Mage Among Superheroes

There was something odd about watching a cleaning robot use magic to remove a pile of dust rather than its own bristles. Not that there was much to be found around the house, given Rob’s purpose there.

“That’s the only spell he’ll cast on his own,” Jerome explained. “Though I can make him cast other things, if I order him.”

“That’s not terrible,” I said. “Better than him using the wrong thing.”

Jerome shrugged, “Not that I have many dangerous spells. I’ve been focusing on defensive stuff and utility, and don’t really intend to change that anytime soon.”

“Good choice,” Jet commented. “Too many young fellows would want to have flashy abilities.”

Was that directed at me, or Midnight?’

Jerome did have other things to do aside from hanging out with me all day. If we were going to practice magic that would be one thing- and we would likely do so soon- but today was not that day. Next on the list was touring the city for the afternoon.

-----

It came to mind that Midnight seemed to have been more places in New Bay than myself. Aside from work related things, I didn’t really go many places- and Midnight was with me for the vast majority of that.

I’d been to arcades a few times with the old squad, and I had certainly enjoyed it, but I didn’t tend to seek out such experiences. For me, there was little better than knowing I was improving myself. Whether exercising, sparring, or simply practicing spells I gained something of value. Now that I could gain improvements to spells from simple use rather than points only, it was quite different. But sparring got me experience and practical training with spells, so that was the best thing short of actual combat.

In summary, I loved my job and was glad it existed. And though I had seen my fair share of troubles in New Bay, including problems in the hero association as well as mercenary companies that went too far… I thought it was better run than my previous world. At least here I didn’t know of anyone trying to stop me from reaching my full potential. Though maybe they were just sneakier about it. Villains didn’t count, obviously. Anyone acting outside the law at least meant they were publicly condemned. Also, I got to attack them so it balanced out.

Midnight definitely knew more about various parts of New Bay than I did, from fancy seafood restaurants- he didn’t just love one sort of fish- to tourist attractions and shopping.

“This planet is even more different than I imagined,” Jet commented. “Beyond just the differences in body types. There is both high and low technology commonly found everywhere. And so many types of people… it is quite different from Celmoth. However, I can certainly see the appeal of such a place.” Jet turned towards me. “I look forward to showing you Celmoth, when the opportunity arises.”

“We do need to actually spend a proper amount of time working,” Midnight commented. “But I would also like Turlough to see home. Though perhaps he might find it… uncomfortable.”

“Indeed,” Jet said. “We do appear to be placed higher than most individuals.” The two of them were riding on my shoulders, which was rather odd. Not because it was bad, but because usually it was just one occupied at a time. Fortunately, both Midnight and his mother had great balance so I didn’t have to think about it too much. “In fact, we are almost concerningly high. But you do not seem bothered. Have you…?”

“He knows about my fear of heights,” Midnight pointed out. “And no, it’s not really better. I just feel safe around my best buddy. Oh, here we are,” Midnight said.

Jet looked around at our current destination. “I fail to see what about this particular place you might recommend. It looks like mixed residential and businesses.”

I looked around too. Indeed, it wasn’t much to look at. But… Midnight’s head was turned towards a particular place. An alley. “It’s where we first met,” I commented.

“That’s right,” Midnight said, his tail swishing happily. “I wasn’t sure if you would remember.”

“How could I not? It’s not every day that you see someone in such obvious need.”

“You fed me hot dog,” Midnight said.

“... I assume it is not cooked dog,” Jet said. “Considering they are kept as pets here.”

“Right,” Midnight nodded. “It’s just a sausage.”

“Do you like them?”

Midnight shrugged his shoulders. “They’re alright. At the time, though, they were divine.”

I looked around. “The hot dog stand is still just a couple blocks away,” I commented. “We could see how they fare.”

“We just came from lunch,” Jet said. “And you consumed a massive amount of food.”

“We all split a single meal,” I said. “Though I’ll admit it wasn’t that small. But I am something over twenty times as heavy as you. Besides, we don’t have to eat the whole thing.”

“Sounds wasteful,” Jet said.

“I suppose so,” I said. “Most likely something will eat it.”

To me, the hot dog was much the same. It was alright, though it really needed the condiments. Midnight and Jet split one without a bun, Jet holding the packaging with her fancy moldable suit. Midnight was both happy and extremely unimpressed. “It’s better when you’re starving.”

“It’s certainly less impressive than that restaurant,” Jet commented.

“And a hundred times cheaper,” I pointed out. That wasn’t even an exaggeration, either.

A tingling sensation caught my attention. I looked around, trying to figure out what it was. But there was nothing of note that I could find. Just a woman walking her dog. A very big dog that sniffed as it walked past us.

“Hey, Midnight…” I said. “What kind of dog is that again? A strong dane?”

“Great dane,” Midnight said. “... Like Spot.”

I turned away, just trying to feel behind me. “You sense that?”

“I do,” Midnight said. “Similar power from both of them. It doesn’t seem active but…”

“It’s still a problem,” I said. “That’s not Darkstargirl though.”

“What’s going on?” Jet asked. “Is there something about that… dog?”

“He might actually be one of the few verified bunvorixians on the planet,” I said.

“Then we should take him out,” Jet said. “Oh, right. You’re not at war with them here.”

