World Walker (Multicross Quest)

[X] Wait for the Governance negotiators to arrive
-[X] Pass time talking to Madeline
--[X] Ask her about her government and say the last hundred years of history.
[X] Make yourself appear more formidable (demonstrate magic, mention advanced tech/magic dimensions)

If you are forced to spend the better part of an hour with Madeline you might as well do something to improve her mood. It wouldn't do to have your companion in waiting look and feel like someone ate her goldfish, or just remembered they left the stove on at home.

"Hey, cheer up nothings gone wrong so far," you say in your most reassuring voice. And you hope it stays that way.

"Thanks, but I didn't expect something like this to happen today. This feels momentous yet it appears like I keep messing up."

You don't know what to say to that. She probably feels like this most important day of her life – you really hope you aren't getting full of yourself – and be thinking of a dozen different ways how she could have handled this better.

It's not like it's all getting recorded, or maybe it is given the implied level of cybernetics. Hmm… maybe this will be shared on their version of television and everyone she knows will watch? Sucks to be her then, living in the hyper advanced, big brother future.

You resist the urge to make random facial expressions and body movements to confuse future viewers of this encounter. Speaking of possible viewers in the current tense…

Can you keep an eye on our surroundings, you think to Metatron. Didn't hurt to be prepared.

Of course, I will be busy preparing the "I told you so's" for the near future.

Sure, you do that.

You think it's either being stupidly paranoid about the sniper team or having sour grapes with not getting its' way. Though you wouldn't discount the possibility of these people attempting to apprehend you.

"Okay, in the interest of snapping you out of the cycle of self-loathing is it okay if I distract you with some questions?

"Go ahead, I must seem like poor company right now."

"If I'm going to negotiate with your government can you tell me a little about it?" You speak with some not quite false hesitance. "I've got the impression things are different here from what I'm used to." You are a little too young to remember the Soviet bloc.

Your self-aware query appears to succeed despite the telegraphing as Madeline launches into an explanation of her society's government or 'Governance' as it is called here. At times it feels like she is reciting study material from an old exam.

The broad gist is that they integrated artificial intelligence in government in a big way. There is a big group of representatives for many different components of society, ranging from specific subgroups of people to broad concepts. Half the representatives are enhanced humans and half are artificial intelligences. They form various committees to make decisions, this is followed by an opaque explanation of super-representatives and representatives merging with each other that you don't really get. Then there is this Directorate that creates and retires representatives and how is that not a dictatorship?

Madeline looks guilty at your mystification and confusion at her explanation. Well it's her fault for probably reading off an old school essay or something.

Apparently one of its intentions was to replicate the benefits of democratic governance without its downsides. To you it just seems like a different flavour of communism, except with AI's running most of the politburo.

You hope they are nicer than Metatron.

This is followed by a general description of societal structure. Words like post scarcity and 'eudaimonics' just sound like a nicer dressing for Marxism. What even were those words anyway? You'd have to look it up in a dictionary sometime.

Madeline looks more and more panicked at your lack of comprehension. You hope she gets all the criticism if or when the recording is made public.

You also glean a lot of supplementary details from her anxious descriptions. Apparently, everyone living forever has a big impact on politics. There's nothing hyperbolic in that sentence, these people think of death like a cured disease, such an alien mindset. Deaths on Earth are apparently super rare these days so calling yourself an orphan must have been very shocking. Also having children requires permits that are very limited.

Things for all of the above are different in Earth's colonies so that must have been why she assumed you were from there. This is clearly despite the fact that she mentioned it being a one way journey.

You ask Madeline about the last hundred years of history. She is in such a worried state you think she might slip something important. The truth is actually not much as she goes further back than that. Apparently, World War Three was fought sometime in the 2200's and called the Unification Wars. This was followed by a two century long golden age where FTL and immortality were discovered, and energy became free thanks to solar satellites somehow.

Throughout this time the existence of magical girls was a secret that was enforced by the MSY, their main governing body. The masquerade only broke when the Cephalopod war started in 2440. These squid-like aliens appeared out of nowhere and attacked humanity for no apparent reason and started exterminating colonies. The human military was severely outmatched which forced the MSY to get involved and even the scales.

