Humanity is sick. About 8 hours after the Appleseed pills began to spread and cure cancer patients, dozens of news channels and protestors rioted against the Appleseed treatment.
Experts and doctors of every kind commented on the impossibility of a cure, the high price, social cases worthy of a heroic rescue, and so on.
Hackers of multiple origins attacked the online sites, either trying to figure out the formula, or simply to stop the cure from even getting bought.
And I was called on review by the Justice League, with a suspicious Batman holding a mini-trial, with an Appleseed pill held as evidence.
"Grey Wizard. You caused a giant problem." J'onn said while rubbing his bald head.
I smiled kindly and nodded. "The first billion dollars will be donated to the Justice League. I don't need that much money anyways."
Batman pointed at me, almost revealing my identity in public, then thought better. "Just tell me these seeds are really a cure, and not some evil plan."
I shrugged and took out my other gifts. "Actually, the Appleseed is only a failed experiment, thus it only works on cancer. Rosepowder can cure anything. Maybe you have heard of the Desert Rose?"
Woman Woman perked up at my words, with a look of understatement in her eyes. "Flash, run to Coryana and bring us a few roses."
"Sure thing. But just in case, what do they look like?" Flash asked in a geek tone.
I took out a perfectly preserved Desert Rose from my Storage and showed him. "Just like this. They can also cure anything, but being plants they are somewhat harder to store and preserve."
"Grey Wizard is correct. I knew about these roses. Only the people of Coryana were worried they would be invaded and the roses destroyed, should the news get out." Wonder Woman admitted in a guilty voice.
And second later, Flash returned with a bunch of roses, a bit ruffled by the travel speed. "Can I take one? I have a sick friend...." he asked hesitantly.
I just ignored him and took out the second gift, an innocent-looking inhaler containing Miracle 2.1 (mildly painful, like breaking a bone or two)
"And this is a minor Miracle drug, boosting any human to Olympic levels of fitness. Not for sale, but internal use by Justice League heroes or their families. Sadly, it doesn't work on alien physiology." I offered and placed a few dozen inhalers on the table.
Batman picked a pair of them, then nodded in silence, towards me. Perhaps too shy to say thanks.
While still under trial, the atmosphere had changed into something like awed respect or cautious joy. I wasn't viewed with suspicion as a hidden villain, but rather as a dangerous mad scientist.
Flash tip-towed towards the table and picked a pair of inhalers as well. "It may not be much, but Olympic levels are still good."
Superman frowned, then picked up the roses from the Flash. "Natural cures are safer."
I just shrugged, as more heroes came and picked their free gifts. Some of them nodded, others didn't. I also didn't care.
"I expect you're working on a better Miracle?" the Martian Hunter asked with surprising insight.
"This one is safe but still causes some pain when inhaled. Like breaking a leg or something. A stronger version would hurt so much as to induce mental disorders or worse. I'm sure none of us would mind the pain, but normal people are fragile." I explained in a patient voice.
"You're testing them on yourself?" J'onn asked with a wary tone.
"Of course. I use anything on myself first, it's not like I would die. Plus I need to calibrate pain levels, such that users don't go into shock or something. But if there are volunteers, let me know. I can barely feel curare anymore." I muttered in a mild voice.
"If you have something that works on me, let me know, Grey Wizard. " Hawkwoman spoke with a grave voice.
"No problem. Just fill this bag with your blood. And we may need some stuff from your home. Soil, metal, plants...science may be easier than magic, but I still require ingredients." I said in an accepting voice, and produced the necessary blood-letting apparatus from my storage.
Fwooop. "Urrrrh" Batman growled a little as he inhaled his Miracle in front of everyone.
Possibly making sure he would be avenged if my drug was a trap. Nobody ever said Batman wasn't clever. And even more clever now.
A minute later, as a hundred eyes were locked on him, he stretched and threw a few punches. "The pain is alright. As for fitness...possibly better than Olympic. At least first place in any discipline."
"I think there is also a minor boost to mental functions, but I can't be sure. I was always pretty smart." I commented a bit ironically.
Flash inhaled his own Miracle immediately, possibly feeling the need for the mental boost. He then sat at a computer and began filling intelligence tests at rapid speed. "There is some improvement. Nothing big." he said in a careful voice.
Everyone smiled a little, already used to Flash's less-than-stellar mind.
While they were all busy, I walked beside Superman and passed him a small bag with a blue kryptonite ring. Poor guy was always getting in trouble as well. "Ask your cousin how to use it."
And with that, I teleported back to my ship, in another star system.
