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

[can_i_go]

"I wonder if I should return it, maybe the Bar lady runs a lost and found? Do you want to be returned, Binky?"

She definitely does not want to return it, but she doesn't want to make Binky sad either.

[mage_see_mage_do]

If Binky's full-body snuggles means anything, it is that it does not want to be returned.

[can_i_go]

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now, food, please?"

[can_i_help]

Fortunately Sabrina has managed to get the last things done and a fulfilling but quick breakfast is served. Everyone eats, the food is cleaned and sleeping bags and everything else is stuffed back into backpacks that feel much lighter after all the food that's been eaten.

"So, as Ann was asking before we were all distracted by breakfast and Lucy's new fluffy friend, how are we going to do this?" Sabrina asks after she's made sure Lucy hasn't forgotten anything important. (Or not so important things that she would miss like the jewelry she found.)

[mage_see_mage_do]

"I think we can hike a little more before returning to Milliways proper," Temperance eyes the mountains "I probably shouldn't... but I am sooo tempted to take Lucy to a cavern, but I get the vague feeling we might end up returning with a diamond the size of a baby or bigger, and that sounds like a pain to carry around."

[can_i_stay]

"Well, you just broke the rule number one of dealing with Lucy, didn't you?" Ann asks, laughing.

[can_i_go]

The biggest smile spreads on Lucy's face.

"Let's do it. Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go."

She jumps up and down a few times and starts marching towards where she thinks the caverns are. It's about ninety degrees from their actual location.

[mage_see_mage_do]

"Okay," Temperance says "note to self: don't stay between Lucy and shiny objects... or fluffy objects."

Temperance catches Lucy by a shoulder and corrects her to the right direction.

"Lead the way, brave explorer!"

[can_i_stay]

"Oh no, that's rule number two, just add food. Rule number one is to not give her ideas."

[can_i_go]

They arrive at the entrances of the caverns. Lucy takes a curious look at them and points at one.

"That one looks like the most dangerous one. Let's go there."

[mage_see_mage_do]

Looks conflicted between safety and adventure.

Safety or Adventure?

Adventure!

She follows Lucy, holding a flashlight and keeping close to the group.

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn follows without even considering the danger.

[can_i_go]

The air in the cave is cold, damp and dead. There's moss growing on the walls, but it's otherwise the cave is completely unremarkable.

Lucy places her left hand on the wall and walks boldly forward, swinging her flashlight around haphazardly. Everyone else just needs to follow her.

After about twenty steps there's a fork on the road. Lucy doesn't even think about it, she takes the left one, the one that has a slight downward slope.

After a few steps Lucy stops, tears some moss from the wall and shuts down her flashlight.

"Is this normal shiny or magic shiny?" she asks.

[can_i_stay]

Ann peers at the wall. "Now that you say it, it looks a little luminescent to me. That's interesting."

[of_all_trades]

"It isn't magic" Franklyn offers "magic is more like this"

Franklyn magic-glows a little stronger, for a few moments, not that Sabrina or Ann will notice.

"You get the hang of it in no time"

[can_i_go]

Lucy eyes the moss in her hand speculatively.

[can_i_help]

"You are not putting it in your pocket."

[can_i_go]

"Why would I put it in my pocket? What do you take me as?"

She was going to put it in her pocket. The moment nobody's looking she's going to put it in her pocket. They both know it.

[of_all_trades]

Everyone knows that, but no one comments.

"Maybe you want to continue down the cave?" Franklyn says "Milliways would totally follow the logic that the interesting things are deeper"

[can_i_go]

"You're right, this is stupid."

As they continue there's more and more of the glowy moss, and as it gets more and more glowy, it also starts being magical.

Lucy doesn't notice the difference, she just keep her hand on the wall (when it's not stuffing more and more moss in her pocket) and takes every left turn she can.

[mage_see_mage_do]

Temps notices that the moss is magical, maybe not right away, but when she does she picks something up and trying to figure out what it does.

Absently she uses a moss covered wall to support herself.

Except it isn't moss covered, it is a moss curtain, hiding a hole in the cavern, Temperance goes right through it.

She falls into a underground pool - which consists most of mud - but between it, the moss and the luck she is just a little bruised.

Temperance discovers what the moss' magic does. It tastes good, she discovers this because she swallowed a mouthful of it when she fell, while coughing it out Temperance notices something in the dark.

Something that looks oddly chest-shaped.

Temperance laughter will be hard to miss in the echoing cave.

[of_all_trades]

"Temperance!" Franklyn shouts nearly falling himself.

[can_i_stay]

"Are you okay?" Ann yells.

She and her sisters hurry to where she lies in the mud. Will Franklyn need help with getting Temps up?

[of_all_trades]

Most likely he will.

The fall isn't big enough to break any bones even if without the mud to soften the impact, but any way down is covered with moss.

Also, covered with moss is Temps, since it is all glowing moss it makes her easy to spot. She still is giggling.

"Help me down?" Franklyn asks the sisters.

[can_i_stay]

Ann eyes the way down for a moment and then offers her arm to Franklyn. Two people should be more stable than one, right?

Meanwhile Sabrina has tried to grab Lucy by the hand. Lucy shakes her off and gives her sister a look. "Luck powers, remember?"