The Future
The clouds parted and I could finally see the meteor coming straight towards Brockton Bay. It was three times bigger than the meteorite that had driven the dinosaurs to extinction, but at the moment it was a tiny grey spec in the sky. It wouldn't be a spec for much longer -- it was coming at us at over thirteen kilometres a second.
I looked at my friends and allies, all of them staring grimly into the sky. We were standing in the middle of Brockton Bay, but that hardly mattered -- Dragon had said that the devastation of its impact would be incalculable for hundreds of kilometres all around us -- New York wasn't any more likely to survive than the Bay.
I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. "Well, guys," I said, "I'll leave you to it. Good luck," and teleported away.
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Tuesday January 4th 2011
I lay in my hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. The Brockton Bay General Hospital was unusual for the city, in that it was in moderately good repair; almost certainly thanks to the generosity of the patients healed by the cape Panacea. Panacea was the most gifted healer in the world, there were many people who owed her their lives, and I was now one of them.
My name is Taylor Hebert (not Herbert, thank you very much), and yesterday I was shoved into a locker at school; a locker that had been filled with rotting biological waste and crawling with insects feeding off it. By the time a janitor freed me, I'd gone into septic shock and it was only Panacea's touch that saved my life. There were a few lingering effects from my illness, 'Panacea can't do brains', one nurse had explained apologetically, but they expected me to be fit to go back home in the afternoon, and presumably back to school soon after.
I wasn't looking forward to going back to Winslow High. For the last couple of years there I had been the subject of a dedicated bullying campaign from my ex-best friend. The staff at Winslow were worse than useless, blaming me for every incident that Emma and her new friends threw my way. Being hospitalised wasn't going to change that -- nothing would.
One thing had changed, though; something strange and wonderful. I now had superpowers! I am a cape, like Panacea! (But not as cool, obviously). Sometime when I was dying in that locker, something triggered. I just wasn't sure what it all meant.
I could now feel in my mind a hand of seven cards of effects that I knew I could play, if I had the appropriate amount and type of mana. And I now have a 'life total'! Okay, that life total was 'one', and if it hit zero then I was dead, so the benefit of that was a bit negligible at the moment. Still, if there was a number there, there would be a way to make that number go up, I just needed to find it.
Finding that way was probably going to be pretty easy, too -- I get a new card every day, so getting a 'life points go up' card was surely only a matter of time.
When I focussed my mind's eye, I could 'see' my interface, and it looked pretty simple. There were the cards in my hand, two decks of cards I could pull from, a 'battlefield' where my played cards sat, and a 'graveyard' where used or discarded went to rest in peace. One deck was tiny, it only had six cards in it, but the other deck gave the impression of being toweringly high, far beyond my ability to count the cards. I couldn't look at the cards in either deck, which was frustrating.
I had three cards 'in play'. Well, four, sort of. Firstly, there was a card that called itself a 'land', titled 'The Hebert Residence'. It showed the front of my home in its current state of disrepair, including the broken front step. Below the picture was the text 'Tap to add one black mana', and 'flavour text' which read, 'Years of decay and neglect have made this home a house'. Which hurt. But not as much as the other card, which showed me.
It showed me as my tall, spindly fifteen-year-old girl self with long curly hair self sprawled unconscious on the floor next to my locker, bleeding and covered in human waste. It called me 'Taylor Hebert - Victim', said that I am a 'Commander' and 'Legendary Creature - Parahuman'. I had a 'casting cost' of one black mana, zero power (what else was new) and one toughness. My card had a lot of text, though:
'Newborn 2: You may not control more than 2 non-token creatures at a time. If you have more than 2 non-token creatures in play at the end of the turn, sacrifice a non-token creature. (Taylor Hebert - Victim does not count towards this total).
Taylor Hebert - Victim is all colours. (Whatever that meant).
Escalate: Four generic and two blue mana and Tap Taylor Hebert - Victim to increase casting cost and abilities.
If this card is in exile, in the Commander Zone, or in a graveyard at the end of the turn, you lose the game.'
The 'flavour text' read, 'This could become a planeswalker?'
Generic mana was mana of any colour. So, for two blue mana and four mana of any colour, I could increase my abilities. Somehow. The details didn't matter too much, because I didn't have anywhere near that much mana.
Linked to my card was another. The image showed a vast crystalline mountain range-thing, which it called 'Shard -- Queen Administrator'. The card's casting cost was ten generic mana, but the text on the card said that a Trigger could act as an alternate casting cost. The card said that Queen Administrator, when linked to a parahuman creature, bestowed coordination and control abilities. The join between my card and, uh, its? Hers? The join between my card and hers created a third card that looked insubstantial even to my minds eye. The card was labelled as 'Synergy -- Taylor Hebert // Queen Administrator. Shard happiness: 3. Ability to directly control Summons. Ability to visualise play mat. Ability to multitask. Ability to manage Library'. That massive stack of cards was apparently called a 'Library'.
There was a lot to parse there; I wasn't going to think about it too much.
The cards in my hand were simpler: there were three more 'lands' -- an 'Island', a 'Plains', and a 'Mountain'. I could link a land card to a piece of real world land, and then 'tap' that land once a day to generate the mana I needed to cast spells. I just needed to make sure that my lands matched the place I tried to like them with. I was in a hospital, and by fiddling with my interface I could tell that I could easily link my plains to it, because plains generated white mana, which was the mana of healing, organisation, and cooperation (amongst other things).
The other four cards were a lot more interesting. 'Merry Bards' showed a group of three happy musicians playing for a rapt audience, 'Sentinel's Eyes' showed someone with glowing purple eyes, 'Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow' showed a pretty young ninja standing on the eaves of a sloped roof, and 'Mox Amber' showed a beautiful polished piece of amber on a silver chain.
Each card had text describing what it did, but now wasn't the time to cast anything. If I summoned a troupe of musicians in Renaissance clothing into my room, how would I explain it to the nurses and orderlies? To my Dad? I had no idea how long the musicians would stick around, how they would feel about being summoned. These were big questions, and I had plenty of time. Or at least, I would have plenty of time so long as no-one realised that I was a cape. Once that cat was out of the bag I would be quickly be forced into one of Brockton Bay's gangs, or to join the PRT. I'd like to think that Dad could protect me, help me, keep my secret, but...
Yeah, better not risk it.
There was another reason not to summon the bards or the ninja (apart from the fact that I didn't have enough mana to summon them, of course). If I summoned them and they had no choice but to obey me, I would be Mastering them. Controlling them. Controlling people was bad, okay? It was a quick trip from there to the Birdcage. No thank you.
I was seriously tempted by the other two cards, though. The 'Sentinel's Eyes' said that it was an enchantment, an 'aura', that would give a creature an extra point of both power and toughness, and 'Vigilance' which seemed to mean that it would make the recipient an unsleeping noctis cape. It needed one white mana and one generic mana of any colour to be cast. Seeing as my current power and toughness were zero and one respectively, that counter would make a massive difference when faced by Sophia's attacks.