The confusing and curious infodump session comes to an end when Madeline, with a visibly relieved face says the Governance negotiators have arrived.


The pair of people that approach could not look more different. Physically they both don't look a day over twenty-five. The woman looks sharply dressed and approaches you confidently.

The other one is a stark contrast, the man looks like an unemployed hippy someone dragged off the street. Long hair, casual clothes and a stupid multi-coloured headband. He is carrying a bag of some kind.

"Hello, my name is Marisa Kwame and I'll be the main envoy in our talks. The man beside me is our historical expert, Jellow."

She offers no last name, said man waves at you oddly and looks excited.

"It is a pleasure to meet both of you. I hope you have been briefed on the situation?" You assume those internal phones were going full blast.

"We have. You say that you wish to trade with us across alternate earths." The way she says it implies she does not fully believe you but is regardless carrying out her job to negotiate. "I was wondering what you could trade with us."

"I would be giving your people access to a large number of worlds and human societies they would not otherwise have." You hold out your hand and hold a finger up.

"And this would be of interest because…" she leads on but it's clear all three are starting to get what you mean.

"Some of these worlds are quite advanced in their own ways." To emphasise your point the tip of your finger lights up as you start spellcasting. An energy needle forms in front of you.

The look of shock on your audience's face as you display the impossible is satisfying.

Given the occasional concurrent silences, you get the impression that all three are communicating to each other about you. Stupid in-built telephones of the future, or were they walkie talkies?

"Are you from one of these worlds?" Marisa asks you.

"No but it's complicated. I visit quite a few worlds at different tech levels." The statement is even technically true. Jellow looks relieved at your words for some reason.

"How can you use magic?" Madeline's asks in a stunned voice.

"It's different from what you have," and didn't require the whole soul selling deal.

Marisa looks like she believes you now, "As a sign of our good faith we bought along some relevant information that could help your world. It is medical and humanitarian material from the first half of the twenty-first century, so it should be easy for your people to reach…" she trails off.

The negotiators appear uncertain now as it appears your revelation of other advanced worlds have thrown them for a loop. They are unsure if what they prepared for is relevant.

"It will be accepted to what it is, a gift given in good intentions. I imagine it will be quite useful in many regards."

"Great," Jellow speaks for the first time. "I've bought a couple of antique USBs' to store the info," he doesn't make sense though.

"What is a YuuEssBee?" you ask bewildered.

"Oh right, probably not well-known yet. Um, this is going to be harder than I thought."

He puts a hand in his bag and brings out a large, clear case that is filled with thin bricks. Are those… floppy disks?

"I don't have reader for those." You guess you could go out and buy one, you have the money you suppose.

He brings out a smaller case full of CD's, "Will this media do?"

"Yeah that's fine," you take it from him. You wonder how useful it will be.

Why would these people give away such information? Metatron asks you.

You understand the logic of this gift. They are offering something of little use to them but of potentially great use to us. It costs them nothing if it turns out I am an imposter. Whereas if it's all true then it would generate quite a bit goodwill in our minds, even subconsciously.

Seriously, offering a few decades worth of medical data mattered little in the scheme of things when you had a four-century lead.

The discussion goes on a little longer as you discuss various small items and offer platitudes. You offer your goodbyes when you feel the talk has been played out.

"Please visit us again," Marisa tells you calmly. "We would be interested in anything special you have to trade."

"Geeteegee Miss Alice," you really don't understand this Jellow guy. Why is he even here? All he did was drop a bunch of weird references, you only got a few of them. He looks like he is having the time of his life though. Maybe his purpose was to carry the bag?

"Bye," Madeline does not look you in the eye. You get the feeling she is going to be screaming into a pillow soon. You wish her well.


You walk out of sight to keep up appearances and world walk back to your world. You breathe a big sigh of relief. That could have gone worse, you think to yourself.

Still, you made friendly contact and received a nice freebie. You have concluded your first negotiation, it only gets more complicated from here.

So was I right, or was I right? You try to keep the gloating toned down.

Metatron grumbles wordlessly. You offer him an olive branch.

You had some valid concerns, but I think they will want to get my measure before they try anything, if they ever even do. At least several more meetings, so we have time enough.

