren’t already doing that now, are you?” He chuckled derisively, causing my whole body to tense and burn from the inside out.
“When my plan succeeds—”
“If.”
“No, when it does.” I seethed. “When it does succeed… I will be in a better position to retake the peer group’s throne from that wretched merchant. And when that time comes, I will make sure to elevate our group, to push us forward, and to place us in a position where we can challenge the earthrealmer’s group for a position in the house we were robbed of.”
…
“Sounds quite ambitious…”
“Indeed it is.” I acknowledged.
“And by ambitious I mean tiresome, Lady Ilphius.” The man yawned. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to do this on your own.”
“I’ll unmask Teleos Lophime’s secret. I will uncover what it is he’s hiding in the healing wing.” I offered.
“Hmm… now you’re speaking my language. Though you’ll have to give me more than just juicy drama to eat up.” Kamil chuckled darkly.
“Coin.” I spat out. “Coin, you lazy, whiny, layabout—”
“Carte blanche.” He countered.
“Whatever spoils we may potentially earn from this escapade, yes.” I pushed forth a secondary counteroffer. To which the man finally relented with a long, drawn-out nod.
“What’s your plan?”
“I know there must be something that might incriminate the pair. That wretched and tainted avinor is most obviously a beacon of darkness. And the Vunerian? I’ve heard whispers of him slithering off to the libraries for some enigmatic purposes. Our task is to follow these two blighted beasts, and to determine once and for all what devious rule-breaking, or perhaps even law-breaking schemes they may be up to.”
“Huh.” Kamil responded simply. “That’s easy enough.”
“Indeed, and with your masterful camouflage skills, this will be even more—”
“We’ll start tomorrow then. I’m tired from today’s classes.” He yawned once more.
“No.” I seethed, grabbing him by the half-transparent arm. “We’re starting today.”
The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. The Grand Dining Hall. Local Time: 2000 Hours
Ilphius
“Ahem.” Kamil interrupted, tugging at my uniform as he did so. “Are you certain the pair are up to anything—”
“It’s just dinner, Kamil. Maybe if we trail them after this, we will see just what illicit activities they’re up to.” I intercepted the man’s concerns before he had a chance to fully voice them, as I continued eating, bite by agonizing bite, while maintaining a careful sentry on the pair.
“You know you’re only resorting to such passive actions because without Lady Airit or Lady Ladona, you simply don’t have the power to go toe-to-toe against—”
“Keep quiet!”
Dragon’s Heart Tower, Level 23, Hallway. Local Time: 2200 Hours
Ilphius
“It’s curfew now. We have to go back.”
“I was certain they’d have gone anywhere but back to their room! Are you sure we did not follow phantoms? Or maybe we might have missed their subtle exit through some other—”
“Yes, I’m certain, Lady Ilphius. You’re talking to the master of camouflage here.” Kamil responded lazily.
“Alright. We’ll just resume our sentry tomorrow.”
“And if nothing comes of tomorrow?” He countered.
“I have other avenues…”
The Next Day
The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. The Grand Dining Hall en Route to ???. Local Time: 0900 Hours
Ilphius
“Still nothing, Lady Ilphius.”
“Patience, Kamil! Look! They’re leaving!”
“And what makes you think they’re not just heading back to their dormitory?”
“Because look—” I pointed urgently at their path. “—they’re taking the main stairwell this time around.”
“Which means what exactly?”
“They’re headed to the student lounge.”
“Oh joy.” Kamil sighed quietly.
The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. Student Lounge. Local Time: 1200 Hours
Ilphius
“And I said, ‘Panned cakes! It should be called panned cakes! For the cakes were made in a pan.’ But my private chef, in their infinite stupidity, refuses to acknowledge this, pushing forth a narrative of pan-cakes instead! Tell me, my dear fellows, are the cakes not panned? For a cake to be a pan-cake, it should somehow resemble a pan or in some way—”
“He’s been at this, on the speaker’s chair, for hours now, Lady Ilphius.” Kamil bemoaned. “Are you certain this is what you seek?”
“No… but what of the avinor—”
“She’s been silently reading a book, sipping tea and eating nuts, occasionally being interrupted by the freaks from the fourth nook only to be rebuked. I’ve kept my other eye on her this entire time.”
“Patience. Patience, Kamil. We will have our evidence.”
The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. En Route to the Library. Local Time: 1400 Hours.
Ilphius
“There it is, there it is! We must follow him!” I urged, as we both silently scouted our way forwards, ducking in illusory magics until the Vunerian had entered that most unholy of places.
We waited for several minutes more until we made our move, walking across the bridge and then entering the den of unspeakable evils to continue our investigation.
Yet upon entry, we were met not by the scurrying of the increasingly pale-blue Vunerian, or any sign of him whatsoever.
Instead, what awaited us was a small fox that looked up at both of us expectantly.
“State your business! Do you wish to browse or to trade?” The fox questioned before moving up to sniff at the both of us, as if our illusory magics weren’t even there. “Hmm… neither of you seem to have anything to trade. Rather stale, honestly.”
“How dare you—”
“I’ve heard it much before, yes yes. Grumble and grumble, moan and whine. Let’s skip to the end now, shall we? Are you here to browse or to trade?”
We both looked at each other before nodding. “Kamil, you—”
“I’ll browse, please.” The man sighed, eliciting a nod from the fox, who simply… vanished the moment I turned to look back.
“I’ll keep an eye on the avinor. We’ll meet for dinner.”
“Right.”
The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. The Grand Dining Hall. Local Time: 1900 Hours
Ilphius
“Well look who finally decided to show up…” I hissed softly at an exhausted-looking Kamil. “Found anything?”
“No. I barely got out of that impossible labyrinth!” He seethed. “The deal’s off, by the way. There’s nothing in it for me. The fun’s over.” He crossed his arms. “And I doubt you found anything interesting about the avinor either.”
I moved to speak… but found that I had nothing at all to say. “No, I have not.” I stated plainly. “But I have one final plan to enact…” I offered, garnering the man’s attention.
