Project: Gamer Ver. 2 (Young Justice/Gamer/Multicross OC)
- Thread starter Mister Ficser
- Start date
mentats just makes me think of bare chested muscular men with tattoos, is that wrong?
Are you talking about "Demon Slayer" breathing techniques or Hamon a.k.a. Ripple from "JoJo's Bizarre Adventures"? Hamon does extra-damage to vampires and the undead because it embodies the POWAHHH of 🌞sunlight.
Alchemist said he was incompetent at chakra*, so it'd be a nice balance if Yuffie's ninjutsu/chakra training made her adept at "Demon Slayer" breathing techniques.
*Or Alchemist didn't think it was worth the effort to level-grind chakra when he already has powerful skills, feats, and attributes in his arsenal.
[QUO
Strict time limits = Solving Problems via Knight Form Hellblitz?
Frescko
King of Silver 🏳️⚧️
You know about item worlds, what would the effect of using one on a Skill Book be (or just a book in general)? Would the skill book become easier to understand and comprehend without the use of the system instantly granting it as a skill? Would the skill have an EXP modifier making it easier to level up?
- Location
- Earth, 3rd rock from the Sun
He already did that.
It's just that he did it Scrub style, "hanging off the passenger side of his best friends ride", when he used Miss Martian's bioship in the Minimizer stunt attack.
I have some questions, is Jinx still in the story receiving skills and powers without lifting a finger? It was quite annoying that she got the same powers or better than the MC without working for it.
The last chapters that I read was the ff7 one, chapter 110 or 120 I think.
I stopped reading there to wait some chapters and come back to see if things changed.
Maybe there was a interesting twist? The interactions between Jinx and the MC gave me grooming vibes, a much older man going on unsupervised trips with a teen and giving her expensive gifts (Skills, powers, etc).
That would be an interesting twist, the MC having a bit of introspection and realizing that he was becoming similar to the person who drove his host body to suicide.
A interesting subverting of expectations if what I thought happened.
The last chapters that I read was the ff7 one, chapter 110 or 120 I think.
I stopped reading there to wait some chapters and come back to see if things changed.
Maybe there was a interesting twist? The interactions between Jinx and the MC gave me grooming vibes, a much older man going on unsupervised trips with a teen and giving her expensive gifts (Skills, powers, etc).
That would be an interesting twist, the MC having a bit of introspection and realizing that he was becoming similar to the person who drove his host body to suicide.
A interesting subverting of expectations if what I thought happened.
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It should probably be worth noting, unlike most media, by the time YJ got to the Phantom Zone, a better option was suggested in which the inhabitants were to be paroled and put on a new planet to start anew. The actual effectiveness of this strategy depends, as in the timeline of the Legion of Super-Heroes where this was done to put every single Kryptonian on Daxam, Dru-Zod proved unrepentant and corrupted the entire population to serve him in an attempt to conquer the galaxy, getting that entire population condemned once more. The Justice League wanted to parole them on the abandoned red sun planet of Trombus, even after the Zods were freed by the future Lor-Zod, they tried to take Earth, and they had to be re-imprisoned again, but the Light had already extracted every Kryptonian and imprisoned them on the Warworld.
One thing I noticed is that while Kara and Non are easily named, the second female Kryptonian seems to avoid being mentioned, likely making it hard to determine whether it is Faora, Ursa, or another female Kryptonian entirely.
One thing I noticed is that while Kara and Non are easily named, the second female Kryptonian seems to avoid being mentioned, likely making it hard to determine whether it is Faora, Ursa, or another female Kryptonian entirely.
- Pronouns
- he/him/his
Not quite. His Holmcross body, with "living steel" bones and blood from his Void Dragon body and I don't remember what for the flesh, is technically a golem that does a fantastic job of imitating an organic being. He has transmigrated to being half-dragon, but apparently golems do not have and cannot develop chakra coils.
You're right that it would be yet another time sink of a skill, though.
1) Party members continue to share XP gains, the Inventory, and access to the GP pool as an intrinsic function of the Party feature. That said, skills and spells are learned and trained separately, Jinx has been putting in a substantial amount of work to learn and train them (even in the parts you've read through), and she has been developing along a different path than Alchemist. The differences in their abilities and styles continue to mount.
2) Jinx is romantically interested in Alchemist, which is honestly understandable. She was a homeless metahuman in Gotham after escaping a terrible home life, and he was the first person in years to show her any real kindness, with zero expectation of recompense, and he got her off the streets. He demonstrated responsibility, agency, initiative, confidence, and competence. And then Bitterblack Island happened, and he continued being kind. He didn't make a move on her, he didn't complain about her presence, he did prioritize her wellbeing, he did teach her life skills and magic. Of course she was interested!
And then they fought for their lives together!
Alchemist, on the other hand, has been very deliberately not been making romantic overtures to Jinx. He is conscious of grooming, and of the appearance of grooming, and is trying to avoid both. He considers Jinx his best friend, and maybe a sister.
Jinx has since become a full dragon. Alchemist is part golem, part dragon. Magic use tends to extend lifespans; they both use A LOT. They're going to live a very, very long time if they don't get killed, and they both know it. Millenia, maybe immortal. This has relationship implications.
Very recently Jinx got drunk (she's a dragon, this was not easy) and confronted Alchemist over her feelings. His response boiled down to "no, here's why it's a bad idea, we can revisit the topic when you're older".
If you're looking for an interesting twist on that plotline, though, that would be the demon that decided to romance Alchemist. She's changed a lot since then!
Note that this 'torture' version of the PHantom Zone is also a revision. Originally it was just a timeless dimensional prison. Mon-El endured a thousand years in the Phantom Zone as a merciful and painless way to halt his lead poisoning until a cure was found by the Legion of Superheroes in the 30th century.
So, another thing made worse by later writers.
At this point I have to wonder if there is any fandom that Aelryinth isn't an expert on 🤣.
So Jinx is still a thing? The part that made me decide to pause reading was the Dragonborn fight, Alchemist nearly died in that fight with minimal support from Jinx, but in the end Jinx not only received the same perk, but better.
Is she still getting better stuff than Alchemist and better stats without effort or reason?
Frescko
King of Silver 🏳️⚧️
The only real downside I can think of when it comes to TCB from KnY would be the Demon Slayer Mark's die at 25 thing but isn't the reason why people die at 25 because they're body is being overclocked to death?
Yoriichi died of old age and he had a Demon Slayer mark so perhaps if your Built Different(TM) you can live longer? It would probably be based on your vitality/endurance, the higher it is the longer you live. once your body gets to the supernatural level you live a normal lifespan, at least for humans, for aliens and dragons they probably wouldn't have to deal with the down sides of the DSM like how demons don't. Something that pretty much everyone in the league has now that they're eating stat enhancing foods.
