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A Mage's Guide to the Multiverse by Abdursmailbox1

Books » Worm Rated: M, English, Adventure & Humor, Words: 395k+, Favs: 116, Follows: 127, Published: Jul 23, 2025 Updated: Jul 25, 2025

13Chapter 1: A Mage's Guide to the Multiverse

February 4, 1:58 AM

The early morning darkness pressed firmly against the dreary, cloud-filled sky of Downtown Brockton Bay. The scent of petrichor permeated my senses, filling me with a familiar sense of dopamine and nostalgia that often followed after me in the wake of rain. The previous storm was now only a slight drizzle, barely even registering on my personal Aqshy field, but the 'plip plip' of water droplets falling against Overdrive's truck managed to keep a steady rhythm.

It blended rather well with the quiet grumble of the tinker's souped-up engine, and both the scent and the sounds were doing their utmost to lull me into a well-needed sleep.

A wry grin found its way onto my face, and I pressed the button to roll the window up.'Too bad there truly ain't no rest for the wicked…'

What did Kevin Gates say? I got six jobs, I don't get tired?

Right now I only had one and I was already pretty fucking mentally exhausted, but the lyric helped bolster my spirit, if only a little bit.

Overdrive's hushed, hoarse voice broke through my reverie. "Boss, we gonna keep patrolling this side of Downtown, or are we headin' to the Docks? I'm pumped either way, but-"

She was rudely cut off by a jaw-cracking yawn - one that stretched on for a few seconds longer than normal. When she finally managed to close her mouth and smack her lips, there was a tint of pink on her perpetually oil-smeared cheeks. "Kinda runnin' outta gas… me, not my baby. Heh."

"Head back to the shipping container for now," I replied quietly, glancing up towards the rearview mirror just in time to catch Sherrel's tired, sheepish gaze. "I'll put a lil' illusion over the place, keep the truck safe 'till we can get a proper garage that has more than a latch for security."

I kept my voice low because thechildren were sleeping.

In the passenger seat, Cass was slumped over and drooling on top of an inert Pod 084 like he was the softest pillow ever, and the less said about the bear-like snores rumbling from behind me the better. Fortunately there was some sort of hard plastic separating the backseat from the big ass trunk that housed Trainwreck - otherwise, his severe case of sleep apnea would've already ruined what little amount of z's my cute little hacker was managing to get.

They had all worked hard tonight, and I was proud of every single one of 'em. In a weird way, I felt… responsible? Not exactly in a fatherly way, but for all intents and purposes, I was their leader, their boss, and the one who was currently providing for them. Sherrel and Trainwreck were effectively homeless, and although Cass had her rainy day fund I knew that she was the type to rely on someone stronger - not because sheneededto, but because shewantedto. She had to rely on herself for the past few years, after all.

Cassie was barely eighteen, Sherrel was probably getting ready to push thirty, and Trainwreck sounded like a bummy forty year old uncle, but I - the sixteen year old, multiversally-displaced teenager - was the one holding the reins.

Strangely enough, for someone who avoided responsibility and permanent connections like the plague… It wasn't too scary of a spot to be in.

"Aye aye, boss man!" Overdrive stage-whispered with a clumsy salute, her left hand smoothly twisting the steering wheel to pull the truck over into the left lane.

I allowed the rain to pull me back into a relaxed lull, looking down at my smartphone to slide open my PHO profile. It had only been maybe fifteen minutes since I posted in the thread - something I'd done mainly on a whim - and already I was getting flooded with follows, users tagging me, and direct messages. That was my main hangup with social media in general - I fuckinghatedgetting flooded by notifications.

My eyebrow twitched.'Told you chuckle-fucks to DM Cassie for a reason.'

I was logged onto her account in a different tab so it wasn'ttoodifferent, but it wasn't about all that - it was thethoughtthat counted. Fuck logic.

"... Say, Jason, mind if I ask you a question?"

Sherrel is concerned.

I turned my gaze back up to the mirror, meeting her own unwavering stare once again.Hidden Intuitionwas like a serpent wrapped around my shoulders, flicking its tongue near my ear, but I kept it contained and minimized. Not everything required supernatural insights, and becoming too reliant on something that easy just rubbed me the wrong way. Sherrel was bothered by something, that much was obvious, and she was using my full first name… not the best start.

I tilted my head. "You already did, champ… but go on."

She rolled her eyes, and a fond smirk broke through the stoic frown on her face. "Haha, funny guy! Not. Anyways, it's nothin' too serious or anything, ain't got enough juice in my tank for super deep conversation…"

"Mm, same. Gonna need at least six hours of sleep 'fore I let you snot on my chest again."

"Fuck you." Sherrel's fingers drummed on the steering wheel, her other hand dropping down to fiddle with the radio, but she didn't turn it on. I watched on with a vague sense of curiosity. "... Shit, don't know why I'm bein' a pussy. Ugh! Us. Me, you, fuck face back there, kitty cat… what are we doin'? Like, for real."

I raised an eyebrow, resisting the distant urge to cut straight to the heart of the matter and work for a solution. Part of growing up was realizing when some women simply wanted tovent, and I could tell that Sherrel had some things roiling in her mind, some weight that she wanted to get off of her chest. Instead of reading further into her question and hitting her with the hard, logical facts of exactlywhatwe were doing, I took the illogical, vaguely non-autistic path of… feigning ignorance.

"Whaddya mean?"

The proverbial dam burst.

"This whole night! Me killin' Alabaster, you doin' your secret Star Wars voodoo shit to fuck up Stormtiger and pin him to the street with spears like- like some kinda dungeon raid boss-"

"You play MMOs?" My eyes lit up in interest.

"Huh? That ain't-shush! I don't give a shit about killin', much less a fucking filthynazi," she spat the word out like poison, violently swerving sideways through a yellow light to hit a sudden U-Turn. Annoyed drivers honked their horns, and Sherrel tossed an errant middle finger out the window.

"But you haven't been tellin' me much, boss man. Ain't been tellin'usmuch of anything. Just how strongareyou? What are you really tryna do here? 'Cause I've beenwaytoo sober recently, and my boring ass, straight edged womanly instincts are tellin' me that you're after something higher than murking the Empire."

She inhaled harshly through her nose, regaining the breath she lost in her rambling, and Cassie stirred.

We both froze.

"-you lov' me... if I was a worm…? Hnnn..~"

The sleepy hacker smacked her lips and snuggled closer to 084, and the little light on top of its head flashed a dim green.

Sherrel and I both let out quiet, synchronized breaths of relief.

When she eyed me again in the rearview, a considering frown formed on my lips.

"Well? I deserve to know what I'm gettin' into, Jason."

"Yeah, you do." I sighed, flicking my gaze up to the metal ceiling of the truck. The interior was surprisingly well-insulated and cozy, or as cozy as an armored death machine on wheels could be, but the scent of oil and some sort of gasoline was cloying. "I wasn't fuckin' with you when I said what I said. My first day in Brockton Bay, I was attacked by a buncha skinhead assholes. Since I'm kinda vindictive, that sorta… solidified the Empire's fate. I'm- nah,we'regonna wipe 'em out. That hasn't changed."

"And I'm all for the murder of neo-nazis, but that's not all. You're avoidin' everything else." Sherrel grunted, taking another turn. The truck was starting to chug a little, a testament to the change in road quality as we transitioned from Downtown to the Docks.

There was the vitriolic scent of burning smoke in the air, and her nose crinkled. I glanced over our quickly decaying surroundings with bored, tired eyes.

"Patience is a virtue, Sherr."

"I'm the furthest thing from a fuckin' monk, Jay."

