Location: Grand Cosmos > Pathways > New Orleans
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
”Choking’s fine, huh? And here I was about to say that you should throttle down lest I’ll be the one to throttle you. That would have been a waste of time.” Nevermind that she could also accidentally snap his neck if she pushed a bit too much.
Landing on the not-paths they traversed before, she took in Barty’s exposition.
”Teleportation magic, hm? I expected something else to be honest. This place looks almost… orderly.” she noted, the Pathways reminding her a bit of the white void of a room she occupied at the Kingston-Grey house.
Barty raised an eyebrow in kind.
”And who's to say Teleportation isn't orderly? Yes there can be mishaps as with any bit of magic, but that only comes to the untrained and arrogant. Those who actually care to learn the craft will find they have much more success than others. New avenues of magic within reach where others falter.” He spoke, not quite a lecture but with a fondness of his years within this subject. It was probably the most emotional he's shown since meeting Vicky.
”I kind of expected the realm used for teleportation to be closer to the warp. You know, judging by what I have seen of magic, which, admittedly, isn’t all that much. Compared to the academy’s halls or even the house I’m staying at, this place feels almost… empty?” she struggled,
“I mean no offense, it’s just hard to find the right words for it, this is all new to me.” She idly swiped her hand through the space around them.
”You won’t find me disagreeing with the opinion that any discipline should be trained well before being practiced. Which is all the more infuriating, considering the magic teacher at MCI right now is a person who seems to have the ‘sink or swim, bitch’ mindset. Lady Nimue if you heard of that one.” she carefully said. Not a question, but hopefully beckoning enough for Barty to share his opinion on the teacher-possibly-Sinister-clone on his own, like he commented on Agatha before.
So, there were hero's out there using the name of the famed Lady of the Lake. It wasn't unheard of, people loved to compare themselves to gods fallen or new. So why wouldn't someone meant to teach magic take on the moniker of a famed mage from Arthurian Legends?
”Just how old do you think I am? Or is it that you believe me to know about the legends of Lady Nimue? As if any who have the capacity to read and comprehend can't simply search for her stories amongst the many legends spread throughout time. As for taking offense to how you view ‘this place’ I don't. I didn't create this space, nor it's Pathways. Though I've had my fair share of exploration within them to be able to navigate them with ease. Otherwise you may actually be lost here.” Barty mused before stopping for a moment and looking back at Victoria.
”For a person so magically adverse, why do you wish to study magic? Or is Margaret Carter such a cesspool of learning they cannot find ways to place you within spaces of academia that actually benefit you and your growth?””I was hoping you had info on whoever is the current iteration, rather than the original legend. I’ve heard that she may actually be a clone of Mr. Sinister. I don’t know whether the source was not just pulling a classmate’s leg, though.” she shrugged, then thought about his next question. Why
did she want to learn about magic?
”Well, the most immediate need came from the fact that certain kinds of magic are rather extremely lethal to me, as I told you previously. I wanted to learn to defend myself against it, at the very least. I know a classmate of mine has a shield spell that worked. I’ve been trying to do at least that on my own, but I didn’t manage to make much progress. Other than that? Is it wrong to just want to know? I’ll have ample time to study anything I set my mind to, unless something violently ends my existence.”A Sinister clone? Was that jackass still in production? Barty sighed at the possible accusation that not only was there the possibility that someone else was using the Lady's name, but that that someone was actually some form of clone created by Sinister. He should stick to writing under his pen names instead of this.
”So your want to learn derives from the wish to survive. Know the enemy, in this case magic, in order to stay alive and fend it off. It's primal, but admirable I suppose. If I knew more about what plagued you I may actually be of help. But you've made it clear you wish for me to know as little as needed. So I won't pry.””I am wary of trying to source any more help from you in particular, considering the price for your services is so vague, yes.” Victoria smiled bitterly. It
was a crying shame, considering what she saw in the last half an hour alone. But Macleod was not someone she would trust with much of anything easily ever, considering
how said half an hour came to pass. Telling him how he could kill her in detail? Absolutely out of the question.