Jane was still asleep, waiting for a final cure. While she was initially a human girl, a mad doctor had mutated her with Kryptonian genes, producing a strange and bizarre hybrid.
And since the System had given me a quest to cure her, it was certainly possible. The body at least.
As for her mind...I may have to reconstruct and implant new memories, just to make sure.
Oh well. I could use a little sister. And a sidekick with superpowers.
It took weeks of hard work, but surprisingly the last bit came from Hawkwoman's blood, which contained metabolized Nth metal. Once directed to bind with Jane's bones, she began to produce a new type of blood marrow than healed her flaked skin.
A few doses of Rosepowder completed the transformation, returning my sister to her Hope_Lauren aspect.
The next part was much harder, and strained my Tech Use to the limit. But in the end, I completed the quest and programmed myself a sister.
"Peach, wake up!" I called her as the brain-scanning machine showed signs of leaving dream state.
"Big Brother? Where are we?" she asked with innocent eyes.
"Long story. Some aliens attacked Earth while you were sick, and I captured this ship from them. Coffee?" I asked with a wry voice.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"You drink coffee, ugly Wizard. Where is the black tea?" she demanded in a noble voice.
Excellent.
"Kitchen!" I pointed out with a careless hand.
"...Could have at least made me some tea." she grumbled and went to the small kitchen I installed on my Appleship.
A minute later, she came back with a mug of tea, and floating. "I can fly now?"
"Just like me. But you're faster." I grumbled in a sad voice, and floated with my shadows.
"I was always the smarter one. But...wait a minute? You cured cancer while I slept?" she 'remembered' with a confused voice.
"Having a sick sister made me learn medicine til my eyes bled. Oh well. You know my Appleseeds were a failure, right? I was trying to cure you, not cancer. But anyways, it's not so bad."
*Ding
Quest complete. Peach Wizard is now your sister. + 5 free attributes, + 5 Logic, +5 Persuasion.
Whoa! The System approved my actions. More Magic! Extra Skills. Yay!
It also meant my story about looking for my kidnapped sister will hold water now.
"You know, I thought you were dead, little Peach. So I went and fought Lucifer, to get a key for Hell and drag you out somehow. And it was all for nothing!" I regaled my new sister with a sanitized version of the story.
Creating a legend it is called, when you invent a new life.
"...Please don't." Peach said in a softer voice.
"Now, you know I'm not that strong yet, even if I can fake it really well. But you can be a hero, if you want. Even a superhero, like you wanted as a child." I proposed in a cautious voice.
"But I will be away from you. Not again!" she mumbled and locked herself tightly on my arm.
"I already have two girlfriends and my lab work. There are so many diseases I can cure. So many inventions to discover! Plus, we have a castle in Appletown. And....you're now a real Dame. Soon to be a Baroness, if my Noble Prize gets approved." I whispered in secret.
"What? Noble Prize?" she yelled a bit too loud.
"It seems curing cancer is a big deal, after all. Even if the press hates Grey Wizard now." I confessed with a small shrug.
"It is a big deal. And thanks for healing me. I remember I did some bad things..." Peach answered in a guilty voice.
"That crazy doctor also messed with your mind. Programmed you to hate Supergirl and other stuff. Those people at DEO wouldn't tell me what you did. Doesn't matter anyways. I would go to Hell and bring you back if you needed saving. Almost did..." I said in a harsher tone.
"Can we go summon some demons? I want to try my real strength." Peach asked with a playful tone.
"Sure, why not. We are Wizards! We were born to terrify demons." I claimed in a grandiose voice and marched towards the summoning pit.
"Stupid brother...you were the brave one for long enough. Let me be the one to carry the burden from now on." Peach whispered to herself. Her eyes glowed with cold ice.
--------
Batman punched the last gangster and tied him up. So much easier today.
It had been a risk, but he trusted J'onn. And when the Martian Manhunter said the Miracle drug was real, he took a chance. And it paid off so much!
Alfred had gained a new life as well, no longer a dour old man, always short of breath. He could win the 100 meter sprint now!
A bit later, he returned to the Batcave and searched for news on Star City, then promptly ignored the two billionaire playboys: Wizard and Queen.
Wizard was trying hard to become a badass vigilante with his Apple character, basically promoting his phones by fighting crime, while Queen was even worse, shooting arrows at people as the Hood!
No, the problem was the new 'hero' calling herself Orange. Who shot beams of frost from her eyes, while flying around as invulnerable as Supergirl! Sometimes making icerings in the middle of summer, other times freezing criminals into solid blocks of ice. Nothing lethal yet, but without supervision things always degraded.