The Mox Amber looked even more interesting. It said that it could be tapped to produce one mana 'among the legendary creatures and planeswalkers that you control'. And hey, I was a legendary creature, for some reason. Some contemplation told me that 'legendary' was just another word for 'unique' -- I couldn't have more than one 'Taylor Hebert - Victim' 'in play' at any one time, which was fair enough. Presumably if I was able to get another 'Merry Bards' card, I could have six bards at a time which sounded like a bit too much fun for the likes of me.
I didn't cast the Mox Amber -- I was in a public hospital with no privacy, and I wasn't going to test my non-existent sleight-of-hand skills to keep the jewellery unseen, or risk the spell making a noise or having a bright flash of light or something. If someone saw it, they could ask where it came from, whether it was truly mine, and I couldn't risk losing it.
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I had time to think, while I lay in bed, waiting for the doctors to do their rounds and let me go home. I needed to do something with my cards, and working out what I should do with them meant planning several days ahead. The priority was to find out the rules of the 'game' I was now playing, and that meant step-by-step cautious experimentation.
I needed to test casting a land card, summoning something, casting an enchantment, and, if I didn't get any better options by the time it came around, summon someone. I really, really, really hoped that summoning people wouldn't get me kicked into the Birdcage, but I couldn't have a Power and then not use it. People literally went insane if they did that. So I looked at my cards, at the mana I had available, and made a plan.
The first thing I did was link my plains card to the hospital, adding an 'Orderly Hospital' land to my battlefield the plains card dissolved. I didn't notice any impact other than in my mind, so I settled back into my bed and waited for the doctor to show.
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My dad, Danny Hebert, picked me up from hospital later that day. He'd been by my bedside while I was in the coma, but after I woke up I'd sent him home to rest. Our relationship was... frayed. Neither of us reacted well to my mother's death; Dad lost himself in work, and I sought refuge with my best friend, until she turned on me.
The car ride home was a masterpiece of awkward silences and muttered empty words and it was a relief when we finally got home and I escaped to my room.
I closed the door and collapsed onto my bed with a sigh. Finally! I then reluctantly crawled out of bed to my desk, and wrote out the steps of my plan, one by one, to make sure that it still made sense. It did. It wasn't perfect -- I was compromising my final power for personal safety, but apart from that, it was good.
It was time to start.
I envisaged the Mox Amber card, and it came to the front of my mind. I then spent five minutes mentally prodding, pushing, pulling, and punching it and the rest of my mental interface before it suddenly 'cast', and there was a spark of light in my lap and then a softly-glowing amber necklace in my hand. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I clutched it close to my heart.
"Magic..."
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I don't know how long I spent staring at the 'Mox Amber'. The flavour text of the card, which I could still 'see' in my mind, spoke of a moment in time made tangible, and looking into the heart of the jewel felt like looking through an orange window into a distant past.
I shook off the feeling eventually and moved to the next step of my plan. I tapped 'The Hebert Residence', and I was flooded with black mana. I waited for some comment from my dad, for the house to fall into shadow, for anything to go wrong, but it didn't. Good.
I was worried, because, well black mana. Was it evil mana? I mean, my interface gave me the impression it was the mana of individualism, self-direction, but also selfishness. My casting cost was one black mana. Did that mean I was selfish? Evil? I didn't want to think that, but I wasn't a saint either.
Step four: I tapped the Orderly Hospital, giving me white mana. My Power was telling me that 'tapping' a land was harmless and unnoticeable to anyone other than a planeswalker, and that planeswalkers were sufficiently rare that the odds of there being two in this dimension weren't worth thinking about. I still waited half an hour, constantly updating PHO, the parahuman online social media site, looking for news about the hospital. Nothing.
Step five: I went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror as I used my white mana from the hospital to cast 'Sentinel's Eyes', with myself as a target. This was the scary bit. If I was going to be stuck from now on with purple eyes-- Well, I'd need to make up some bullshit about something neurological giving me photophobia, and wear sunglasses for the rest of my life. I'd also have to come clean to my father about my Power, and I really wanted to push that conversation as far away as it was possible to get. Still: Magic. I wasn't going to just give up and ignore it.
Sentinel's Eyes: one white mana to give target creature +1/+1 and Vigilance. My eyes did glow purple, worryingly bright at first, but it faded fast, thank Scion. It was, frankly, the least noticeable impact it had on me. More noticeable was the power that flooded through my body as I suddenly felt stronger. More dangerous. Even more noticeable than that, I suddenly felt wide awake and well rested. I don't think my mind ever felt so sharp, and I could suddenly catch detail that I would miss before. It was dark outside, and looking out the bathroom window told me that my night-vision had improved drastically, too!
"Wow!"
Careful inspection in the mirror showed that my eyes now had faint purple motes drifting in my iris, but it wasn't as if anyone was ever going to want to stare meaningfully into them, so that was fine. I might have to do some fast-talking when I next visited the optician, but that was future-me's problem. This was the perfect outcome, and I was full of triumph as I prepared for bed and flung my PJ-clad self onto it with more enthusiasm than I'd had for years.
That was about the time I realised that sleep was a thing of the past and I had nine hours to kill before breakfast.
There was something so depressing about being a super-cool noctis cape and using that time to do my homework.
One day in as a cape, and I was already bored.
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Somewhere very, very, far away:
"The Path has changed," said Contessa as soon as Cauldron's leaders had taken their chairs. "It's much shorter now."
"What happened?" ask Alexandria, looking cautiously hopeful.
"A new trigger," replied Contessa, "We need to adjust our approach on a number of projects, in particular how we interact with the Terminus Project."
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Life Total: 1 Queen Administrator Happiness: 3
Lands
Plains
Hebert Residence Tap for one black mana
Creatures
Taylor Hebert – Victim 1 / 2
Vigilance
Newborn 2: You may not control more than 2 non-token creatures at a time. If you have more than 2 non-token creatures in play at the end of the turn, sacrifice a non-token creature. (Taylor Hebert - Victim does not count towards this total)
Taylor Hebert - Victim is all colours.
Escalate: two blue and four generic mana and Tap 'Taylor Hebert - Victim' to increase casting cost and abilities.
If this card is in exile, in the Commander Zone, or in a graveyard at the end of the turn, you lose the game.
Artefacts
Mox Amber
Enchantments
Sentinel's Eyes
Cards in Hand
Island
Mountain
Merry Bards
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
Wednesday 5th January 2011
Midnight was when my night got less dreary -- the last turn ended and a new one began. The mana that I'd held from tapping home dissipated into the aether, both hospital and home 'untapped', and I got a new card, pulled from that small deck.
