>>43745129
>>Try it out with time magic

In for a penny, in for a pound.

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>>43745129
>Try it out with time magic

>>43745129
>Try it out with time magic
What He said! >>43745223

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*Theoretically* we can use something that can fire off the time magic that we've stored as code; we can slow down/stop/fast forward things that aren't us.

Maybe we can use some sort of suit...

>>43745315
Maybe we can create a 'Rewind' Command Prompt, and make a kickass healing spell that's on par with our Mask.

Saif's a brown dude, right? He can... he can put the hypothetical 'data release device' into an ornate dagger...

And become the Prince of Persia.

>writing

"Sure" You say. "How do I do that?"

Abigail takes your hands and leads you over to the machine. "Just step in, wait until we give you the signal, and fire up some magic" She says. "Well... not fire. I don't think you know fire magic"
"He doesn't" Jessica says.
"And whose fault is that?" You ask.
"Not mine. I'm a teacher, not a miracle worker" She says.

You step into the tube, and Abigail closes it behind you.

"A little tight" You say.
"You're bigger in the shoulder than I am" Jessica says, as she picks up a laptop and taps in some things. "You ready?"

"I guess" You say.
"Okay... 3... 2... 1... go!" Jessica says.

You enter fast time, and watch as Jessica's face slowly contorts into one of surprise, and then to a look that says "oh shit".

Abigail peeks over Jessica's shoulder in mild curiosity, but grimaces when she sees the screen.

You figure that something bad might be happening, so you leave fast time.

"What's wrong?" You ask.
"Was that time magic?" Jessica asks.
"Yeah... what did you think I would use?" You ask.
"We should have seen this coming" Abigail says. "You might as well come out, Saif. This'll take a minute"

>[1/2]

"What's the issue?" You ask.
"More complex magic takes more computing power" Jessica says.

"And?" You ask.
"You crashed mine" She says.

"Damn..." You say. "How big of a computer are we talking about here?"
"Bigger than I think any of us could afford" Abigail says.
"I thought you were rich, and you have a warehouse full of cool stuff worth millions" You say.

"Space magic took a military supercomputer to process" Abigail says, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "By comparison, Light or Gravity magic on the next rung up could be processed by a top-of-the-line household computer..."

"Is it exponential then?" You ask.
"Pretty much" Jessica says.
"Abelli could process body and mind magic on the hardware of the time" Abigail says. "These days, you could do those and possibly low-energy on your phone"
"Should I try those then?" You ask.
"Once I get my computer running again" Jessica says. "If I get my computer running again..."

"Is it that bad?" You ask.
"Nothing a hard reset won't fix" Jessica says. "Hopefully... why don't you two relax for a bit while I deal with this?"

>Help Jessica out

>Ask Abigail about her interest in this stuff

>Ask Abigail how mages got a hold of a military supercomputer

>Ask Abigail about the Academy

>Other

>>43745933
>>Ask Abigail how mages got a hold of a military supercomputer
>>Ask Abigail about the Academy

>>43745933
>Ask Abigail about her interest in this stuff
>>Ask Abigail how mages got a hold of a military supercomputer

>>43745933
>Ask Abigail how mages got a hold of a military supercomputer
>Ask Abigail about the Academy

Saif's friends/allies have a bad habit of leaving out incredibly useful information. Seriously, "Time Magic will crash my computer" would have been helpful.

>writing

Y'know what? Say they found a way to turn Time Magic into code: they could make devices that can scan for ALL affinities.

Think about it: you have a little device in your home, and as soon as it starts going off, you know that your kid has awakened, even if they're a higher affinity. The pitch would tell you which one as well; there could be a scale.

>>43746202
If utilized correctly, no one would be in Saif's shoes ever again, provided we don't destroy the Coven, eventually.

You and Abigail step back and sit down on one of the shelves, which is currently empty as its contents were all used to rebuild the machine.

"You guys could have told me that time fuckery would fry the computer" You say.
"Didn't think about it..." Abigail says, scrunching up her nose to keep her glasses on.

"Where'd a bunch of mages get their hands on a military supercomputer anyway?" You ask.
"With money" Abigail says. "The computer belongs to the Academy. They call it the Oracle"
"That's where you're going, right?" You ask.