"Ain't that the truth." I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest. Even muted, myHidden Insightwas breathing minute observations into my ear, small things that weren't even worth digging too deeply into. She wasn't pissed at me -yet, but snubbing her wouldn't help the situation. I didn't really havemuchto hide. "'Ight, let's do it like this then, make it easier: You ask me one question, I answer truthfully. Then I askyousomething, and you do the same. That fair?"

There was a pause for a few seconds as she mulled it over, and I took the momentary lapse in the conversation to do a sharp swipe through Cassie's PHO DMs. Even without my Infused mask on, my ability to read and absorb information far surpassed that of an average human's, and I breezed through the beginning blurbs of dozens of inane, nosy messages before one in particular caught my eye.

It was sent a few minutes ago, from one 'Glory Girl'. My curiosity burned.

I had just clicked open the message when Sherrel's low, purring voice pulled me away from the phone.

"Fuck it, fine," she sighed, throwing me a small, self-conscious grin through the mirror. "Just… you won't look at me any differently, right? That would fuckin' suck."

I peeled my eyes away from the message - a polite and well-structured invitation to patrol the Docks with New Wave, attached with an address - and offered her a crooked smile. "That your first question?"

"Hell no, asshole. Just promise me."

Sherrel is serious.

"We both know who you were before I found you, Sherr." I replied, my smile not shifting in the slightest. "You won't say anything I hadn't already thought about. My expectations are in the fuckin' mud." I tried to add a bit of levity to my tone, tossing her a little wink to lighten the very real and very blunt truth of my words, and the tension in her jaw eased, if only slightly.

She took one hand off the wheel to flip me off. "Spin on it."

"Yeah right. Thequestions, woman." I reminded her, typing up a quick 'k be there soon' message to Glory Girl.

Sherrel flinched, her eyes lighting up once again. "Shit, okay. Alright, first question, and don't give me no half-assed crap either: How strong are you, Jason? 'Cause that shit you pulled off today wasn't some 'grab bag' bullshit."

Glory Girl responded with a confirmation immediately. At the same time, my phone buzzed, Amy's name popping up at the top alongside an incredibly blunt and foreboding'We need to talk'.

I wasn't a stranger to having anxiety over cute girls, and that message… definitely kick-started a little bit of it. I swiped it away and returned my attention to Sherrel, ignoring the way that my left finger started a dull little rhythm on the screen of my phone.

Admittedly, I hadn't even thought about Amy's reaction to… everything. I wasn't even completely sure how I felt about her in the first place.

Shit to take care of when I met up with 'em, perhaps.

"... You want the condensed version? 'Cause that's all I really got in me right now."

"Huh? Obviously the condensed version if that's all you're given' me!"

I smirked. "Cool. I haven't had time to do a lot of training, but IthinkI could 1v7 the Protectorate with prep time, no diff. I'd need to work on my Infusions, buffing spells, all'at. My biggest problem is people who can blitz me before I can react, buteye'vebeen tryna shore up that weakness." I closed an eyelid and tapped it a couple times, but it was clear that she either did not believe me or had no idea what I was referring to.

She stared, blank-faced with her eyebrows arched. An ember of embarrassment flared in my chest.

"... I don't get it."

"I can activate my powers through eyesight now. The pun was funny, you just need a higher IQ level to understand it."

"Hey-! My IQ's hella fuckin' high,dumbass, and the joke was garbage. I still don't understandanything- I know you're strong and all, it's why I asked, but taking out the Protectoratesolo? Ain't that gettin' a littletoococky? And whaddya mean buffing spel-"

I cut her off before she could start rambling again. "Your next question is askin' me if I'm a little too cocky? 'Cause I'm guilty as charged, but I doubt you wanna use your resources like that."

She paused, eyes squinting as she glared lukewarm daggers at me. "... God. Smug lil' shit."

"Also very true. Keep your eyes on the road, Sherr."

"Ugh, fine, ask your freakin' question next. Do your worst." And the tenseness was back. She returned her gaze back to the road, glaring stubbornly out into the empty, crater-filled road ahead of us. We were close to the Trainyard now, I could tell - Sherrel wasn't a Sunday driver, and the cops had their hands too full with other shit to properly watch out for speeders.

Filled with a small burst of curiosity, I dialedHidden Intuitionup a little bit, studying the contours of the mechanic's clenched jaw.

Sherrel is nervous. Sherrel is nervous because she is ashamed. Sherrel is ashamed because she has done bad things. Sherrel is nervous because she thinks you will judge her harshly for her answers.

… It was about what I'd already expected.Hidden Intuitionwas definitely a magical ability, but often times it simply extrapolated information that I already subconsciously knew or held knowledge of somewhere in my memory banks. Considering mymemorywas magically-enhanced as well,Hidden Intuitionhad a lot to play around with.

"Okay then, first question," I finally spoke up, keeping my volume to the same level tone that we'd both unconsciously agreed to when Cass almost woke up.

"Just ask it already."

I let the tension build for a few seconds longer, watching Sherrel's face grow more and more tense as the moments ticked by.

"... Jason-"

"Is it pink?"

COUGH!

She almost swerved into a rusted-up mailbox. I lightly held the 'oh shit' handle above me, fightingdesperatelyto keep the shit-eating grin from taking over my face. Her cheeks were starting to redden, though it was hard to say whether it was from the question or the violent choking fit she just went through.

Either way, it was entertaining.

"Ack! Fuck, Jason, what the fuck?" Sherrel cleared her throat, cheeks still rosy as a grin tore itself across her lips. She couldn't keep it off, and I could tell that she was trying to - the corner of her mouth was twitching like hell. "What kinda virgin ass question is that?!"

"I didn't judge your inquiries, ma'am." I responded lightly, exaggerating a scowl. "Answer the question."

Snort.

"Y-yeah, you freakin' perv. My pussy is a very pretty and enticing pink," she eked out through smoky giggles, giving up on her vain attempts at frowning. It was surprisingly wholesome to hear her low and husky voice doing something as girly and innocent as giggling at a shitty joke. "Wouldn't have to waste your first question on that if you-"

She abruptly cut herself off, glancing down at Cass. A crease formed between her brow.

"Heh, nevermind. You sure that's it?"

I filed that little interaction away for later. I'd been meaning to talk to Cass about it, but present-day Empire Culling activities made the timing awkward and unnecessary.

Plus, I was still a bit unsure about everything, and that made me hesitant to bring it up. Sue me.

"I'm satisfied… for now." I responded, finally letting the grin pull through. Sherrel chuckled this time, the giggles apparently having left her body already.

"If you say so, big guy. Guess it's my turn now, then?"

"Yep," I popped the P, leaning back into the soft leather of the seats and closing my tired eyes. She'd probably ask me more about my powers, or finally delve into exactlywhatmy plans were past 'kill off the Empire 88', and I needed to figure out how much I wanted to share without exposing too much to her Shar-

"Sweet. How big's your dick?"

…

It was my turn to choke on my saliva.

Our little game of 21 questions went about as good as you'd expect. After my little joke question to ease the tension and make her feel comfortable, Sherrel apparently decided that she was 'too tired' to delve more into my ambitions. Instead, we spent the rest of the car ride basically sharing little tidbits of sexual trivia with each other. She asked me how many inches I was packin' (9, and 10 on a good day), and I asked her how deep her throat went - it was stupid shit, but I did learn a little bit more about her.

I felt closer to the woman now, oddly enough. Not necessarily in a romantic sense, but she was feeling more like a friend than a 'minion' as we were pulling into Trainwreck's shipping container.

The spell 'Camouflage Area' was a relatively simple one in comparison to some of the more active illusionary magic that the Grey Wind contained, and after doubling back on foot and making sure that we had no tails, I casted the spell over the container. The magic was effective - even if Ididn'thold the same instinctive, prodigal talent with manipulating the Winds as a high elf,Spellcastermade it so that any spell I casted was much more potent than normal.

