About your bullshit powers!

"I feel like a broken record here, but your powers seem to be absolutely bullshit. Rex has found nothing wrong with her, she's completely healthy, more so even than others of her age, but considering her background, I'm not surprised by that. What is concerning, however, is that Rex was able to determine a magic spark in her. This not only means that you, in theory, created a fully functioning human from a game you have played, Rex didn't tell her about her origin by the way, but you have created someone with potential magical abilities, abilities that don't seem to be yours, because there was no trace of Void magic in that spark. Some explanation would be nice," said Hannah, visibly irritated but also very much intrigued.

"Okay, I'll try to answer what I can, but only if you answer some of my questions, like what's a magic spark? But anyway, I have no idea how this thing with Aloy happened... I was just opening a new Barrier from somewhere special, and I was using a statue that was her. The Barrier was then created in an image of the game. In this Barrier I then got a quest telling me to have sex with her and that I could take her with me as a reward, so I doubt that it would just work on every person or creature that I find in Barriers. These quests seem to be given to me by Gaia directly since she has directly spoken with me at some point through a quest. Any other questions?" John wasn't too concerned about speaking with Hannah about this; she seemed pretty trustworthy, and it also didn't really reveal anything that she didn't already know.

The shadowmancer slowly nodded her head, "To answer your question first. A magic spark is something that any 'late bloomer', as they are called, has. It is that little something in them that manifests as their magical ability later on. Naturally born mages have 'unlocked' this spark automatically. We're still trying to determine if there are factors deciding if a person has a spark or not, but having parents with a spark seems to increase the likelihood. Having a spark doesn't mean you will automatically get magical abilities though; many people live and die without knowing about the spark. You don't seem to want to talk about whatever this 'special space' is, so I won't push on that since you're under no obligation to actually answer this. I'm calling bull on you getting messages from Gaia though, in your whole story, that's the most absurd. Now, I have one question that I want to have answered from you: what are you planning on doing with the girl?"

That question confused John, "I call these messages what they are. Someone extremely powerful with the initial 'G.' sends me messages through my powers. Also, what do you mean 'do with her'? I'll give her the choice to live with me here or offer her a chance to stay in her world."

"So you don't plan on selling her? What about the knowledge that she is technically not real? Will you keep that from her?"

"What? God no, I won't sell her! That's fucked up... And about that second one, I'm not sure... It's something she should be able to know since it's her life, but on the other hand... How would you react if you learned that you're only alive because you were created by the man that then fucked you not 20 minutes after you met each other?"

Hannah slowly nodded, "I get what you mean, I would react badly to it... On the other hand, I would react way worse if I somehow found out about it later, exposing you for hiding the truth from me. It's not easy, and it's not my call to make, but you shouldn't push it off too long, John..."

Sighing, he had to agree with her, "You're right... I'll try to find the right moment at some point, hopefully still today, to talk with her about it... But I think this will have to wait... I need to do some stuff still today... Oh, I still have two questions: is it possible for me to somehow call an enforcer team if I need it, and what can you tell me about a guy named 'Vic'?"

The shadowmancer had to think for a while on that, "Hm... The first question is easily answered: if you have some problem with a client, then you can easily call an enforcer team to your position with you Master's Eye. It would also work if you find something problematic inside a Barrier. The team won't respond immediately though, that's not what they are there for. They'll try to find out more about what is actually the problem and they will use highly specialized methods to deal with it. We considered to put you in as an enforcer as well, given your aptitude for combat, but then decided that your Barrier abilities are too valuable to go to waste.

"Now, that second question is a lot harder. I assume you heard about him from Grim? I'll try to give you as much as I know, which isn't much. Vic, or Victor, also known as Victor Frankenstein, yes, that Frankenstein, was a former member of the Fateweavers, responsible for a big division in central Europe. He apparently was not only really good at his job, but he was also loved by the people. At some point, something happened though, and he just vanished. No one but the highest Fateweavers know what happened, but most of the ones that speculate assume that he snapped, went insane and then died like he did in the novel about him. You'll be surprised how many old novels are just stories about people from the Abyss."

That was something to take in... Victor Frankenstein, the Victor Frankenstein, was for one real and also a former Fateweaver... John had really liked the story of Frankenstein when his teacher randomly pulled it out one English Literature class. It was funny to see how different it was to the cheesy horror movies that he used to watch with his parents, with the weird and broken monster that was shambling about, scared of fire... "Well, that's certainly a story... Do you think there's a way to somehow get more information about him? He seems interesting."

Hannah raised her eyebrow at that, "A bit random to keep looking into that, but sure, maybe Magoi knows something. You can ask him when he comes around the next time."

John shrugged his shoulders, "I liked the Frankenstein story; I'm interested to know how he actually was now that I know that he was real. Anyway, I think I need to get going now. I might need to call an enforcer team later, I believe I have found something... concerning..."

