There was sothing odd about watching a cleaning robot use magic to remove a pile of dust rather than its own bristles. Not that there was much to be found around the house, given Rob's purpose there.
"That's the only spell he'll cast on his own," Jero explained. "Though I can make him cast other things, if I order him."
"That's not terrible," I said. "Better than him using the wrong thing."
Jero shrugged, "Not that I have many dangerous spells. I've been focusing on defensive stuff and utility, and don't really intend to change that anyti soon."
"Good choice," Jet comnted. "Too many young fellows would want to have flashy abilities."
Was that directed at , or Midnight?'
Jero did have other things to do aside from hanging out with all day. If we were going to practice magic that would be one thing- and we would likely do so soon- but today was not that day. Next on the list was touring the city for the afternoon.
-----
It ca to mind that Midnight seed to have been more places in New Bay than myself. Aside from work related things, I didn't really go many places- and Midnight was with for the vast majority of that.
I'd been to arcades a few tis with the old squad, and I had certainly enjoyed it, but I didn't tend to seek out such experiences. For , there was little better than knowing I was improving myself. Whether exercising, sparring, or simply practicing spells I gained sothing of value. Now that I could gain improvents to spells from simple use rather than points only, it was quite different. But sparring got experience and practical training with spells, so that was the best thing short of actual combat.
In summary, I loved my job and was glad it existed. And though I had seen my fair share of troubles in New Bay, including problems in the hero association as well as rcenary companies that went too far… I thought it was better run than my previous world. At least here I didn't know of anyone trying to stop from reaching my full potential. Though maybe they were just sneakier about it. Villains didn't count, obviously. Anyone acting outside the law at least ant they were publicly condemned. Also, I got to attack them so it balanced out.
Midnight definitely knew more about various parts of New Bay than I did, from fancy seafood restaurants- he didn't just love one sort of fish- to tourist attractions and shopping.
"This planet is even more different than I imagined," Jet comnted. "Beyond just the differences in body types. There is both high and low technology commonly found everywhere. And so many types of people… it is quite different from Celmoth. However, I can certainly see the appeal of such a place." Jet turned towards . "I look forward to showing you Celmoth, when the opportunity arises."
"We do need to actually spend a proper amount of ti working," Midnight comnted. "But I would also like Turlough to see ho. Though perhaps he might find it… uncomfortable."
"Indeed," Jet said. "We do appear to be placed higher than most individuals." The two of them were riding on my shoulders, which was rather odd. Not because it was bad, but because usually it was just one occupied at a ti. Fortunately, both Midnight and his mother had great balance so I didn't have to think about it too much. "In fact, we are almost concerningly high. But you do not seem bothered. Have you…?"
"He knows about my fear of heights," Midnight pointed out. "And no, it's not really better. I just feel safe around my best buddy. Oh, here we are," Midnight said.
Jet looked around at our current destination. "I fail to see what about this particular place you might recomnd. It looks like mixed residential and businesses."
I looked around too. Indeed, it wasn't much to look at. But… Midnight's head was turned towards a particular place. An alley. "It's where we first t," I comnted.
"That's right," Midnight said, his tail swishing happily. "I wasn't sure if you would rember."
"How could I not? It's not every day that you see soone in such obvious need."
"You fed hot dog," Midnight said.
"... I assu it is not cooked dog," Jet said. "Considering they are kept as pets here."
"Right," Midnight nodded. "It's just a sausage."
"Do you like them?"
Midnight shrugged his shoulders. "They're alright. At the ti, though, they were divine."
I looked around. "The hot dog stand is still just a couple blocks away," I comnted. "We could see how they fare."
"We just ca from lunch," Jet said. "And you consud a massive amount of food."
"We all split a single al," I said. "Though I'll admit it wasn't that small. But I am sothing over twenty tis as heavy as you. Besides, we don't have to eat the whole thing."
"Sounds wasteful," Jet said.
"I suppose so," I said. "Most likely sothing will eat it."
To , the hot dog was much the sa. It was alright, though it really needed the condints. Midnight and Jet split one without a bun, Jet holding the packaging with her fancy moldable suit. Midnight was both happy and extrely unimpressed. "It's better when you're starving."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not ant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"It's certainly less impressive than that restaurant," Jet comnted.
"And a hundred tis cheaper," I pointed out. That wasn't even an exaggeration, either.
A tingling sensation caught my attention. I looked around, trying to figure out what it was. But there was nothing of note that I could find. Just a woman walking her dog. A very big dog that sniffed as it walked past us.
"Hey, Midnight…" I said. "What kind of dog is that again? A strong dane?"
"Great dane," Midnight said. "... Like Spot."
I turned away, just trying to feel behind . "You sense that?"
"I do," Midnight said. "Similar power from both of them. It doesn't seem active but…"
"It's still a problem," I said. "That's not Darkstargirl though."
"What's going on?" Jet asked. "Is there sothing about that… dog?"
"He might actually be one of the few verified bunvorixians on the planet," I said.
"Then we should take him out," Jet said. "Oh, right. You're not at war with them here."