Only 084, with his scanning software, was able to see the shipping container once I ushered everyone, sans Trainwreck himself, out of the area. To everyone else, it simply looked like the rest of the Trainyard - scattered trash, overgrown grass, and dirty concrete.

In other words, perfect.

Afterwards, I took the women (and Pod) back to the Sanctum, gently refused Cassie's sleepy, half-assed requests to accompany on my early morning patrol with New Wave, and swiftly took to the air to rendezvous with the hero group at 'Cypress Avenue' - the warehouse district where Purity did the majority of the damage.

Just in case, I brought my potions and magic mirror with me. I doubted I would need them, but with my Satchel of Holding, there was no reasonnotto keep my arcane artifacts with me. Only the best and most efficient tools for my magical satchel, after all.

…

Alright, I may have taken some leftover pizza as well.

I was just biting into my second slice of piping hot, Aqshy-heated pepperoni when I finally made it to the warehouse district, and the pure amount of destruction momentarily shocked me.

From hundreds of feet in the air, looking down and over the Docks, the damage wasextremelyobvious. Despite being a part of the 'warehouse district', the reality was that Cypress Avenue also contained normal andoccupiedresidential buildings - tall, blocky, and in the heart of the urban decay that seemed to plague this side of Brockton Bay, but still lived-in.

Now, though? Maybe not so much.

Rubble and refuse littered the melted street, whole buildings turned to crumbling, scorched mockeries of what they once were. It looked like a burning hurricane had ripped through the whole block and even a couple more besides, tearing through warehouses and turning metal into ugly black slag that clung to the dirty sidewalks and the burned out husks of abandoned vehicles. Through the gaping holes in some of the apartments, due to my unnaturally good vision, I could see movement - people, possibly former tenants or squatters, huddling together in the remnants. In the broken remains.

If I actuallylistened, I could hear gunshots and screams cutting through the night sky. After being on Earth Bet for a few weeks, things like a distant person screaming incoherently or weapons firing miles away had started to become a bit like ambient noise to me. Something I subconsciously filed away as background noise because I was always busy doing something else.

At that moment, it didn't feel much like 'background noise'. Seeing a whole portion of a neighborhood turned to hell for such a stupid fucking reason… It pissed me off. It pissed me off a lot, actually. Warmth flowed through the gaps in my fingers, and a quick glance down revealed the fact that I had actually punctured the skin of my palms by clenching my fists.

The dull soreness didn't do much to cool my anger.

'Purity did this,'I thought to myself, distantly, as I began lowering myself back down to one of the few intact rooftops.'Her, Lung, Night Fog… those motherfuckers iced a whole fuckin' street.'

For what? Territorial disputes? To free a fucking murderer?

Bullshit. The thought ruined my flagging appetite.

And I was mad at myself too.

What had we been doing in those couple hours after successfully fighting off the Empire ambush? Cruising through Downtown, taking care of a few muggings and assaults with casual ease, making sure the residential racists didn't band together and pull a fucking flash mob after we went viral on PHO. What weshould'vebeen doing was hunting down Purity, or grabbing some ABB goon to grill for Lung's main base. I felt pretty fucking confident in my ability to draw upon Azyr - dropping a meteor while the dragon was sleeping was well within my capabilities.

I had all this power. Common sense dictated that I don't rush things, that I take my time and plan things out properly, but wasn't thatwasting time? Wouldn't that hurt more people in the long run?

'God, I'm being a fuckin' idiot. The fuck happened to Mr. Cool and Logical, Jay-'

"Avalon! Holy shit, holyshit!You actually showed up!"

"Woah,Vi-Glory Girl! Slow the hell down before you drop me!"

Two feminine voices, one boisterous and awed and the other, more familiar one flat and annoyed, had me turning away from the dilapidated street below. I saw only a blurring glimpse of them with my Second Sight before I peeled my divided focus away from the eyes at the back of my head, not exactlywantingto look at the sad sight below me for any longer than I necessarily had to.

Victoria Dallon, otherwise known as Glory Girl, came to a jerking halt a dozen or so feet above the rooftop that I was standing on, and my eyes widened slightly.

Shewas quite possibly the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on in this world.

That wasn't even her aura talking, either - I couldsenseher excitement and elation trying, in vain, to rousesomethingout of me, butImmutable Formwasn't just something you could bypass with a funky alien supercomputer. No, Glory Girl was objectively just an incredibly gorgeous girl - full, pouty pink lips freshly moistened with some sort of sparkly gloss, long blonde hair that reached right above her tailbone, a heart-shaped face with flawlessly clear white skin, and her voluptuous body…

Yee fuckin' haw. No wonder Cassie used to have a girl crush on her. Combined with the tiara and white costume, the chick looked like an actual superheroine sent from Heaven.

In spite of all that, my eyes instinctively sought out the tired-eyed, freckle-dusted, infinitely moreplainbrunette hanging over her shoulder and scowling at me over her large red scarf.

She was kinda cute when she frowned.

"Relax, you already know I won't drop you," Glory Girl chided her little sister as she continued to slowly hover down towards me. Despite talking to Amy, her crystal blue eyes were practicallyboringinto mine, and I could tell by the wide smile on her shiny lips that she was absolutelylovingwhat she was seeing.

I cracked a lazy smile and raised two fingers to my brow.

"Yo, Glory Girl. Iris got your message, but the rest of the team had to head back." I dropped my hand into my pocket and gave a casual shrug. "Looks like y'all are stuck with little ol' me. Wassup Panny?"

The healer gave me a stiff wave from over Glory Girl's shoulders, and I fought the urge to frown.

Amy is upset. Amy is upset because you worried her. Amy is torn. Amy is torn because you killed-

'Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don't know.'

As soon as her feet landed on the roof top and Amy dropped off her back, Glory Girl wasimmediatelyin front of my face. My body tensed for the smallest fraction of a second, fighting instincts from last night's battle still warm in my veins in spite of the passing hours, but she didn't seem to notice.

I could practically taste the Aqshy rolling off of her grinning form.

"Holy shit!" she repeated, extending her hand out to shake mine. I obliged, a more natural smirk forming on my lips as she squeezed me tightly and jerked my arm up and down. "I know you've already said my name and all, but I sorta envisioned floating down all cool-like and saying 'sup, I'm Glory Girl'. Thaaat kinda failed so… 'sup, I'm Glory… Girl?"

In the back, slowly walking up, I could see Amy's face.

She was cringing violently.

My smirk widened into an amused grin. "You still looked pretty badass, no worries. Very… Warrior Princess-chic vibes. Like a real life She-Ra." I didn't know if that old cartoon was a thing on Earth Bet, but there was a small chance that Earth Aleph ported it over.

Her eyes widened, the smallest sparkle of pink dusting her nose as she let out a girlish-sounding giggle. Her soft hand, I noticed, was still holding mine despite me already letting go. "You've watched She-Ra?! She was actually the main inspiration for my costume. Minus the, uh, sword I guess."

"Shetriedto use a sword," Amy spoke up, injecting herself right into the conversation. She held her hands in the draping sleeves of her white robe, face tucked into her scarf and sleep-deprived eyes staring balefully at the two of us. "A wooden one. Carol threw it away after her first patrol, saying there'd be too many lawsuits. She's a smart woman."

Her eyes drifted down to where Glory Girl was still gripping my hand, and something flickered through them. I couldn't tell because of the fucking scarf, but that was all I needed to see to pull my hand away.

The blondie didn't even notice, too busy turning red with embarrassment and glaring at Amy. "I told you to stop telling that story to people! Besides, no one got hurt!"

"Yeah, because you broke it over some nazi's clavicle instead of the back of their head."

Glory Girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well a fractured clavicle is light compared to what they get away with." She looked at me, and the embarrassment faded, replaced by a surprisingly sudden look of respect and seriousness. "Speaking of, Avalon… we-"

"You."