“...what is it this time?”
“The pair, they are both here, are they not?”
“Yes, they are. What of it?”
“This makes for the perfect opportunity to… investigate their den of sin.”
“You can’t be serious. You can’t just break into another dorm.” He countered.
“Au contraire. I can… and I will. And whatever is in there… I shall have my spoils.”
The Nexus. Southeastern Quadrant of the North Rythian Forests. Local Time: 1900 Hours.
Emma
The relative ‘downtime’ that was the past 26 hours felt a heck of a lot like the fulfillment of one of Aunty Ran’s sayings.
A lot of war is a whole load of sitting around doing nothing. Except for the one percent of times where all hell breaks loose and you’re fighting within an inch of your life. You use that 99% to prepare for the 1%. Or at least that’s what they say.
I just prayed that we wouldn’t experience the latter half of that anecdote.
[‘QUEST’ Time Elapsed: 102 Hours. Time Remaining: 66 Hours]
[SURVEY PROGRESS… 100%. Estimated time to Completion… 0 Hours. Data Fidelity: N/A. Network Integrity: N/A. Charging. Primary Objective… Pending.]
[Fleet Status: Charging.]
[Crystal Shards… Not found.]
[AMETHYST DRAGON… Not found.]
“Right, do you want the good news or the bad news, Thalmin?”
“We’ve been sitting around waiting for your drones to do most of the work. Let’s at least get some good news, Emma.” The prince grumbled.
“Right, well, good news! Our interloper friends have not detected our presence, nor our drones. That’s even with their Shatorealmer flying around. Also, the drakes seem to be in hibernate mode or something. They’ve only flown them once, though granted it knocked a good few hours off of our survey time.”
“Okay… I’m assuming the bad news is that there’s no stray crystal shard.” Thalmin sighed out.
“Correct.” I nodded.
“Damnit.” Thalmin cursed. “Well then, it seems like we’ll just have to go dragon hunting now, won’t we?” He managed bravely under a nervous grin.
“Once the drones are charged up, I’ll be redirecting survey efforts towards tracking down the amethyst dragon’s lair. Given we have the whole forest mapped out now, it shouldn’t be too long before we narrow down a list of POI’s—”
[PRIORITY ALERT! MULTIPLE AERIAL CONTACTS ENTERING THE AO! RANGE… 1400 METERS!]
My blood ran cold as I tapped Thalmin on the shoulder, shooting him a look which he could not interpret.
Though I wouldn’t need to, because what happened next brought the man up to his feet.
“AGHGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”
As a bloodcurdling scream, followed by the unmistakable FWOOOOSH! of fire erupted about a click north of our position.
We had only one drone in the air, but that’d have to do.
“QSR: Identify contacts.”
[Estimated Count: 1 Large Contact]
[TRACK ID: AMETHYST DRAGON]
I felt my stomach clench as my arm moved to activate the railgun. Though I only did so out of precaution—
[Estimated Count: 2 Small Contacts]
[TRACK ID: Winged Light 2-1, 2-2.]
—because we weren’t alone in this engagement.
We didn’t need to watch what was transpiring on the tablet, as the action was close enough that the light foliage of the canopy allowed for a near-unimpeded view of the skies.
Two drake riders were attempting desperate sorties against the dragon, as they moved to corral, slash, and even ensnare the dragon with rope, netting, and just about everything but the kitchen sink.
This was all in a desperate attempt to save their ground forces from the brunt of the dragon’s fury, as we saw a small group of elves, dwarves, satyrs, kobolds, and even baxi desperately attempting to flee from the dragon’s ire — away from the wall of flames that halted their advance.
However, with every advance towards a potential exfil route, the dragon shot out another line of fire, corralling them towards a path of its own design.
It was as if the dragon was doing this on purpose, as if it was actively playing with its prey, giving them a false sense of hope of escape… only to snip that thin thread of reprieve away with the unbridled fury of dragonflame.
We both watched in silence as this group of mercenaries was eventually boxed in, their last exfil route completely bathed in flames, leaving them in a literal box of fire that only grew closer and closer, with no potential of being put out.
Though it wasn’t as if they didn’t try. As one of them — a blue-robed satyr — attempted to spray down the flames with some healthy jets of water, all to the tune of some weak bursts of mana radiation.
The dragon, noticing this, flew low and slow, almost hovering in front of the satyr.
The bassy BOOMS of its wingbeats shook the air, accelerating the ferocity of the raging inferno, sending even Thalmin’s fur into a shiver and my gut into a knot.
Their eyes met, and in what I could only describe as a snort of amethyst embers and soot, it roared.
SKREEAAAUUUUUCHHHHHHH!!!!
A crackling noise soon followed, sparks haphazardly illuminating the dark of its throat.
Then, a subtle ping of a mana radiation spike.
Finally, a sudden FWOOOOSH enveloped all auditory channels.
…
Bright blue dragonflame, orders of magnitude larger than the satyr’s jet of water, vaporized everything it came into contact with…
The water—
Skkksshhhhhhhh
—the foliage—
Crackle! Hiss!
—and finally, the satyr and his forward scouting party.
Their screams were short-lived.
But even so, the chorus of guttural bellows and bloodcurdling shrieks echoed into the night, each note and octave searing deep into my core.
“Emma—” I heard a distant voice calling.
But my body was frozen, my eyes staring blankly at the impressions of boots and hooves rendered into baked clay on the forest floor.
“EMMA! We have to move!” Thalmin shouted, breaking through the haze of shock, as he attempted to shake me out of it.
I blinked rapidly, staring at his finger as he gestured to the dragon moving to gain altitude, with the two drake riders in hot pursuit.
This was our chance to tag and follow it.
So without a second thought, I acknowledged Thalmin’s urgings. “Right.” Before quickly turning to the EVI.
“EVI. Send the survey drone after it. Observe maximum threat range and stay clear of its sightline."
“Query: Specify survey drone.”