Abigail smiles and nods. "I'm one of the youngest people to be accepted" She says.
"Wow... really?" You ask.
"Mmhmm!" She says. "I submitted some of my work to them, along with the application, and the acceptance email came a few days later"

"You mean your work with quantification?" You ask.
"I'm not quite there yet" She says. "It was mostly theoretical stuff about magical code and the patterns that form within"
"Neat" You say. "I guess that means you'd be studying abroad, in... where exactly?"
"The Academy stays mobile" She says. "But you know... we wouldn't have to part ways..."

"Think you could smuggle me in?" You ask.
Abigail pushes her glasses up and raises an eyebrow. "Saif, you're a time mage" She says. "Once you get registered, word will spread. Everyone is going to want a piece of you"

>I'm not sure I even want to be registered

>In a good way or a bad way?

>Talk about magic code

>Other

>>43746273
>>I'm not sure I even want to be registered

Seriously, fuck mage society.

>>43746273
>In a good way or a bad way?

>>43746273
>>I'm not sure I even want to be registered
Gandalf liked smokin' up in the Shire. Best wizards don't give a shit about what a wizard "Should be".

>>43746273
>I'm not sure I even want to be registered

Might just be me being pessimistic, but I don't think most mages would see Saif as more than a useful resource they could suck up to or try to abuse.

>writing

>>43746378
He may not be a wizard, but Superman is a similar example. He has a veritable plethora of powers, but he would never stand above humanity, and would rather live a normal life as a reporter.

"I'm not sure I even want to be registered..." You say.
"That's fine too" She says, hugging your arm and putting her head on your shoulder. "Then I can have you all to myself"

You smile and lean your head on hers.

"But out of curiosity, why?" She asks.
"I dunno... this whole system is incredibly fucked up, and I'm not sure I want to be a part of it" You say.
"That's dangerous talk..." Abigail says.

"I know... I just..." You say. "If all goes well with Kyla, then we could see a return of some of the Gods. It won't be a second coming of the Golden Age, but it'll certainly be a good time to come out of the dark"

"The dark's served us pretty well as a hiding spot so far" Abigail says.
"That's fine, if hiding is what you want" You say. "But I don't want to hide"

"What do you want?" Abigail asks.
"I want to live" You say. "And I sure as hell don't want to live in the dark all my life"

Abigail looks up at you, her lips curled into a slight smile. "Well said"

>[1/2]

>>43746378

>>43746568

Also lets not forget what inevitably happens whenever you write a list of special people... Jews, Japanese Americans, Mutants, Muslims, it always ends in tears.

>>43746752
Well said.

"Alright lovebirds, we're back up and running" Jessica says.
"L-lovebi-" Abigail starts.

"Cool" You say, deciding not to react to Jessica's quip. "Am I giving it another go?"
"I don't think my poor computer could handle you going again" Jessica says.
"Not even now that I know not to use time magic?" You ask.
"I think Abigail should have a go" Jessica says.

Abigail takes a breath, and stands up. "Okay" She says. "Can it handle Aeromancy?"
"It should" Jessica says. "It honestly can't be worse than time"
"I said I was sorry" You say.
"No you didn't" Jessica says.
"Oh..." You say. "Sorry"

"Come on! Let's get it going!" Abigail says, her voice sounding strangely muffled...

She's already in the tube. That was fast.

"Hey! Hey Saif!" Abigail says, putting her hand on the glass. "I am... and always shall be... your friend..."
"Abigail, wha-"

She splits her fingers, making the vulcan sign. "Live long... and prosper"
Jessica chuckles. "That's a little before your time, isn't it?" She asks,
Abigail smiles and pushes her glasses up. "An uncle of mine got me into it" She says.

>Into what?

>Act like you know what's going on

>Other

>>43747025
>Implying Saif doesn't know Star Trek

>>43747025
>Into what?
Little out of touch eh Saif? People that don't watch Star Trek know that.

>>43747049
I mean, Smiley, if you meant to imply as much, then you shouldn't have him recognize it as "The Vulcan Sign".

>>43747025
>Into what?