"Mostof us in New Wave appreciate what you did last night. It was bloody, and most people turn their nose up at it because of laws and societal pressure, but… the Empire is trash. They're scum, and they-" Her voice cracked, and I felt my chest warm with empathy. "They deserve whatever happens to them. Every single one." There was hatred there. Genuine hatred.

The atmosphere felt still. I didn't look away from Victoria's eyes, absorbing the burningpassionand scarred-overpainthat filled those beautiful blue orbs, and felt satisfaction. Not because a pretty girl was thanking me, but because my actions had a tangiblygoodeffect on someone that I could actually see and touch. I personally didn't give a shit about my reputation or how the PRT viewed me. I used to, a couple weeks ago when I was weaker and less confident, but now? They could go kick fucking rocks.

Still, though… being treated like some sort of murderer had stung, even just a little.Heroic Aptitudeallowed me to ride the wave of animosity, maintain my fearlessness and spunk in the face of opposition, but Glory Girl's words felt… nice. Like a soothing balm.

Just as I was about to respond, a quiet voice spoke up.

"... I don't like fighting. Or killing. Or any of that stuff," Amy said, sounding incredibly small and unsure of herself. I glanced over, but she was looking down at her feet, gripping the insides of her robes. "But, yeah… those assholes kind of had it coming. Just wish they'd…poof, y'know? Leave everyone else the fuck alone. Be sent to the Birdcage. Not be…"

"Nazis?" I offered wryly, and to my surprise, the frizzy-haired brunette snorted.

"Yeah," she replied, looking up at me with her big, doe brown eyes. "In an ideal world I guess."

"They're prolly a couple hard R's too deep in their cups for that, Panny," I shrugged, glancing back over to an introspective Glory Girl. "You mentioned patrolling. Do I get to meet your parents before I take you two out?"

Thatcut through the heavy atmosphere. Amy reddenedimmediately, looking between the two of us with a vaguely panicked expression, and Glory Girl's stoic mask cracked.

"Hah! Crazy way to have a first date," she giggled, looking down at her smartwatch. Her smile promptly dropped. "Shit, I told them I'd come get 'em when we spotted you. They went to circle the West end of the Docks, make sure Lung's actually done for the night."

"I-"

"We'll be here!" Amy interrupted me for thesecondtime. I gave her a deadpan stare as she stepped in front of me, bundling her robes in her hands. "I- I want to speak to Avalon for a little bit, Vic. Alone."

The flash of hurt and envy that flashed over Glory Girl's face surprised the fuck out of me, although Ireallyshould have expected it - Cass had already told me that she'd been fangirling on the forums about Avalon, so some attraction there was obvious. Still, the chick was an 11/10 on abadday. Selfishly, I felt a little bit of warmth and pride at the notion that she was physically attracted to me.

"Fine," Glory Girl said, masking her true feelings with a faux teasing smile. "I knew I would end up being the third wheel. Serves me right, making you hang out with me and Gallant so much." She began rising off of the rooftop, hands on her shapely hips.

"It's not like that," Amy weakly replied, her face practically volcanic now.

I further weakened her argument by tossing an arm over her shoulder, causing her entire body to lock up like a scared possum. "Exactly. Just two friends, hangin' out on a rooftop in a destroyed neighborhood." I weakened the Aqshy field around me, moving it to encompass both meandAmy in its snuggly warmth, and she practically melted into my side. Shivers that I hadn't even noticed ceased in an instant.

"Uh-huh," she smirked, shooting me a knowing look. Before either of us could wave or say anything else, Glory Girl pointed her fist at the sky and shot off at blurring speeds, sending dust and pebbles flying through the air. Within moments she was completely gone, a mere speck in the dark sky.

I let out a low whistle.

"Huh. You were right… sheisfaster than m-OOF!"

Amy slamming her head into my chest probably hurt her more than it hurt me, but the abruptness and speed of the movement took me off guard. I staggered back half a step, instinctively wrapping my arms around the shorter girl to support her weight. She wasn't sniffling or anything, and her arms were still in the pockets of her robes, but I couldn't see her face to gauge any emotions.

Slowly, I raised one hand to pat her comfortingly on the head. We were friends, sure, but we weren't necessarilyclose. This whole thing was sort of throwing me for a loop.

"... So, is this a hug or did you knock yourself out tryna headbutt assassinate me?"

"Mmfffadmah."

"What about the muffin man?"

Her foot stomped on my toe, but it felt more like a gentle massage than anything else. When she peeled her face away from my chest, raising her hand to grip and removeminefrom her head, I was finally privy to the light pink cheeks, the frustrated glare, the scary scowl thatdefinitelywasn't a pout in disguise. She looked like a grumpy red panda.

"I said that I'm mad at-"

Warm skin pressed against my hand - the punctured one that I'd clenched too hard - and Amy froze again. Her eyes widened to an almost comical degree, cheeks shifting from pink to crimson, and her bodyshuddered. Violently.

Maybe it was the sleepiness that was plaguing my mind, or the fact that I'd just been distracted by how cute she looked with her freckles, but I did not understand what thefuckwas going on until I realized that my hand was hurtingjust a little bitfrom her squeezing it in a damned vice grip.

She shuddered again, eyes glazing over and soft lips parting.

I blinked, and realization dawned.

"... Oh. Ohhhh. Fuck, Amy, you good?"

No response.

"Uhhh, how many fingers am I holding up?" I shoved four fingers in her flushed face, noting dully that her breathing was coming out in short pants. I didn't want to cast a healing spell on her unless sheactuallyneeded it, but, at the same time, I had no idea what she was seeing in my body. It was why I'd originally tried to keep my handsawayfrom her back at the hospital.

Fortunately, a few seconds later, she blinked and licked her dry lips. I tried to pull my hand away, but she kept it on her head, clenching it even tighter. Her cloudy eyes, tired and compounded by dark circles, found mine.

Pure, unadulterated amazement, confusion, and something else I wasnotexpecting greeted me.

Lust. Whether she knew it or not, she was staring at me with lust in her wide-eyed gaze.

Amy is aroused. Amy is amazed. Amy is curious. Amy is scared. Amy is-

"Amazing…" she murmured, eyes glazing over again as she went half-limp in my arms. "You… Jason, holy fuck. Your body, your cells, your entire genetic structure…it'sbeautiful. Perfect. Almost alien. How…"

I forced a crooked grin, resisting the urge to tap my finger against her skull.

"Long story, and I doubt we got that much time, so I'll just tell ya what I tell everyone who goes diving into my meatsuit: … I'm just built different, babe."

The deadpanned glare that she shot me was probably one of the most sardonic looks I'd ever received in my life.

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A Mage's Guide to the Multiverse by Abdursmailbox1

Books » Worm Rated: M, English, Adventure & Humor, Words: 395k+, Favs: 116, Follows: 127, Published: Jul 23, 2025 Updated: Jul 25, 2025

13chapter 33

"So you're telling me that your powers completely rehauled the entire basis of your biological composition. Full stop, no bullshit, 'let's make Avalon the epitome of human excellence and vitality'?"

The patronizing sardonicism in Amy's voice was tempered by the sheer amount of disbelief and amazement still causing her voice to shake against her will.That- her genuine awe and almost unsettling intrigue - were the only things stopping me from responding with my own scathing sarcasm.

Instead, I nodded for the third time in the past five minutes, leveling the frizzy-haired girl with a lidded, tired glance. "Yep. I'm as healthy as an ox, doc."

She took my affirmation as permission to scan me again, scooting forward on the now dirtied knees of her plain white robe and gingerly touching my hand. I didn't react outside of a slight eyebrow raise; I'd already agreed to let her touch me after her initial freakout over the sudden hug, and I had to admit - the little skittering chipmunk touches were actually pretty fucking cute. It was like Amy was scared I was going to bite her fucking head off for initiating skinship or something.