The goth raised a hand with a laugh, "Please don't tell me more, I don't want to be involved in more of your insanity, I think... I'm already getting a headache from everything you have told me so far. Just... go, take your ginger girl with you and go." While the words were pretty harsh, she said it with an aloof tone that made it clear that she wasn't quite serious

Laughing, John just shook his head, "Ah well, but don't blame me when I'm having all the fun."

With that, they then returned to the redheaded huntress and the two mechanics, who seemed to be in a conversation about something.

"So, you're telling us that these machines create this... Blaze, store it, and then use it as fuel?" asked Grimbart, thoughtfully stroking his short beard.

"Pretty much, yes, though I mostly use the Blaze to light them on fire; it's highly flammable."

"Hm, wouldn't mind to get my hands on some of that, maybe we could get some tech out of it to increase the efficiency of our motor."

John just heard the ending of that conversation.

Seeing as how he wasn't really sure what to do with it and being able to get more whenever he wanted, he decided to pull the big Blaze Canister out of his inventory and put it on the ground next to the dwarf. "Here, knock yourself out," he said with a grin, looking at the confused face of the mechanic.

"You cheeky brat, you keep surprising me... Well, let's see what we can do with this stuff..."

Both Lance and Grimbart seemed to be totally engrossed by the new liquid now, leaving Aloy, Hannah and John to their devices. Hannah then quickly waved both of them goodbye and went to leave the garage.

Looking around, Aloy asked, "So, what are we doing now?"

John answered her with a heavy sigh, "Well, now we have to face my girlfriend... She'll be expecting us at her home with her sister. We're gonna take my new bike there."

"Your... bike? What is a bike?"

It was still bizarre to have a conversation with someone that barely knew the things that were pretty much common around here. "Well, a bike, or rather a motorcycle, is a machine on wheels that can quickly get you from A to B. It's like the bus we rode to get here, but it's just for at most two people, and it's something that belongs to me. When we get to the house, I suspect you'll see a lot more of these bikes." He then opened up the inventory of the bike and pulled out two helmets, offering one of them to Aloy.

With some help from John, they managed to get the helmet on her head, though they both made it more complicated than it needed to be. Getting onto the bike and gesturing to the seat behind him, John quickly noticed that the helmets were connected with a communication device. "Get on behind me and hold on tight; this is going to be faster than anything you have seen yet." She quickly got on and wrapped her arms around his waist, tightly holding on to him. As John started the engine, he could feel how the redhead's grip got a bit tighter. He couldn't blame her; when you never experienced an engine like this before, it was probably really concerning when the machine below you just came to life.

Slowly riding out of the parking spot, he quickly waved a last goodbye to the two mechanics, not really sure if they even noticed him, and then left the Barrier, entering back into the real world. As he slowly drove up the ramp to the exit of the garage, John realized something when he tried to plan the route he would have to take:

He still had no idea where the Gjoskenholms lived... Looking at a clock popping up on his HUD, he saw that it was by now late enough for Astrid to actually be at home, so he should be able to reach her.

John [14:10]: Hey, uh... Where do you live? xD I never really got that information...

Astrid [14:10]: Oh! Yeah sure, if we want to talk you would need that... We have a big property close to the river by the woods, just take the street up to the northern bridge, don't cross it and drive below it, you'll see the road immediately

John [14:11]: Okay, thanks! See you in a bit!

With those directions in mind, he drove up the rest of the way of the exit and wove into the growing traffic going north. Aloy was still clinging tightly to him, but her elated shouts of joy made it obvious how much she enjoyed this mode of transportation in comparison to the bus.

Astrid had been right, finding that road was indeed not that hard. As soon as he took an exit to drive below the bridge, he immediately saw a paved road going into the woods by the river. On one side of the road were small shops selling various things from kitchen electronics to fabrics, while the other side gave him a beautiful look onto the river cutting through Springfield. With the clouds broken up by now, the water was reflecting all the colors of the rainbow. At the end of the road was a big repair shop with a lot of motorcycles in front of it that were very familiar to John. It were the bikes of the Valkyries, evident by one particular Valkyrie working on her bike right now. It was one of the girls that he hadn't gotten the name of, but he definitely remembered her face. Short, red hair, a lithe physique, but the body tone of a professional athlete, tight muscles without looking overly bulky.

As he got closer, he slowly came to a halt and got off the bike after helping Aloy off of it first. Taking her helmet back and putting it into the bike’s space together with his own, he pushed the bike the rest of the way to the shop. Looking up, the Valkyrie seemingly remembered him, "Newman, you here to see Brun? She's waiting for you in the central garden, just take the path back there to reach it. Don't worry, nothing will happen to your bike."

He nodded appreciatively, "Never would've expected anything else. Thanks."

The two of them quickly went on to follow the by now gravel road deeper into the woods. As they went past the shop, they could immediately see structures hidden in the woods. They all looked pretty much like family houses, built for bigger families. Each of them seemed to have a small backyard, fenced off from one another. Once they got to the height of the first door, they could see that it was basically a small village of houses just outside of the town. There were probably about ten to fifteen houses, each slightly different from one another yet still similar enough to resemble a unified colony. The houses were built in a traditional style that reminded John of a mixture of old Viking huts and typical midwestern farm houses. These houses made a square around a big piece of green, filled with a lake, some benches and two pagodas where people were sitting, enjoying the change in weather, talking with one another.