'Squire's Lightblade' was a piece of equipment. A sword. It cost one white mana to summon, and it gave its user one point of power, and on the day that it was summoned it gave its wielder 'First Strike', which meant that if I attacked someone with it, my attack would land before they had a chance to hit back. Reading the text, it looked very much like a weapon that was best summoned during an emergency, or in preparation for doing something dangerous. It was also, very clearly, a lethal weapon.
I did not want to kill anyone. Hero capes generally didn't kill except in the most extreme of circumstances, such as when a kill order had been signed. Even villainous capes tended to avoid killing other capes. I mean, sure, Hookwolf, The Butcher, The Slaughterhouse Nine, and many others did, but in general most villains settled their differences with other capes non-lethally. If I didn't want to kill anyone, a glowing magic short sword was not going to be at the top of my Christmas list. My cards were going to be random -- I'd accepted that. My starting hand had been suspiciously good for someone starting out, but I took the lightblade to mean that generosity was at its end.
Still, it was a magic knife. Maybe I could sell it to someone. Or at least I could if the NEPEA-5 bill hadn't made profiting from superpowers super hard. Eh. I decided that I wouldn't summon it just yet -- it was good to keep it around as an option in an emergency -- knives were useful for more than just stabbing people.
Once I'd reviewed my card, I sprung into action, loaded up my backpack, and heroically sneaked out of the house while my dad was asleep. My improved night vision was really nice; I could see a lot more colour from the dim light of the moon and the weak street lights. It wasn't a big deal, but the whole 'Wow!' feeling I'd had going since I summoned my Mox got a little fillip out of it.
I had two objectives in mind and the first was that I needed to find somewhere associated with blue mana, the mana of logic and learning. Thankfully the repair shop half an hour's jogging from home qualified. Just. It was enough for me to link my Island card to it, and I was now able to draw on blue mana. I could only play one land card a turn, so the mountain would have to wait.
I leaned against the wall of the repair shop -- half an hour's jogging was a lot for me. Vigilance and my increased toughness had improved my endurance, but I was still out of breath.
Fifteen minutes later, I set out again.
My next destination was the docks. Or at least the edge of the docks. Brockton Bay had at one point been a bustling port city, a place a little north of Boston where the freighters could unload onto rail or road slightly cheaper than other places on the nearby coast. Then there had been a strike, a riot, and then a few idiots took a tanker, manoeuvred it to block the mouth of the bay, and scuttled it. It took less than half a dozen people a few hours to land a deathblow on the city, and it had been dying ever since. Moving the MV True Purpose had been uneconomical; so had been getting any of the ships and boats trapped on the wrong side of her out of the bay. There wasn't much of a docks in Brockton any more, and the Boat Graveyard was a notorious spot for many different and varied crimes.
This all played to my favour-- Well, no, it didn't. Dad worked for the Dockworkers Association, and running a dockworkers union without a docks was about as hard as it sounded. Plus the lack of new money coming into town also probably helped explain why Winslow High was a hell-hole. In my weaker moments I've often thought of those idiots who ruined so many lives, and what I'd like to do with them, but I want to be a hero, and no-one said that wouldn't have a price.
Where was I? Right. The desolation of the docks and ensuing rise in crime rate and dwindling population meant that housing in the area was not expensive. So much so that when a cape fight damaged a building, it was sometimes cheaper to buy a different house than rebuild the damaged one. I didn't anticipate any problems finding a place with an intact basement where any potential lights or noises wouldn't upset the neighbours. It wouldn't be a nice place to live, of course, but it would be fine for meeting someone and then dismissing them.
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Once I'd found a basement in an abandoned building that didn't, have squatters, I moved some broken furniture to act as chairs and a table so that my summon and I could sit down for a civilised conversation. I had a notepad and pen, and put out a couple of cans of soda I'd borrowed from the fridge alongside two of the nicer glasses from the crockery cupboard. I had a kerosene lamp for light and had completely forgotten snacks, so we'll just gloss over that. Once I was ready, I tapped my Mox, the repair shop, and the Hebert Residence, and spent the ensuing rush of mana to summon Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow.
There wasn't a light show. There was a swirl of darkness that I could barely see, and then there was a young woman who was half a foot shorter than me dressed in dark clothes and armed to the teeth standing in front of me. She looked around the room with a lightning fast glance before meeting my eyes and smiling widely before bowing low. I could see through her eyes and hear through her ears just as well as I could my own, which was freaky. It didn't seem to be causing me any strain, thanks to my Power no doubt, but it was a surprise to see the same room through two different sets of senses.
[Hello, Commander! Thank you for summoning me! How may I serve you?]
When it came to listing the unexpected benefits of my new Power, suddenly being able to speak Japanese with perfect fluency was going to be hard to top.
I smiled and bowed back.
[Hello, Yuriko! My name is Taylor. Taylor Hebert. Thank you for coming. Um, if you actually had the choice, that is. If you didn't, I'm terribly sorry--]
Yuriko had a lovely laugh. [It is well, Commander. Your conjuring worked perfectly; Yuriko consented to be copied, and so here I am.]
[You are not Yuriko?] I gestured for her to sit, and take her pick of the soda cans. I didn't know anything about real ninjas, but I was sure that they might be cautious about being poisoned, and I'd probably have to show her how to work a ring pull.
Yuriko took a can and a seat, both with a preternatural grace that I wasn't the least bit envious of, promise, and cracked open the tin without the ease of familiarity. She answered as she filled her glass and I took my seat and soda with far less grace.
[Your spell made an offer to Yuriko of Kamigawa, and she accepted. I am a reflection of her, a copy. Yuriko's knowledge, skill, and power, but completely obedient to your desires. As I live and when I die, she shall have my memories and your mana and she shall thus be repaid.]
She sipped her drink and clearly found it wanting. I wanted to die in shame, I should have brought tea, but how to keep it warm and it would hardly be any more to Yuriko's standards than-- No. What's done is done. I tried to smile.
[Thank you, Yuriko. I'm sorry to say that I'm new at this, and trying to do as little damage as I can while-- Wait! I am Mastering you?!]
Yuriko raised a single eyebrow with the smooth precision worthy of a master ninja. ['Mastering'? We have an arrangement, and my agreed obedience is part of that. Why should I be concerned of an effect that prevents me from doing something that I do not want to do?]
[But I could hurt you or send you to your death, and you would be helpless to stop me!]
Yuriko shrugged, [That is the expectation, yes. The original Yuriko would not want to be cast aside needlessly, of course, but I am not her. Do as you want.]
[I don't want to kill anyone! Especially not you!]
[Then don't,] said Yuriko, flashing a bright grin, [You are a planeswalker. You do as you please.]
I winced, [Um, I don't think I am. At least, not quite. Not yet. My, uh, status says that I could become one though, if that helps.]
Yuriko's eyebrow had lowered as we spoke, but now it rose again, [Interesting. Little is known of planeswalkers...]
[Um, yeah. While we are on the topic, can you tell me what a planeswalker is?]
