Power Without a Price

[curiousdiscoverer]

The first time Ezra finds Milliways he spends most of the experience overwhelmed by psychic sensory overload. Postcognition doesn’t really mix well with inter-dimensional nexus.

However when he walks out and tells about the experience, the true nature of the place is eventually revealed, furthermore he discovers that the Traders are very interested in using the unique location to seed magic to other worlds and they pay very generously for it. So Ezra’s family all hear about the story and stay in the look out for another door, just in case.

Years pass, and Ezra’s family gets a little smaller, and starting wishing for a door to show up.

Because resurrection is possible, but expensive and bringing three people back is impossibly costly without extreme circumstances.

So Ezra feels extremely lucky the day he finally finds a door again, with family in his apartment where they wait behind after Ezra grabs a few things while Temps holds the door.

He is now in better control of his powers and Milliways massive history doesn’t overload him anymore.

Ezra looks around the bar, sits on a table with a nice view and observes.

Is anyone here that could want and deserve magic?

Comments

[superego_medico]

"We are talking about your world," Ezra answers "yours is 37 years ahead! I was going to ask what would you three would do with magic if you had it."

[can_i_stay]

"That's an incredibly broad question. What kind of magic? What does it do, does it have drawbacks?"

[superego_medico]

"Fair point, since there are so many kinds from so many different worlds, but I was talking about the magic from my world," Ezra says "Everyone with my type of magic can sense magic and has at least one other power, often more. The powers a person gets depend on their skills, knowledge, personality and there is an element we call heredity, you can get powers similar to of ancestors and family"

"Using powers cost you energy that we call mana, using too much leaves you mentally tired, but it can't kill you. Besides the direct uses of your powers, you can create magical items or... There are the Traders, powerful mages that trade magic between dimensions, you can make a deal where they siphon the magic out of you for a time and you get some magic as a rewards, the price is expensive, but you can become eternally young rather easily."

"I think those are the most relevant points," Ezra completes "What would you do with that?"

[can_i_help]

"That's still to broad. If your power was to, for example, kill everyone who dislikes you, there's not much good you can do with it. On the other hand if your power is making puppies out of thin air you can hardly use that to get rid on your enemies."

[superego_medico]

"Powers tend to be useful," Ezra says "granted, not always ideally useful. If the power of killings is about killing living things... you could with a lot of train and practice use it to kill cancer cells. Now, puppy summoning, if you don't want to sell puppies and don't have a second power that makes the first one useful... You can trade your power away."

Ezra thinks for a moment.

"Exchange rate of puppy summoning sounds very low, but you could get a deal where you age normally but gets back to equivalent twenties every thirty or forty years. You can trade the killing power too for a better deal."

The sisters might notice that he manages to say "puppy summoning" twice with a completely serious face.

[can_i_go]

"Can you use it to make an endless pizza?"

[can_i_stay]

"Lucy, Lucy no."

[can_i_go]

"Okay, fine. I'd grow wings and fly. Is that more acceptable?"

[superego_medico]

"I never heard of any endless pizza, sadly," Ezra says smiling "Some people can conjure food, or transform stuff into food or feed on mana itself. I do know a few people that can grow wings and fly, but they are bird shape-shifters. Ah, there was that girl who could transform horses into mythical horses, including pegasi."

Ezra looks thoughtful for a minute.

"If your ladies could excuse me for a moment," Ezra says "I would like to talk with my brother for just a minute."

Ezra goes to the door, of course, his brother is just on the other side.

"Franklyn, Can you come in and check something?" Ezra asks "those three girls right there" he points at the sisters "what skills they have?"

[of_all_trades]

"Sure," Franklyn answers stepping inside.

Franklyn narrows his eyes at the sisters, not that he actually needs to.

"One can read people, it is a very intuitive ability," Franklyn says "I think they are all starting their college courses and don't have too much specialized knowledge, stuff about Law and Medicine from the other two, but nothing too elaborate. I think Milliways is interfering with my ability to copy languages, but overall, they seem very typical young adults from the alternate 2047 Earth."

"You can tell when they come from?" Ezra asks.

"Sure, there is some historical facts or stuff like where the next olympics will be hosted," Franklyn answers "Stuff about how to use robots, literature novels and their impact on the dragon fantasy genre. You think they are mage material?"

