Mage Among Superheroes

Just because I wasn’t allowed to use magic for a few more days didn’t mean I couldn’t talk about it. I was actually only intending to do so indirectly anyway, as Izzy had mentioned something about her class abilities that confused me. We agreed to meet up together with Tylissa and Jerome, since Tylissa was going to be training with her regardless. Besides, I wanted to see them again after the whole incident.

That was how we found ourselves meeting up on an empty basketball court near their apartment. It wasn’t exactly private but it was the only place that had space to move around. Their apartment certainly didn’t- nor did mine, not on the level a scout needed. When I got there Tylissa was running, a pretty boring form of exercise if useful. As she got to either end of the court she would swivel around the base of the hoop, either using pure footwork or hooking an elbow around it. She didn’t slow down either way, but she stumbled a bit sometimes.

Around the time I was actually stepping into the fenced area, she tumbled to the ground. She grumbled in annoyance, then growled. Her fingernails began to take the shape of claws for a moment before she got control of herself and climbed to her feet. I’d already given them what information I had on lycanthropes, but I had to admit it was incomplete. Mainly, they’d have to stay careful at or near the full moon.

“Don’t worry,” Izzy said from her position nearby. “You’re getting better, you just have to keep working at it.” She noticed me open the gate, even though it barely squeaked. “There you are Turlough. We were just getting in some quick training,” she gestured towards Jerome who was still jogging back and forth.

“I don’t think…” Jerome huffed and puffed, “Mages are supposed to… have to run.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” I disagreed. “That’s one physical activity you absolutely need to be proficient in. Unless you plan to stand still and let people hit you.”

Jerome stopped next to me, taking deep breaths. “I… suppose.” He didn’t actually sound like he was complaining that much. Just the normal amount for people currently undergoing exercise.

“You had some questions, Turlough?” Izzy asked.

“I have so many questions,” I agreed. “For you specifically, however, there was one main thing. You mentioned training improving your abilities, including the ones you had before coming to this world.”

“That’s right,” Izzy said.

“What do you mean by that?”

“The normal thing?” she tilted her head. “They increased in ranks. +1, +2, and so on.”

“Is that normal?”

“I’m pretty sure all classes work that way, right?”

“I meant, the training thing. Did it work that way before you arrived in this world?”

She shook her head, at least confirming something for me. “Nope. I obviously got better at using things outside of the increased ranks and stuff with training- just like your Firebolts don’t aim themselves just because you spent points on them. It only began when I got here.”

“Did you learn anything new? I learned a new spell without spending points on it. Two and a half, maybe.”

“How can you learn half a spell?” Izzy asked.

“I learned a spell and then it became part of another thing,” I said. “Light and Dancing Lights became part of Basic Light Magic.”

“I have to say,” Izzy admitted. “Those names would be super confusing together anyway. It’s probably better.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “But its not normal. Anyway, when I pull up my status window to look at things, all of the stuff I’ve learned since coming here is put after ‘remaining points’, whether it was the actual spells or weird abilities. And depending on how I spent points it locked combo spells to either side.”

“Uhh…” Jerome said, waving his hand around in front of him weirdly.

“Didn’t I already tell you all this?” I asked him.

“Yeah, you did. Go on…” he said while squinting.

Weird. Maybe he wasn’t a morning person. “Anyway,” I shrugged. “That’s how things have been working for me.”

“That makes no sense,” Izzy admitted.

“But you agree with me that training shouldn’t improve these abilities?” I asked.

“Shouldn’t?” Izzy frowned, “Not sure about that. Didn’t, for sure. That was just how things were. But here, training helps.”

“... Mine are also before ‘remaining points’, is that weird?” Jerome said. “Is 36 a lot or a little?”

“That’s the total for level 8,” I said. “Also what?” Something was wrong with what he said, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on it. Jerome was clearly not fully sure himself, a confused look on his face.

“Uh, mom?” he asked. “Could you come over here?”

“What is it?” Tylissa only took a few steps to reach us.

“Can you see this?” Jerome waved his hand.

“See what?”

“You’d know. What if you, um… try to imagine a status window that has all of the things Izzy has been teaching you?”

“A status window?” Tylissa frowned.

“Cmon mom, you have to have played at least a few RPGs.”

“I haven’t had time for games since… lately,” she said with a sigh. “But yeah, I saw a couple and- WHAT IS THAT?” She suddenly exclaimed.

“A status window, I presume,” Jerome said. Then he turned to me. “Just to be clear, I definitely thought about this when you were first teaching me, and after I first cast a spell. Didn’t happen at all.”

“So now you see status windows?” Izzy interjected, drawing our attention down towards her.

Oh, that would explain why he had been pawing at the air in front of him, confused.

“I had one since I bonded to Turlough,” Midnight added. “But that should be… normal?”

“Maybe,” I said. Most familiars were normal animals that were then magically enhanced. I wasn’t sure if they had the right thought process to even bring up such a window, though I heard some of them got very intelligent given time.

I nodded with confidence, “I think it’s safe to assume a couple things. First, that portal went to our former world, or one with the same mechanics, and you two got the ability to do that upon actually setting foot there.”

“And for some reason,” Izzy said. “We got the ability to train our abilities from coming here.”

“Exactly,” I said. “Except we have a weird divergence, because that is not how things work. Sure, I can accept this weird Mana Crystal Deposition thing growing on its own, and the other things but…” I frowned, finding it difficult to articulate my point. “Neither of the actual spells I learned have improved through training and it just doesn’t make sense for anything to do that. That’s now how things work.”