Yuriko's other eyebrow rose to the same height as the first. She recovered quickly from her astonishment though, and said, [How to put it? A planeswalker can walk between planes? They are amongst the most powerful beings in the multiverse? They are those rare few that are born with the spark of a planeswalker, and after a moment of great stress or hardship, that spark can ignite, triggering ascension? They cast spells, they can summon copies of those that they meet, and interfere with much they should not? They squabble a lot.]
Great stress... I really didn't want to think about what had triggered all this. Was I truly a parahuman, or was I a planeswalker instead?
Yuriko looked at my face sympathetically. [Ah. I think you really are a planeswalker.]
[Maybe. I had a moment of great stress. I was-- My bullies nearly killed me. But in this world, that can trigger someone into becoming a parahuman.]
[Bullies!] said Yuriko, standing up with a scowl, [Direct me to them. They shall be dealt with.] I was suddenly a lot more conscious of the weapons she carried.
[No! No! I-- I don't want to kill anyone. Hurt anyone. I don't want to be a bully myself.]
Yuriko shook her head sharply, [Bullies must be stopped! They poison the mind and the soul of their victims, their witnesses, their own! Bullies make more bullies, make bullying seem acceptable. It is a cancer that must be excised! I, Yuriko! The Tiger's Shadow, will--]
[You will sit down,] I said sharply, and Yuriko did just that without her usual grace, as though a puppet whose strings were cut.
[I must obey,] said Yuriko, glaring at me, [But I would prefer to deal with the scum that caused your spark to ignite.]
I sat upright and glared at Yuriko, [Thank you, but don't worry about me. I summoned you so that I could learn more about who and what I am. You have helped immensely with that; thank you. Uh, you can go now.]
Yuriko looked more than a little miffed, but nodded. [Very well. What is your command?]
[You are to return home. To Yuriko. To, uh, Kamigawa, was it?]
Yuriko smirked at me. I really didn't like that smirk. [Of course, Commander. If you would kindly show me the way?]
I had a very sudden and strong sinking feeling. [You can't go back?] I hammered away at my interface, and it wasn't giving my any 'unsummon' options. And my Power seemed to be laughing at me for even thinking it.
[I can 'go back' in an instant, Commander,] said Yuriko with a tooth-filled grin, [The instant that I die. Would you care to oblige, or should I do this myself? Do you have a preferred method? An altar to sacrifice me on? I shall gladly lie on it. I carry several poisons with me at all times, or I can lend you a blade, if--]
[Enough!] I was like my dad in many ways. I had a temper. [I can't unsummon you?]
[I hear that there are spells, of course,] said Yuriko sweetly, [I'm guessing that my Commander does not have such a spell to hand?]
I glared.
I glared a lot.
Yuriko was surprisingly unbothered, [Well then. You shall need to command my death. It is time for the newborn planeswalker to learn how to do what all planeswalkers do best: kill.]
[Which you know I will not do! Dammit!] I buried my face in my hands. [I have a hard enough time looking after dad and myself, and now I have to--]
Yuriko held up an apologetic hand. [Commander. Stop. I apologise. I should remember that you are a child as well as a planeswalker. You do not need to look after me; I am the one that looks after others. I-- I shall go and explore the city; Yuriko will cherish memories of a new plane. I am ninja; I can find accommodation, suitable clothes. I promise that I shall not kill while I am here, save by your command. I can wait until you have an unsummoning spell, or the desire to end me. If you have any commands for me, at any time, do not hesitate.]
[Okay, okay. Yuriko, I am sorry--]
[I am not,] said Yuriko, rising back to her feet, [Yuriko shall value these memories, and to be summoned by a planeswalker is a boon.]
I slumped. [Um, okay. Do you need--] I shut up, I could see through her eyes that she'd already gone.
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I hated messing up. I'd considered the possibility that summoning Yuriko would be permanent. That was why I'd summoned her rather than the bards -- two less mouths to feed could only be good -- but my Power had been so certain that summoning her would be without consequences. I was now very worried about everything else that it might be wrong about.
I stomped all the way home, and flung myself back on my bed. Quietly, because my father was asleep. I could see through my mind's eye as Yuriko explored the city with feline grace, moving unseen through the train yards that were the Archer Bridge Merchant's territory. I wanted to call out to her, warn her of the danger, but there clearly wasn't any. She was a master of stealth, and they never caught sight of her. The Merchants were a gang who sold drugs, and took drugs, and were notoriously inept. Yuriko slipped by them with ease.
Caught by a thought, I tried to whisper a message to her through my interface, but she couldn't hear me. It wasn't a surprise -- telepathy had been convincingly debunked many times since the arrival of parahumans. But... I could feel Yuriko. I could see through her eyes. I could control her. I used that control to make Yuriko whisper, [Yuriko, you are in the Merchant's territory. They are gang members who sell drugs. Some of them will have guns, and there are three parahumans in their gang. Please be careful.]
Yuriko started at the message, but quickly relaxed. [The stories do not tell of planeswalkers being able to do that, Commander. It is impressive. Can you tell me more about the parahumans?]
[Thank you, Yuriko,] I had her say, and then started the strangest conversation that either of us had had in our lives, with Yuriko whispering both sides.
She didn't kill anyone, but she did steal from them enough money for food, clothing, and a hotel room for a week. She took a gun as well, and examined it carefully before tossing it aside with contempt. She steered well clear of the Merchant's leader, Skidmark, and his fellow villainous capes, Squealer and Mush. It was fascinating to feel her physicality and proprioception, both far superior to my own, as she stalked the train yards and then headed towards the Boardwalk.
One aspect of my Power that I hadn't explored until then was multitasking. I was amazed to find that I could monitor what she was doing and read a book at the same time, losing no information from either activity. I day dreamed of summoning a hundred different people and having them read books for me in shifts. That'd be amazing. Impractical, but amazing.
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It was a few hours later, and I was going through my notes from my interview with Yuriko when one line caught my eye. 'Planeswalkers can summon copies of those that they meet'. Huh. I'd met several people since my spark ignited, so how did I...
There was an alternate view for my interface, but it took me ages to find. It didn't show my hand or Yuriko, but rather some greyed out cards. The first was a 'Harried Nurse' card, showing a 0/1 human nurse who could be summoned for one white mana which had the text, 'Tap and pay one white mana, gain one life point'. With my current life total that sounded like a fantastic deal, but the card was greyed out. Concentrating on it gave me the distinct impression that I couldn't truly summon people I'd met until I blossomed into a full planeswalker. Hmm.
The next card was 'Panacea -- Overstressed Healer', who was a legendary parahuman who could be summoned, were I a true planeswalker, for one white mana and one mana of any colour. The image showed a panicking young Amy staring aghast at a blonde young woman lying in a pool of blood in front of her, with the flavour text reading, 'Amy Dallon broke at the thought of losing her sister'. Her card said that she was a 0/1.
