Within the Apple Chapter 5C

*****

Battery sighed, for the… well she lost track of how many times she’d done that, actually.

She understood that most Parahumans had a lot of trauma to deal with, but the ones who didn’t have a proper grasp on reality still managed to get to her every time she had to deal with them. With Case 53s, at least, it was understandable.

Powers had warped them so badly that she was often more shocked at how lucid most of them turned out to be.

This one, this… Magus, because of course he’d call himself that, was another matter entirely.

Clearly this one snapped when he triggered, She thought wearily.

Granted, it could be worse of course, he obviously was Heroically inclined and a cheerful sort. Too much like Ethan for her personal faith in humanity, but it was a far sight better than another villain on the streets.

It wasn’t the magic bit that was bothering her most about him, however. Myrddin, irritating and exasperating as that man could be at times, was a great hero who stylized himself as a wizard. She knew well enough that wasn’t all that crazy. More than a couple heroes garbed themselves in the trappings of fiction, using the familiar to boost their marketability and recognition factor.

It wasn’t all that different from using historical imagery, similar to Dauntless’ Spartan look. It gave you a solid base to build upon rather than forcing you to start from scratch.

No, listening to him talk, it was something else that bothered her.

*****

Assault found himself rather enjoying the back and forth with Magus.

The kid, he couldn’t be more than twenty… if that… was quick with a quip, and certainly wasn’t above trolling people. And yes, Assault knew well when he was being trolled, not that he would let that stop him from playing back.

Wouldn’t be kosher to put the kibosh on another troll’s game, after all,  Ethan thought through a masked grin.

The kid’s responses to his questions, though, they were just bringing more questions to the fore and that was something he just couldn’t quite make heads or tails of.

“That’s a lot of power,” He said after noting that the kid had a mover rating for flight, blaster rating for whatever that stun bolt he’d used was, definitely a shaker rating for the projection of the flowers.

If the kid was telling the truth about making them permanent, it wouldn’t be a low shaker rating either.

Not if he’s telling the truth about what all he can create, at least.

There were a few shakers and breakers who could create matter from somewhere, locally the E88 leader, Kaiser, and his attack dog, Hookwolf, came to mind as examples. However they were limited to one material, or at least variants on a common material. Steel in each of their cases.

“Magic is a very versatile talent,” The kid just grinned at him.

Which is another thing.

“Why no mask?” Ethan asked curiously, remembering what Beardmaster had noted, that there were no facial matches on the kid… anywhere. “Changer power?”

That wasn’t impossible, but it was certainly improbable in the modern day, and left some questions he’d like answered.

“Changer?” Magus asked, head cocked to one side. “From the context, I’ll guess you mean shapeshifting?”

Ethan nodded, “That’s right.”

“Well, I could do some of that, I suppose, but it has nothing to do with my lack of a mask,” Magus said blithely.

“Wait, you have a Changer power too?” Glory Girl cut in, throwing her arms up, “Did you just steal the whole grab bag or what?”

Magus chuckled curiously, “Grab bag?”

“it’s what we use to refer to Capes with several seemingly unconnected powers,” Ethan answered, looking to cut off the digression if he could.

“Ah, well no grab bag here, just the one power.” Magus shrugged, “Told you, magic is versatile.”

Everything Ethan knew about reading someone told him the kid was being honest, which really only meant that the kid believed it of course.

“Changing form can be accomplished in a few ways, the most common… and it’s not super common,” Magus said, “is the Animagus form.”

“Ani…” Ethan paused, frowning, “You have an animal form?”

Magus shrugged with a wink, leaving Ethan to groan.

Add a stranger power to that list then.

This was rapidly becoming ridiculous.

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to prove it?” Ethan asked, some of patience starting to slip.

The kid’s eyes narrowed, and Ethan knew instantly that he’d stepped wrong. He just wasn’t certain how.

*****

Did he seriously just ask a Wizard to prove his power?

Xander wanted to laugh maniacally at the very idea. It was one rule of fiction, more than reality, but this guy should have known better.