"O-oh, Jesus Christ…"

And then there was that.

For her sake, I hadn't commented on the very obviousexcitementher body showed when 'scanning' me. It wasn't anythingtoooutrageous, and it was unlikely that Amy herself even fully realized that it was happening - matter fact, Iknewshe wasn't consciously aware of the way that her body became warm to the touch, or the way that her eyelids fluttered and her small, pouty lips parted in awe and intrigue, tongue flickering out to in a nervous habit to moisten her rapidly drying mouth.

She was down fucking bad, in a different way than most chicks got around me. This was something that went beyond skin-deep.

"Right. The thing that's confusing me is that you're notjusthealthy, Avalon - your entire cellular structure is constantlyshifting, like it's trying to adapt to and overcome something that isn't there. Your bone structure is normal, muscle tissues and connective fibers strong but nothing egregious… but everything's too optimized. Too perfect. It's creepy." Amy's eyelids fluttered again, and her index finger and thumb squeezed the flesh on my hand, as if checking the suppleness.

Though curious, an amused grin found its way onto my face. "Callin' me creepy don't really hit the same when you're all flushed and sweaty. At least sneer at me a lil' bit."

Thatyanked her out of her head.

"Hey, fuck off. I'm being serious here." Shetriedto sneer, but it was a couple seconds too late - and although she tried to push down the heat radiating from her cheeks, her skin was just too pale and sensitive to hide it. The result was her furrowing her brow and looking constipated with a splotchy red face, and the sight ripped a snort out of me that was almost painful.

Her glare turned sour with scorn.

"Chill, I'm taking you seriously. You're just super fuckin' cute… kinda makes me bullshit a bit more than usual." I placated the grumpy healer, patting the top of her hand with my other one. She glanced down, sneer fading away into her usual neutral frown, and nervousness rippled across her features at the touch of my fingers. She didn't pull away, though, and I didn't necessarily feel the need to do so either. I didn't mind the close proximity.

Though the roof was still damp with rain and the scent of petrichor mingled with the usual salty Bay air, I could smell her perfume - or was it deodorant? Something cinnamon-y with a hint of spice, a far cry from Cassie's girly, blueberry sweet scent. It was different, but pleasant.

Silence descended, and frustration crossed her downward gaze. Her cheeks were still flushed, but Amy licked her lips again, her voice dipping lower.

"You've got to stop saying stuff like that, Jason."

I blinked. "What? I can hold off on the bullshitting if ya want, but-"

Amy shook her head, looking back up at me. "No,genius, I'm talking about the flirting. And the compliments. And just- … beingyou. I'm just…me, but you-..." She paused, a small, almost hesitant smile forming on her lips before she straightened it back out into a forced frown. "You weren't lying just now, about finding me cute. I can tell because your heartbeat didn't shift, there was no increase of cortisol or adrenaline…"

There was a brittleness to her voice, a warning tone mixing with insecurity.

My mouth made an 'O' shape, and I paused to actuallythinkbefore speaking this time. It had completely slipped my mind that she was her veryownlie detector while scanning biology.

Even then, though - what did I have to lie about? I doubted she'd abuse my trust in her by asking me super personal questions, and if she did I'd just tell her to fuck off. Honestly, Amy was in need of a bit of one on one truth bombs, if only to calm down the smorgasbord of stress-related mental problems weighing heavily on her psyche.

I hadn't forgotten how getting a mind blast of her inner turmoil nearly gave me a fucking panic attack. The chick was going through it.

So, instead of drawing back or repudiating her claim, I leaned into it. Shamelessly. The consequences could be handled afterwards, if they ever popped up.

"You're definitely my type," I nodded sagely, putting on a thoughtful frown and gazing up at the dark sky.

Amy's eyes widened, and I felt her small hands clench mine in a vice grip. Her nails dug into my skin, but I barely even registered the slight pinch. "... What? How?! I'm-"

"Fuckin' mint - yeah, I know. Messy brown hair, cute ass freckles, got the whole 'life fucking sucks and I'm tired of this shit' aesthetic down pat. It's a vibe I can get behind."

She began to scowl at my words, eyes narrowed into slits, only to stop and gape at our conjoined hands. "... Another truth. You're finding a way to bullshit me-"

I interrupted her, counting off of my fingers now. "Dump truck ass, badass powers, smart, witty, adorable smile-"

Amy's face resembled a ripened tomato. "Shut up, I- I get it! You, er…" she dithered, frowning petulantly as she looked anywherebutmy grinning face. "You're a blind dumbass with a shitty taste in women. So cool and hip, Jason - I'm happy to be recognized for my mediocrity."

"Youknowmy eyesight's amazing; you're inside my skinright now. Just take the fucking compliment and say 'thank you', woman. "

Her skin paled, and an exaggeratedly disgusted sneer pulled at her lips. "No, just because you used the euphemism 'inside my skin'. That's fucking gross."

"I referred to my body as a meatsuit like five minutes ago. This where you draw the line?"

Amy's sneer dropped. "Touche."

I continued smoothly, staringhardinto her eyes until she had no choice but to meet my gaze once again. "With my own body as the witness, I can promise you that I mean what I say. I know you said before that you're just lookin' for a friend, and I get that - I'm still tryna figure shit out on my end. But just take this as a statement from a friendtoa friend - you're pretty fuckin' rad, Amy. You, your determination, your baleful glare that can light a man on fire with just a glance-"

She snorted, pinning me with that same glare. The wide, shaky smile on her face wasjustsweet enough to save me from spontaneous combustion.

"I fuck with everything I've seen so far, and I wanna know more about you.But, I'm also autistic as fuck. Sometimes I can getwaytoo blunt and straightforward, and I'm self-aware of that fact. If you want, I'm cool with shuttin' the fuck up and patro-"

"No!"

The pure vehemence and passion in that one word surprised thebothof us.

I leaned back instinctively, arching an eyebrow, but Amy's grip on my hand didn't slacken. She swallowed thickly, the flush on her cheeks combined with the near-panic on her face making her look like she'd just ate somethingwaytoo spicy. Emotions were flashing through her eyes, much too fast for me to individually pick out withHidden Intuitionrunning in power saving mode, but I felt the warmth of her skin - could almosthearthe thumping of her heart.

Amy is torn. Amy is hopeful. Amy is stressed. Amy is scared.Amy is mad at herself-

"Don't shut the fuck up," she frowned, shaking her head roughly. "Just- don't. I'm sorry."

I frowned, brushing an errant dreadlock out of my vision. "You don't gotta-"

"No, Jason, I do." Amy shook her head again, a smile overtaking the frown on her lips. It was a bitter one. "I was being an insufferable bitch just now, and you don't deserve that. I kind of… got used to being prickly with people, I guess, and I'm fucking exhausted. It's a shitty excuse, but…"

"Don't sweat it, Amy. Seriously. I understand." I shrugged, because I actuallydid. I was fucking insufferable back in highschool, angry and mad at the world for reasons that did not warrant such a reaction, and I only mellowed out more in college. That waswithouthaving a taboo, soul-crushing love and attraction to my older sister and a self-assigned moral obligation to be a heal slave for the rest of my life.

She exhaled softly, eyes closing for a brief moment, and I knew that she was still reading my body. "... You really do understand. Good - thank you. Fuck, I feel like I'm messing things up…"

"Our first night meeting, I took you on a magical serpent ride around the city while listening to A Whole New World. Kinda par for the course that our second meeting would go a bit less smooth," I chuckled, tapping her once on the wrist.