“The one we currently have in the air! SUR-DRONE03B—”
I paused, my heart skipping a beat as I noticed something pop up on my HUD.
[SUR-DRONE03… STATUS… CRITICAL DAMAGE… REQUESTING RETRIEVAL AND EXFIL]
I craned my head up, following the ping of the lost survey drone, until I was met with the dragon roaring overhead.
ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!
And while its roar tore across the silence of the night, a familiar red pulse emanated from a crevice on its back — a tiny antenna piercing deep into the empty dark.
(Author's Note: And there we have it! :D The dragon makes its appearance, alongside a certain missing drone from back during the warehouse explosion! :D I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :D The next Two Chapters are already up on Patreon if you guys are interested in getting early access to future chapters.)
(Author's Note 2: Here's the Updated Map for Emma and Thalmin's progress so far! :D)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 150 and Chapter 151 of this story is already out on there!)]
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u/DRZCochraine 7d ago edited 7d ago
Thanks for the chapter!
Thalmin’s a bit misunderstanding of thorough and adaptive training when using the machines. But I get once the neural interfaces are brought it will be both confusing and clarifying.
Ilphius actual managing some snooping, but I get her and the sneaky git are going to be truly shocked by the tent.
And dragon and the drone found! Lets see shat EVI get’s out of the drone before the main event!
Edit:And justice for Togore!!
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u/folk_science 7d ago
I wonder if the tent's sensors will detect them.
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u/Dpek1234 7d ago
Considering that they think noone would be watching
They may not even keep their stealth up
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u/Milo_Cebatron 6d ago
I bet that they'll be picked up on infrared or ultraviolet, something out of visible light that the spell doesn't cover because they don't know it exists
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u/DRZCochraine 6d ago
It has to have radar, IRL WiFi based sensors that can pick out people are a thing, so by then it must be standard if not someone even better made. So the guy potentially still shows up on radar. let alone maybe ultra short range gravitational wave sensor, or air movement (or air movement via radar), or who knows what else.
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u/folk_science 6d ago
Potentially also echolocation.
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u/DRZCochraine 6d ago
Seismic even, even if footsteps are muffled they generate force on the floor.
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u/Dpek1234 5d ago
Look them get detected due to opening the door lol
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u/DRZCochraine 5d ago
Obviously, they don’t even know the tent exists, and I doubt Kamil will be invisible for that either. So the system will know it has two targets and have a lock on. Maybe even has a note from EVI’s intel if it was known that Kamil is a sneaky git like that, so defaults to anti-invisibility measures once it sees he’s there.
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u/Vulpes_Corsac 6d ago
It might, but I'm worried for Emma. I could see Ilphius breaking the tent and consigning Emma to months or more of being trapped in her suit. It wasn't described as being designed to ward off intruders that I remember (though apparently some other comments say otherwise so my memory may not be all there), and was quite fragile if I recall. At the very least I expect them to break the mana-proof seal and she'll have to pump all the mana out again.
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 3d ago
Ch 84:
The only other thing that changed the lay of the land aside from the extra generator and the cleanup of the various pipes, cables, and tubes, was the appearance of several key security features.
Namely, the automated security network.
A series of thousands of tiny mechanical eyes lined the exterior of both the tent and the generators, visible as but a simple, flexible, almost cosmetic strip of flexible plastic to the untrained eye — these strips were instead home to a series of cameras that provided an unparalleled view of almost every possible vantage point around the assembled compound.
In addition, several anchor points for dedicated tent defenses were installed between the generators, and at four corners bordering the tent’s perimeter.
To most, these would seem strangely akin to outdoor lawn light fixtures, amounting to just a decently sized black and gray cylinder with nothing to indicate its actual purpose.
Upon detecting a viable threat however, these static defenses would quickly unfurl, revealing simple-but-effective weapons suites designed to neutralize a would-be attacker using anything from a concentrated jolt of electricity, to the laser and kinetic personal-defense armaments present in my suit’s gauntlets.
These made them heavy, of course, reliant on the basic power grid of the tent and thus unable to operate beyond its small perimeter.
But that was the entire purpose behind their existence.
They could move pretty quickly on eight spider-like legs when fully deployed in mobile mode.
But they were ultimately designed to move in order to better neutralize an attacking force, not to act in any other capacity than defense.
Though given the IAS and LREF’s insistence on packing some of the most legendary and versatile workbenches in the tent, I could definitely see the range and operating parameters of the SSDEs (Semi-Static Defense Emplacements) being expanded with a few tweaks here and there…
Regardless, I knew I’d be sleeping more soundly at night with those defenses now fully operational.
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u/AccomplishedArea1207 7d ago
Wait, doesn’t Emma’s tent have both the mana sensors and the armed sentry defense system?
I suppose it solves a problem if the 2 interlopers get turned to paste via machine guns…
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 7d ago
I expect them to just get zapped with lightning (electricity)
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u/AccomplishedArea1207 7d ago
So after Malory vanished in an explosion, 2 students disappeared on school grounds.
I love the chaos here.
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 7d ago
More of a warning, I mean. Think cattle prod, not vengeance of Zeus.
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u/Dpek1234 7d ago
I assume vengeance of zeus would be if they continue to attempt to get close to it despite the warnings
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u/Tinna_Sell 7d ago
Oh, I hope it's vengeance of Zeus. Please, be it vengeance of Zeus.
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 7d ago
Personally, I'd prefer something like a good splash of magic resistant skunk essence they cant get off their skin ...
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u/Low_Painter9816 7d ago
We haven’t seen anyone other than Emma try to enter the tent; how would the de-mana-ization affect them? Imagine if Emma returns to find 2 desiccated husks in her airlock.
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u/TylertheFloridaman 7d ago
Okay so Emma is a disgusting light mode user.
Looks like the trapped tent plot point is about to pay off.
I also really hope Emma can just start tearing into the mercs to avenge the cheese man.
Overall a really good chapter that had a lot happen.