Midnight tilted his head. "We kind of are, though. Not like, all of them. But if that's the one we think."
"I'd like to follow them," I said. "But I think we should leave. We don't want to follow them into an ambush."
"... Really?" Midnight asked. "I'm surprised."
"I don't want to drag your mother into a battle," I pointed out.
"Ah. I see," Midnight said vaguely.
"You shouldn't have been concerned about ," she said. "It is my duty to fight enemy combatants. And I can fight."
"Too late now," I shook my head. "They're gone. But we might have others watching us. Aside from you being a civilian here, you also might not have a full grasp of what we're up against."
"Then perhaps you should tell ," Jet suggested.
"Sure. We can show you so things… but we can't really include others from the Brigade." I frowned. "I'm not really sure where the line is."
"We can always look on video sharing sites," Midnight pointed out. "If it's been recorded and posted, it's all public knowledge."
"Oh, good point. I forget about that kind of stuff."
Jet sighed. "... is it because he cos from a world without technology?" she tried to whisper to Midnight.
"Don't think so," Midnight replied. "This is just how he is."
-----
"Raaagh!" the screaming voice ca through my phone. We took a circuitous route ho so we wouldn't be followed, and now we were watching Great Girl throw things. Like cars. And a bus. And so sort of golem. And eventually we would get to dragons.
"This is a very small screen," Jet comnted.
"Yeah, well, Turlough doesn't watch television," Midnight said. "And human computers aren't great for ."
"Give a mont," Jet said, placing her paw over the phone. "Hmm, it certainly doesn't have familiar adapters. But I can at least expand the image." The silvery sheen around her began to flow over the phone, and then it expanded to a few tis the size in each direction. Since the limitation wasn't the resolution the screen could display, it worked out quite well when it began to replicate the image below.
"That stuff sure can do a lot, huh?" I asked.
"That is what adaptive nanotech is best at, yes," she said. "I couldn't be certain what I would need, so I brought this." As we watched more Great Girl videos, Jet nodded slowly. "The size is a bit difficult to comprehend, but I can tell she is quite powerful. Not soone I would wish to take on without backup."
"She's one of the good guys," I said. "But the fact that she's necessary to fight against so of the threats here is the point." I tried to touch the phone, but the coating was in the way. "Oh. I wanted to look up Stargirl."
"I can do that," Jet said. She put her paw on the screen, and the coating slipped away. "Stargirl, was it?"
Before she finished punching in the search, Midnight interrupted. "You're going to want to search for Shooting Star or Dark Star," he explained.
That was what I'd said. Well, not the part about Darkstargirl, but obviously Stargirl would find that too.
"Was she the one with that Bunvorixian?" Jet asked as she saw a video pop up with Spot in the thumbnail."
I shook my head. "No, that wasn't her. She looks and feels way different. That was probably one of her fanclub."
We actually had a chance to see her real face since she turned villain. Specifically after she broke out of prison, though the information wasn't publicly available until she was sentenced. There were all sorts of rules about supers with regards to prosecution and villain status that I didn't care about, but a relevant thing was she didn't even bother sending a lawyer to defend herself in court. Maybe she thought going full villain would be good for her image. And… it was. At least in terms of popularity, though obviously there were all sorts of legal issues with selling rch for villains. So still managed it though.
"Hmm. Energy powers," Jet comnted. "These would actually be easier to counter than excessive kinetic force. Though it would depend on her durability…"
"Pretty high," Midnight said. "She's not a heavy or anything, but her power protects her from damage."
"And the two of you fought her?"
"We have energy ablative barriers," Midnight said. "Approximately. Also, we had more squadmates with us."
Jet was eagerly flipping through various recomnded videos about supers. Since it was my phone, she got so of my recomndations. "Who is this Shockwave? The videos are uh… low quality."
"A speedster from the Power Brigade," I comnted. "They're… fast, obviously."
"This is perhaps the most troubleso ability of all," Jet comnted. "How could soone even react to this?"
"You'd be surprised what experienced supers can manage," I said. "Also, our personal solution is Haste." Of course, if Shockwave was in a murderous mood, I think only heavies would be safe. I had seen them kill a swarm of rats with a knife. Self preservation prevented Shockwave from using the vast force of montum to cause harm, but a fast cut with a fit person's strength or a bit more was still possible. "Also Slow. The combination really makes us pretty close in speed."
"I am ever more curious to see a demonstration of your abilities," Jet comnted. "How would you rate your own strength?"
"Average," I said.
"Significantly above average," Midnight comnted. "We survived an encounter with Doctor Doomsday and triumphed over Stargirl. Shooting Star," Midnight caught himself. "Though our current limitations are that of combat longevity due to limited mana."
"You need to tell about mana too," Jet said.
"Oh, I have a whole book on it," I said. "Though I haven't verified it's all correct or safe, yet." Midnight could really benefit from boosted mana stores, though it wasn't as if I was happy with my limits either. And greater recovery would be nice too. Maybe Celmothian technology could help, sohow? That would be interesting.
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