She perked up at the tap, her conflicted gaze finding mine, and I pulled both of us to our feet in one smooth, Azyr-assisted motion. My coat and her robes fluttered in the magically-charged breeze, and Amy shivered at the subtle feeling of static electricity licked at our skins.

Our hands finally separated for the first time in close to ten minutes, and a noise that sounded very much like a half-whine half-sigh escaped her.

"Wait. Shit, your freakishly perfect body distracted me." She pointed an accusatory finger at me, and I resisted the urge to heckle her for the unconscious compliment. "Fighting the Empire 88 to the death without responding to my text messages was a dick move, Jason. Do you know how fucking worried I was when I heard that you and Sherrel were fighting a whole hit squad?!"

I scratched my right ear, wincing slightly at her raised volume. The rest of New Wave were still not back yet - understandable, considering they'd gone to the opposite side of the district to check on things - but there were stillpeoplearound. "Say it with ya chest for the whole neighborhood to hear, why don'tcha?"

Amy reddened, but her voice fell to a noticeably more quiet tone. "Crap. You owe me, jerk."

"I figured you'd be more bothered by me killing three men than me leavin' you on read."Andkidnapping a teenage girl, but she didn't need to know that. I still had to discuss my plans for Rune with Cassie, and I wasnotlooking forward to that conversation.

Her face paled slightly, but she didn't back down or fold at the mention of the nazis' death. She looked past me, as if thinking about something, and frowned. "Like I said, I don't condone killing. I don'tlikefighting. But those bastards… they're already bad enough because they're neo-nazis following the ideology of Adolf fucking Hitler. Doesn't help that theymurderedFleur a few years ago…"

Amy's frown turned upside down, shifting into a small, mirthless smile. "I hate them, Jason.They'reevil, but Iknowthat you're good. I can't - Iwon'tget behind justkillingvillains, but neo-nazis are, like, the easiest exception to make. Just sucks that we can't just lock all of the bad guys up and throw away the key."

"Reality is often disappointing," I sighed, sliding my hands into the pockets of my coat. A strong breeze ripped through the air, this one unrelated to the Winds, but my Aqshy field kept me toasty and warm. "Damned if you do, damned if you don't. 'Least I know for sure that the Empire won't be tearing apart another family once I'm done with 'em. I think I'll sleep pretty fuckin' easy at night."

She stared at me, shivering beneath her robes and scarf. "... I want to disagree, say that death shouldn't be so easily decided, but after what I've seen since getting my powers… I don't think I can. This city fucking sucks, Jason." She chuckled, voice thick with emotions that evensheprobably couldn't decipher. "This world sucks."

I raised my chin at her, making the universal 'come here' gesture with my head, and she immediately moved closer with shuffling, stiff steps, visibly rubbing her arms beneath the sleeves of her robes. As soon as she got within a couple of feet her shivering cease completely, and a warm, rosy glow colored her skin."That's nice…"

"I'm not the biggest fan either," I smiled distantly, nothing more than a slight quirk of the lips. "But it's not like the people here asked for the world to be overrun by power-hungry psychopaths. Guess that's why I do what I do."

"Mm," Amy smirked, softly poking my side with her elbow. "Giving me stress wrinkles and pissing off the local government?"

I glanced down at her, noting the subdued happiness in her honey-brown gaze, the growing trust and warmth in me that I had no choicebutto acknowledge due to my supernatural insight. Seeing her smile,knowingthat there were so many things going on in her life that wanted to see such a pretty sight dimmed… it roused something in me - something deep and warm in my chest. I wasn't a kid; I recognized it for what it was. Attraction? Protectiveness?

A crush?

I wanted to talk to her more, get to know her better, hell - even introduce her to the love of my life, because I justknewthat Cass would findsome wayto draw her right out of her shell.

Feeling that warmth in my heart was jarring. I could already see Ralph from the Simpsons snickering, saying 'uh oh, I'm in danger'.

'I wonder if Heroic Aptitude activates for trials of love?'

Probably not.

"Among other things," I finally spoke up, deciding to justridethe wave and see where it took me. "You said I owed you. I could say 'nah', but you've piqued my interest… what'd you have in mind?"

Her face didn't light up, but Amy had very expressive eyes - as dark ringed and tired as they were right now. The chocolate brown orbs became bright, and I was privy to the small smirk on her lips widening into a genuine, cheek to cheek grin before she schooled her expression. "I don't know, Jason… do you plan to actually answer my texts?"

She tried to hide the insecurity in her voice with aloofness, but it didn't work. I nudged her with my elbow, giving the smaller girl a lopsided smile.

"When I'm not participating in mortal combat, sure. Actually, fuck it - I'll text ya while fighting off nazis. I'm badass enough to pull it off."

She sniffed, darkly amused. "How about weavoidtexting while fighting? I've already had to heal enough dumbasses who crashed their car while thumbing their fucking phones. Actual freaking idiots."

I tapped my forehead, my smile not lessening. "My brain's super sexy, too. I can multi-task like a fuckin'... well, not computer - that's Pod 084, but I'm pretty good."

Amy's face turned deadpan. "If you text me while inanysort of cape fight, I'll block you. I'm serious."

"Sure," I waved a flippant hand, shrugging my shoulders. "Back on topic; what do you want?"

"... Yeahhh, right. Um, I had something in mind, b-but I figured I could text it to you. Later. My family is probably going to be here soon, Vicky's already on my case about my 'new friend', and… yeah. Later."

Amy is nervous. Amy is hesitant.

Idly, I scratched my jaw, where a bit of a sideburn was beginning to grow in after weeks of not shaving. "You're yapping, Panny. Just-"

Hidden Intuitionlet a low, almost silent whistle fly through my skull, alerting me to potential danger.

Cutting myself off, I turned on my heel andglaredup into the darkness. The rain had long since stopped, the buffeting wind from the rainstorm relaxing back down into a gentle, if occasionally forceful breeze, so the hissing sound of bodies cutting through the sky above was justbarelyaudible to my enhanced senses. My vision was buffed byEvil Eyes, giving me a bastardized version of night vision that felt more like someone turning the gamma up in a video game, so I was able to see the three womanly figures flying towards us at what had to be close to a hundred miles per hour.

Two of them were neck and neck, pulling ahead of the third - Laserdream, Glory Girl, and Lady Photon. The teenagers looked like they were… racing?

"I'm guessing they're here." Amy muttered from beside me, still swaddled up in her hooded robe. "Caro- or, I mean, Brandish… she has work in a few hours, so she probably ended her patrol early."

I frowned, watching her from the corner of my eye. Her tone had changed - not exponentially, but just enough for me to catch on to it. Less at-ease, more… cagey. Distant.

I pinched her side.

"O-OW! Thefuck, Jason?!" Amy yelped, jumping away from me and glaring like I'd just shot her pet dog.

"Smile more." I demanded, smirking. "I get it - you're grumpy, you're tired, fuck this city… but I like seein' your pretty lil' smirks. They're like serotonin."

"...I- you-...I-" Eyes wide, mouth wide open, and previously forlorn face rapidly approaching the color of a lobster, Amy gaped at me with naked shock on her face. "You-"

Amy is short-circuiting.

But she was starting to smile! Subconsciously or not, I took that as a certified win.

"Aye, you're sorta doin' it."

"Don't justsaystuff like that!Shit, my face is so hot…"

"True."

"Jason!"

Meeting Lady Photon and Laser Dream was exceedingly pleasant.

It went pretty damn similar to my meeting with Glory Girl, though with Amy less grumpy-pants and the two other women significantly less fan-girly. There was an obvious, all around sense of mutual attraction that took a little bit to adjust to. You don't really know how prevalent looks are to human beings until you're genuinely thepeakof what is attainable, physically, by your species. Lady Photon was a respectable and married woman, so her glances were entirely above board and appreciative in nature, but Laserdream…

She pretty much eye-fucked me as soon as introductions were over.