Panacea's 'Shard' was called 'The Shaper'. Its casting cost was three white and five generic mana or a Trigger, the mountain on that card wasn't as big as the one shown on 'Queen Administrator's card but still pretty large, and its text read, 'When linked to a parahuman: Bestows ability to modify form.' I suppose healing must count as 'modifying form', because Panacea was reputedly the most gifted healer in the world. As I was seeing the cards in their 'uncast' state, I couldn't see the synergy or how the union between the two was expressed.
The final card I had was, 'Danny Hebert -- Depressed Negotiator', and while his picture looked better than the one on my card, it still hurt to see him slumped at a desk, staring into the distance, exhausted. Danny was a 1/1, and had no special abilities. He could be summoned with one black mana, just like me. Like all the other cards in this interface, I could not summon him.
My cards were not pulling any punches with the text or the images, I could see that.
I looked at my plans and resisted the urge to tear out the pages of my notebook. I wasn't going to trap some poor bards in this shithole for an unknown period of time while I waited for a banishing spell to suddenly appear! I didn't want to live here, and this was my home! I threw my book across the room.
"Why am I doing this?" I whispered to myself. How did I justify calling Yuriko, or a copy of her, across planes to satisfy my idle curiosity? It was a massive relief that she was happy enough to be summoned, but I couldn't have been sure about that before I spoke with her.
So why was I doing this? Exploring the extent of my powers? That was hardly a justification. Many parahumans had powers that could do terrible things, many of them, unlike me, refrained from doing them.
I retrieved my notebook and started a new page. I had power. A lot of it, according to Yuriko. The power to change things, maybe. So what did I want to change, and would it justify summoning people to be my slaves? I started a list.
1. Deal with the Trio.
I crossed that line out.
2. Help Dad
That one got to stay, but I felt really guilty about it.
3. Help Brockton Bay
I was on much firmer ground here. Brockton Bay and its citizens needed all the help it could get.
4. Save people and give them hope
That sounded really arrogant. I was a fifteen-year-old child, not the saviour of mankind.
5. Be a hero
Yes. That was a worthy goal.
Yuriko confirmed that her original had consented to be copied.
Maybe, if I was careful? Maybe I could make this work.
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[Hi Yuriko, do you have a minute?] I asked through Yuriko's mouth.
I didn't have to go back to school yet -- Dad was telling me that I had a week off to recover -- but being a Noctis cape who was pretending to convalesce meant that I was bored out of my mind.
[You know that I do,] murmured Yuriko. She was sitting on the roof of a shop on the Boardwalk, waiting for the shops to open. I was mildly surprised, and pleased, that she didn't just break into one to steal the clothes that she needed.
[I can feel your tiredness. Are you sure that you don't want to get a hotel room and have a nap?]
Yuriko shook her head, [It's just summoning sickness; it will pass.]
[Summoning sickness?] Had I inflicted some new malady on Yuriko on top of all the other indignities? Or had she gotten sick from Brockton Bay's germs--
[Almost all creatures react poorly to being dragged across the planes; we can't fight straight away. I'll be fine tomorrow, and I will sleep in a few hours; I need to adjust to this world's day and night cycle.]
[That's good to know,] I said, sagging in relief, [So, uh, I have some problems with my life, and I want to use my Power to solve them.]
Yuriko smirked, [I already offered to deal with your bullies.]
[Important problems,] I said, maybe a little sharply, [Like helping my dad, and Brockton Bay. Helping people. And I don't want to do it the 'Parahuman Way'.]
[Which is?]
[Solving problem by punching them, I think. Unless you're a Tinker, in which case you make something to do the punching for you, or a Thinker, when you persuade your problems to punch themselves.]
Yuriko chuckled, [So how do you plan to solve your problems without punching? I'm very good at stabbing, too, you know.]
[Denied!] I said, and then more seriously, [I don't know. What sorts of spells do planeswalkers get?]
[I have no idea,] said Yuriko, leaning back on the roof to stare at the stars, [Stories say that planeswalkers can do anything. So maybe there are spells out there for you.]
[Maybe. And I'm not going to pretend that there won't be violence. I'm a parahuman, it comes with the territory. But I'd like to explore my options.]
[Good for you. How can I help?]
[I want to be a hero. And one of my spells summons 'Merry Bards'. The card shows three musicians, and they look pretty cheerful. Power three, toughness two. And when they arrive they can give someone a 'Young Hero role' for one generic mana. Which I really want. But, I don't know if I should drag them-- I really shouldn't drag them across the planes just so that--]
Yuriko interrupted herself. [Taylor. They're bards. They would love to be summoned by a planeswalker; they would be drooling over the stories that they could tell, and the mana would help them, too. And 'Merry Bards'? Taylor there can't be many places in all the planes that needs cheering up more than this place. Summon them.]
[But how will I feed them? Protect them?]
Yuriko shook her head, [Planeswalkers summon others to serve the planeswalker, Taylor, not the other way around. They'll be able to look after themselves, and I can help. I'll get some more money, find a place for us to stay. If they're musicians then they'll be able to busk, that will be enough for their needs, I'm sure.]
We fell into an easy conversation, planning for the arrival of the bards. We were really doing this.
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The day started slow. After breakfast I decided that if I was going to be a hero then I needed to get in shape and went for a jog. I started a re-read of Jayne Eyre. I prepared supper for dad. He actually came home earlier than usual, so we even had time to watch The Princess Bride together, which was nice. We didn't have much to say to each other -- his day had been a struggle finding jobs for the DWA members, and I had done nothing noteworthy. I thought about telling him that I was now a cape and a planeswalker, but that would open a whole can of worms that I didn't want to touch. He didn't need more on his plate. I wasn't much of anything yet, it could wait.
Once dad had gone to bed, I kept reading until near midnight. Yuriko had rested and had spent the evening and early night doing chores for me, preparing for my guests. She was waiting by the television broadcast tower overlooking Brockton Bay when midnight struck.
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Life Total: 1 Queen Administrator Happiness: 3
Lands
Plains
Hebert Residence Tap for one black mana
Island
Creatures
Taylor Hebert – Victim 1 / 2
Vigilance, Newborn 2, Escalate
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
Artefacts
Mox Amber
Enchantments
Sentinel's Eyes
Cards in Hand
Mountain
Merry Bards
Squire's Lightblade
Thursday 6th January 2011
Yuriko was perched on a concrete base for the broadcast tower's fence, deep in shadow, waiting for Taylor and browsing on a second-hand 'smartphone' she'd acquired. The phone was less primitive than she'd expected based on the rest of the technology that she'd seen in Brockton Bay, but she'd seen videos of 'Tinkertech' on the Brockton Bay Public Library computers, and some of that was beyond anything she'd seen in Kamigawa. The contrast was fascinating and she'd love to be able to take something like that back with her when she returned to Yuriko, but the work of Tinker capes was famous for being uncopiable. She suspected that the phone in her hands was an attempt to bridge the gap -- taking scraps of knowledge and ideas from Tinker miracles and making them reproducible.