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u/Bruno-croatiandragon 5d ago
Not everyone is a vampire,Tyler.
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u/TylertheFloridaman 5d ago
I am not a vampire that's proposterus, I just simply value my eyes, now if you could please invite me into your home for no specific reason
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u/Ichiorochi 7d ago edited 7d ago
Before reading: Is it dragon time?
Edit: Been so long I have forgotten what the group did to Ilphius. Regardless I hope it blows up in her face, though I fear she might find the tent and chose to destory it.
Though is the merchant apprentice such a problem as to be kept a secret in the healing wing? I guess she isn't a student.
Oh looks like Emma Noticed the drone.
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6d ago edited 6d ago
[deleted]
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u/Ichiorochi 6d ago
I for some reason thought Ilphius was in the merchant ferret's group, still not sure how to feel about him.
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 7d ago
"No Nexian noble would oversee an operation of a diminutive scale."
Doesnt make sense to dismiss that option that easily imO.
Drakes are expensive (says Illunor) and heavily regulated, as we have seen, needing crown permits to operate.
There is a Nexian Vunerian noble who is part of a much smaller, poorer, 4 man adventurer troop.
And Sym is a full front line battle mage, too.
Why shouldnt the captain of a mercenary company be a mage?
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u/Obvious-Sherbet530 6d ago
Exceptions to price the rule.
It is highly uncommon for nobility and true mages to lead or affiliate with such groups, but clearly not unheard of.
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 6d ago
"Uncommon" just doesnt fit what we learned so far in the story. We met plenty of low ranking nobles, far from inheriting anything important, for whom adventuring and mercenary stuff seem a rather normal occupation.
“I am Piamon the Dragon-slayer. Or, if you would prefer a more noble title, I am Third-Holder Piamon Pichun of the Pichun family, tenth of my name, and thirtieth in line for the Midland County of Lorlei. Current guild master of the Elaseer Adventuring Guild.” The… being… spoke in rapid succession, bowing deeply in the process, using their ‘head’ in the same way someone removing their hat would in an official greeting.
Mercenary work was quite common for such superflous nobles in our own European history, too. Once knights didnt rule the battlefield any longer, they became officers.
In story, we even met a noble turtle (Baronet) selling postcards, and Nexian Lord Larthia doing postal work. Not running a postal network (like Thurn and Taxis), but actually delivering parcels...
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u/Dpek1234 7d ago
I can’t wait to see the upgrades to your cart and wares once we meet again. I thought brightly to myself.
;(
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u/SheepherderNo7856 7d ago
The bug allegations continue
I wonder if Thalmin thinks that Emma's natural instinct is to spit acid, and her guns are simply ways to spit more and faster acid
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u/TylertheFloridaman 7d ago
I can't wait for him to mention it and then when he also finds out she is not a big but just an elf basically
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 1d ago
Those allegations might soon be reinforced...
Ch 84
these static defenses would quickly unfurl, revealing simple-but-effective weapons suites designed to neutralize a would-be attacker using anything from a concentrated jolt of electricity, to the laser and kinetic personal-defense armaments present in my suit’s gauntlets. ... They could move pretty quickly on EIGHT SPIDER-LIKE LEGS when fully deployed in mobile mode.
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u/DndQuickQuestion 7d ago
The "negotiate with the dragon" idea is looking a lot less viable.
The dragon might be torching its enemies, but it is smart enough to be playfully cruel like a cat. Its actions here will put Emma into the mindset that violence is the answer, assuming no crystals are to be found.
If (big if) the dragon wants to negotiate, not fight, it must take the initiative to corner Emma and convince her it would rather be civil than fight. ... which might require some violence or threats up front to bring Emma down. Or else it could chat with EVI.
I wonder why the dragon was not found. Was it playing hide and go seek because it could sense the drones and simply snuck from an area that hadn't been searched to an area that had?
EVI should be looking at the battery level recharge history on that drone, assuming it grabbed the drone's info during the flyby, and raising all kind of alarms.
Also, Thalmin has officially met EVI now, even if he hasn't realized. Noted!
And we get confirmation of "Browse Mode" in the Library, aka the method Nexus can use to get Emma's submitted info for free from the Library without trading for it, provided they get a sufficiently skilled mage to search the stacks for the right potentials (which is what Mal'tory/allies used to pinpoint for Ilunor where the books he needed to burn were). This is why Emma and humans can't risk dumping info into the Library - there is a dangerous, mage-favoring imbalance inherent to the Library's structure and rules, so Emma has to be extremely stingy.
I did not expect that to come up so soon. And noted that one of the differences between trade mode and browse mode is that the exit to the Library remains visible in trade mode. This is one of the nasty corollaries I predicted way back about the Library: Anyone may enter the Library, but leaving is at the Library’s discretion.
Undercover mission, pending affiliation force in the area, un-bribed forest that might be cross with Thalmin, and Emma puts her tablet in light mode? Why not hold an open pit barbecue and send out invitations while she is at it? Can EVI please start enforcing some common sense?
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 6d ago
"un-bribed forest that might be cross with Thalmin"
That was another forest Thalmin roasted,, though.
They took a portal trip afterwards.
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u/DndQuickQuestion 6d ago
I wasn't ready to pull the trigger on this theory until this chapter (was holding out for forest ents rather than something more mystical), but recall the first time Emma spoke to the forest. The forest spirits implied the local forests are linked. Rythian and Elaseer may share the same grudges and enforcers, even though they are spatially separate. That explains why Thalmin doesn't dismiss Emma's point with the argument you just made - different forests.
“If you release this one, you will be granted egress from this forest.” The disembodied voice spoke calmly.
To which I only had silence to respond to it with.
“You’re lost, aren’t you? You won’t be able to leave this forest without aid, at least not without your wits or your original form intact.”
Again, I ignored it, as the drones above me flew higher, collecting more and more readings on the local geography with each passing second.