As a side if any villains do get a manual on TCB and DSM they have at best a few years before they die as a lot of them are still baseline human.
Yoriichi died of old age and he had a Demon Slayer mark so perhaps if your Built Different(TM) you can live longer? It would probably be based on your vitality/endurance, the higher it is the longer you live. once your body gets to the supernatural level you live a normal lifespan, at least for humans, for aliens and dragons they probably wouldn't have to deal with the down sides of the DSM like how demons don't. Something that pretty much everyone in the league has now that they're eating stat enhancing foods.
As a side if any villains do get a manual on TCB and DSM they have at best a few years before they die as a lot of them are still baseline human.
- Pronouns
- he/him/his
Jinx is still a thing. That "minimal support" consisted of returning with reinforcements as soon as she could, providing a reprieve and distraction, and changing the Dragonborn's Luck stat to negative 118. The (highly effective) distraction and the Luck thing are the reason Sindri died instead of Alchemist.
Also, Jinx did not receive a better perk than Alchemist. She received the same perk.
In FF7, Jinx was given the egg because Alchemist already had a dragon egg and because it was expected that they would stick together and both benefit.
No. I think you were misreading and may have been using protagonist-centered logic.
- No, she is not getting better stuff than Alchemist. She never has.
- Stats are tied to level, which is tied to XP gained and the transmigration mechanic. Stat gain on level-up is tied to racial bonuses and allocation choices. Until stat-boosting items come into play, anyway, which blows that out of the water because Alchemist cheats like a proper Gamer.
- Besides, stats are substantially less important than skills and spells and the amount you've trained them.
- No, she is not getting them without effort. What she gets out of spells and skills is proportionate to the amount of effort she puts in. And she is doing what she can to contribute to combat and to be a valuable team member.
- No, she is not getting them without reason. The reasons are game logic, Jinx's own efforts, or because Alchemist gave them to her.
- To quote Alchemist, "A gift is not a gift, Ap0c4L1PS1S, if one expects payment in return."
Finally, Alchemist is still the most powerful and most effective member of the team. For a variety of reasons.
- Location
- Earth, 3rd rock from the Sun
Okay, that's it.
You just lost your acronym privileges on account of excessive lazy typing.
You need to type out everything out from now on.
Frescko
King of Silver 🏳️⚧️
- Location
- Whadjuk Noongar boodja
Again, deftly and wonderfully done, this time not only with
👏 👏 👏
Frescko
King of Silver 🏳️⚧️
So somemore thoughts on becoming OP even faster:
Disney's Aladdin have a game? Buying the Gennie's lamp for two (three) free wishes which power scales higher then DnD wish spell could work, especially in the early game
Item storage limits are 9999 right? Well shulkers could further enhance that especially if they aren't limited to 64 items per stack.
MHA has a game couldn't you buy All Might's Hair?
Would Hearts from LoZ increase VP? Also couldn't you buy the Hyrule and Lorule Triforces for more power? Maybe not the Triforce of power as it would probably leave you though
Terraria has some really good items you could buy but I think I've mentioned this before.
On the topic of Buying stuff from the System couldn't you buy some NPs from Fate? Sadly not Skills as I I'm pretty sure those are quest reward exclusive.
Further note on buying stuff I've been playing Hollow Knight and The charms seem like a good thing.
Final topic but doesn't the store have like a bunch of Phlebotinum from various universes? Some that come to mind are Goblin-Silver (Harry Potter), Gilgamesh (DMC), stuff from Daemonhein (RuneScape), Australium (TF2), Netherite (Minecraft), Element Zero (Mass Effect), Ect.
Disney's Aladdin have a game? Buying the Gennie's lamp for two (three) free wishes which power scales higher then DnD wish spell could work, especially in the early game
Item storage limits are 9999 right? Well shulkers could further enhance that especially if they aren't limited to 64 items per stack.
MHA has a game couldn't you buy All Might's Hair?
Would Hearts from LoZ increase VP? Also couldn't you buy the Hyrule and Lorule Triforces for more power? Maybe not the Triforce of power as it would probably leave you though
Terraria has some really good items you could buy but I think I've mentioned this before.
On the topic of Buying stuff from the System couldn't you buy some NPs from Fate? Sadly not Skills as I I'm pretty sure those are quest reward exclusive.
Further note on buying stuff I've been playing Hollow Knight and The charms seem like a good thing.
Final topic but doesn't the store have like a bunch of Phlebotinum from various universes? Some that come to mind are Goblin-Silver (Harry Potter), Gilgamesh (DMC), stuff from Daemonhein (RuneScape), Australium (TF2), Netherite (Minecraft), Element Zero (Mass Effect), Ect.
I don't know about directly but Kingdom Hearts and other such games exist though the lamp if in the shop would need a quest and that isn't the best verse to go to.
Bnha has at least 2 games but I don't think the hair is an item or that they even have anything big enough to need a quest.
Nps have the issues of probably needing a quest and only working for the people they are tied to.
Murphy D. Law
Quality Control Inspector
Sheesh.
The real protagonist of this story should be his wife that no longer has to deal with him and hopefully got a payout for her troubles.
Then again, maybe I have a morbid fascination watching a mid-fifties man live his life like an ongoing trainwreck while acting like he's smarter than everyone.
Doesn't matter. I'm enjoying reading about this man-child's dilemmas.
The real protagonist of this story should be his wife that no longer has to deal with him and hopefully got a payout for her troubles.
Then again, maybe I have a morbid fascination watching a mid-fifties man live his life like an ongoing trainwreck while acting like he's smarter than everyone.
Doesn't matter. I'm enjoying reading about this man-child's dilemmas.
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Proportionally, Jinx did little compared to Alchemist in the Dragonborn fight and got better rewards there is no way to deny it.
Then she became a Dragon too, because why not, but with better stats than Alchemist again.
It's kind of a recurring theme, that she gets better stuff without effort.
The problem is not protagonist centric logic, the problem is how useless all seems when Jinx always gets better stuff than Alchemist all the time without any effort.
And reading between lines in your post tells me Jinx is still getting better stats, skills and stuff than Alchemist without putting in the effort.
The story was nice till Jinx showed up, I stopped reading expecting this to be corrected down the line, but seems it just continued... at least I didn't read expecting it to change only to get disappointed in the end.
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- Pronouns
- he/him/his
You asked for an answer. I gave you an answer. You told me my answer was wrong.
I am unsure how to meaningfully engage with that.