Her and Glory Girl were sort of similar in that regard - sexy, confident, and straightforward. They knew that they were exceedingly prettyandpowerful to boot, and it showed in their demeanors. While Glory Girl was seemingly more brash or outspoken about it, Laserdream maintained a veneer of delicacy and grace that her cousin didn't bother putting up. That wasn't to say that Glory Girl was boorish or obnoxious, however - she wasn't. Laserdream was just more laidback and less in your face.

With Lady Photon, Glory Girl, and Laserdream all standing on the roof together, it was, of course, ridiculously easy to see justwhothe odd woman out was.

Amy seemed hyper-aware of it, too. Despite my words, she had almost immediately gone back into her shell when Supergirl 1, 2, and 3 landed, trying to fade into the background of introductions and conversation.

(un)Fortunately for her, I wasn't having any of it. The occasional annoying tickle or gentle elbow brought her ire to the forefront, pushing down the depression.

"This will be our last sweep before bed, ladies and gentlewomen," Lady Photon began, her hands resting firmly on her shapely hips. Her dark blue eyes, multiple shades dimmer than both Glory Girl's and Laserdream's, found mine in the darkness of the early morning. She smiled a flawless smile, showing white teeth that seemed almost fake with their perfection.

"AndAvalon. The PRT will be focusing on the Docks almost exclusively for the next few days, but that's no reason for us to do things half-assed. Last night was… exhausting, and I know we're all tired, so let's just do what we can for now and deal with the rest tomorrow. Agreed?"

Glory Girl seemed immune to the mere idea of sleepiness. She leaned back on the balls of her feet, a determined furrow to her brow as she gave Lady Photon her full attention. "Sounds good! I can have Ames home in about ten minutes, give or take. That'll leave the team split two and two." She sneaked a glance over at me, where I stood casually with Amy greedily absorbing the warmth from my Red Wind blanket, and I matched it with a lidded one of my own.

I was certain that her snubbing her sister wasn't done with conscious hostility in mind, but that wasn't gonna cut it for me. At this point, about 75 percent of the reason why I was still here was to hang out with Amy after unknowingly ignoring her for like half a week. Following orders had never been my strong suit. "Actually-"

"I'm staying." Amy suddenly announced, her tired voice resolute and stubborn. "I'm a part of this whole clusterfuck too, guys - I had to clean Dauntless' forehead blood off of my sleeves. Besides, I haven't seen J-Avalon'shealing in person yet."

At her family's blank looks, she scowled. "He could fuck up and give someone cancer-"

"Alright lil' lady, enough of that." I stepped in, a wry smirk on my face as I lightly pulled her back by her hood. She yelped, spitting out some cuss word, but I was already moving forward to address the others. "I think what Panny's tryna say is that she misses my presence and wants to be on Team Avalon for this excursion. You chill with that, Lady P?"

The 'Lady P' in question didn't respond immediately, opting to simply watch me with a more neutral look on her pretty face.

Lady Photon is appraising you.

Right, because I couldn't tell by the way that she was basically shooting claymores down my throat with her glare.

"Makes sense to me," Laserdream shrugged, crossing her slim arms over her chest and tossing a pouting Glory Girl an amused look. "Three is better than two, right Glory Girl?"

"B-but Amynevergoes on patrols! That's, like, theonething she activelyhates!" She retorted hotly, before turning to a silently glowering Amy and jabbing a finger at her. "What gives, Amelia Dallon? Fighting crime isn't some joke, you know - it's serious, high octane stuff. You can gethurt."

"First off, don't ever call me 'Amelia Dallon' in front of others ever again. Don't call me that period." Amy shivered, a look of visible disgust curling her upper lip. "Secondly… I know what crime fighting looks like, Glory Girl. A couple hours ago, I was there watching you get slapped around by Night for fifteen minutes straight. Just, you know… hiding and waiting to kiss your boo boos better like any other time there's a dangerous threat. I'm notnewto this."

"Yeah," Glory Girl frowned, a spark of frustration igniting in her crystal-like gaze. "A dangerous threat, like Night and Fog, two renowned nazis who probablykidnap babies. Bringing you along for a routine patrol would do nothing but put you in harm's way for almost no reason."

I took a step back at the exact moment both Amy and Glory Girl took steps forward.'... Gonna just let them duke it out.'I believed in Amy, and I wanted to help her become more independent from her family. This was probably just the… second or third step.

The Grimoire, as if sharing a box of popcorn, slid a very small mote of light forth from its eternal pages, and dully, as I watched Glory Girl open her mouth to give more actually decent reasons to leave Amy at home, I allowed my soul to touch and becomeawareof the perk being offered.

I had to stop myself from visiblygapingat what I sensed.

Spoiler:Arousing Fluids (EratohoK - 100 CP)

For the low, low sum of only a fraction of my consolidated charge, I became Incubus-lite, turning my bodily fluids into medium-grade aphrodisiacs. True, it wasn't a power that I necessarilyneeded, but the sex fiend in me was salivating at the thought of what I could do with such a perk. Cassie was a little fucking whore who already got herself off from having my dick in her face, so the ability to magnify that by multiple levels through mere saliva or even cum…

Yeah, I liked that. This would be the ultimate self-gratifying purchase.

Yoink.

"Mom's going to bepissed, Ames."

"She won't even fucking notice that I'm not home. Trust me. It's happened before."

"... That isn't true and you know it-"

"Enough," Lady Photon demanded, stepping between the two girls and placing her hands on both of their shoulders. Her supple lips were angled down in a disappointed frown that only a mother could have, and she eyed both Amy and Glory Girl with a stern glare. "I know that you're both exhausted and stressed and that can affectanyone'smoods, but we donotfight on patrols. Especially not in front of potential allies. I have half a mind to send you both home."

Abruptly, both teenagers snapped their mouths shut. In the back, still watching with her arms crossed and an amused smirk on her face, Laserdream let out a quiet snort and a murmured,"Dramaaa…"

Amy clenched her teeth, looking away with a scowl, but Glory Girl never turned her gaze away from her sister's face. "Sorry Lady Photon, won't happen again," she said stiffly, finally taking a step back from where she and Amy had been almost nose to chin. Her face was schooled in an expression of indifference, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop me from picking up on the tiny microexpressions littering her body language.

Glory Girl is frustrated. Glory Girl is concerned. Glory Girl is jealous.

Seemed like Glory Girl and I needed to talk, but that could wait for later.

"Anything you want to say, Panacea?" Lady Photon focused solely on the silent, frizzy-haired healer, and Amy looked down at her feet through her messy fringe.

"I'msorry…"

A light twinkled in the woman's intense gaze, and she tilted her head. "Speak up."

Cheeks flushing with embarrassment, Amy finally looked up at her Aunt and spoke quickly, "I'm sorry, Lady Photon… but I still want to stay. I want to help." Her voice didn't waver despite the heightened volume, as stubborn as it was nervous, and she tossed a surreptitious glance in my direction.

Unabashed, I sent her a thumbs-up and a grin. It wasn't much, but Amy's stormy face subtly brightened.

"Good," the older heroine nodded her head, her disappointed countenance cracking to show a proud smile that radiated both warmth and amusement. "Then I'll handle interference with Brandish after the patrol's over. Laserdream, you're with me."

"Figured. Can't say I'm not disappointed," Her daughter hovered closer, her previous laidback amusement replaced with boredom.

"Shush, I'm an awesome mom. Girls, you're both with Avalon - comb up and around the interior of the Northern Docks and the Trainyard, starting here, Laserdream and I will go do a last minute check-up Downtown." Lady Photon looked between all of us, her hands back on her hips, and after a moment of silent observation she nodded her head, satisfied. "This is a good-looking team. Stay safe, stay mobile, and, as always…"

"Stay strong." Three different voices spoke in unison, one bored, one terse, and the last one mumbled with embarrassment.