”I suppose that given what you said you were through, I can understand why trust or - fortune forbid - kindness would not be in your repertoire, but it kind of breeds more animosity against you. Just my unsolicited take on it.” she folded her arms on her chest. She could perhaps extend some sort of olive branch? But would it not end up with digging herself into a deeper grave? Besides, this was likely the last time they talked, other than when Barty came to collect upon their contract, whenever that would be. It just didn’t seem worth trying.
”Kindness is earned from me. As is trust. But I do not go seeking it, the world itself has scorned me enough times to give up on that endeavor. Should someone wish to do so that is on them, but I will not go looking for it in kind. I'm sure if anyone, you might understand. But mother didn't raise a fool. Would that she could see me now…who knows what she might think of what I have become.” Barty mused before finally continuing to walk into the darkness leading the way once more.
”Oh, and if you ask of it, I technically could speed this all up with the equivalent amount of effort I would had I not, well with a scosche more effort but négligeable amount really. Since you seem to have not…completely…been bad company.”Victoria shot Barty a suspicious glare.
Why do so many people I associate with speak french? she thought, trying to calculate the odds of it. Well, considering what the quarter they were located in was called, perhaps it should not be as unexpected. Still, that didn’t help much in this situation.
”I’ve learned to be careful with words and especially deals when you are concerned. I have no clue how much you would actually consider negligible. So no, unless you speak clearly, I’m not going to be opting in for any upgrades to this sightseeing tour you’re putting on.”Barty couldn't help but chuckle at her warriness.
”Meaning it wouldn't tack on any more than say sales tax on an item. But if you wish for me to be more transparent or plain about it then…in order to expedite this process I would need to use an item of my own creation. I would then of course need to make another later on as it has been used up, but it's such an easy task and one I do regularly anyways it doesn't truly affect me much. Like asking me to grab you a coffee while I'm already at the shop for myself.” He said matter-of-factly.
If this is a trap, I will hurt you. Vicky thought, sighing.
”Fine then, I suppose.””Fair warning, this won't exactly be pleasant for you, but the fact that you float makes it all the easier.” Barty fished out a handful of small totems, each a wooden carving with a long lost language engraved into them. If Victoria cared to count, he held five of them within his palm. The totems were no more than two inches in length and each engraving pulsed with magic like embers in a coal.
”Are you ready?””...That was a rhetorical question, right?” she deadpanned,
”Since you’re as forthcoming as ever, how would I know whether I’m ready when I know not what’s about to happen?” she rolled her eyes, internally bracing for whatever may be inbound, happy she at least already had her generators online.
Barty simply grinned in response. Of course it was rhetorical, he hardly ever cared if someone was actually ready. It took away from the thrill in their eyes at the moment of shock. Ideally, he would've saved these for the lounge later, but he figured that maybe at least four should do it. Eyeing Vicky up and down once more as he pocketed the fifth Totem and held the others in the palms of his hands, two in one and one in the other as the fourth was held between his index fingers and thumbs. Barty snapped the totem in half, right under his nose as specks of magic floated into the air like sparks and then up his nose as he inhaled it. He repeated the process three more times until all four totems were spent and tossed aside like trash.
Barty didn't speak, focused as the immense amount of magic was now coursing through his body. A glow could be seen around his hand as he extended it outward to where a door might be and grabbed hold. But this time when he opened it, he did so with force. A ripple of doorways spanned like a hall of mirrors, different locations each weirder than the last, not all within this plane, with an interspersing of the black void they stood in, between each layer.
”Have fun. I'll see you later Victoria.” He said as he grabbed her arm and flung her with extreme ease, enough force to send Vicky spearing through each and every door in a matter of seconds. Whole worlds flashing by like slides on an old projector that only flickered it's lights. And before Vicky would know it, she was outside of Strange Academy, a lush green hedge behind her with a locked gateway keeping those who didn't attend out, and before her rapidly approaching, was a marching band blaring instruments that threatened to run her over should she not move.
She managed to stifle the ‘Eep!’ that threatened to escape her throat as she was flung through one hell of a tourism ad. Her sensors were taking in all the sights, but something happened that, frankly, did not come up since the hardware testing days in the first month she was even alive.
WARNING! Short-term memory overload. Defaulting to FIFO retention.
For the first time in years, Victoria took in more information flow than she could retain, forcing her to delete what she already saw to keep the new stuff coming in.