I could quibble over details, point out how becoming a dragon has had significant downsides, provide citations that I interpret as proving my stance and disproving yours.
But it seems to me that you have reached a conclusion and that you don't want to be convinced otherwise.
So I will not try, as it is probably futile.
Well, I looked a the stat sheets and other info, so obviously what you said about the story fixing this situation wasn't true...
Chapter 230
Project: Gamer Ver. 2 Alpha Build 2.3.0
Disclaimer Me Do: I own nothing you recognize. And most of what you don't recognize, I still don't own.
_________________________________________________________________________
November 4, 2010
Traveling through the narrow halls carved within the Rock of Eternity, Billy Batson felt exhausted.
Not only had he been dealing with a surge of supernatural creatures trying to prey upon the ignorant populace, Mayor Sivana had decided to try and enact a scheme that would see the owners of several important factories around Fawcett City divested of their holdings and...
Honestly, Billy didn't entirely disagree with the old doctor. Jon Kenning, the owner of a nearby tool and die shop, was raking in profits while cutting his employees benefits and threatening them with sanctions and punishments that were probably illegal but Billy didn't know anywhere near enough about labor law to do anything.
But the man still employed a good two-hundred people and if they lost their jobs, that was significantly more than two-hundred people that would be going hungry, lacking medicine or losing the roof over their heads. All three of which were things that Billy was unpleasantly familiar with.
Pausing to catch his breath just outside the room where Shazam tended to reside, Billy hoped to figure out how to deal with the mad doctor and his insane, brilliant children sometime soon.
He did not like having to ask if he was doing the right thing. At all.
A large object bumped against Billy's shoulder gently and he turned to see what it was. His familiar, the mutated tiger Mister Tawni.
"Hey," Billy greeted his feline friend, running one hand through the thick, coarse fur over the tiger's head. The big cat chuffed at the contact, leaning into the boy so hard he was nearly knocked over. "Hey, hey! Stop that- You'll knock me over!"
Despite his words, Billy found himself laughing as his familiar rubbed its head against him.
"...Young Billy?" Shazam's aged voice called from within the room Billy hovered outside of. There was a regular 'Clunk!' of wood against stone as the Wizard walked through the room and stood in the doorway, watching the proceedings. Had Billy been able to focus on him rather than Mister Tawny, he might have been able to see some of the wrinkles along the man's face soften as he smiled gently at the sight. "I'd not expected you. Come, come, I'm afraid I find myself quite tired of late. The most recent efforts of the Three have been more and more draining, I'm afraid."
Billy finally succeeded in pushing Mister Tawny away so he could follow the ancient wizard into what used to be the meeting room for those he'd empowered. Now there was only one chair that was free of dust, the very same one that Shazam was hobbling towards.
"Are you alright?" Billy asked, taking in the decrepit struggle of the man who'd given him the strength of gods and heroes. "Here, let me-"
"I am fine, child," Shazam chided the boy, turning to collapse into his chair. "I am just tired. Every year, my boy, the Three Faces of Evil gather their strength in a cycle. On the same day which they were sealed away, they are at their peak of power and rage against their bindings. I fear that the damage they've caused throughout the millennia has been felt by the wider world beyond their prison, unfortunately."
"...Wait." Billy's mind stuttered at the admission that came from the worn-out warrior. "Are they the reason that demons and stuff get really active on Halloween?"
"Is that what they call it now?" Shazam asked as he slowly deflated on his throne. "Perhaps so. In truth, many of the monsters that haunt the night crossed on to the Earth on that day throughout the years. I fear I may have had a hand in this- The creation of the Rock of Eternity was a grand magic, summoning its halves from Heaven and Hell alike to bind and seal the Three, it left a scar upon the world through which other, lesser forces have been able to force their way through."
"Woah..." Billy hadn't ever heard about any of that. Instead he was just kept busy dealing with all of the random things that always seemed to crop up and try to interfere with people living their normal lives.
"...I apologize, child," Shazam said, his beard twitching as the man smiled underneath of it. "There is little left for me to do here but think. Thank you for letting this old man talk your ear off. Now, was there something that you needed from me?"
"Oh, uh, yeah," Billy mumbled as he pulled out a folded piece of paper Alchemist had given him. "Alchemist wanted me to ask you about a few things. Uh... Have you ever heard of a god named 'Urz car taga'?"
"...The name seems familiar to me, young Billy, but I'm afraid I cannot recall a god by that name." Shazam brought a hand up and began to stroke his beard. He seemed deep enough in thought that Billy didn't want to interrupt him. "I think... that may have been the name of a rather potent nature spirit. From the heart of Alkebulan?"
"Maybe?" Billy shrugged and looked back down to the paper. "He wanted me to ask you because that god or nature spirit or whatever it is, it made another spirit and that's been stuck inside of someone. We're trying to figure out how to subdue it or bind it or, maybe, turn it into a power kind of like mine? Then the poor lady that's possessed could have Cheetah powers!"
"...I cannot say," Shazam admitted, his hand still stroking down his beard. "I know too little to truly be helpful, my child. Your powers were all voluntarily gifted to you, they are still held in trust to the gods and kings that gave them to me in the first place. To forcibly convert a spirit in such a way..."
Placing both hands on the arm rests of his seat, Shazam forced himself to his feet and began to shuffle towards one of the doors leading out of the room.
"Come, Billy. I may know of a way to accomplish that which you seek to do."
"What's that?" Billy asked, walking slowly at the wizard's side.
He was starting to worry that the man might fall, he'd never seen him struggle so much to move so little.
"I do remember when some of the curses came into being, when magic was young and wild," Shazam explained as they began to make their way to the library hidden deep within the Rock of Eternity. "And I recall fighting beasts that were made during those olden days, hideous creatures that predated The Flood. One of my allies, a mage that worked under the light of the moon and stars, she made something."
Shazam paused, looking at a dusty intersection in clear confusion.
"...I just don't remember what it was."
Billy frowned but followed the aged wizard regardless. He hoped Shazam could actually remember whatever he was thinking of.
Barbara was too nice for what she was going through... At least, Billy thought so.
-----
Batman read through another police report, writ large on the batscreen of the batcomputer, hidden deep within the bowels of the batcave.
He'd read through dozens of reports over the last several days as he recovered from the deep mental and emotional exhaustion that Halloween had put him through.
Reports of massive dogs of every breed mauling criminals caught in the act of whatever crime they were enacting. Testimonies of great, hulking men in armor with helmets that looked like those same dogs. Giant half-women half-snake people that would comfort whatever victims were found and offered magical healing...
None of it was admissible in court.
