September 3, 493 U.C.
I half-listened to the news with my face smashing into the desk like some flat pancake on Sunday morning. I should visit… Nevermind. Daniele would want to know why I did it. I wasn’t looking forward to that. Instead, I continued to rest my head on the desk, glancing up at my mana.
I’ve burned enough today. I’ve earned a break. Embracing lethargy, I continued lying there.
“Are you alright?” Ela asked as she fluttered out.
“Just be quiet, please. My ribs still hurt, and I’m tired. And you can’t report anything.” I summoned her. She flitted around the room and then landed next to my head.
Ela patted me. “Sorry about your ribs,” she said in her high-pitched voice.
“Thanks.” I didn’t get up. What do we do? You know this will get worse. I swallowed back the growing emotion. I wish you were here, Mom. Letting out a long breath, I blew my hair and then jerked up from the desk.
I stared at the news and unsummoned Ela. The hell?
LIVE - Supervillain Attack on London!
I pulled it up. “Dad!” I yelled at full volume.
“Stop screeching!” he bellowed.
“Did someone authorize this?”
“Authorize what?”
“We have our next supervillain!” I looked back at the screen.
A man in a mask and tracksuit was standing in the bank with a gun. The counter had been smashed in. The remnant of a drone was smashed onto the sidewalk outside. Glass shards surrounded it.
The man pointed his gun at another drone, unloading a stream of bullets. It whirred out of the way and then went crashing down, skidding down the street.
“Enforcement is on their way,” the reporter said. “This marks the second magical criminal.”
“HURRY UP!” the man bellowed at some cashier.
“Are you serious?” Dad asked as he walked in. “Fuck!” he shouted and grabbed his phone.
“Did you plan this?” I demanded. Anger blazed in my eyes as I saw someone bleeding.
Dad ignored me while he spoke on the phone.
I shook my head. This guy will be caught in ten seconds. Given the shaking and crying people, I wasn’t inclined to help him either. I did consider going to act heroic. That urge surged forward.
“Go get him!” Dad barked.
I used haste and got ready while contemplating the best way to put this guy in jail. If it wouldn’t have blown back on us, I would have done it then and there.
Failing to find a good solution, I used Time Stop. Then I went floating out. It took me a few minutes to zero in on my target.
He was on his knees in cuffs. Officers were surrounding him. That didn’t shock me a bit. Since I didn’t want credit for this horrid activity, I sent a teleport spell his way. Then I appeared back in a cement warehouse and resumed time. The large turnip appeared moments later.
“What the hell, dude? Did magic get rid of your brain?” I bellowed at him.
“Viper?” the man said groggily. “Alright.”
“No!” I shouted at him, venting my increasing frustration. “This is not some rescue. This is me telling you that I’m going to murder you! Say goodnight, doorknob!” I used haste and traced a symbol in the air. I fed magic into a spell I’d found. The glowing symbol surged. Then I gestured. It coalesced and hit him. He dropped to the floor as sleep took him.
“Viper?” a man asked as he poked his head in. “What’s going on?”
“We have some rotten rogue. Where do I dump rebels who try to rob banks? I want to throw him in jail!” I shouted.
“I’ll contact people.” The man sighed. “What a mess.”
“My sentiment exactly.” I pulled out a book and started reading while I waited. There was a lot to read. The sleep spell had come in handy. I wanted other options. I resumed studying light magic while I waited.
The door swung open. “They are sending someone to pick him up.”
“Thanks. How is the stock?” I asked.
“Fine. They are distributing more.”
“Can I see the numbers? It would help.”
The man thought about it and nodded. “Makes sense to me.”
I got up and followed him out into the shop. There were carcasses hanging everywhere. I followed him through them into an office. Then I glanced through papers. Honestly, the amount of food being sold was absurd. We were moving nearly over a thousand kilograms a day. I could understand it, but it didn’t help my mood since I was making all the deliveries.
“We do need a lot each day,” the foreman said.
I grunted at him because I was annoyed. I put the papers down and let out a long breath.
“I bet you are one rich girl.”
“Something like that,” I muttered, not wanting a reminder that I couldn’t get anything without stealing it. I huffed as I leaned back. Saving humanity was turning out to be expensive and way too much work. I pulled out my book to distract myself from my sorrow, pain, and frustration.
“What language is that?” the foreman asked as he looked at the book.