He had even asked Superman, and he confirmed this Orange girl wasn't a kryptonian. Similar powers, but not exactly. A small test with kryptonite was still necessary, but it was probably a false alarm. Metahuman powers came in all flavors, thus someone getting lucky was a statistical event, given enough time.
For a second, he wondered if Grey Wizard could magic up another Miracle, then sighed. He could not depend on others, no matter how tempting. Plus, he still wasn't sure if the Grey Wizard was human, or something else. They way he spoke and acted, indifferent to threats or death...plus the ridiculous feats. Sadly, he rarely appeared in public, only acting in the direst cases. Possibly locked in his lab, doing arcane research all the time. Counter-measures...pending.
Ask other magicians?
Ping!
Look into X-kryptonite and whoever makes Superman-type inhaler drugs. Will send a sample as well, in case you need to fight something really bad. PS: your Batsuit needs a power shield, let me know if you want me to make one.
----From: Grey Wizard.
Just as the message arrived on the Justice network, a transparent inhaler filled with amber gas appeared on his table via teleport.
Batman stared at the screen, now reverted to his Grey Wizard entry, still lacking countermeasures. Not a coincidence at all.
He picked up the inhaler and just stared at it for a minute. Superman powers in a bottle? It was too good to be true. Or a nightmare, if it was. And Grey Wizard's message was clear. If this was a sample, he had more such inhalers.
And the Grey Wizard always tested stuff on himself first. It wasn't like he could die. Sighing, he placed the inhaler in a drawer for further testing.
--------------------------
Holding myself from laughing evilly, I closed the monitoring screen and returned to watching my sister kick ass in Star City.
Surely, an evil deed could be balanced by a good one, right?
Exactly! This is why I called myself a Grey Wizard.
Not for wearing grey, although I also did that, but for avoiding the trap of trying to be good all the time, at any cost.
No. Just like Lady Fortuna proved, a strong wizard had to use both sides, and make a conscious choice every time, not go by muscle memory. Fortuna was over 1000 points in Magic, so I couldn't compare, but I had a worthy model in her.
As my latest training focused mainly on magic, I did gain a few perks related to it.
*Mana Control. By controlling your mana carefully, you decrease MP casting cost by 10%.
*Mana Affinity. This technique allows the user to become more sensitive to mana and handle it better. Range is extended by 10%.
*Mana Capacity. You gain +10% temporary MP on top of your max. Recharges with rest. Acts as a buffer against magic or mental attacks.
The other training, consisting of fighting Peach in melee like a madman, had granted me only two Perks, but very useful.
*HP Regen. By getting hurt often (too often), Gamer gains +1 HP per sec until max is reached.
*Nimble. +2 AGI. By failing to dodge (too often), you gain +10% Dodge chance. This effect is automatic and works against anything.
I still had a long way to go, but I could see how things might shape in the future. Constant training would improve the perks to incredible levels.
Nimble in particular, had the potential to become incredibly over powered. At 100% I wouldn't get hit by anything at all.
I grinned and waved away the fancy dreams. It wouldn't be that easy, would it?
The System stayed silent, which meant it also thought so.
Anyways, even at tier 3, the effects would become significant.
"Honey, I'm hoooome!" Emilia yelled as she teleported back from work.
"I know!" I shouted back, then closed my laptop.
Emilia rushed in and threw herself in my arms. "Pef, I missed you so much!"
I smiled and hugged her back. "I know."
"Grrr. You're not romantic at all" she growled a little, sounding like an angry fox.
"Indeed. My genius is above such..." I began to answer when my System threw me a break.
*The Siege has begun. Targets remaining 402.
"... all that. Case Red. Get to the armory." I continued in the same tone, and grabbed her bottom for a short moment. It was quite unlikely, but might as well die a happy man.
"Oh! You're serious." she whispered as I tapped my ear com. "Zimmer, Case Red."
"Understood, Boss. Everyone, we have a Case Red! You have trained for this! Drones up in the air now!" my Security Director yelled, making me turn off the comms, as he also shouted in my ear.
"Peach, suit up!" I continued on my next call.
"I heard it already, bro. I was waiting for your genius speech." Peach commented wryly. Right, with +1000 PER stats, she could hear a fly at 1000 meters easily, not to mention chatter in the same castle.
Was she spying on my sex life? Was I even asking stupid questions while a crisis was going on?
"Boss, the train station..." Zimmer said in a rush, possibly observing through the drones spreading out.
"You heard that?" I asked rhetorically, as Peach was already supersonic and flying to deal with the army attacking the station.
"...And the police precinct" Zimmer continued as I locked in my Apple armor. And action!