None of the criminals had been arrested following official procedures. Evidence had been left lying wherever it had been dropped. The majority of those who'd been assaulted whilst in the middle of a violent crime had even found their dominant hand broken by the dogs or knights that dealt with them before they'd been left tied up to nearby utility poles.
It was a violent mess that, yes, it did deal with those criminals in the short term but it left them free and clear of the legal system and ready to go back to their wicked ways.
"You -were- warned by our guest that you would not enjoy how he dealt with things, Master Bruce." Alfred hadn't taken any time off to deal with his own issues, something that Batman honestly worried about. "It would seem that he called upon some archaic creatures with equally archaic beliefs."
"He usually takes a softer touch than this," Bruce told his friend, shaking his head slightly as he pinned another marker on a map to correlate the report with where the event had taken place. "I need to understand what the difference is between his earlier behaviors and all of this."
"Well, he didn't deal with all of this in person, did he?" Robin asked, pointing out at least one key difference.
Batman nodded to his son, acknowledging the point.
"And, y'know, I'm pretty sure we'd be dealing with corpses if he called up that dude with the six legged horse," Robin elaborated, adding data to support his idea. "If what he called acts independantly, this might've been the best he could manage within that limitation."
Bruce leaned forward and placed his elbows in front of the keyboard, bringing his hands together in a fist that concealed his mouth.
That was an interesting point, one that Bruce would need to mull over. Asking Alchemist would likely help to get clarity but, conversely, that may well taint the information that Bruce was using to get an idea of what had happened.
It was frustrating, especially because of the knock-on effects of what would happen in the near future.
Batman often left criminals bruised and hurting but he didn't cripple them. What those hound knights had done would see those same desperate men going back out there, half-healed and desperate, resorting to crime just to keep themselves fed because they wouldn't be able to hold or get paying work.
"...We need to get under this before it gets worse." Bruce decided, looking at the map he'd correlated the numerous reports against. There were several hot-spots, places with significantly higher concentrations of crime... but that wasn't actually news. Just another point of confirmation for data that he already had. "Any suggestions?"
Bruce had a few ideas, yes, but he was open to hearing something, anything else that would help.
"Do you want to let the world know about us picking up healing magic?" Robin asked, leaning forward next to Batman so he could set his hands on the table next to the keyboard. "Or maybe Player One? She's got a skill that does the same thing, just stronger."
"...We should probably keep that hidden," Batman countered, sitting back in the chair. "I don't want another target painted on her back. I especially don't want the criminals in Gotham escalating because they think we can heal ourselves."
"...Yeah." Robin winced, his fingers drumming on the table as the boy thought. "Can't say I want them deciding to put even more effort into killing us."
"...I must ask, Master Bruce, if you intend on under-utilizing the people under your employ?" Alfred asked, his voice utterly dry.
Batman gave no indication of his confusion beyond quirking one hidden eyebrow, an expression that Alfred was able to recognize regardless of the cowl.
"You hired Alchemist for the sake of his healing magic, Master Bruce," Alfred reminded him. "Perhaps requesting his assistance in this matter may not be something Batman would do but it would be a fantastic opportunity for Bruce Wayne to ingratiate himself further with the people of Gotham, would it not?"
That... Could work.
If they sent him to one of the Martha Wayne clinics and offered his healing with no questions asked, most of the victims of the creatures Alchemist summoned would practically jump at the opportunity.
And it would be a perfect opportunity for him to pressure the board into increasing the funding his company offered to the free clinics, further assisting the people of his city.
Yes, Bruce realized. That could work.
That could work very well indeed...
-----
Outside, in the cold night air, Jinx and Alchemist slowly walked behind a man after his shift had ended.
The quartet had regrouped shortly after cleaning up the lingering remains of their failed attackers and discussed how they would answer the assault that had been attempted on them.
Kary had voted for burning the city down. Which... might work but it seemed a bit too indiscriminate.
Yuffie wanted to steal everything they owned, down to their underwear and leave them defenseless in the cold. The girl had pouted terribly after Kary had explained what a vampire was for her.
Jinx had voted to hunt them down in their nest and then exterminate them, one by one if necessary.
They'd tried to attack her while she was supposed to be naked and defenseless! She wasn't about to let that slide!
Alchemist had been the tie-breaker, suggesting that Jinx and Yuffie's suggestions weren't mutually exclusive. The stipulation, however, was that they needed information in order to act.
Jinx had volunteered. She had a handful of spells that she'd been wanting to test on an acceptable target and a rat that tried to sell them as feed to a pack of bloodsuckers seemed pretty acceptable to her!
Kary... had volunteered as well. But the plan she described was less 'Get information' and more 'beat it out of the little squealer!'
Jinx liked the woman but Kar'Yashlan didn't exactly do subtle. At all.
"So, I've been thinking," Jinx started off, trying to break the still silence in the air.
"Dangerous hobby, that," Alchemist teased. Jinx turned an empty glare on him and got a small smirk in response. "About what?"
Jinx rolled her eyes and grinned, looking forward to make sure their target hadn't escaped.
"I'm kind of thinking about getting my own armor," she admitted, her breath puffing out in a cloud of steam. "Something that'll stand out, make me look different instead of just wearing a variation on what you've got."
"Not a bad idea. Do you have anything in mind?" Alchemist hummed after he spoke, both of his hands resting in the pockets of his jacket.
Ahead of them, the hotel receptionist shivered and rubbed his arms to try and ward off the bitter cold that came part and parcel of a Nordic country.
Jinx brought her scarf up to cover her mouth, hiding a small smile. She'd thought he might get upset because he'd put a lot of work into her armor and she didn't want him to think she was just getting rid of it.
"Maybe. It kind of depends on how the multiverse fits together. The outfit I want to get is in Jump City." Jinx kept an eye on their target as he turned right at a street corner. She and Alchemist kept going past him, crossing the street before they turned as well. "There's really only one window of time where I could get it before someone else picks it up."
"...You're talking about time travel." Alchemist shook his head in distaste but Jinx couldn't exactly argue with him. "There's a lot of risk, there."
"Maybe? But I think we can do it if we're going someplace kind of distant," Jinx argued. Alchemist had explained to her and Kary how Gate -might- be used to travel in time by moving vertically instead of just horizontally across the planar axis.
Jinx wasn't sure it was something that could be repeated, though. The Gate spell left behind traces, routes that could be traversed back and forth. In time, the repeated use of the spell between two specific planes could even create a permanent channel. She was fairly sure that it couldn't be used to perpetually manipulate time, at least not easily, but that it might be feasible to create an offset that would remain relatively static.
At least, between similar planes with a similar temporal skew.