And then she was out. Landing on her feet with a slight stumble, she looked around just in time to see the oncoming band. Too late to get out of the way, she had to weave and ebb around the band members, having a couple of near misses but emerging on the other side unscathed, with the song still being played on all instruments, on pace and in tune.
Finally, she was able to step aside and analyze what she could remember. From what she could gather, she could only keep about the last third of the places she passed through. To her dismay, none of it seemed to show her anything that seemed like it could be very useful in the future. Still... Who else could say they've been to that many places?
INSTRUCTION: Save to long-term memory.
WARNING! Large amount of data requested to be written. This could impact memory recall times in the future. Proceed?
She frowned. This was a problem with how her holographic memory normally worked. There was one downside to it: One could not erase data to save space. Sort of like carving information into a stone tablet, only far denser.
Normally. She straightened out her tie as she thought about a solution, having gotten ruffled during the band encounter.
"We'll see about that."INSTRUCTION: Create a partititon in memory for the current data batch. Only add address referrences to the main data tree.
WARNING! This writing operation will consume approximately 25% of remaining power. Proceed?
INSTRUCTION: Proceed.
That taken care of, she fished out her phone and texted Vis.
Hey, I'm outside, it does not look like the magic here will let me back in. Do you need me under supervision or, since I am not a contender, can I make my own way back to where I'm staying and do some sightseeing on the way?
Quickly Victoria would receive a message back stating.
“
VICTORIA? I HAVE CHECKED MY RECORDS AND I HAVE MADE AN ERROR. DO YOUR GUARDIANS KNOW YOU ARE HERE? I WILL NEED TO INFORM THEM PER MY PROTOCOLS IF THEY DO NOT KNOW. PLEASE ADVISE.”
I need an actual adult… Not. Victoria sighed, her fingers tapping on the screen.
Well, my official legal guardian is Hope. You know that, so I assume you mean to ask where I’m staying. That would be the Kingston-Gray household. If I was not supposed to come here, feel free to administer some Margaret Carter Institute branded yelling to one Maxmillian Gray, he just put a portal under my legs, I had no choice in this :D
I’ll stay just outside the SA's gate for now, let me know what you need me to do.
It would appear she would have to hunt Agatha down another day, preferrably outside the Academy's halls.
Location: Strange Academy > Kingston-Gray household
While she waited for a pickup, Victoria browsed through the flashes of the worlds she had just been yeeted through in more detail. Some of them were barren, some mundane, but a good few of them had left her kind of wanting to go back and see more of them.
A project for later to be sure, but she did order a delivery of some sculpting supplies, intending to capture some of what she has seen. Maybe she'd send MacLeod a piece - Annoying as the whole ordeal was, the spectacle was such that she found herself wanting to thank him for it, to her extreme annoyance.
If that was annoying, the reunification with the rest of her classmates left her gobsmacked. The explanation for why their number was halved was like a rain from clear sky.
"...Huh? Can't I leave you guys for a second? First I go to C.A.G.E. and before my ride even pulls off of the campus there is a fire alarm at the dorms, and now I leave for a bit and half of you disappear into the shadow realm! How did so many even...? The odds agaist that are... Huh?!" her mouth was actually left hanging open. She refused to believe she was this group's good luck charm, though empirical evidence kind of leaned towards it.
Some of the departures actually pissed her off.
Taking drugs to induce superpowers is bad, is it? So should we strike Steve Rodgers from the records as an embarrassment?! To say nothing of her personal nemesis - while Victoria didn't pry into details and would hardly cry over her absence, she couldn't imagine how Andy must have felt.
To top this day off, they were going to do an actual seance, trying to summon the ghost of their departed(?) teacher. Victoria almost abstained, having had enough witchcraft in her life for one day, but as things were going, three other of her classmates would be swallowed by vengeful spirits or something if she bailed.
There was a dinner happening before then, but with the large memory write depleting her reserves, she needed a different kind of sustenance. Instead she spent the time in her white void, recharging off of the light that seemed fine tuned to her solar recharge system.
When the time was up, perhaps in a fit of overcompensation after today's events, she attached all five of her MFGs to her skin and went to join the others, arriving just in time to hear something about ghost hawaii.
That culinary abomination exists in the afterlife? Guy must be in the bad place.
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