He brought up some of his magic, letting it lace his eyes so they shed sparks of power that floated out from behind his sunglasses.

“Be careful what you ask for,” He let himself grin. “I may decide to give it to you.”

Assault lifted his hands, taking a step back, as Battery began to charge up visibly behind him. Xander tilted his head slightly in her direction, his expression slipping as he focused intently on her for really the first time.

“What in the…”

“hey,” Assault snapped, “If you’re mad at me, focus on me.”

“You are not nearly as interesting,” Xander said, his minor bit of irritation with the man in the red costume already long forgotten.

He didn’t know what he was looking at, but it was almost like watching a wizard draw up their power… much the way he just had… but there was something… wrong about her. Her magic was funneling in from elsewhere, which wasn’t completely nuts. His own, like all wizards, was primarily from an internal well of power… but Xander had known many who drew theirs from outside sources in his time.

Hers almost looked like a Demon contract, but without any of the malevolence.

“Have you contracted with an outer power?” He blurted, not really thinking as he spoke.

Battery stared at him, her power draw stopping and starting fade as her concentration was broken.

“What?”

“Sorry,” Xander said, shaking his head, “Terribly rude of me. I was taken by surprise when I saw your power funnel in.”

He cocked his head, walking around her as she turned to face him while Assault tried to get between them.

“Curious…” Xander said. “Can you do that again?”

“Do what?”

“Summon your magic.”

“I do not use magic,” She hissed, irritated.

Xander rolled his eyes, “Your power then.”

“I will not.”

Xander sighed, stepping back with some annoyance. He could force her to, he supposed, just a mild attack would do the trick, but they were local heroes and he didn’t need that kind of hassle.

“Whatever,” He said, turning away. “Bored now. You two have fun with the mugger, I’m going to go see if I can find the rest of the materials I need to go home.”

“Hey, wait a…”

Xander waved negligently at them over his shoulder and lifted easily into the air, “Later.”

*****

Glory Girl was slightly amused, slightly annoyed at how the encounter had gone, though she wasn’t certain who she was annoyed with. Magus had been a bit rude there at the end, for sure, but Battery certainly hadn’t help.

“I’ll see you two later,” She said as she too lifted off, heading in pursuit of the departing Cape.

She caught up easily, of course. She was fast, and he wasn’t trying to run.

“That could have gone better,” She said as she came abreast of him.

Magus just shrugged, “I have a limited attention span for officiousness. Redman was pretty fun, though, especially when he thought I was macking on his girl. Good thing she has a hot bod, though, cause with that personality I feel bad for him.”

Glory Girl snorted, “Battery’s not that bad. She’s just very serious when on the job. Were you serious about your powers?”

He glanced at her, “Of course.”

“Well, I don’t buy the magic stuff, but if you can do what you said… that’s a pretty nifty power set.” Glory Girl admitted. “I love my powers, but you got all that and flying?”

“Oh, I can’t fly.”

She stared at him, and he grinned back at her.

“I’m going to regret asking, aren’t I?” She asked plaintively.

He just kept grinning.

“Fine,” She huffed, pointing down, “What do you mean you can’t fly? Have you noticed where we are?”

“I made a flight harness,” He said.

“You’re a Tinkertoo? Bullshit!” She swore, shaking her head. “Did you leave any powers for the next guy? Come on!”

Magus just shrugged, “Some of us are just that good, I guess.”

Oh you did not just…

Her eyes narrowed, “That sounds suspiciously like a challenge.”

“Well, if you want to be silly enough to take it as one…”

“Oh you’re on!” She grinned ferally. “Race you across the bay!”

He looked out over the waters, noting the old wrecks that dotted the waters out to the edge of the bay, including a massive old ship practically blocking the narrow entrance to the waterway.

“You’ve got it. First to the ship out there?”

Glory Girl looked out and nodded firmly. “Call it.”

“On three then… One… Two… Three!”

The pair surged ahead, accelerating hard out over the water.

*****