"I was... kind of hoping you might use Wish to help me get there?" Jinx's voice got softer and quieter as she kept going.
"Well, let's get this dealt with and we can give it a try," Alchemist offered, his glowing gaze following the man that had sold them out as he went into a liquor store. "What outfit were you after, anyway? Jinx from Teen Titans? Want a copy of Raven's cloak?"
"The... Red X suit," Jinx mumbled, ducking her head down to cover as much of her blush as she could.
"...Aww," Alchemist crooned and pulled Jinx against his side, ruffling her pink hair with his opposite hand. She pushed him off with an affronted glare. "You're in your goth phase! Gother phase. That's adorable!"
"Are you gonna help me or not?!" Jinx asked, her cheeks pink and she couldn't say exactly why.
"I already said I would," Alchemist told her with a smile on his lips. "Though, eh, you know that the suit runs off of this unstable phlebotinium stuff, right?"
"Sort of?" Jinx shrugged as the two of them waited, watching the receptionist through the glass of the storefront. "I figured I could just use magic to cover those functions. Teleporting and brief conjuration aren't exactly that hard anymore."
"...Fair enough." Alchemist nodded to her before he held a hand in front of his mouth and yawned. "Any thoughts on armoring it up? Wrist guards, shin guards, anything like that?"
"I've got an idea but I might need your help again," Jinx mumbled. Inhaling sharply through her nose, she pushed forward at a louder volume, "I read about this stuff called 'Micromail'. It's chainmail but it uses really, really tiny links. It's soft and flexible as silk. And it doesn't chafe!"
"...I don't remember which one that's from but I do recognize that you've been getting into my book collection," Alchemist told her as their target exited the liquor store with a fairly large bottle in a bag. "I think we can make that work. Might make it out of adamantine, maybe darksteel or... Are you seriously talking me into making a chainmail bikini for you?"
"Is it working?" Jinx asked, mischief in her voice before she tried to pretend she was serious again, "but I was thinking more like a full undersuit, or trying to fit it in between layers of the costume."
Although, Jinx was definitely thinking about the chainmail bikini -now- when she hadn't been before...
"That might work... especially if we can make it fine enough," Alchemist mumbled, just loud enough to be heard. Their target turned back to look at them but all he saw was Jinx and Alchemist engrossed in a conversation with each other.
Just as intended.
"What about the people there?" Alchemist asked, waving one hand vaguely to the side. "You're talking about traveling to that reality and preventing a rival from getting a critical tool to challenge Robin. X provided a lot of growth that the Boy Wonder needed to challenge Slade which was all especially critical in the conclusion of Raven's storyline."
"I... Don't know yet." Jinx bit her lip as she tried to think about it. The narrative was a very real thing, made obvious by the fact that they'd been attacked on their first night at a hotel in a foreign country. Alchemist hadn't even used any of his normal names, he'd checked in as 'Albus Dumbledore' instead of Alec Mist or Tracie Whittaker. The vampires that had attacked them had no clue who he was, who any of them were.
What would happen if part of the story was just... Removed?
The question got pushed to the back of Jinx's mind as they started to travel through a quieter segment of the city.
The girl looked over to Alchemist, who nodded once to her before snapping his fingers, causing his presence to fade. He was still exactly where he'd been but Jinx supposed he'd cast a spell of some variety that made him seem less outstanding.
Taking a deep inhale to shore up her nerves, Jinx plastered a smile on her face and bounced forward, catching up with the receptionist.
"Hey!" Jinx shouted, drawing the man's eyes to her. His gaze met hers and Jinx's smile became very real.
And very malicious.
"Hey, hi!" Jinx said, focusing for just a moment before she cast her first spell.
Charm Person.
"Well, hello young miss," the man greeted her, holding up one hand and smiling at her. "It is very cold right now. What are you doing out here by yourself?"
"Ugh, just needed to get out of my hotel room. It's so stuffy, especially when everyone else is so old!" Jinx laughed and the man laughed with her. The poor fool didn't even notice when Jinx cast Suggestion on him. "So, I'm Lianne. Why don't you Tell me about yourself."
"Hello, Lianne," the man's voice lost some of its inflection and his eyes glazed over. "I am Mikael Hiltunen, I work the late day shift at the Lapland Hotels Bulevardi. I did not do well in school but I did pass. I do not have a driver's license and so I must walk or ride the bus..."
Jinx listened intently as the man droned on, talking about the minute details of his life... but he didn't mention the vampires. At all.
The girl pursed her lips as he continued to talk, thinking on the details of her spell. The more reasonable something sounded, the easier it would be to get the target of the spell to talk...
"That's, like, so interesting!" Jinx interrupted Mikael as he began to tell a story about a pet he used to have. "But I can't imagine the pay is all too good. Are you doing some kind of hustle on the side?"
"Oh, no," the man denied, falling back into his charmed state as the suggestion settled into a more passive role. "I am making very good money at the hotel. Would you like to join me, Lianne? I just got a fresh bottle. Very good stuff, comes from Sweden!"
Mikael held up the bottle in question and Jinx wrinkled her nose in distaste. She'd forced herself to get drunk a few nights before and she really didn't like the outcome of that.
"Wow!" Jinx exclaimed, incredibly fake though the enchanted man failed to notice. "That does look like some really good stuff. And you got that on your salary?"
The man shuffled nervously, his grin slipping somewhat as Jinx poked a hole in his story.
"Come on, you got to be doing something on the side to get such nice things," Jinx wheedled, stroking the man's ego. "Wait, I got it! You're a gigolo!"
"What?!" The man laughed, bending over and slapping his knee at her suggestion. "No, no! Not in the slightest little bit! Ah... you wish to know? Come close, it is a secret..."
He leaned over conspiratorially and Jinx leaned in, acting like a wide eyed girl that was just so interested in the wage slave and his paltry earning.
"Ah, you see..." Mikael whispered, looking from side to side before holding one finger up to his lips in the universal 'Hush' gesture. "A friend of mine from school has made very good friends with people of power and taste. Sometimes, he asks me about the people who check in to the hotel. Sometimes, I get a nice little gift from him and his friends."
"Wow, really?" Jinx wouldn't be surprised to learn that his friend was probably one of the piles of dust that she or Alchemist had made disappear earlier. "Why don't you Show me where they are. I'd love to meet these guys!"
"...Okay." Mikael stood up fully and tucked his liquor into his jacket and out of view. "Come, come. They have warehouse by the docks. Throw party almost every night!"
Jinx smiled falsely as the man followed her Suggestion and began to lead her and Alchemist off in a totally different direction.