She was researching the local 'capes' when Yuriko's mouth moved on its own accord.
[Hey, Yuriko,] she found herself saying, a nervous smile playing on her lips, [You know how I had you spend the last four hours stealing money from drug dealers in an extremely dangerous fashion?]
[Yes...] said Yuriko with some trepidation. None of the dealers had more than a hundred dollars on them, and the houses where the real money and drugs were stashed were doubtless protected by Squealer's Tinkertech. Taylor had warned Yuriko away from trying to breach them, and Yuriko hadn't argued; it had taken a long time to get enough money for their plans.
[I might have wasted your time, if today's card is anything to go by. Sorry about that. I'll explain when we meet up.]
Yuriko sighed, [It is no problem,] she said, [Shall I return?]
[Not just yet, I want to see if this works or not first.]
Yuriko wasn't sure what 'this' was, but suddenly something changed and the kami of the tower seemed to stir from their constant slumber.
[Great!] said Taylor through Yuriko's lips, [I can assign lands through our connection. That's a relief. You can come back now.]
[Yes,] said Yuriko, stowing her phone as she rose to her feet.
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They had agreed that renting a house would be cheaper than a hotel, and would offer better privacy. How Yuriko found a house she could rent with a handful of low-denomination bills after only a day on Earth Bet was a mystery to me, despite having watched her do it, casually chatting to strangers she met.
I pottered around the house, waiting for Yuriko to return before she could discuss the new card, and if it changed their plans at all. Yuriko made good time getting back -- bicycles weren't the most dignified mode of transport, but they could be quiet, disposable in a pinch, and a lot faster and more reliable than the Brockton Bay buses.
Eventually Yuriko slipped inside the living room and found a shadowy corner facing me to settle in.
[Your new card?] she asked.
I grinned, [It's a really silly one. It's called 'Gold Pan'. It shows someone sifting for gold with large nuggets and a weird glowing rock in the pan. The text reads, 'When Gold Pan enters the battlefield, create a Treasure Token'. I can sacrifice the token for a point of mana, but if it really is actual treasure...]
[Then it might be more useful to you converted into money. What makes it silly?]
[Oh! You can equip it, and you get a point of power and toughness. I'm just picturing me hitting someone with this flimsy pan and doing actual damage with it.]
Yuriko laughed, [Flawless plan to save Brockton Bay! Step one -- hit it with the pan. Step two -- if that doesn't work, hit it harder. There is no step three.]
I smiled at her joke. Well, sort of. I was a little out of practice.
[Well,] said Yuriko, [Do you want to delay summoning the bards, and summon the pan instead?]
[I can do both,] I replied confidently, [The pan costs two mana, the bards cost three, and I can have five mana. The only disadvantage with summoning it is that I will be all tapped out and unable to 'equip' the pan, but as I don't plan on saving the Bay today, I don't see that as a problem.]
[In that case, I suggest summoning the pan now. If the treasure is fungible then we can impress the bards with it. If it isn't, we will not lower their expectations so soon after joining us.]
[Good point.]
I needed to keep the red mana I'd get from the 'Free Broadcasting Tower' for the bards, so I tapped my Mox Amber and my home to pay for the pan. The mana rushed in to fill me, and I focussed on the card and cast the spell. The gold pan appeared in my hands and I almost dropped it from the unbalanced weight. The pan was made from beaten bronze and about the same size as the wok that dad had bought years ago on a whim and had seen almost no use. The weight, though, came from what was in the pan -- numerous nuggets of what could only be gold and a multicoloured crystalline rock bigger than my fist that shone with its own internal light.
"Oooh!" I said; I lowered the pan onto a table. [How much do you think that is worth?]
Yuriko snorted, and stalked out the room.
She returned soon afterwards with the kitchen scales, and methodically placed the nuggets into the hopper. [About thirty 'ounces'.]
She pulled out her smartphone and started tapping away while I watched. I didn't have a mobile phone. I didn't want one. I stared at the weird glowing rock and tried to drive many thoughts and memories from my head.
[About forty thousand dollars, before everyone takes their cut. Not bad. What about the rock?]
"Forty thousand dollars!" I said calmly, not shrieking at all. I mean, sure, Yuriko winced, but I'm confident that was just a coincidence.
[Yes,] said Yuriko. [And the rock?]
I paused my little dance. "Huh?" [Oh, um. Not normal. Probably worth a lot of money to someone interested in exotic materials. Tinkers go crazy over strange stuff like this.]
[You plan to sell it to Leet then?]
[I don't know; he is a criminal, even if he is more a nuisance than a threat, compared to most of the others in town. There are other tinkers in Brockton Bay. I'm not going to go to Squealer, obviously, but Armsmaster of the Protectorate or Kid Win or Gallant in the Wards might be interested.]
[The Wards?] asked Yuriko curiously, [Do child soldiers make much money in this world?]
[Maybe? But I know that Protectorate Tinkers get a budget. We could get them to spend some of that on the rock, maybe?]
[Hmm. We may need to go via a third party to avoid detection, but it sounds feasible.]
I beamed at Yuriko.
She stared passively at me.
[Oh, right. I need to summon the bards. Um, stand back, please?]
Yuriko retreated back to her corner. I gathered my mana and let it flow through the card in the fashion that was quickly becoming familiar. An instant later there was a swirl of red and green in the air, a faint fanfare, and three bards were standing in front of me.
The man on the left was tall, well over six foot, with dreadlocks, a neatly-trimmed beard, and a broad smile. He had a massive floppy orange hat, a green coat and a drum hanging by his side. Next to him was a man who was about my height; he looked thirty years the first man's elder, with a bushy white beard, a slightly more modest hat, and a mandolin. The third bard was a young woman with a garland of flowers woven through a glorious blonde mane of hair which cascaded down the length of her back. She looked to be the youngest of the group, maybe five to ten years older than me, with a freckled face, sharp cheekbones, grey eyes, and I wasn't in the slightest bit envious of her figure, really. Oh, and she had a flute. Seriously, though, forget everything else, I wanted to compare hair-care tips with her, because my hair was great but this lady clearly knew more than me on the topic.
I could tell that the older guy was the leader because he stepped forward, doffed his hat, and bowed low, twirling his hand around in a way that made me think this might be what 'florid' meant. The other guy bards bowed low while the lady curtsied in graceful unison, although without all the hand waving.
"My most glorious lady!" he said with the resounding voice of a seasoned performer, "The Heartfelt Troubadours humbly greet you! I am Guillaume Gaillard, and this is Jehan Falaize," the tall man, "and this is Perrette Des-prez," she of the fantastic hair, "It is a true honour to be called to your service!" He had a faint accent that sounded almost French to me. "How might we serve you?"
"Hello!" I said, "Thank you for answering my call. My name is Taylor Hebert, and welcome to Brockton Bay, on Earth Bet."