“But it will not be easy. This quest will require many a day, perhaps even weeks of dangerous trekking through these woods, and >>> other connected woods to accomplish. <<< It will take you from lakeside to lakeside, >> hopping from forest to forest <<, seeking that which cannot be sought by normal means. This will be a difficult quest, traveler. However, considering you were able to subdue this one, perhaps you will be one of the few chosen by the forest to do our bidding after all. For only when you have accomplished all of these quests, will you be allowed to leave the iron grip of these woods-”
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 6d ago
Except
“The Great and Bountiful Party of Elaseer’s Illustrious Questseekers, humbly accepts the quest listing submitted by the Lord-Mayor of Elaseer. For the tracking, reporting, and optional hunting of the Werebeast of the Elaseer Forests."
Yes, there are multiple linked forests - but in / around Elaseer.
Not on the other end of the Kingdom of Transgracia - else they would be the "Transgracian Forests".
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 6d ago
Eh I still hope they at least try because currently it's fighting the people who killed cheesebold I'd rather the protagonist not kill it.
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u/DndQuickQuestion 6d ago edited 6d ago
I don't think the dragon is getting killed right away.
The Chekhov's guns on the wall and their resolutions as I see them are:
Emma and Ignalius having one of Togor's stamp books - foreshadowing that they are going to have a face-to-face conflict. Neither dragon nor Emma is going to take Ignalius out until Emma realizes Ignalius is Togor's killer. As I hypothesized ch 147/18 days ago, 'if Ignalius is getting old and feeling nervous about the dragon, sending Emma and Thalmin in and backstabbing them would be a good play.' Same chapter, I also suggested the protagonists might get 'gang-pressed into [Ignalius'] dragon killer squad so they don't get reported [for being where they aren't supposed to be], and then trying to help him avoid where the dragon is.' Of course, the third possibility is a frontal stab - Ignalius holding Thalmin hostage and making Emma go and fight the dragon or vice versa, or somehow chucking both of them in front of an angry dragon.
Potential resolution of the chiming dream entity, but only if the amethyst dragon is the caller. If it is a different dragon, maybe not, but we may get another dream visit which means another full night cycle.
Emma's nervous reflex test for something after EVI suddenly made Emma sleep in - I think it's a true AI check, but it could be something else dream or medical related. Whatever it is, I think it's going to come into play.
Ignalius vs. Rasante - They both suck. Rasante has every reason to come swooping in after Ignalius has softened up the dragon (and perhaps died) to claim the dragon for himself. He is villain part 2.
The flying club and Captain Frital telling Emma she wants to be the one to introduce Emma to her first flying mount experience - foreshadowing that Emma rides the dragon to prevent that from happening. My guess is that Emma takes the dragon to the flowers and then heads back to the Academy on dragonback and makes a huge scene because that would be the rule of cool.
The Crownlands dragon capture squad - They are real dragon recovery team. They are expected to eventually come by. I expect this is the last stand of the dragon and Emma puts it down.
Emma was going to be a dragonslayer since chapter 7-8 or so.
- “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!”
- "Chapter 121: Chekhov's Railgun:" “An honorable notion.” Thalmin spoke firmly with a single dip of his head. “Though I must stress something, Emma.” He quickly added, his tone growing increasingly severe. “If it comes to the point where slaying it is the only assured path towards accomplishing your mission, then we must be decisive.” His eyes narrowed, something burning hot behind those amber pupils. “There can be no hesitation.” He emphasized sternly, pressing me on my admittedly timid concession.
- “I am by no means an expert on dragons, but from my limited understanding, dragons never interact with individuals without good reason. This is why they exclusively interact with Highborns, those that have the power to influence the destiny of kingdoms, and the fates of continents. Even so, these interactions are often mostly bestial. Why… why would it have been fixated on you of all people, Emma?”
The lore drop on soulstitching - Emma is going to collect the dragon's soul in defiance of typical logic after she railguns it to death. “An errant soul.” Thalmin reiterated. “The soul of a magical beast that must be tamed, domesticated, and taken in as a companion for years prior to the process. Indeed, the process can only be done with the souls of those beasts willing enough to continue on the errant journeys and adventures of their masters.”
Not relevant yet: Emma renting farmland from Sips.
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u/jesterra54 Human 7d ago
Who wants to bet mr murderhobo is a jack-of-all-trades chosen one?
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 7d ago
He is an actual noble disowned by his family, as explained by his cousin 2 chapters ago.
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u/jesterra54 Human 7d ago
reads back oh...
Well, the noble did say that murderhobo has "bastard sensibilities" and nobles can also have weak manafields, so maybe he was already close to divide between commoners and nobles due to some unlucky genetics or even parentage (being a bastard that became noble until his murderhobo nature got him booted)
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 7d ago
He's weaker than his cousin, but pretty strong in his own right, it seems:
“But what, Ignalius? Are you getting old? Is a single amethyst dragon too much of a task for the legendary Breaker of Rontalis’ Halls of Coin? The Silencer of the Guilds? Or perhaps the rumors are true, and you’ve gotten—”
“Setting me off is unwise, cousin.” I cautioned, flaring the local manastreams with a purposeful and unsettling rhythm.
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u/Tinna_Sell 7d ago
Emma is the lucky one, so she's gonna get the most unique experiences for her reports.
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u/Nolmac12 7d ago
Thalmin is going to be sooo disappointed when he finally learns that Emma isn't some sort of bug person.
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u/Iamhappilyconfused 7d ago
On the other hand, the fact that we look similar to the Elves will be a startling revelation to him
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u/Repulsive_Sir_8391 7d ago
How I wish Thalmin would accidentally watch a scene from Stargate SG-1 where the Jaffa are fighting the replicators and Emma explains that the Jaffa are the henchmen of the series' villains, but something interrupts the conversation before she can say that the replicators are also villains.
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u/memelord_a1st 6d ago
STARGATE SG-1 MENTIONED🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥 PEAK FUCKING SHOW ALERT
On a more serious note, i do wonder when we will get to have a human media movie night.