>>43747025
>"I said I was sorry" You say.
>"No you didn't" Jessica says.
>"Oh..." You say. "Sorry"

Bitch, why are WE apologizing? She's the one who didn't tell us it would crash the fuckin' thing.

>>43747094
Hey even when you didn't MEAN to do something apologizing can't hurt

>writing

"Into what, Star Trek?" You ask.
"The old stuff" Abigail says.

You nod. You've never actually seen anything to do with Star Trek... you only know the sign from other stuff.

"Ahh, I know that look" Jessica says. "Poor Saif has yet to be exposed"
"Really?" Abigail asks.
You chuckle. "What can I say? I've got a lot on my plate" You say.

"Well... that's an understatement" Jessica says. "You ready Abigail?"
"Yep!" Abigail says. "I'm going to do 3 bursts. Let me know when its done processing each one so I can start the next"
"You got it" Jessica says. "3... 2... 1... go!"

Abigail's hair picks up and whirls about, as the air in the tube begins to swirl.

"Got it" Jessica says. "Processing... okay. 3... 2... 1... go!"

This time, the air around you begins to warm up.

"Got it" Jessica says. "Aaaaaand... go!"

Nothing happens for a few seconds, but you can definitely feel Abigail doing something. It doesn't feel like Aeromancy though... more like body magic.

Abigail opens the tube and steps out, fixing her hair and her glasses as she walks over the Jessica.

"You get all that?" Jessica asks.
"I did" Jessica says. "Why the three bursts?"
"You'll see" Abigail says, as she takes the laptop from Jessica. "Come on, let's go sit down. I wanna show you something"

>[1/2]

You all head back to the table by the bar, where everyone grabs the drinks they abandoned in Abigail's excitement over the machine.

Abigail then sits down and starts working on something, while Jessica sits next to her and watches.

You watch Abigail's facial expressions as she works. It's actually kind of entertaining, the way she purses her lips to think, scrunches up her nose whenever her glasses fall too far, the slight smile she gets when things are going as she expected, the angry look when they don't.

"Aaaaaand done!" She says. "Come take a look"

You step around the table and look at the screen over Abigail's shoulder. There are 3 windows, each with several seemingly random sets of words, numbers, and letters.

According to Abigail, they aren't random at all. She points out the similarities in the coding of the 2 wind spells she cast, as well as how they differ from both each other and the body magic she used at the end.

"Neat" You say. "And this got you into the Academy?"
"Yup!" She says. "It's not exactly a new field of study, but it's one that is usually overlooked"

"If it's overlooked, then why does the Academy have a supercomputer?" You ask.
"They use the Oracle for more than just this" Abigail says.

"It's actually called the Oracle for a reason" Jessica says. "The reason they built it was to see if they could calculate the future"
"Really? I thought that was just a rumor" Abigail says.
"All true" Jessica says. "Burton was in on that project, actually. It was a failure, but it was worth a shot"

Jessica takes a sip, and puts her glass down. "Anyhoo, we should clear this stuff up. The gods should be here any minute"

>Anything else?

>>43747609
>Help clean up I guess.

I am getting FSN Rin vibes from Abigail now with this whole Academy thing. Not a bad thing.

>>43747609
Call Abigail a nerd, playfully

>>43747609
Ask if code can be turned back into magic.

>writing

>>43747609
Y'know, her 'bursts' just gave me an idea: Saif may not be able to create super arcs of lightning, like Safi, yet, but, he can incorporate small bursts of off-affinity magic in his fighting.

He can release a small burst of flame at the end of a kick, or focus electricity into a punch.

>>43747777
"Does he know fire magic?"
"I can melt your face off with a punch, does that count?"

You let out a bit of a laugh.
"What?" Jessica asks.
"Nothing... I just think it's funny how casual we are with these gods" You say.

Abigail giggles. "I know, right?" She asks. "We're talking about actual divine beings, and we're like 'alright, the gods are coming... we should probably clean up"
"Okay, okay" Jessica says. "Less chit-chat, more getting stuff out of the way"

"I just have one question" You say.
"Shoot" Abigail says, pushing her glasses up yet again.