Sure, it might have been a bit less straightforward than how Kary wanted to handle things...
But at least this method didn't involve leaving behind a very obvious trail of corpses!
Disclaimer Me Do: I own nothing you recognize. And most of what you don't recognize, I still don't own.
_________________________________________________________________________
November 4, 2010
Traveling through the narrow halls carved within the Rock of Eternity, Billy Batson felt exhausted.
Not only had he been dealing with a surge of supernatural creatures trying to prey upon the ignorant populace, Mayor Sivana had decided to try and enact a scheme that would see the owners of several important factories around Fawcett City divested of their holdings and...
Honestly, Billy didn't entirely disagree with the old doctor. Jon Kenning, the owner of a nearby tool and die shop, was raking in profits while cutting his employees benefits and threatening them with sanctions and punishments that were probably illegal but Billy didn't know anywhere near enough about labor law to do anything.
But the man still employed a good two-hundred people and if they lost their jobs, that was significantly more than two-hundred people that would be going hungry, lacking medicine or losing the roof over their heads. All three of which were things that Billy was unpleasantly familiar with.
Pausing to catch his breath just outside the room where Shazam tended to reside, Billy hoped to figure out how to deal with the mad doctor and his insane, brilliant children sometime soon.
He did not like having to ask if he was doing the right thing. At all.
A large object bumped against Billy's shoulder gently and he turned to see what it was. His familiar, the mutated tiger Mister Tawni.
"Hey," Billy greeted his feline friend, running one hand through the thick, coarse fur over the tiger's head. The big cat chuffed at the contact, leaning into the boy so hard he was nearly knocked over. "Hey, hey! Stop that- You'll knock me over!"
Despite his words, Billy found himself laughing as his familiar rubbed its head against him.
"...Young Billy?" Shazam's aged voice called from within the room Billy hovered outside of. There was a regular 'Clunk!' of wood against stone as the Wizard walked through the room and stood in the doorway, watching the proceedings. Had Billy been able to focus on him rather than Mister Tawny, he might have been able to see some of the wrinkles along the man's face soften as he smiled gently at the sight. "I'd not expected you. Come, come, I'm afraid I find myself quite tired of late. The most recent efforts of the Three have been more and more draining, I'm afraid."
Billy finally succeeded in pushing Mister Tawny away so he could follow the ancient wizard into what used to be the meeting room for those he'd empowered. Now there was only one chair that was free of dust, the very same one that Shazam was hobbling towards.
"Are you alright?" Billy asked, taking in the decrepit struggle of the man who'd given him the strength of gods and heroes. "Here, let me-"
"I am fine, child," Shazam chided the boy, turning to collapse into his chair. "I am just tired. Every year, my boy, the Three Faces of Evil gather their strength in a cycle. On the same day which they were sealed away, they are at their peak of power and rage against their bindings. I fear that the damage they've caused throughout the millennia has been felt by the wider world beyond their prison, unfortunately."
"...Wait." Billy's mind stuttered at the admission that came from the worn-out warrior. "Are they the reason that demons and stuff get really active on Halloween?"
"Is that what they call it now?" Shazam asked as he slowly deflated on his throne. "Perhaps so. In truth, many of the monsters that haunt the night crossed on to the Earth on that day throughout the years. I fear I may have had a hand in this- The creation of the Rock of Eternity was a grand magic, summoning its halves from Heaven and Hell alike to bind and seal the Three, it left a scar upon the world through which other, lesser forces have been able to force their way through."
"Woah..." Billy hadn't ever heard about any of that. Instead he was just kept busy dealing with all of the random things that always seemed to crop up and try to interfere with people living their normal lives.
"...I apologize, child," Shazam said, his beard twitching as the man smiled underneath of it. "There is little left for me to do here but think. Thank you for letting this old man talk your ear off. Now, was there something that you needed from me?"
"Oh, uh, yeah," Billy mumbled as he pulled out a folded piece of paper Alchemist had given him. "Alchemist wanted me to ask you about a few things. Uh... Have you ever heard of a god named 'Urz car taga'?"
"...The name seems familiar to me, young Billy, but I'm afraid I cannot recall a god by that name." Shazam brought a hand up and began to stroke his beard. He seemed deep enough in thought that Billy didn't want to interrupt him. "I think... that may have been the name of a rather potent nature spirit. From the heart of Alkebulan?"
"Maybe?" Billy shrugged and looked back down to the paper. "He wanted me to ask you because that god or nature spirit or whatever it is, it made another spirit and that's been stuck inside of someone. We're trying to figure out how to subdue it or bind it or, maybe, turn it into a power kind of like mine? Then the poor lady that's possessed could have Cheetah powers!"
"...I cannot say," Shazam admitted, his hand still stroking down his beard. "I know too little to truly be helpful, my child. Your powers were all voluntarily gifted to you, they are still held in trust to the gods and kings that gave them to me in the first place. To forcibly convert a spirit in such a way..."
Placing both hands on the arm rests of his seat, Shazam forced himself to his feet and began to shuffle towards one of the doors leading out of the room.
"Come, Billy. I may know of a way to accomplish that which you seek to do."
"What's that?" Billy asked, walking slowly at the wizard's side.
He was starting to worry that the man might fall, he'd never seen him struggle so much to move so little.
"I do remember when some of the curses came into being, when magic was young and wild," Shazam explained as they began to make their way to the library hidden deep within the Rock of Eternity. "And I recall fighting beasts that were made during those olden days, hideous creatures that predated The Flood. One of my allies, a mage that worked under the light of the moon and stars, she made something."
Shazam paused, looking at a dusty intersection in clear confusion.
"...I just don't remember what it was."
Billy frowned but followed the aged wizard regardless. He hoped Shazam could actually remember whatever he was thinking of.
Barbara was too nice for what she was going through... At least, Billy thought so.
-----
Batman read through another police report, writ large on the batscreen of the batcomputer, hidden deep within the bowels of the batcave.
He'd read through dozens of reports over the last several days as he recovered from the deep mental and emotional exhaustion that Halloween had put him through.
Reports of massive dogs of every breed mauling criminals caught in the act of whatever crime they were enacting. Testimonies of great, hulking men in armor with helmets that looked like those same dogs. Giant half-women half-snake people that would comfort whatever victims were found and offered magical healing...
None of it was admissible in court.
None of the criminals had been arrested following official procedures. Evidence had been left lying wherever it had been dropped. The majority of those who'd been assaulted whilst in the middle of a violent crime had even found their dominant hand broken by the dogs or knights that dealt with them before they'd been left tied up to nearby utility poles.
It was a violent mess that, yes, it did deal with those criminals in the short term but it left them free and clear of the legal system and ready to go back to their wicked ways.