"Taylor Hebert? Earth Bet?" said the man, "I have consulted with the Loremages, Riddleseekers, and Chroniclers of Vantress in Eldraine, and thought I knew the name of all the contacted planes, and almost all the planeswalkers, but I confess I recognise not neither your name nor home. You wouldn't, perchance, my lady, be willing to tell us more?" He said hopefully, before hastily adding, "No disrespect is meant in the request, of course."
I winced, "I am not, yet, a full planeswalker. And I'd never even heard of planeswalkers until my, uh, card told me that I could become one. And Earth Bet might be a bit of a backwater? I mean, we know that there are lots of Earths out there, but I don't think that any of them have planeswalkers either."
"You've not heard of Jace Beleren? Gideon Jura, Teferi Akosa, Liliana Vess, Nahiri, Nissa Revane, Chandra Nalaar, Nicol Bolas?" asked the lady bard, staring at my face as she reeled off names, "How about the planes? Eldraine, Dominaria, Phyrexia--" All three bards, and Yuriko all tensed at that one, and relaxed when I didn't react, "--Zendikar, Kamigawa--"
"Yes!" I said, happy to finally not have to admit ignorance to everything ever, "I've heard of Kamigawa -- Yuriko comes from there!"
I pointed at Yuriko, and the three bards spun around with amusing haste and stepped backwards at realising that we weren't alone. Yuriko raised an eyebrow.
"Hello, my lady," said the eldest bard cautiously, "It is a pleasure to meet you." I wasn't sure why he was so careful, Yuriko had changed from her ninja outfit into normal clothes and didn't even have any of her weapons visible.
"Hello," she said, with a heavy Japanese accent.
The Heartfelt Troubadours did not seem to be particularly comfortable turning their backs on either Yuriko or me, and they didn't really have room to manoeuvre to keep us both in their lines of sight, but Guillaume soon turned back to me.
"You've summoned people from planes you've never heard of? Truly, my lady, I am in awe of your abilities."
"Oh? How do people normally do it?"
Guillaume looked uncomfortable again, "Well, I am no planeswalker, but I understand that they travel and see noteworthy people, places, things, and can then conjure copies of them when they so desire?"
"Oh good," I said, "My system seems to be collecting that kind of thing, but I can't summon any of those things until I become a planeswalker, so it's giving me other cards to keep me going, I think."
I flicked over to my library of greyed out cards, and it was indeed slowly filling up. The latest card was 'bicycle', a one mana artefact equipment I would be able to summon one day. It gave one toughness, with the option to equip for one mana, and the flavour text read, 'Running away is an under-rated survival strategy'. What interested me was that I hadn't laid eyes on the bicycle; or rather, I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. I could pick up cards when looking through my summons, which sounded very handy to me.
"Well," said Guillaume, "It shall be our honour to do our part in paving the path to your glory!"
"Wonderful," I said, "And I hope that this won't be too uncomfortable for you. We've rented this house for you to stay in, and we got lucky with a card this morning, so money won't be an issue," I said proudly, pointing at the gold pan and its treasure. All three bards seemed to be very taken with the sight.
"It is a delight to see your wealth. But, ahem, our duties?"
"Well, I want you to settle in and get used to this world. We'll get you modern instruments, and, well, can you busk?"
The bards grinned as one and straightened. "Oh yes, my lady, we can busk. We shall celebrate your greatness to all that can hear! All will know of your grace, power, and beauty!"
To say nothing of my panic.
"No no no no!" I said, waving my hands wardingly in front of me, "Don't mention me! I'm anonymous! I need to stay unknown! Really. I meant, 'I need you to listen out, keep an eye on the street.'"
"Oh!" said Guillaume, nodding seriously, "Of course. We shall be the soul of discretion and the most observant of eyes! We shall divine every whispered secret in the public houses of Brockton Bay and pass them on to your ears."
"Thanks," I said, slumping in relief, "But before we get you settled, the card said that you could-- you know," they looked blankly at me, "...give me a 'young hero' role?" I whispered.
"Of course, my lady!" said Guillaume, and the smiling Heartfelt Troubadours gathered close in front of me, "If you would grace me with a sample of your bountiful mana, it would be the greatest honour of my life to do so!"
Shit.
I'd already tapped all my lands, and my Mox Amber.
How the hell did I screw this up?!
"Um, I... don't have any more mana today?" I saw sudden despair fall across three faces. "Can we do it tomorrow?"
Guillaume shook his head sadly, "My lady, we can only perform that service now, while we still hold the remnants of our link with Eldraine, with Embereth, with the Irencrag. That link will be gone by sunrise."
"No!" I'd messed up. I'd miscalculated. What kind of planeswalker couldn't even count to six? Couldn't even read?! I was almost ready to tear out my hair in frustration.
My downward spiral was interrupted by Yuriko's quiet chuckle.
[So now we must ask,] she said as I glared at her, [What is your treasure worth?] and nodded at the Gold Pan.
I slumped with relief, and mentally reached out to the treasure token. The gold and weird glowing rock dissolved into a rainbow of sparks that flew into my hand, leaving the Pan bare. Some instinct of my Power had me refine that iridescent light into pure white mana. [Thanks, Yuriko,] I said, and held the mana out to Guillaume.
Guillaume looked briefly conflicted before reverentially taking the mana and falling to one knee, Jehan and Perrette beside him, heads bowed and Jehan's ridiculous hat doffed. Guillaume brought the glowing mote of mana to his chest, and the pure white turned red. He offered up a softly pulsing ball of light.
"My lady, the great Irencrag has bestowed on the bards of Embereth the solemn duty to find those that would be heroes, and start them on the path. A hero must be compassionate, be strong, be enduring, and most of all be brave. The way of the hero is hard and will call for great sacrifice--" his eyes flickered to the empty gold pan, "--but it is clear to us that you are more than strong enough to walk it. It is with great pride and joy that I can announce to the Irencrag and the world that Taylor Hebert is a Young Hero!"
I took the ball of light and it floated into my chest, filling me with a fierce and hopeful joy.
I took a deep breath, stood tall, and squared my shoulders. I was a hero.
Now I just needed to earn it.
"Thank you, Guillaume, Jehan, Perrette. I pray I shall be worthy of the honour."
I could see an extra line had been added to my card: 'Young Hero: Enchant Creature. Enchanted creature has, "Whenever this creature attacks, if it is toughness 3 or less, put a +1/+1 counter on it."' That didn't really summarise the joyous fury kindling in my chest, but I'd take it.
"I'm sure you will," said Guillaume, rising a little unsteadily to his feet with the help of his friends and wincing as the white-haired old man shook one of his legs.
"So, um, before I leave you to get settled in, there are a few things about Brockton Bay that I need to tell you. Firstly, there are a lot of gangs, and those gangs have parahumans in them -- people with Powers. Yuriko will give you a rundown. One of those gangs calls themselves 'Empire 88' and they are racist fascists. Jehan, you will need to be careful around anyone dressed in black, red, and white. Killings of non-whites are not rare if you stray into their territory."