“It’s a book on magic. I’m working on enchanting.”
“Oh. Awesome. I don’t suppose you are willing to help others?” the foreman asked.
That’s when I had a funny sense of déjà vu. Then I remembered why. This was literally what happened to the fae boys every single day. They got my sympathies. “Regrettably, I’m under orders.”
“Well, I’ll just hope that they stick with their promises.”
“I can’t argue with that.” Then I glanced at the clock and groaned. “What a garbage day. Is it bad to kick unconscious people?”
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
“Yes. But I can’t fault the sentiment.” The foreman shook his head while looking at the screen. “He walked in, smashed the security system, and then went to rob the place. Wow. They’ll track him down for sure.”
“He didn’t exactly inspire terror,” I said. “Dude got sacked in moments.”
“I disagree. You teleporting him out did. How’d you do it without being seen?”
“I hid.”
“That terrified everyone. Yes, they saw him in cuffs, but then he just teleported away. That makes it far scarier.”
I hadn’t thought of that. He had a point. “Can I see?”
“Sure.”
I scooted closer and read.
“The subject was apprehended, but he teleported away. This marks the fourth unregistered magical user who has used teleportation! Enforcement is endeavoring to track the individual.”
MGGuardianz9872134: We need these villains in jail!
MomOfTwo998qw0: Who will protect us? Humanity is already struggling and now we have super-villains! Anyone unregistered needs to be put down!
DemandingAnswers837102: We need answers! Platinum helped with the wall! How did they not apprehend her then?
PanickingTakesPlanning991: We need action! Talk to your Lords!
FlocksOfCrows234089: I was there! That dude walked in, smashed the place, and terrified everyone. Then enforcement brought him down with a tranquilizer. How the hell did he manage to teleport? Something is going on! We need answers!
PlatinumPrincessFanatic0016981: @DemandingAnswers, Platinum has a contract with Guardian Command. If she accepts an official quest, she’s protected during said quest. Guardian Command issued that statement days ago! It was the only way to get her aid for both hive operations. It allows for nobility and the fae to request her aid without requiring her to serve in the military.
DraftThemAll82349: She should be drafted.
GuardiansAreKids9823478: @#$% off Draft. She’s a minor. Stop the abuse! Kids should not be soldiers!
HelpMeFae82349: We need the fae to take an even stronger presence. They should be allowed to help us track these people down!
MomOfTwo998qw0: I agree! We need people who will keep our streets safe!
I looked up. “Wow.”
The foreman nodded. “Yep. People are going a bit nuts.”
I turned back to my book. Hopefully, this made the point they needed. I felt like we certainly had managed that.
Minutes passed by while I read. The chilly air wasn’t great. The smell wasn’t either. Butcher shops aren’t known for their accommodations. Fidgeting, I contemplated screaming while I waited.
Finally, a man poked his head in. “Pickup?”
“For one massive turnip?” I asked hopefully.
“Yes.” The man chuckled.
“Come on.” I walked over to the warehouse, used my body enhancement, and grabbed him. Then I hauled him out like a sack of flour.
“Someone’s gotten stronger.”
“Yep.” I carried him and shoved him into the backseat. “What a mess.”
“No arguments from me. Later, Viper.”
I waved, teleported, and knocked on a door.
“You are late!” Grandpa barked as he opened the door with a scowl.
“Not my fault! You have rebels. Screen them better!”
Grandpa frowned. “Get inside. They are all waiting.”
I walked into the fancy home. I don’t know who owned it, but we were using it. We walked down the hall on a polished wooden floor.
“Are you serious?” Grandpa asked.
I looked over in surprise. “You don’t know? Someone with a strength boost tried to rob a bank. He made a mess. Then he got tranquilized. That was when I found him.”
Grandpa groaned. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. He was apprehended, of course.”
“Did it at least cause an issue with the populace?”
“Yes, it did. It may have pushed too far. The internet is ablaze.” I walked to the indoor gardens. “Hello, folks. Let’s do this thing.”
“Is it going to hurt?” someone asked.
“Yes. Any real questions?” I asked.
“Can I talk to you privately?” some androgynous person asked.
“Sure.” I followed them into another room. “Yes?”
“What changes will happen?” they whispered.
“From this? None. That doesn’t happen until the potions.”
“And the guardians could do that?” they asked.