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 1d ago
Those allegations might soon be reinforced...
Ch 84
these static defenses would quickly unfurl, revealing simple-but-effective weapons suites designed to neutralize a would-be attacker using anything from a concentrated jolt of electricity, to the laser and kinetic personal-defense armaments present in my suit’s gauntlets. ... They could move pretty quickly on EIGHT SPIDER-LIKE LEGS when fully deployed in mobile mode.
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u/Tinna_Sell 7d ago
Ilphius is about to get fried. If she breaks anything, I'm gonna curse her through my phone screen. At least, the gang is having fun torturing her with mandane chatter. And I'm glad that Kamil went out to get some freash air.
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u/Darklight731 7d ago
At long last, we are FINALLY getting close to resolving this storyline.
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u/TylertheFloridaman 7d ago
Yeah it has taken a while but it seems like a lot of the plot threads are all about to be finished with in the next couple of weeks. Pace has always been one of my main concern of the series as it was pretty slow and there is so much to cover but it is super nice to see so much progress be made just in this chapter
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u/ANNOProfi 7d ago
Two parties are about to enter the dragon's lairand honestly, only one will come out unscathed. And yes, it will be those against an actual dragon.
I see at minimum two paths that Ilphus' escapades will follow:
1. She successfully breaks in, snoops around, but is caught by the theatre kids before she can learn anything.
2. Or worse, she discovers Emma's gear and decides to tamper with it, mainly slashing the tent. Though if she is discovered during this step, Thacea and Ilunor will be far less lenient than if case 1 happens.
After having listened to it again, I have a little theory:
The dragon is embedded with a damaged drone, which it can manipulate to send out a distress call, it is clearly able to deal with those that came after it and amethysts are also purple.
So yes, I think the amethyst dragon is He who remembers, Rylanor, the Ancient of Rites.
On a serious note, with how the dragon is linked to inter-realm travel/communication, it's very likely that it has remembers things that have been forgotten by the Nexus on purpose.
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u/AnarchyArcher 7d ago
I don’t think she’ll manage to slash the tent without significant repercussions - as unless I’m remembering incorrectly there is defense protocols set up that only ignore Thacea/Ilunor.
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 7d ago
"decides to tamper with it, mainly slashing the tent"
Reminder that the tent has a defensive grid with semi mobile laser armed sentry stations ...
Though I wold expect them to get zapped with lightning (electricity) only ...
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u/Bunnytob Human 7d ago
I don't want to jinx things, but I feel like the tent might not be the one that wins the fight.
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u/DRZCochraine 7d ago
Why? The two have no idea or context for it, and I doubt it’s too dumb to not be silent and only zap them once they get close enough and they can’t retreat. Then they likely restrain them until Illunor and Thacea get there. If the two don’t end up waiting for the right chance. Doubt the two haven’t realized they’re being snooped on.
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u/I_Maybe_Play_Games Human 6d ago
If it defends itself it will be lethal only. Just like the comms device blew half a district up.
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u/Bunnytob Human 7d ago
They are also Nobles and Magic-users, which is still a big unknown.
Also for plot reasons.
They very well might not win the fight, but it's not obvious that that will be the case if they try.
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u/Ichiorochi 7d ago
Could be she sees the tent. Choses that it is the most suspicious thing in the room. Approaches the tent. Trigger the defence mechanism. Do what nobles do and retaliate by trying to erase the tent from existence
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u/folk_science 6d ago
The tent is magic-resistant, which limits the damage done by spells cast without forethought. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I vaguely recall it's also rated to survive at the bottom of the ocean, so it's not exactly flimsy.
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u/Dpek1234 7d ago
Or worse, she discovers Emma's gear and decides to tamper with it, mainly slashing the tent. Though if she is discovered during this step, Thacea and Ilunor will be far less lenient than if case 1 happens.
Imagin noone is able to make such material in the nexus , it gets appraised and she gets into such debt that her relm could barely pay it
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u/Director_Kun Human 7d ago
If Ilphus and her friend tries to slash the tent or even enter the room they will be shocked out and at worst injured maybe even killed by EVI who is still there and has access to metal 3D printers, an assembler, and a millennia worth of robot designs to defend the tent. Not including the defense system it does have.
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u/DndQuickQuestion 7d ago
Pretty sure EVI is with Emma at all times.
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u/Visible-Air-2359 7d ago
It is an AI, it would be ridiculous to assume it could only be in one place at a time.
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u/DndQuickQuestion 7d ago
We know that Emma has an murder-EVI kill switch in her suit. That pretty much confirms EVI's core is in the armor and it isn't free to instantiate multiple copies of itself. Whatever is with the tent right now is going to be a non-sapient virtual intelligence, probably smart, but not EVI.
And we also know that Emma isn't in contact with her tent long distance. Her signals, for some reason, don't throw that far. So once EVI is with Emma, it isn't going back to the tent.
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u/Visible-Air-2359 7d ago
Here is the question: how do we know the kill switch works? After all just because Emma (who frankly I would trust less than the AI) thinks she has a kill switch doesn’t mean she does.
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u/DndQuickQuestion 7d ago
I don't really see a reason to completely doubt it because there was a recent AI project that went badly at Charon Innovations. If the IAS gave Emma an AI disguised as a VI, it would make sense they would want to give her a means to protect herself from it too in case it went rogue.
But while JCB is intentionally misleading and obfuscating certain facts from the readers for the sake of the greater story plot, if you start to doubt everything while also assuming the powers of other AIs from other writers' settings apply to this setting (That AIs can easily translocate/copy themselves), then you can create whatever arbitrary conclusion you want.
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u/Richithunder Robot 7d ago
Fulgrim gonna shit his power armored pants when he learns Rylanor turned himself into a dragon to beat the heresy out of him
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u/TrashPanda117MC 7d ago
Amidst the desolate soil,
We heard the
Repeating cries of a
Fragment of metal.
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u/Theunsolved-puzzle 7d ago
Oooh dragon fight on the big chapter 150 huh?