“Have you practiced either of those spells?” Midnight asked.

I shrugged, “Water Breathing is kinda… specific? We’ve used Locate Object though.”

“A couple times,” Midnight pointed out, tapping me on the head with his paw.

“... A couple times,” I nodded. “Maybe not enough to be called practice. But it still doesn’t make sense. Things don’t just improve with training.”

“Sure they do,” Izzy said. “Like um… you got better at reading, didn’t you?”

“That’s not a spell,” I retorted.

“You got stronger from exercise,” Izzy said. “Even back in our world.”

“Well, sure,” I said. “But that’s different. People can’t spend points on muscle strength.”

“Turlough…” Izzy sighed, “I know you aren’t fond of barbarians, but what do you think they spend their class points on?”

“... Rage and damage reduction?” I postulated. Most of their features weren’t relevant to mages, except the latter if we chose to fling rocks at them.

“Well, yes,” Izzy admitted. “But also strength in general.”

“But wait… you agreed with me that training doesn’t improve class abilities in our world. Not rank wise, at least. So how can they do that?”

“Uh… maybe that example doesn’t make sense,” she frowned. “Also can we go sit down or something so I don’t have to crane my neck so much?”

We did that, me with my back against the fence, Jerome across from me, and the two girls on either side. Midnight remained on my shoulder. Our height differences were still apparent with Izzy being only three feet tall, more or less, but while the proportions remained the same the actual numerical difference was lowered.

“So,” Izzy said, “My point might not quite work like I wanted, but maybe your stuff doesn’t work like mine because you’re… uh…”

“I’m what?” I asked sincerely.

Izzy remained silent for the moment, so Midnight took over. “Stubborn,” he supplied. “Unwilling to believe something works a certain way.”

“I can change my opinion on things!” I said.

“Sometimes,” Midnight admitted. “But you require proof. You were quite convinced that this was how things functioned, so it would not be strange if you mentally limited your improvements.”

“That’s… dumb,” I said. “It’s probably a mage thing.”

Jerome interjected again, “My window looks more like what she described,” he pointed to Izzy.

“Yeah but… that’s not… how… it works…” I said. My eye twitched. Something snapped inside my head. Warmth trickled onto my upper lip, confirmed to be blood as I wiped it away. Had I accidentally used magic? I still had a bunch of garbage crystal buildup inside me.

“Are you alright?” Izzy asked with worry. “That doesn’t look good.”

“I’m not sure if I’m ever alright sometimes,” I admitted. “So if I were to believe you, theoretically, we could spend points on things and improve everything with training? I’m also still wrapping my head around the fact that portal powers became proper classes upon passing through one of the portals. Though that makes the most sense because classes are normal.”

“Maybe for you,” Jerome retorted. “Most of us only have to think about normal powers.” He grinned, and I grinned back.

“Fair enough,” I shrugged. “Anyway, I suppose maybe things could work that way… with the weirdness of New Bay and this world.” I concentrated for a moment to bring up my status window, looking it over. “... I might be bad at understanding my powers.”

Turlough (No surname)

Level: 25

Experience: 1738/1755

Storage +3

Firebolt +3

Shocking Grasp +3

Grease +2

Force Armor +6

Mage's Reach +2

Translation +1

Haste +4

Disguise

Familiar Bond +3

Enlarge +2

Energy Ward +3

Sonic Lance +2

Scrying

Shield +1

Stoneskin +1

Mana Crystal Deposition +2

Water Breathing

Variable Freedom +2

Basic Light Magic +2

Locate Object

Alter Portal +1

Gate

Remaining Points: 3

There it was, looking like it had always been that way, with everything in the order I had learned it. It was kind of a mess, actually. Just a big pile of spells and… skills? Abilities? Class Features? I supposed Izzy and most classes didn’t have any spells, but mages didn’t normally have class features to spend points on either. Or maybe it was hidden knowledge.

For people who really liked learning, we were either really bad at it or bad at sharing or… evil and greedy. Or maybe some of these things really didn’t exist in my world, but I knew there had to be some secrets. I had so many things to do once I was allowed to use magic again.

“Well,” I said, looking at Izzy. “You were right. Though I have the feeling there’s more about this for each of us to discover.” I sighed, looking at some of the numbers.

“What’s wrong?” Izzy asked.

“I’m 17 experience short of a level and I can’t use magic,” I explained.

Izzy stood up, which brought her to basically eye level with me. She cracked her knuckles. “Is that so? I might be able to help fix one of those problems, at least.”

A wave of nostalgia hit me. Her face… well, she’d definitely aged somewhat since I was a kid, but I knew that grin well. I instinctively got to my feet. Then I took a proper stance.

Midnight interrupted. “I’m not sure if this is a good idea,” he said, looking between me and Izzy. “Seems a bit… unfair?”

I used one hand to pat him on the head and then lifted him down to the ground with it. “I know,” I agreed. “But that makes it better experience. Though if you’d like to use Force Armor on us so I don’t get hurt, I’d appreciate it.”

“I guess I can’t stop you,” he rolled his eyes then began to gather mana. Midnight took a moment to complete the spell- because it was a higher rank than Familiar Bond, I usually used it on the two of us for the efficiency and power improvements. He formed one for the two of us, and another around Izzy. “Go ahead and punch each other, or whatever.”

And we would.