You head on home and try out the CD's you were given. It would be a cruel irony if it turned out they are not compatible for some reason. Fortunately, that is not the case as Jellow seems to know his stuff. You and Metatron do a quick skim through.

You now have cures and vaccines for several forms of cancer and a whole bunch of other diseases. You also have some future information regarding humanitarian disasters.


Now you have all this info. What do you do with it? How do you even use it? You can't just put it on the internet, can you? Maybe create or buy a biotech firm? You are a bit stumped on how to proceed.


[] Do something with the data you have
-[] Release it anonymously
-[] Create or buy a company to proliferate it
-[] Write-in
[] Check out the rest of the worlds on Metatron's list
[] Learn more of the Belkan Language
[] Learn more Linker Core magic theory.
[] Try to dig up more info on your mother's family.

[x] Practice Linker Core magic theory

After the recent excitement, you opt to go back to the mainstay of learning more magic theory. Learning more of that can't hurt, you figure it will be the backbone of your skills. Possessing a better foundation will pay off in the future.

You get to work, and progress is more challenging than you expect. It's a combination of the material becoming more difficult and your wandering thoughts. You spent a lot of time thinking of what you witnessed on your recent travels.

By the end of the week you even learn a new device free spell. With some concentration and a few helpful hand movements you can cast a lesser binding spell.

You haven't tested it on anyone yet, but Metatron said that it would create energy rings around the target's wrists. This would prevent all movement as the binds would be stationary.

You can immediately think of some scenarios where this would be very useful. Your chances of escaping an assailant increased quite a bit. The binds would be weak and fairly easy for a competent linker core mage to break. It's the distraction that counts. Escaping multiple assailants would be a more difficult proposition however.


Don't restrain someone for too long, the energy chain will eventually start cutting through.

What!?

That was a joke.



What do you think about those people?

I feel they could be useful associates after you are in a much stronger position.

How do you mean? When I am more powerful?

That and the strength of the organisation behind you. Good support magnifies the effect of one's power. Your relationship with this Governance will depend on this.

I see. What do you think they will do?

They will invest much into attempting dimensional travel.

That much was to be expected. How soon do you think they can achieve that?

I do not know.

Really? I thought their version of the internet would give a decent indicator.

That's the problem. The Incubators claim that all technological advancements were the cause of wishes.

What? That's utterly ridiculous. It just kills human agency.

I know. I honestly can't assess that assertion properly. There are strong indicators that some of their biggest breakthroughs were the result of wishes, so there probably is a kernel of truth. I wouldn't put it past them to publicise your meeting and wait for an adventurous teenage girl do the rest. Shortly thereafter a science team makes a stunning breakthrough. Bear in mind this is a worst case scenario, it will likely take years in any case.

So, they can just wait for wish to solve their problems? That's complete bullshit. It's like reality is bending over to hand them freebies on a platter. Why can't someone wish those genocidal aliens away?

I do not know, Metatron replies, amused. Perhaps they do not have enough of this 'potential' the incubators speak of. We must investigate those aliens further, they are a curious mix of terrifying power and helpless impotence.

Later, what do you think of that world's combat capabilities?

Their conventional abilities are somewhat advanced but severely constrained by lack of magical knowledge. I imagine an old Belkan cruiser could comfortably take on several times the number of enemy warships.

Why are you so fixated on void combat? We don't even have any ships.

He who holds the orbitals controls fate itself.

If you don't mind causing massive collateral damage, you think to yourself.

Any surprises found on the ground can resolved in this manner. Most problems can't take a lightning arc to the face.

Keep going. You want to move on from this tangent.

Those puella magi are a complete mixed bag of abilities, they will be the main threats. A few would pose a serious risk as they possess formidable powers that have little rhyme or reason. Having good intelligence is key, I recommend using expendable drones initially.

For that you actually need to have expendable drones. What is your overall opinion?

They would be good to have friendly relations with, if possible. Eventual conquest is not recommended.

Thank you for your thoughts.


[] Check out the rest of the worlds on Metatron's list
[] Go to that primitive Earth and get more field practice
[] Learn more of the Belkan language
[] Learn more Linker Core magic theory.
[] Try to dig up more info on your mother's family.
[] Do something with that medical data
-[] Write-in
[] Spend money
-[] Write-in