continuation of a meme thread (closed)

[perfectpower]

BEEP BOOP see tag below (I'll add memes here later)

Comments

[becomerobot]

[Victor watches the tweek to his rune and it seems to just click with him. Immediate recognition of what was wrong, made clear to him. Emphasis on the wrong syllable. Like he's speaking a language he's only ever read. A patient listener would know what he's trying to say, but perhaps tease him for it.

He stands with an enthusiasm fueled by sudden understanding. With a quick pivot, he moves to the phone and he hastily dials,]

I need- yes, hello, it is Viktor- I need... to have the lab cleared for me. I will be up soon. [he has to be sure no active experiments are happening, but then, he's already walking out the door, a man on a mission!]

Wait here. I will bring it back for you. L, look through my notes. If I have made further errors please correct them. [his haste has a certain lively determination to it, he's going to leave and return having smuggle out a Hex Gemstone... if Brad can stay still with his task in the meanwhile. He won't find all that many errors from Viktor, seems he's been very diligent on the whole.]

[perfectpower]

[He'll bring 'it' back, will he? It might be time to cast a few spells, if only to stabilize whatever is going on. But that's a problem for ten minutes from now, Bradley is just going to sit at Viktor's desk and look over the notes.]

Will do!

[There's not that many errors in the notes, they mostly need stabilizing, but they don't account for the source of the energy and Viktor is going to have to explain that to him. Magic circles are easy as a wizard, since the power source is oneself. The runes needed to make the magic flow feel like second nature. For a human to apply this logic to an outside source...Viktor sure is smart, isn't he?

Alongside the notes, Brad draws a few more runes that might end up being helpful. One for auto-targeting, with interchangeable bits labeled "non-magical", "magical", and "darkspawn". One for making effects less visible. And a final one that's just labeled "killswitch".

He will be busy with this until Viktor returns.]

[becomerobot]

[Viktor doesn't travel fast, but he is focused and not willing to humor any distractions there and back. Do a few assistants attempt? Of course, but he's not slowing for any of them. If a question cannot be answered while moving, it must not be that urgent. He waves them away before going into the lab, looting one of the precious, polished gemstones they worked so tirelessly to stabilize, and pocketing it. Something that would have been unspeakably dangerous with the uncut rocks at they occurred naturally. Prone to explosion, the only reason Jayce and Viktor ever met... the reason all this started.

When he returns, Viktor locks the office door behind him. Pulling a device over, one with a central basket claw to place the stone inside, he produces the hex gemstone to slot in. Runes spin and align, drawing power from the core in demonstration,]

... this is our power source. What did you ask for? A mana crystal? [that's what this is, isn't it? But they've refined it with their technology, a mixture of natural magic and learned science.]

[perfectpower]

[The first thing he's doing when Viktor returns is casting a soundproofing spell on the room. That should keep prying ears from listening in on their conversation, especially if Viktor remembered to lock the door.

Brad visibly perks up when he sees the hex crystal. He definitely knows what that is, yep.]

Oh hey, that's a natural-growing mana stone! I'm amazed you got that to work at all, those things are notoriously unstable.

[Maybe it's roundness has something to do with that.]

[becomerobot]

We have spent years upon years refining and reinforcing them.

[He reaches for a hammer and just... clocks the thing. It sure sparks! Big sparks! But no explosion. This guy truly has no fear.]

Our goal... was to supply them to the common people. To make the toils of labor easier and improve lives on a ground level. Below ground, even...

[Viktor has never forgotten the Undercity, he has always wanted to help them in their struggles. To use the privilege he lucked his way into for good...

He coughs again, wheezing and out of breath from the walk and his own enthusiasm,]

... what do you think?

[perfectpower]

[Honestly, Brad feels kind of bad about this. He knows the answer, but Viktor seems so proud of his work...how can Brad just upend him like that?

But then again, collaboration can help make Viktor's dream come true, right? So maybe sharing a big secret would help...]