"Hoping so," Ezra says "they came in three, that could set up a cycle and a huge reward for us."

Neither young man, mentions that the "huge reward" including resurrecting Franklyn's mother. They do stay silent for a moment.

"Well," Franklyn "I want to talk with them."

[superego_medico]

"I will introduce you," Ezra says "don't blurt it out that we might give magic to them... Also, Lucy thinks robots are people and the sisters don't want her to figure it out"

"Ah, that explains the dissonant knowledge," Franklyn comments as they move closer to the table.

"Hello again," Ezra says when they reach the table "this is my half-brother Franklyn"

[of_all_trades]

"Hello," Franklyn says smiling wide "First time at Milliways too? So far is my favorite inter-dimensional hub."

[can_i_go]

"Hi Frank! I'm Lucy. Are you the one who likes robots? Erzie said he had a brother who likes robots."

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn chuckles at "Erzie"

"No, that is Adam, our littlest sibling," Franklyn says "but I like robots as much as the next guy, well, more than the next guy, because the next guy is Erzie here and he is into history and psychology! I am into everything and never met someone from 2047, I hope you guys are enjoying it."

[superego_medico]

Ezra glares at Franklyn after being called "Erzie", but composes himself.

"I am going to get drinks," Ezra says "Anyone wants something? The first one is free, Frank."

Was that an attempt to annoy Franklyn? Yes. Did it fail? Also yes.

[can_i_go]

The sisters are all good.

"I don't like everything, I like flying! I'm going to be an airplane pilot, but first I have to sit at school. It would be so cool if I could fly without studying, but the machines are super complicated and I need to learn first. Robots can't really help me fly because sometimes they have a hard time deciding what to do and it's bad if that happens while they're flying a plane and the people who're supposed to fly the plane don't know what to do without a robot."

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn is actually delighted with being called "Frank"! He also produces a piece of paper and hands it to Ezra.

"I had these ideas for my first drinks," Franklyn said "see if you can get the Bar to make any of them, go top to bottom if she answers no."

Ezra takes the paper without commenting. Franklyn turns to Lucy and the sisters again.

"I don't need to study to fly a vehicle, but I do need someone that knows around ," Franklyn comments "great if you need someone to take turns, but I never tried that. I used to enjoy reading, but it is so much easier to just use my power now. I am surprised that they haven't perfected autopilots robots yet, even with that incident with the terrorist in 31.

[can_i_go]

"I think it's because the robots don't always know how to make decisions so there should always be someone babysitting them and flying is more fun than babysitting someone who's actually flying. Also I'd be really sad if it turned out I couldn't fly because only robots flew."

[of_all_trades]

"You can't have your pilot malfuctioning in the middle of a landing," Franklyn says "or at any time actually. I have flew a helicopter once, but didn't have time to enjoy myself, being magical is a gift, but it leads to a interesting life."

[superego_medico]

Ezra returns with a glass of wine in one hand and something that can only be described as a large rainbow milkshake in the other.

"Option 7b was the winner," Ezra informs placing the milkshake in front of Franklyn "I don't think the Bar likes to be empirically tested, or at least not with a list as long as yours."

Ezra sits next to him and sips his own wine.

[of_all_trades]

"Remember me to tip her generously," Franklyn says.

He drinks his milkshake from the supplied straw, it doesn't taste like literally everything, but it tastes like many perfectly layered fruit milkshakes.

"Extremely generously," Franklyn says "this is great!"

Under the table pokes Ezra, he tries to be discreet, but...

[superego_medico]

Ezra is startled and spill his wine!

"What the hell?!" Ezra exclaims "what are you trying to do?"

[of_all_trades]

"I was trying to signal you to... er," Franklyn says "I forgot you couldn't use your post-cognition in the Bar."

Franklyn looks nervously at the sisters.

[superego_medico]

Likewise, Ezra looks nervously at the sisters too.

He sighs.

"Maybe we should... just tell them," Ezra says.

[can_i_help]

Sabrina, who has thus far only kept an eye on Lucy while sipping her drink perks up at this.

"Tell us what?"

She pokes at Ann who has fallen asleep on her chair.

"Wakey wakey," a brief glance at Lucy "dearest sister of mine."