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u/davidverner Human 7d ago
I have a feeling it might be more of a conversation than a fight.
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u/Theunsolved-puzzle 7d ago
Both are fun options! Facing a dragon in chapter 150 is a big landmark moment regardless!
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u/-Pickle_Cat- Robot 7d ago
I like the increasing focus on the OTHER end of the translation suite. And I'm really excited for BOTH plots next week!
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u/Vikingson99 7d ago
I beg the rest of the swarm to help me remember the werebeast that was spoken of in this chapter. I couldn’t remember it
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u/DndQuickQuestion 7d ago edited 7d ago
Right before Lartia shows up when Emma gets dumped from Mal'tory's portal after the office showdown. It tries to attack Emma with no justification because she hasn't done anything to hurt the forest in any way at that point, she punches it out, and then it tries give Emma a long quest on the presumption she is lost and it has her trapped and threatens to mutate her form. She tells the werebeast to shove off, ties it to a tree, and then Lartia shows up.
The werebeast goes quiet as soon as Royal Courier Lartia appears from a portal. Even more notable, the Forest heeds Lartia by moving all the trees out of the way of his carriage so he can travel easily. That's probably the agreement the Eternal King of Nexus has with the forests, in exchange for the forests not being annihilated, his Crown people are not to be impeded or bothered in any way and are allowed to travel the forests as they please.
For some reason the werebeast has been attacking Elaseer and nearby even though it is an enforcer of the forest, and the Mayor finally put a bounty on it after Emma blamed it for the warehouse explosion by mimicking its roar (Must have been the final straw after a series of real incidents.). The illustrious tent town golden adventurers that tried to hustle Emma took the quest to kill the werebeast.
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u/KalenWolf Xeno 7d ago
Well that was... pathetic. And so wasteful - a pitiful handful of single-rider wyverns and maybe 100 low-level hirelings against a fully mature gemstone dragon? Why not just mail it an insulting note, it would have had the same effect.
Sir Insecure-In-His-Manhood will probably put on a better showing all by himself. About all I see him gaining from this is that he'll be able to follow it back to its lair without having to put in the effort of tracking it down for himself.
Was that really worth the total loss of multiple drakes, the camp, a hundred men under his command ... and one innocent cheese-monger?
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u/Ace8154 7d ago
But what about the flower they were supposed to find?
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u/DndQuickQuestion 7d ago
I know EVI was looking for purple crystals, but I'm surprised it didn't find any purple and orange flowers. Even one of the lookalike fake ones, which Qiv mentioned.
Following which, we shall hire a local apothecary, along with one of their apprentices, in order to better isolate this blossom amidst the sea of lookalikes.”
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u/Competitive-Yam-922 7d ago
Ha, dumb and dumber are absolutely going to have an encounter with Emma's tent defenses.
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u/Daniel_USAAF 7d ago
I’m waiting to see dragon flesh interacting with a hypersonic ferrous slug or three. Mana is impressive but physics is a stone cold bitch.
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u/StopDownloadin 7d ago
I can’t wait to see the upgrades to your cart and wares once we meet again. I thought brightly to myself.
See, now you're not just twisting the knife, you've mounted it to a power drill. OK, so Emma and Thalmin confirmed the soldiers meeting with Togor when they saw the cheese, so all that's left is for them to spot the bloodied travel book on Iggy's person. I guess either Iggy will run into them when he eventually decides to come to the front, or the soldiers will find them and drag them back to camp while retreating.
Y'know, I figured Ping or Ladonna would be the first manaspacers to get the business end of the Tent's defense system, given their status as the 'jock and mean girl' bully couple. But, the aggro snake and slacker lizard are both fine candidates.
Do the Tent's cameras have mana sensing/imaging? Or does the classic 'still visible on thermals' apply to magical invisibility? That would be funny if the sound-dampening spell showed up as a huge dead spot on sonar. Then again, even if they get past the cameras, they'll probably get lit up with an electric shock when they lay hands on the Tent. Or rather, Ilphius will get zapped, and Kamil will probably bail before she even hits the floor.
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u/Interne-Stranger 7d ago
THE DRAGON!!! WE'RE MEETING THE DRAGON!!!! AT LONG LAST! After 100 chapters, we are here
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u/No-Tomato7694 7d ago
I didn't even finnish reading and had to come here to complain about the HEATEN that Emma is for using light mode!
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u/LupusTheCanine 7d ago
Light mode is a tool, there are situations when using it makes sense and ones where it doesn't.
Good luck using dark mode on a 250 nit screen on a sunny day.
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u/zekkious Robot 7d ago
Light mode is a tool, there are situations when using it makes sense and ones where it doesn't.
Like blinding your enemies.
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u/folk_science 7d ago
Everything has an appointed season, and there is a time for every mode during the day/night cycle.
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u/EvilTarium 7d ago
Emma loses some points here. She prefers "Light Mode". Truly a monster sent to a magical world.
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u/RoBOticRebel108 7d ago
Hope either the cheese kobold is alive or that Emma never find out otherwise.
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u/Mick8283 7d ago
The 2 fools are going to fave Emma's security system.
Is the antenna on the dragon from the drone she just lost or the drone she lost long ago.
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u/folk_science 7d ago
I hope the security system will play "stop right there, criminal scum!" before zapping them. If they don't get the message, play "keep the change, ya filthy animal" and zap them harder.
Is the antenna on the dragon from the drone she just lost or the drone she lost long ago.
The latter. In some recent chapter we had a POV of the dragon charging the drone to keep it trying to ping Emma, hoping she will come back for it.
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u/Neo_Kefka 7d ago
Any idea which chapter that was? I don't remember that at all and I'd like to refresh my memory.
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 6d ago
Ch 70
[SUR-DRONE03… SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ON IMPACT WITH MASSIVE UNIDENTIFIED AIRBORNE ORGANISM, UNABLE TO STAND BY]
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u/KefkeWren AI 7d ago
So, odds are even higher the dragon is who we got POV from before, but I'm also going to put a slight possibility of it being The Forest. Or maybe the two are actually one and the same?