I blinked, feeling a little left out. "Damn, y'all couldn't teach me the badass pre-patrol motto beforehand?"

"Work with us more and you'll get used to it, Avalon. Laserdream, with me." Lady Photon winked, giving one last nod to Glory Girl and Amy before rising into the air.

"Don't kill each other! Or, like… do the opposite. Thattensionis freaking crazy," Laserdream snickered, flying into the air after her mother.

"... She doesn't want us toaliveeach other? The fuck does that mean?" I tilted my head, watching them fly away at relatively high speeds. I knew what she meant, of course, but considering the awkward stillness I could still feel in the air, I figured that cutting the tension with a lame joke would probably helpeveryoneinvolved.

Amy, nose red and conflicted eyes darting between the silent Glory Girl and the purposefully-obtuse Me, froze and let out an almost pig-like snort. Immediately, she flushed and covered her mouth with both hands. "... S-shut up. Don't say a fucking word."

I simply smirked. "Yeah, 'ight."

"If we don't wanna be out here all night, we'll need to move fast," Glory Girl abruptly spoke up, eyeing the both of us with thinly-veiled amusement. Her smile faltered when she looked at the flushed Amy, before she shook her head and moved past it. "How fast can you fly, Avalon?"

I glanced down at Amy, who'd moved back to my side at some point during the conversation, and back up at the resplendent Glory Girl. It was obvious that Amy wasn't planning on broaching the little sibling's spat, and her sister hardly seemed excited to bring it up either. Rather immature of the both of them to not just say 'sorry for being pushy' and move past it, but everyone didn't run on the same casual, insouciant logic that I often did.

If they didn't wanna do it, I guess I'd do it for 'em. I still wasn't sure exactlywhatmy plans were for Amy Dallon, but I did know that I liked her and that I wanted her to be happier. The only real way I could think of doing that was by making her more independent and cracking the Aura-reinforced romantic love she held for Victoria. Easier said than done, and I wasn't a fuckingtherapist, but…

When did I ever letthatstop me?

Crushing the Empire, hunting down Kaiser, retraining Rune into a decent person, cleaning up the Docks, cracking omnidimensional magic, and now… what, saving Amy Dallon from herself by seducing her so hard that she falls out of love with her fucking sister?

What a ridiculously overloaded plate to have on your lap. At least I could work on two out of three of those before hitting the sack.

"Guess we'll see tonight, blondie. Tryna put your money where your mouth is?" I challenged Glory Girl with an easy, confident smile on my face.

Amy looked up at me, a confused furrow to her brow that practically said 'you know you'll lose, right?', but I ignored her gaze in favor of focusing entirely on my 'opponent'.

It was clear that her interest was piqued. Glory Girl walked closer to the two of us, a beautiful, curious white grin of her own forming on her full lips. "I hate it when guys call me blondie. Just for that, I'm takingallyour money. How much and where to?"

"A rack's all I got on me," I shrugged, patting my satchel. "We'll race up to the Trainyard, should be quite a few miles… Northeast-ish. Then we just start our patrol from there. Sounds good?"

"... A 'rack'? One thousand dollars? On a race?" The grin had diminished, but only slightly, and Glory Girl was watching me with a much more cautious glint to her eyes. "This is pure flying ability, right? No teleporting."

"No 'porting," I confirmed.

"More shitty, overly-expensive food court trash for us, Vic. Sounds simple enough," Amy smirked at her sister, only to flinch and subtly draw back when the blonde tossed a silent glance in her direction.

Glory Girl tried to hide her wince at Amy's reaction, failed, and doggedly pushed forward inourconversation to avoid dealing with it - a classic teenage maneuver.

They were both still teenagers, I had to remind myself.'Patience.'

"Okay then, let's do it! One thousand is kinda steep, but I have a decent amount saved up. Sucks that our first day meeting's gonna end with me robbing you, buteh…"

"I like the confidence," I chuckled, before doing something that caused both girls togapeat me - Amy's reaction a little more vocal than Glory Girl's.

With absolutely no strain or hesitance, I slipped behind the short healer, slid my arms behind her knees and upper back, and smoothly picked her up in the classic bridal-style carry. She felt like she weighed absolutelynothingin my arms, and ignoring her shocked and panicked writhing was just as easy as lifting her up."

"W-what the hell, Avalon?" Amy hissed, a mixture of embarrassment and wonder turning her voice shrill. Funnily enough, other than her initial startled reaction, she seemed to settle into my arms easily - almost comfortably. Surely the toasty Aqshy field around the both of us did nothing to influence it.

Glory Girl hesitated, but only for a second. "Are you sure you want to do this while holding Amy? It's one grand…"

"This is lightwork," I replied simply, beginning to slowly float upwards. "Random question: You'd consider cash an 'object', right?"

She eyed me like I was a weirdo, but slowly nodded her head. "If it's in bills and coins? Sure… y'know, you won't throw me off by asking random questions." Her smile faded, then, and a pointed frown took over. "You better keep your head in the game, because if you drop her I swear to God…"

In my arms, Amy rolled her eyes, though she tried to hide a smile. "He won't drop me, Vicky."

But I was too busy searching for something in my soul. Glory Girl's words resonated with me, causing a certain mote of light in my sea of magic to warm, if only slightly.

"So if I lose this race," I murmured, eyeing her as she rose into the air beside me. "I lose my cash, right? It's gone."

"Yes, Avalon, that's how betting works," she rolled her eyes.

At that, a fire burned into my soul, and my body felt different. Energized.Strong.

"Sweet. Lil' addendum - if I win, you and Amy gotta get over yourselves and apologize and figure shit out. Genuinely. Capische?"

Both Glory Girl and Amy froze at my words, their eyes darting to each other.

"That wasn't the bet-"

"Avalon, we're not freaking childre-"

"Three," I began, cracking my neck to the side. My magic hummed in my veins, coating my muscles, and both Azyr and Aqshy began to lick along my skin, preparing me for the cool, buffeting winds.

"I- …fine! Get ready to eat my fucking dust." Glory Girl aimed her fist forward, body hovering horizontally as she prepared herself to shoot forth like a bullet.

"Two…"

Amy swallowed audibly, burying her face into my chest."Why the hell am I a part of this bet…"

"One-"

A gust of wind slammed into my body, dispersing past the shell of Aethyr that protected me from the usual environmental hazards of flight, and I caught the slightest glimpse of Glory Girl flying across Cypress Avenue at whathadto be ninety miles per hour before my brain caught up and forced my body into action.

Normally, I'd say that with the Winds' assistance and just my body's natural physical ability, I could outpace a car driving at a reasonable fifty miles per hour, sixty if I stressed myself.Heroic Aptitudestacked alongside Superior Form, granting my body the speed and strength of a human who has surpassed their base limits. I couldSoarroughly the same speed as I could run, so that put my flying speed a decent clip below Glory Girl's maximum.

For all intents and purposes, without teleportation, I should have lost the race.

Unfortunately for herandher pocket money,Sole Protectorconsidered my funds worth protecting as well.

I grinned at Glory Girl's look of pure shock and confusion as I blasted past her, Amy's head poking over my shoulder as she gasped at the city moving in a blur beneath our bodies.

Within moments, as I pushed well past the 100 mp/h mark, Glory Girl turned into nothing but a distant figure behind me.

Up there, in the dark sky, feeling the breeze flow through my hair, I once again realized just howfreeI was.

And it was all thanks to ol' Grimmy.

'God,'I thought, as my speed began to level out at a respectable two hundred miles per hour,'I fucking love magic.'

Chapter 866 - Mage's guide to the multiverse 1-2