"You -were- warned by our guest that you would not enjoy how he dealt with things, Master Bruce." Alfred hadn't taken any time off to deal with his own issues, something that Batman honestly worried about. "It would seem that he called upon some archaic creatures with equally archaic beliefs."
"He usually takes a softer touch than this," Bruce told his friend, shaking his head slightly as he pinned another marker on a map to correlate the report with where the event had taken place. "I need to understand what the difference is between his earlier behaviors and all of this."
"Well, he didn't deal with all of this in person, did he?" Robin asked, pointing out at least one key difference.
Batman nodded to his son, acknowledging the point.
"And, y'know, I'm pretty sure we'd be dealing with corpses if he called up that dude with the six legged horse," Robin elaborated, adding data to support his idea. "If what he called acts independantly, this might've been the best he could manage within that limitation."
Bruce leaned forward and placed his elbows in front of the keyboard, bringing his hands together in a fist that concealed his mouth.
That was an interesting point, one that Bruce would need to mull over. Asking Alchemist would likely help to get clarity but, conversely, that may well taint the information that Bruce was using to get an idea of what had happened.
It was frustrating, especially because of the knock-on effects of what would happen in the near future.
Batman often left criminals bruised and hurting but he didn't cripple them. What those hound knights had done would see those same desperate men going back out there, half-healed and desperate, resorting to crime just to keep themselves fed because they wouldn't be able to hold or get paying work.
"...We need to get under this before it gets worse." Bruce decided, looking at the map he'd correlated the numerous reports against. There were several hot-spots, places with significantly higher concentrations of crime... but that wasn't actually news. Just another point of confirmation for data that he already had. "Any suggestions?"
Bruce had a few ideas, yes, but he was open to hearing something, anything else that would help.
"Do you want to let the world know about us picking up healing magic?" Robin asked, leaning forward next to Batman so he could set his hands on the table next to the keyboard. "Or maybe Player One? She's got a skill that does the same thing, just stronger."
"...We should probably keep that hidden," Batman countered, sitting back in the chair. "I don't want another target painted on her back. I especially don't want the criminals in Gotham escalating because they think we can heal ourselves."
"...Yeah." Robin winced, his fingers drumming on the table as the boy thought. "Can't say I want them deciding to put even more effort into killing us."
"...I must ask, Master Bruce, if you intend on under-utilizing the people under your employ?" Alfred asked, his voice utterly dry.
Batman gave no indication of his confusion beyond quirking one hidden eyebrow, an expression that Alfred was able to recognize regardless of the cowl.
"You hired Alchemist for the sake of his healing magic, Master Bruce," Alfred reminded him. "Perhaps requesting his assistance in this matter may not be something Batman would do but it would be a fantastic opportunity for Bruce Wayne to ingratiate himself further with the people of Gotham, would it not?"
That... Could work.
If they sent him to one of the Martha Wayne clinics and offered his healing with no questions asked, most of the victims of the creatures Alchemist summoned would practically jump at the opportunity.
And it would be a perfect opportunity for him to pressure the board into increasing the funding his company offered to the free clinics, further assisting the people of his city.
Yes, Bruce realized. That could work.
That could work very well indeed...
-----
Outside, in the cold night air, Jinx and Alchemist slowly walked behind a man after his shift had ended.
The quartet had regrouped shortly after cleaning up the lingering remains of their failed attackers and discussed how they would answer the assault that had been attempted on them.
Kary had voted for burning the city down. Which... might work but it seemed a bit too indiscriminate.
Yuffie wanted to steal everything they owned, down to their underwear and leave them defenseless in the cold. The girl had pouted terribly after Kary had explained what a vampire was for her.
Jinx had voted to hunt them down in their nest and then exterminate them, one by one if necessary.
They'd tried to attack her while she was supposed to be naked and defenseless! She wasn't about to let that slide!
Alchemist had been the tie-breaker, suggesting that Jinx and Yuffie's suggestions weren't mutually exclusive. The stipulation, however, was that they needed information in order to act.
Jinx had volunteered. She had a handful of spells that she'd been wanting to test on an acceptable target and a rat that tried to sell them as feed to a pack of bloodsuckers seemed pretty acceptable to her!
Kary... had volunteered as well. But the plan she described was less 'Get information' and more 'beat it out of the little squealer!'
Jinx liked the woman but Kar'Yashlan didn't exactly do subtle. At all.
"So, I've been thinking," Jinx started off, trying to break the still silence in the air.
"Dangerous hobby, that," Alchemist teased. Jinx turned an empty glare on him and got a small smirk in response. "About what?"
Jinx rolled her eyes and grinned, looking forward to make sure their target hadn't escaped.
"I'm kind of thinking about getting my own armor," she admitted, her breath puffing out in a cloud of steam. "Something that'll stand out, make me look different instead of just wearing a variation on what you've got."
"Not a bad idea. Do you have anything in mind?" Alchemist hummed after he spoke, both of his hands resting in the pockets of his jacket.
Ahead of them, the hotel receptionist shivered and rubbed his arms to try and ward off the bitter cold that came part and parcel of a Nordic country.
Jinx brought her scarf up to cover her mouth, hiding a small smile. She'd thought he might get upset because he'd put a lot of work into her armor and she didn't want him to think she was just getting rid of it.
"Maybe. It kind of depends on how the multiverse fits together. The outfit I want to get is in Jump City." Jinx kept an eye on their target as he turned right at a street corner. She and Alchemist kept going past him, crossing the street before they turned as well. "There's really only one window of time where I could get it before someone else picks it up."
"...You're talking about time travel." Alchemist shook his head in distaste but Jinx couldn't exactly argue with him. "There's a lot of risk, there."
"Maybe? But I think we can do it if we're going someplace kind of distant," Jinx argued. Alchemist had explained to her and Kary how Gate -might- be used to travel in time by moving vertically instead of just horizontally across the planar axis.
Jinx wasn't sure it was something that could be repeated, though. The Gate spell left behind traces, routes that could be traversed back and forth. In time, the repeated use of the spell between two specific planes could even create a permanent channel. She was fairly sure that it couldn't be used to perpetually manipulate time, at least not easily, but that it might be feasible to create an offset that would remain relatively static.
At least, between similar planes with a similar temporal skew.
"I was... kind of hoping you might use Wish to help me get there?" Jinx's voice got softer and quieter as she kept going.
"Well, let's get this dealt with and we can give it a try," Alchemist offered, his glowing gaze following the man that had sold them out as he went into a liquor store. "What outfit were you after, anyway? Jinx from Teen Titans? Want a copy of Raven's cloak?"