"Okay," said Jehan, "I'll be careful. Can't the police deal with them?"
I sighed, "I wish. The police don't deal with parahuman problems, that's done by a government agency called the 'Parahuman Response Team' -- the PRT. It's an agency of mostly normal humans, but it includes a group called 'The Protectorate', which contains all the PRT's capes -- its parahumans. The problem is that the gang capes outnumber the PRT capes by a lot, and that's even after you include the PRT Wards-- um, the parahumans under the age of eighteen."
"Child soldiers?!" asked Perrette.
I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, "Well, yes, but it isn't quite as bad as it sounds. The Wards have very strong protections against being killed, and there's a well-funded group called Youth Guard that is there to prevent abuse. I don't think anyone likes it, but Brockton Bay needs all the help that it can get."
"We'll be careful, ma'am," said Guillaume.
"Right. I need to get home before my dad wakes up; he doesn't know, you see," I said, politely ignoring the glances that the bards exchanged, "So let's get you familiarised with the house. Yuriko tells me that tech in Eldraine is a little behind Earth Bet, but let me know if I'm going too slow. Where to start? This is a light switch..."
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The Heartfelt Troubadours were very taken by the modern conveniences of light switches, running water, running heated water, refrigeration, and the concept of washing machines, but it was clear that there was too much for them to take in straight away. Eventually I just had to foist the job of acquainting them with this world onto Yuriko and flee back home.
I could still see through their senses even after the door to the bard's house clicked shut behind me, so I knew when Perrette suddenly punched the air and squeed with glee. "Yes! We've been summoned by a planeswalker!" she grabbed the hands of her grinning troubadour friends, "A new plane! A new planeswalker! So many stories! They'll be singing songs about US! The other troupes are going to be so jealous!"
"Indrelon shall run out of answers before Guillaume runs out of secrets!" said Guillaume (or the Earth Bet copy of him).
"This feels too good to be true," said Jehan, turning briefly serious, "Are we sure that she isn't Oko in disguise?"
"She is not Oko," said Yuriko, stepping out of the shadows and causing Jehan to squawk in surprise. "But she can speak through your mouth and see through your eyes."
I smirked, and had Guillaume say, much to his surprise, "Don't worry; I can't turn it off but I'll try to give you all as much privacy as I can."
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Dad was eating breakfast by the time I got home, but that was fine. I just explained that I'd been out on a morning jog. He'd been happy that I was exercising, once I'd confirmed that I had a can of mace with me at least.
After that, I settled into my new routine of reading and plotting. The plotting, at least, was slow going because I really didn't have many options. I had one card left to summon -- the Squire's Lightblade -- and no way of telling what cards I might get later. I did list out the cards I'd gotten so far: Plains, Island, Mountain, Mox Amber, Sentinel's Eyes, Yuriko, Merry Bards, Gold Pan, Squire's Lightblade. There was a pattern there, if you squinted. They were all very different cards - lands, creatures, an enchantment, artefacts. It was as if my Power was exploring the different card types while trying to outfit me as quickly as possible to become a cape -- the ability to see, the ability to act, resources, a mentor, advisors... If so, it wasn't done yet. Or at least I hoped it wasn't -- I still needed some form of armour, and a mask. I could buy a mask in town, of course, but summoning my own would be so much cooler.
There was also something in my interface that I hadn't really noticed until then which was also a clue -- underneath the small deck of cards next to the full library were the words, 'I want to be a hero,' and that seemed to be what the cards in the small deck were trying to make happen. There was nothing underneath the massive deck of cards, but I hadn't drawn from that deck yet. Maybe I would when I ran out of the selected cards from the small deck?
Looking for trends also made me look at the different mana colours. There were five, I knew: White, Blue, Black, Red, and Green. And each colour represented an affinity, or an attitude, or something like that? And, based on my own card and that of my dad and our home (not just a 'house' dammit), my core affinity was black. Black magic.
Mid-afternoon, and Yuriko had left the bards listening and watching music videos online while she went for a walk, citing a need to take the lay of the land. As she left the bard house, I said through her mouth, [Yuriko, can we talk?]
Yuriko shrugged as she got on her bike, and said, [Of course, Commander.] She started pedalling, but not going too fast.
[Yuriko, am I evil?]
The bike barely wobbled while Yuriko laughed at me. [What brought this on?]
[Well, my casting cost is one black mana--]
Yuriko sighed noisily. [I forget that this plane does not know anything about magic. Very well, here is what is taught to children much younger than you: Black is not 'evil'. White is not 'good'. None of the colours are evil. They represent attitudes, yes, but it is a person's actions that define morality. A person with black affinity is someone who believes in free will, of doing what they believe should be done despite the opposition of others, just as someone with white affinity believes in order and control. A vigilante and a serial killer are both likely to have a black affinity, a fascist and a healer are both likely to be white affinity. Your Empire 88 thugs will have a white affinity, I promise you, as will your Protectorate. You understand, I hope.]
I sighed with relief, [So I'm not 'evil'. That is a relief; thank you.]
[Well...]
[Yuriko!]
Yuriko laughed, [You are probably fine, Taylor. But you will likely consider most other people with a strong black affinity to be evil. Each colour has creatures that naturally gravitate towards it. There are always many exceptions, but it is true.]
[Such as?]
[Humans gravitate towards white; so do angels. Goblins and dragons both favour red. Elves and hydras both represent green mana. Merfolk, veldalken, and sphinxes are often aligned with blue.]
[And black?] I asked with some trepidation.
[Undead such as skeletons, zombies, and vampires, and demons,] said Yuriko. I could feel her suppressing a grin.
[Thank you, Yuriko, that is a great comfort,] I said with a great deal of sarcasm.
[You're welcome, Taylor,] said Yuriko, and then spoke more seriously, [People are complicated and many people have affinity for more than one colour. I think you're fine, personally, but do be aware that I am a ninja and I have an affinity for black as well.]
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I went for a second run in the evening, prepared supper for myself and my father, and we spoke quietly as we ate. I was worried about dad's card calling him a 'Depressed Negotiator', but I had no idea what I could do to help, beyond not adding to his burdens. Keeping quiet about Yuriko, the bards, and my planeswalker status only made sense from that perspective. Dad was making noises about suing the school for my assault, but we didn't have that kind of money. I told him to not worry about it.
Night fell, dad went to bed, and I stayed up reading.
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Life Total: 1 Queen Administrator Happiness: 3
Lands
Plains
Hebert Residence Tap for one black mana
Island
Mountain
Creatures
Taylor Hebert – Victim 1 / 2
Vigilance, Young Hero, Newborn 2, Escalate
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
Merry Bards
Artefacts
Mox Amber
Gold Pan
Enchantments
Sentinel's Eyes
Cards in Hand
Squire's Lightblade