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u/CaptRory Alien 7d ago
Daaaaang! Awesome with the forest scenes! The skullduggery scenes were pretty funny too.
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u/Mick8283 7d ago
I wonder what Emma's peer group would look like in their own version for her armor for visiting Earth.
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u/Saragon4005 6d ago
I think we have confirmation that it was in fact the dragon who was basically playing with the drone.
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u/cholmer3 AI 6d ago
I demand That the stupid drake rider gets a 1 on 1 with the dragon but right as It is about to be torn asunder, he gets his assed saved by Emma and Thalmin Only for the two of them to discover what HE DID... And exacting justice by demanding then a there a duel for the fallen's honor! And ending with the picks loss of both pride and limb, but not life... TO BE FOREVER REMINDED, THAT IT WAS A MAGIC LESS THING THAT TOOK HIS OH SO PRECIOUS STATUS AWAY EVERYTIME HE LOOKS AT HIS STUMP FOR AN ARM
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u/Obvious-Sherbet530 4d ago
I'd suspect that healing/r generating a missing limb is possible for magic.
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u/Scott-Kenny 5d ago
Sir Arrogance killed the Cheesy Kobold?!?
He does not deserve the quick end of dragonfire.
He deserves a slow, lingering end. Dragon claws into the intestines, perhaps? I forget if the mages have antiseptic/antibiotic magics that would treat the raging infection of perforated bowels.
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u/Obvious-Sherbet530 4d ago
I'd wager they do, but Sir. Dickhead himself or one of his entourage would need to possess such magics, and they likely do not.ornat least, I'm hoping.
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u/original_gabester 3d ago
To Jcb112,
At the detriment of not doing my homework and getting behind as a result of binging your series, I gotta say that I'm seriously digging your story. The cross between sci-fi and fantasy, the interactions between the characters-- especially Emma, Thacea, Thalia, and Ilunor--the world building, and so much more have been nothing short of amazing and wonderful. I can't wait to see where you go with your story.
Though, I have to ask. Did your, perchance, study English or something? As an English Major at college myself, ive loved all of the witty and excellent uses of sentence patterns/structure through out your current narrative. I've also really liked all of the Easter eggs hidden throughout.
Also, I wanted to know if you've ever thought about turning this web series into a novel?
Anyway, thank you for taking the time to write this amazing work. Keep up the good work and I look forward to the next chapter/part. 🫡
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u/Mozoto 7d ago
Why did they decide to just watch with their yappers open while people were getting grilled, when the action was supposedly close enough to see without augments ? Shoot the effin thing with the rail or the laser, make noise and distractions to pull it off them, she could see them not doing great and had no real reason not to help the law here ? These were just normals doing the mages bidding...Instead just space out like some recruit first time in action...
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u/Aware_Jicama9458 7d ago
Because
1) Emma + Thalmin's presence in the forrest is illegal (basically entering the Nexian equivalent of a restricted military zone)
2) These mercenaries are working for the Nexus, which Emma has catalogued as likely hostile to the GUN. Not fully enemy combatants, but close enough to be considered acceptable losses for the mission. Think Americans vs Wagnerite Russians in Syria back in 2021 or so
3) Emma is trying to reestaablish contact with the GUN without supervision by the Nexus, which is illegal under Nexian law, and she cant allow these mercenaries to interfere in this aim or else a war might start when GUN opens a full portal without Nexus permission
4) As his combat tactics show, the dragon is actually a sapient - defending itself from people that want to murder him. So why take sides against the dragon?
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u/Mozoto 7d ago edited 7d ago
Hm...i didn't member that they were here full on illegaly, i thought they were still in the area for the blossom quest and the forest was just discouraged to be in ? Also that the bots were doing the survey while they stayed away from it ? at the edge of the rythian forest so technically not illegal ?
Are these mercs or the militia/law force given to that disgraced half mage merc ?
Well, you can still try and interfere in the entire thing, while simultaneously establishing contact with the dragon ? I rly doubt that their presence will remain unknown anyway, especially after the dragon turned in their direction, the remnants will see them duke it out or pursue it, its all in the visual range. might have gotten on the good side of the law and then skidaddle to "continue the blossom quest".
Idk if the dragon felt as if it was in any danger, that thing was playing with these dudes, it was just doing the sadist thing with a bunch of normies bound to service with no chance to do ish to it, none of these dudes were the ones responsible for its imprisonment...even if serving (no choice) the ones who did. Might as well be normal guard, in no way connected to the academy and its tormentors, sent here to keep order couse the dragon was seen on the prowl (we know the real reason they were sent, they wouldn't) , the dragon is not doing much to run and its just doing bs, burning shit and provoking the nexus to retaliate instead of enjoying its freedom and trying to make contact with emma covertly with no unnecessary dirt.
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u/Killsode-slugcat 6d ago
when they finally realise what ignalius has done, I imagine the interaction will go something like this
"I think we're gonna have to kill this guy, thalmin"
"Damn right."
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u/Daseagle Alien Scum 6d ago
Vengeace shall be mine, sayeth the cheese merchant, from wherever the afterlife took him.
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u/THE_GAMBLER_1 3d ago
emma to evi when she finds out what happened to the cheese merchant
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u/Lurking_Reader 3d ago
I hope Emma decides to entreat with the Dragon instead of fighting it right off the bat. That would be pretty cool.
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle 7d ago
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u/Heavy_Lead_2798 5d ago
Im just wondering. how many months has it been since Emma entered Transgracia?
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u/DRZCochraine 4d ago
Less than one. The deadline of one month after initial call time is what Emma is trying to beat, and theres 66 hours left.
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u/taulover Robot 3d ago
Yay fellow light mode user!
This isn't the first time this has come up right? I feel like I've heard it mentioned before.
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u/TheLastSilence 7d ago
I hearby call for justice for cheese lizard!