“Yes, but they may ask how you managed.”
The person leaned in. “So, I don’t know what I’ll look like afterward?”
“Nope.”
“Is there a way to control that?” they asked.
“Based on my research, magic isn’t going to make you hate yourself. It does make you look a bit fae. If you fight that, it’ll reduce it to some extent. I do not know much beyond that. If you prefer androgyny, it probably will push you there, but you’d get some fae. We haven’t managed to get rid of that yet.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
I followed them back. “Anything else?” I asked the group.
“Does it matter which one we pick?” a woman asked, peering into the pond.
“Based on my research? No. You will need to slowly build magic before you awaken. Then you’ll need to do it again afterward. Exposure along the way will speed that up. That’s all that I know.”
“I’m ready.” She stood up.
“Thank you. Everyone grab a fish.” I tried to trick them into doing it all at once. To my great joy, it worked. They all did. “All together now!” A giddy smile spread across my face as the fourteen people killed them. Seeing no reaction, the others did the same. I used haste and raced down the line to retrieve the knives and enchant them.
“That wasn’t bad at all,” one of them said with a grin.
“Yeah, they overhyped it ma -” The woman screamed bloody murder and started to fall. I used haste and loaded people into medpods. Finishing that, I turned to Grandpa. “Good to go?”
“Yes. Restock the pond.”
“Yes, Grandpa.” I scowled and gave him a look.
He sighed. “Don’t start this again. Go.”
What a jerk. I pulled out hatchets and teleported. I appeared near some cliffs by a massive river. Dinosaurs roamed the area, munching on grass and fish. The smell of salt and surf hit me.
Enjoying that smell, I used Haste and proceeded to start killing anything that was mana-heavy. I chopped into a large, glowing triptop, ending its life in moments. I sent it to the warehouse. Spinning, I continued my rapid harvest.
After a few dozen dinosaurs, I harvested some metal and gems. I needed them for enchantments. Finishing that, I returned home and let out a breath of relief.
Grabbing my stuff, I headed for the shower.
“You need to level,” Dad said.
I continued walking, heading for the bathroom. “I just did! And I need to shower and get breakfast!” My stomach echoed the sentiment, trumpeting out its fury.
Dad nodded. “Prepare in case they do a forced blood audit at school. It will probably happen.”
I studied him. “Was this planned, Dad?”
“Of course not.”
I wasn’t sure if he was lying. I stewed on it while I showered and ate. My doubt built through all of it.
Current Level 11 Current XP 11.08% Current Max Mana 9091.43 Regen per minute 13.77 Reputation 12000
Tier Skill Cost Tier 11 User Time Dilation (Haste)
- User experiences 256 seconds for 1 earth second.
- Force transference limited to 25%. 1 mana per earth second. Tier 7 Pocket Dimension
- 128 cubic meters of pocket space.
- Rapid stash and rapid draw.
- You may tether objects to your pocket space.
- Your pocket space cleans, preserves, and organizes items inside based on your will. 32 mana Tier 7 Time Stop
- Caster leaves spacetime. They may remove and place things back in spacetime.
- You may control the flow of time in the demiplane.
- You may summon in willing living creatures.
- This automatically triggers if you take significant damage.
- Recast to gain vision. 200 mana to cast.
Variable cost to move items in and out. Tier 7 Teleport.
- Teleports the caster or a willing creature.
- You may cast this on a willing or unwilling creature if they are within fifty meters.
- You may teleport inside an object, causing the matter to push outward.
200 mana for the caster.
400 mana for a willing creature.
1000 mana for an unwilling creature with no resistance.
- Short range casts cost less mana.
Tier 3 Attire Swap
- Locked to a single outfit. Current outfit set to Magical Girl Uniform.
- Attire cleaned on swap.
- Attire repaired on swap. 20 mana. Tier 3 Enhanced Body
-Caster’s body is enhanced by a factor of eight. 2 mana per caster second. Tier 2 Enchanting.
- Enchantments last twice as long. Variable cost. Tier 2 Potions.
- Potions last twice as long. Variable cost. Tier 2 Familiar Manifestation. 20 mana to cast Tier 2 Free casting
- Cast any spell you can replicate.
- Slotted Spell. Use half the normal cost of the spell to store a single spell for future use. Cast the spell for the remaining cost. Variable cost. Penalty of 8x mana.