I think you did really good here! Drawing power from a mana stone isn't easy, especially not these kind. They're powerful, but very unstable, as the mana in them comes from within the earth. It's basically untempered mana, up until you refine it.

You might have better luck with a mana stone from another source.

[He flicks his wrist, and then there's a small stone in his hand, similar in color to the hex crystal/mana stone that Viktor has but shaped more like an actual gemstone.]

Here, give this one a try.

[If Viktor attempts it, the power won't be as strong but it will be far easier to control.]

[becomerobot]

This-? Is another type of the same stone-?

[Here they could only ever find the one type and it was exceedingly rare, nothing that could be mined by unskilled hands, given the volatility. But there goes Brad, plucking it from thin air...

After looking it over, Viktor will swap out the hex gemstone for what Brad provided. He fits his goggles on to protect his eyes, gesturing Brad towards a spare pair out of courtesy.

The stone doesn't fit quite as well, but Viktor will recalibrate and boot the machine up- which seems to really struggle with the new task. Viktor doesn't flinch, he just cranks the device until he finds the breakthrough point- magic flashing within the space and beaming brightly out the windows.

There is definitely going to be a knock on the door soon, from a curious co-worker unable to stay away. Viktor isn't thinking about that, he just comments,]

Incredible... The raw output is not as high, but it stabilized so much faster and more even than our own. This would be ideal for common use!

[perfectpower]

Yeah, these are the ones we give to newbie wizards. They eat these and gain the mana from it, thus increasing their own. These ones aren't too bad to get, so long as you don't mind fighting darkspawn. They're probably the easiest of any of the magical beings to kill.

[Which. Says something about the farming process. As well as wizard culture as a whole, if they're eating these things.]

What're you gonna use 'em for?

[becomerobot]

Hold on, hold on. You eat the rocks?

[this is the most important thing to question about all that]

[perfectpower]

Yeah. I could eat that round one you made and get stronger from it.

Oh, but don't try it yourself. It only works for wizards. For a regular human, you'd mutate into a horrible monster.

[He says this so casually, like it's no big deal.]

[becomerobot]

Eh, well... duly noted. [that is a wise warning to put on these if they are meant for a commoner population. You know, since kids and certain kinds of adults might want to put the shiny marble in their mouth.]

We should not talk more on this here. It is risky, but... at my home, I will bring some notebooks back with me. [he doesn't know there is a sound proof spell on the room, Viktor is just being excitedly reckless up onto now. Reaching a hand to Brad, he lightly squeezes at his arm to emphasis,]

Thank you, for showing me this. This could change so much.

[perfectpower]

[Oh nooooo that gets a small smile out of Brad. A more genuine one, that is typically seen when he feels like he's done something good for once.]

Hey, anything that helps, right? You gotta change the world, I might as well make it easier.

[But yeah, they need to clean up quickly and hide the device that Viktor brought over. Once they're in the clear Brad quickly drops the sound proofing spell and leans back against the desk.]

So, what now? Do we get to go home early?

[becomerobot]

I could get more done back there- yes. Where we can talk freely. [he'll just take notes and leave the testing equipment behind for now. There is so much to recalculate with Brad's knowledge. Viktor is definitely feeling a raw urgency to get as much information from the man as he can.

He might only be around until next he sneezes, right? At any moment, couldn't he just poof away, leaving Viktor with too many questions to ever answer by himself?

There is a noise like someone trying the door without knocking, rattling the handle. Then a knock, a voice trying to not be too worried comes through- "Viktor? Are you alright?" And Viktor quickly stashes the gemstone in a pocket before handing Bradley back the other crystal. He pulls off his goggles as he crosses to open the door again, gathering an armful of notebooks as he went. So much so he can barely pop the door open without dropping any, once there.]

Perfectly fine, Jayce. Just on my way out.

[perfectpower]

[Brad will just casually follow Viktor to the door, though he stops short so Viktor can open the door. And when the door opens, Brad does his best attempt at looking put-out.]