"If you can turn magic into code... can that work the other way around?" You ask.
"What do you mean?" Abigail asks.
"I mean, taking this-" You say, pointing at the screen full of magic coding "- and putting it back into the real world as magic"

"I'm not sure it works that way" Abigail says.
"Why not?" You ask. "If it can be input, there must be a way to output it"
"You'd need mana" Jessica says.
"Didn't you say that mana crystals were a thing?" You ask.

Jessica is about to say something, but she stops and thinks. Abigail seems lost in thought as well.

"It could work" Abigail says. "It'd need it's own machine... but theoretically it should be doable"
"We can work on that later" Jessica says. "For now, let's tidy up"

>[1/2]

>>43747898
Lets be careful with this, wouldn't want to create magical automatons that then proceed to overtake humanity and use mages as a living source of mana, perhaps keeping them in a coma in an alternate reality where everything seems like the late 20th century and is relatively shitty still.

>>43748024
Wait... Fuck! We're in The Matrix, and The Fool is that first guy to get out isn't he!?

>>43748024
I think having The Smith around will help steer mages away from stupid inventions.

The whole time you're tidying, Abigail keeps talking about magic. She's certainly more knowledgeable than you thought she was.

When you've finished tidying, Jessica steps out to go make sure her daughter is getting on alright. You also give lend her your key, and ask her to grab the cake that Abigail baked, since it doesn't seem like you'll be making it back to your apartment anytime soon.

With Jessica gone, you and Abigail sit together. After putting her glasses away she lays down with her head in your lap, and you start stroking her hair.

"I never thought you could be such a nerd" You say.
She gives you a cheeky smile. "You know you love me" She says.

In response you kiss your fingers and place them on her lips, where she kisses them as well. It's an odd sort of indirect romantic gesture, but it's as far as you can go right now. Abigail looks too comfy to move, and your back doesn't bend that far.

"So where is this Academy again?" You ask.
"I think it's in... hang on" She pulls out her phone and checks something. "It'll be in the States, somewhere around the rockies, when I start there, but I've got nothing on where it is now"

>Ask how it moves

>Would the gods returning change anything in your plans?

>Ask if she knows anyone else who is going to the Academy

>Other

>>43748203
>>Would the gods returning change anything in your plans?
>>Ask if she knows anyone else who is going to the Academy

>writing

>>43748203
>>Would the gods returning change anything in your plans?
Sorry, I'm back smiley.

"Would the gods returning change anything?" You ask.
"Probably not. I doubt the Academy would just up and shut its doors if that happened" She says.
"That makes sense..." You say. "Is anyone else you know going?"

"Not that I know of... but then again, I don't have all that many friends..." She says.
"Maybe Safi and I can go with you" You say, placing a hand on her stomach.
"Really?" She asks.
"Sure, why not?" You ask.

Abigail smiles. "I think I'd like that..." She says. "Except the girls and boys dorms are kept separate, so we wouldn't get many chances to... you know..."

"Like neither of us would be willing to make time" You say.
Her smile becomes less gentle, and more playful. "Haven't even applied yet, and already you're planning on ditching class to engage in prohibited activities" She says.

"You said it, not me" You say, as you toy with the bottom of her shirt.

Abigail's face turns red, and she takes your hand. For a moment, she starts to pull it lower. But then she stands up and sits back down in your lap, facing you with her arms draped over your shoulders.

"Are we really doing this again?" You ask.
"I just remembered something" She says.
"What's that?" You ask.
"Happy Birthday" She says, sealing your lips with hers before you can respond.

Okay, looks like you're doing this again... that makes it like... 3 times today? Ah, whatever. You aren't about to argue, as your own hands begin to drift.

"I guess we should've knocked..." The Smith says.

Abigail accidentally bites your tongue in surprise, and she immediately breaks the kiss.

"Sorry about that... we just weren't expecting..." The Smith says.
"Nothing to worry about" You say, before you lift Abigail off of you and whisper "We'll finish this later" in her ear...

>[1/2]

You sit at the table with Kyla, the Smith, the Scholar, and a thoroughly embarrassed Abigail.

"So where'd my old champion go?" The Scholar asks. "Off surrendering some more, no doubt"
"She went home to make sure her daughter was doing alright" You say.
"Ah" The scholar says.

...