"The... Red X suit," Jinx mumbled, ducking her head down to cover as much of her blush as she could.
"...Aww," Alchemist crooned and pulled Jinx against his side, ruffling her pink hair with his opposite hand. She pushed him off with an affronted glare. "You're in your goth phase! Gother phase. That's adorable!"
"Are you gonna help me or not?!" Jinx asked, her cheeks pink and she couldn't say exactly why.
"I already said I would," Alchemist told her with a smile on his lips. "Though, eh, you know that the suit runs off of this unstable phlebotinium stuff, right?"
"Sort of?" Jinx shrugged as the two of them waited, watching the receptionist through the glass of the storefront. "I figured I could just use magic to cover those functions. Teleporting and brief conjuration aren't exactly that hard anymore."
"...Fair enough." Alchemist nodded to her before he held a hand in front of his mouth and yawned. "Any thoughts on armoring it up? Wrist guards, shin guards, anything like that?"
"I've got an idea but I might need your help again," Jinx mumbled. Inhaling sharply through her nose, she pushed forward at a louder volume, "I read about this stuff called 'Micromail'. It's chainmail but it uses really, really tiny links. It's soft and flexible as silk. And it doesn't chafe!"
"...I don't remember which one that's from but I do recognize that you've been getting into my book collection," Alchemist told her as their target exited the liquor store with a fairly large bottle in a bag. "I think we can make that work. Might make it out of adamantine, maybe darksteel or... Are you seriously talking me into making a chainmail bikini for you?"
"Is it working?" Jinx asked, mischief in her voice before she tried to pretend she was serious again, "but I was thinking more like a full undersuit, or trying to fit it in between layers of the costume."
Although, Jinx was definitely thinking about the chainmail bikini -now- when she hadn't been before...
"That might work... especially if we can make it fine enough," Alchemist mumbled, just loud enough to be heard. Their target turned back to look at them but all he saw was Jinx and Alchemist engrossed in a conversation with each other.
Just as intended.
"What about the people there?" Alchemist asked, waving one hand vaguely to the side. "You're talking about traveling to that reality and preventing a rival from getting a critical tool to challenge Robin. X provided a lot of growth that the Boy Wonder needed to challenge Slade which was all especially critical in the conclusion of Raven's storyline."
"I... Don't know yet." Jinx bit her lip as she tried to think about it. The narrative was a very real thing, made obvious by the fact that they'd been attacked on their first night at a hotel in a foreign country. Alchemist hadn't even used any of his normal names, he'd checked in as 'Albus Dumbledore' instead of Alec Mist or Tracie Whittaker. The vampires that had attacked them had no clue who he was, who any of them were.
What would happen if part of the story was just... Removed?
The question got pushed to the back of Jinx's mind as they started to travel through a quieter segment of the city.
The girl looked over to Alchemist, who nodded once to her before snapping his fingers, causing his presence to fade. He was still exactly where he'd been but Jinx supposed he'd cast a spell of some variety that made him seem less outstanding.
Taking a deep inhale to shore up her nerves, Jinx plastered a smile on her face and bounced forward, catching up with the receptionist.
"Hey!" Jinx shouted, drawing the man's eyes to her. His gaze met hers and Jinx's smile became very real.
And very malicious.
"Hey, hi!" Jinx said, focusing for just a moment before she cast her first spell.
Charm Person.
"Well, hello young miss," the man greeted her, holding up one hand and smiling at her. "It is very cold right now. What are you doing out here by yourself?"
"Ugh, just needed to get out of my hotel room. It's so stuffy, especially when everyone else is so old!" Jinx laughed and the man laughed with her. The poor fool didn't even notice when Jinx cast Suggestion on him. "So, I'm Lianne. Why don't you Tell me about yourself."
"Hello, Lianne," the man's voice lost some of its inflection and his eyes glazed over. "I am Mikael Hiltunen, I work the late day shift at the Lapland Hotels Bulevardi. I did not do well in school but I did pass. I do not have a driver's license and so I must walk or ride the bus..."
Jinx listened intently as the man droned on, talking about the minute details of his life... but he didn't mention the vampires. At all.
The girl pursed her lips as he continued to talk, thinking on the details of her spell. The more reasonable something sounded, the easier it would be to get the target of the spell to talk...
"That's, like, so interesting!" Jinx interrupted Mikael as he began to tell a story about a pet he used to have. "But I can't imagine the pay is all too good. Are you doing some kind of hustle on the side?"
"Oh, no," the man denied, falling back into his charmed state as the suggestion settled into a more passive role. "I am making very good money at the hotel. Would you like to join me, Lianne? I just got a fresh bottle. Very good stuff, comes from Sweden!"
Mikael held up the bottle in question and Jinx wrinkled her nose in distaste. She'd forced herself to get drunk a few nights before and she really didn't like the outcome of that.
"Wow!" Jinx exclaimed, incredibly fake though the enchanted man failed to notice. "That does look like some really good stuff. And you got that on your salary?"
The man shuffled nervously, his grin slipping somewhat as Jinx poked a hole in his story.
"Come on, you got to be doing something on the side to get such nice things," Jinx wheedled, stroking the man's ego. "Wait, I got it! You're a gigolo!"
"What?!" The man laughed, bending over and slapping his knee at her suggestion. "No, no! Not in the slightest little bit! Ah... you wish to know? Come close, it is a secret..."
He leaned over conspiratorially and Jinx leaned in, acting like a wide eyed girl that was just so interested in the wage slave and his paltry earning.
"Ah, you see..." Mikael whispered, looking from side to side before holding one finger up to his lips in the universal 'Hush' gesture. "A friend of mine from school has made very good friends with people of power and taste. Sometimes, he asks me about the people who check in to the hotel. Sometimes, I get a nice little gift from him and his friends."
"Wow, really?" Jinx wouldn't be surprised to learn that his friend was probably one of the piles of dust that she or Alchemist had made disappear earlier. "Why don't you Show me where they are. I'd love to meet these guys!"
"...Okay." Mikael stood up fully and tucked his liquor into his jacket and out of view. "Come, come. They have warehouse by the docks. Throw party almost every night!"
Jinx smiled falsely as the man followed her Suggestion and began to lead her and Alchemist off in a totally different direction.
Sure, it might have been a bit less straightforward than how Kary wanted to handle things...
But at least this method didn't involve leaving behind a very obvious trail of corpses!
- Location
- Here
... I'm going to find it hilarious if they show up and it's only a bunch of people selling weed.
Like, no magic or vampires involved... Just a hotel guy who hooks up certain customers that stay the night with drugs.