Midnight tilted his head. “We kind of are, though. Not like, all of them. But if that’s the one we think.”

“I’d like to follow them,” I said. “But I think we should leave. We don’t want to follow them into an ambush.”

“... Really?” Midnight asked. “I’m surprised.”

“I don’t want to drag your mother into a battle,” I pointed out.

“Ah. I see,” Midnight said vaguely.

“You shouldn’t have been concerned about me,” she said. “It is my duty to fight enemy combatants. And I can fight.”

“Too late now,” I shook my head. “They’re gone. But we might have others watching us. Aside from you being a civilian here, you also might not have a full grasp of what we’re up against.”

“Then perhaps you should tell me,” Jet suggested.

“Sure. We can show you some things… but we can’t really include others from the Brigade.” I frowned. “I’m not really sure where the line is.”

“We can always look on video sharing sites,” Midnight pointed out. “If it’s been recorded and posted, it’s all public knowledge.”

“Oh, good point. I forget about that kind of stuff.”

Jet sighed. “... is it because he comes from a world without technology?” she tried to whisper to Midnight.

“Don’t think so,” Midnight replied. “This is just how he is.”

-----

“Raaagh!” the screaming voice came through my phone. We took a circuitous route home so we wouldn’t be followed, and now we were watching Great Girl throw things. Like cars. And a bus. And some sort of golem. And eventually we would get to dragons.

“This is a very small screen,” Jet commented.

“Yeah, well, Turlough doesn’t watch television,” Midnight said. “And human computers aren’t great for me.”

“Give me a moment,” Jet said, placing her paw over the phone. “Hmm, it certainly doesn’t have familiar adapters. But I can at least expand the image.” The silvery sheen around her began to flow over the phone, and then it expanded to a few times the size in each direction. Since the limitation wasn’t the resolution the screen could display, it worked out quite well when it began to replicate the image below.

“That stuff sure can do a lot, huh?” I asked.

“That is what adaptive nanotech is best at, yes,” she said. “I couldn’t be certain what I would need, so I brought this.” As we watched more Great Girl videos, Jet nodded slowly. “The size is a bit difficult to comprehend, but I can tell she is quite powerful. Not someone I would wish to take on without backup.”

“She’s one of the good guys,” I said. “But the fact that she’s necessary to fight against some of the threats here is the point.” I tried to touch the phone, but the coating was in the way. “Oh. I wanted to look up Stargirl.”

“I can do that,” Jet said. She put her paw on the screen, and the coating slipped away. “Stargirl, was it?”

Before she finished punching in the search, Midnight interrupted. “You’re going to want to search for Shooting Star or Dark Star,” he explained.

That was what I’d said. Well, not the part about Darkstargirl, but obviously Stargirl would find that too.

“Was she the one with that Bunvorixian?” Jet asked as she saw a video pop up with Spot in the thumbnail.”

I shook my head. “No, that wasn’t her. She looks and feels way different. That was probably one of her fanclub.”

We actually had a chance to see her real face since she turned villain. Specifically after she broke out of prison, though the information wasn’t publicly available until she was sentenced. There were all sorts of rules about supers with regards to prosecution and villain status that I didn’t care about, but a relevant thing was she didn’t even bother sending a lawyer to defend herself in court. Maybe she thought going full villain would be good for her image. And… it was. At least in terms of popularity, though obviously there were all sorts of legal issues with selling merch for villains. Some still managed it though.

“Hmm. Energy powers,” Jet commented. “These would actually be easier to counter than excessive kinetic force. Though it would depend on her durability…”

“Pretty high,” Midnight said. “She’s not a heavy or anything, but her power protects her from damage.”

“And the two of you fought her?”

“We have energy ablative barriers,” Midnight said. “Approximately. Also, we had more squadmates with us.”

Jet was eagerly flipping through various recommended videos about supers. Since it was my phone, she got some of my recommendations. “Who is this Shockwave? The videos are uh… low quality.”

“A speedster from the Power Brigade,” I commented. “They’re… fast, obviously.”

“This is perhaps the most troublesome ability of all,” Jet commented. “How could someone even react to this?”

“You’d be surprised what experienced supers can manage,” I said. “Also, our personal solution is Haste.” Of course, if Shockwave was in a murderous mood, I think only heavies would be safe. I had seen them kill a swarm of rats with a knife. Self preservation prevented Shockwave from using the vast force of momentum to cause harm, but a fast cut with a fit person’s strength or a bit more was still possible. “Also Slow. The combination really makes us pretty close in speed.”

“I am ever more curious to see a demonstration of your abilities,” Jet commented. “How would you rate your own strength?”

“Average,” I said.

“Significantly above average,” Midnight commented. “We survived an encounter with Doctor Doomsday and triumphed over Stargirl. Shooting Star,” Midnight caught himself. “Though our current limitations are that of combat longevity due to limited mana.”

“You need to tell me about mana too,” Jet said.

“Oh, I have a whole book on it,” I said. “Though I haven’t verified it’s all correct or safe, yet.” Midnight could really benefit from boosted mana stores, though it wasn’t as if I was happy with my limits either. And greater recovery would be nice too. Maybe Celmothian technology could help, somehow? That would be interesting.