The Smith leans over to the Scholar. "I think he was guilting you there" She says.
"He was?" The Scholar asks. "Oh! I get it. Children. Dead parents. Right. us gods are such bastards aren't we?"
"Smooth" The Smith says.
"Why thank you" The Scholar says.

"I think she was being sarcastic" Kyla says.
"Damn it! Can't any of you just say what you mean?" The Scholar asks. "Who has time to slog through subtext when the universe has mysteries to poonder!"

"You can't ponder them on your own time?" The Smith asks.
"This is my own time" The Scholar says.

"As the resident expert on time, I disagree" You say.
"And just what makes you the expert on time?" The Scholar asks.

Everyone exchanges a glance.

"Can I tell him?" Kyla asks. "I wanna tell him"

>What say?

>>43748877
>I'm a Time Wizard.

>>43748877
Sure! Go ahead Kyla.

>>43748877
Go for it Kyla.

>>43748877
Entice him
>Maybe Time Magic has something to do with The Fool?

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>>43748951
>Scholar reaction

>>43748877
I don't see why she can't.

>writing

"Be my guest" You say.
"Saif's a time mage" Kyla says.

"He's a WHAT?" The Scholar asks. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"You were right there when we were talking about it" The Smith says.

"I think I'd remember that" The Scholar says.
"It was at the restaurant" Kyla says. "We were talking about how Saif's time magic was enhancing the boon I gave him"
"You were busy trying to figure out whether or not we were living in a dream" The Smith says.

"Oh right!" The Scholar says. "So, time magic. What's it like? What can you do with it? How does it work?"
"You've never seen a time mage before?" You ask.
"Not that I can remember" He says.

"Oh..." You say. It's kind of odd that an immortal being has never run across someone like you... "Well it works like this"

You hold out your watch, and enter fast time. After a few seconds you switch to slow time, then back to real time.

"That's amazing!" The Scholar says. "I assume there are limitations on it... like a sort of balancing act so that you don't deviate too far away from normal time"
"Well... yes actually" You say. "Going fast or slow gets harder depending on how far ahead of or behind real time"

"Fascinating" The Scholar says. "Can you do anything else?"
"Not that I know of so far" You say. "But I just started learning more about magic"

"Ah yes... you would have gone entirely unsensed, due to the age of your affinity..." The Scholar says. "Can I borrow your watch for a bit?"

>Sure

>No

>Why?

>Other

>>43749232
>>Sure

>>43749232
>Sure

>>43749232
>>Sure

GO FOR THE GUSTO

>writing

"Sure... I guess" You say, undoing the clasp and slipping the watch off.
"Why do you want his watch?" The Smith asks.

"Why don't you want his watch?" The Scholar asks.

No one responds, so he continues. "It stays partially tied to regular time, and partially tied to his time" He says. "That means that it's gained a contact enchantment. A time enchantment"

Abigail leans over and whispers to you. "A contact enchantment is when something is exposed to so much of a certain magic that it takes on aspects of it" She says.
You kiss her on the cheek. "Thanks babe" You say.
She kisses you back. "Just being helpful" She says.

The Scholar examines your watch, as his eyes glimmer and glow in strange ways.

"I'm going to have to hold on to this for a bit" The Scholar says.
"Alright... just don't break it or take it apart" You say.
He nods, but doesn't take his eyes off the watch...

As the rest of you think of some way to pick the conversation back up, the bell for the door goes off.

You stand up and head over to a spot where you can see the door, and spot Jessica and Boss carrying several plastic bags.

"Welcome back" You say.
"Hey!" Jessica says. "I brought cake, Chinese, and an old Russian"

That's all for tonight!

Next thread will likely be tomorrow or Sunday. I hope to get through the rest of this night, so it will probably end up being a little longer.

As always I'll be sticking around for questions/suggestions.

Thanks for the run bossman.

>>43749604
Great thread, Smiley!

>>43749604
Amazing that (for him) it's only Wednesday! It feels like he's been at this longer. Now, it doesn't matter to me, but will the pace stay consistent, or will the days start getting shorter?

>>43749662
The days may get shorter, depending on what happens.

>>43749707
I don't really care, but just thought I'd ask.