Stop dashing around here so much, I'm supposed to be the one grabbing stuff for you.

[Something something cover story paycheck.]

[becomerobot]

[Brad speaking up about their cover does make Viktor hand off the pile of note and textbooks back to the man, filling his arms with it. A good thing, too, so Viktor can take his crutch from nearby the door and be ready to leave, just like that-

Oh, right- he gestures vaguely between the two men, tall hunks that they both are,]

Jayce- Bradley. Bradley- Jayce. He is helping me carry things. I'll work the rest of the night from home. ["night" when it's still midday, but Viktor is making it clear he won't be back,]

Call if you need. [just like that he's already leaving, whoops, saying as little as possible sounds best to him!]

[perfectpower]

[He now has the papers, and he's holding them carefully as he gets ready to go. But as he's walking out the door, he'll pause to nod at Jayce. Then he nods his head towards Viktor before raising his eyebrows a couple times, like he's saying yeah, he's mine tonight. Then he's out the door, following after Viktor.

While he's hurrying out, he'll call out to Viktor (but also say loudly enough for Jayce to hear) something in particular:]

We should get drinks too! Does your academy salary get you wine or beer?

[Let it never be said that Bradley Bain isn't a good actor.]

[becomerobot]

[Viktor answers quickly and doesn't restrain his volume.

He also means this quite seriously, a very natural response of sternness from him.]

I need you sober tonight.

[He'll realize how it must sound only after they walk out of the building,]

[perfectpower]

[Oh nooooo that's so great, it gets a bark of a laugh out of Bradley.]

Sure thing.

[It isn't until they're out of the academy and in the courtyard that Bradley speaks again.]

You might have to apologize to him later, he looked liked a kicked puppy there.

[becomerobot]

[Viktor smirks right back for a moment, realizing he was a bit clever there. People will talk. It's almost... fun to know.

The look fades into confusion at the next comment,]

Apologize for what?

[clueless, too focused on science to consider why Jayce might be so concerned with all this]

[perfectpower]

[Ah. Too distracted by his thoughts to notice those around him. Brad knows the type.]

I'm sure you'll figure that out eventually.

[They're friends, right? Strong friendships survive someone having sex a few times. Or not having sex, as they are right now.]

He's your co-worker, right? Are you gonna share this "amazing breakthrough" with him?

[becomerobot]

[Viktor... really doesn't like to feel like there's something he's not getting here. He gestures with one hand as they walk,]

Of course! He is a brilliant mind, believe it or not. And he knows how to present our findings outside the lab. Little can be accomplished if we cannot secure the funding to actually build it.

[perfectpower]

Right, I figured. So at what point do we rope him into all of this?

[Probably once Bradley has shared his knowledge and sneezed away, for the safety of both of them.]

[becomerobot]

I... will decide on that later. There is much to learn before I can determine that.

[And Viktor is definitely rushing, because the idea Bradley could just disappear is an ever present ache of uncertainty. He must extract as much knowledge from the mage as possible in this window of time. It isn't like Viktor himself has all that much time himself,

His apartment is at least easy to get back to, though Viktor looks very tired going through the door. He pivots to Bradley and takes a few books off the top of the pile the man is holding, spreading them out over his kitchen table/working space, since that's clearly the duel use it has. Immediately back to work! This guy... he is a diligent one.]

[perfectpower]

[Home sweet home!

Viktor may have taken some of the books, but Bradley will set the rest on the table before he turns his attention to Viktor. He saw how tired he looked after just a short walk, so!]

Oi, pick a seat already. I'll hand you whatever you need.

[becomerobot]

Pull up a seat beside me. I want to ask you more questions. Now-

[Bradley is truly in for it, Viktor diving right into his notes. He will absolutely be testing the mage's patience for entertaining his curiosity. The man is not going to break for food unless it is put in front of him, in which case he will eat and work at once.

Viktor's avarice is for knowledge and discovery, all else can be ignored.]