It really felt like John had walked into another world. Everything felt more intimate here, more familiar. It was clear that this was a unified clan/family, because it actually felt like a community. There were big dogs freely running around, playing with kids, people happily chatting.

John felt happier just looking at this place.

Under one of the pagodas, Brunhilde was sitting with a can of something, legs propped up on the balustrade of the pagoda... with a sloth on her chest. Why did she have a sloth on her chest? As John and Aloy slowly approached her, she looked in their direction with a lazy glance. As soon as she recognized the girl next to John, her eyes went wide.

Oh god, she knows who Aloy is. I should've expected as much. I have to keep her from spilling the beans.

Luckily, Astrid came out of one of the houses at the same time, intercepting John and Aloy. She looked uncomfortably between the two of them, trying to find her words, "Uhm... Hi. So, uhm, you're the girl he found in the Barrier? I'm Astrid, his... uh... girlfriend..."

Aloy was visibly getting more and more uncomfortable by the second, "I'm Aloy... I want to apologize for any problems I have caused. I didn't know how your... customs worked, so I had no idea."

The younger twin quickly shook her head, "Don't. It's... It's something that I honestly expected to happen anyway after my sister told me about how the two of them met... I just... I need to get to grips with this, I need to understand. John, would it be okay if I talk with her a bit in private? I want to at least learn something about her before I decide what to do."

There was a big knot in John's stomach when she said 'decide what to do'. He knew he fucked up, and the knowledge that Astrid had already expected it to happen hurt him quite a bit. But, then again, he couldn't really be that insulted since it had happened, proving her right. Nodding his head, he looked at Aloy, "Yeah, sure... I'll give you guys some distance... but please, don't do anything drastic and don't overreact... I don't feel like meeting her already again."

To that, Astrid shook her head, "That won't be a problem, I think. I'll explain it afterward. I think Brun has something she wants to talk with you about, seeing how giddy she is."

Indeed, Brun was basically jumping up and down behind her younger twin sister, looking at both John and Aloy with a big shit-eating grin. The sloth was lazily hanging around her neck, locking its dark brown eyes with John as it nuzzled itself into the soft bosom of the Valkyrie. Astrid and Aloy left them to their devices at this point, taking a seat on a bench near the small lake, far enough away so that the two of them couldn't be overheard.

"Duuuuuuude, is she-?"

"Yes, yes she is."

"And you-"

"Banged her? Yup. Which is why we're in this situation. I would ask you to not mention that she's from a game to her though."

"Of course, man. I'm a bit slow, I'm not dumb."

"You sure about that?" he asked with an evil grin, getting a slight punch into the shoulder for it.

"Shut it, shithead," she responded with a laugh.

"So, I gotta ask, what's with the sloth? I'm not sure if living accessories are a thing right now," he asked, really curious as to why a Valkyrie would have a sloth around her neck.

"Har har, so funny. I found the little guy on a smaller job I had this morning. Had to deal with some minor squid thing, no idea what they were, and there I found this guy. I suspect that he likely got stuck in that Barrier somehow and then couldn't get out. Maybe the squid things pulled it into the Barrier, it seemingly traveled quite a bit." The sloth was still looking at John, lazily munching on something that wasn't there, staring at him with almost a hint of pride and victory in its golden eyes.

Gold? That didn't seem right... Blinking, the sloth was clearly looking at him with golden eyes... Maybe he hadn't properly looked at it before... "So you decided to take it with you into our world?"

Brun nodded at that, "Yup, I wanted to wait for my ma to look at the thing and maybe check it for any irregularities."

He had to raise his eyebrows, "That sounds... awful? So you took something from a Barrier filled with... something, and then decided to take it with you?"

She just shrugged, "It seemed like a good idea at the time. You make it sound like I'm totally irresponsible..." The sloth seemingly hugged the blonde a bit tighter with one of its tentacles.

'Okay, hold on!' Blinking again, it was just a normal arm.

Something was going on here... Deciding to use Observe on that sloth, he immediately regretted it.

N'Ti'Inon'En, the great Calamity
Lv. NaN
Totally Normal Sloth
RP: -50 (Cease your meddling, mortal, or I will plague your mind with the darkness of a thousand dead stars.)

'NOOPE'

Quickly picking up the sloth from around Brun's neck, he immediately started walking towards his bike while the sloth was slowly writhing and quietly 'screaming' if one could call it that, in his hands.

"John? What's going on?" asked Brun, clearly confused by what he was doing.

"Something is very wrong with this sloth. It just threatened me when I tried to check on it. This thing has a name, and it says that it's a 'Totally Normal Sloth', meaning that it's for sure not a totally normal sloth."

Quickly picking up the pace, the two of them soon reached John's bike. Holding the sloth with one hand while it tried to free itself from John's clutches, he immediately checked the bike inventory for anything that could help him now.

Thankfully, there actually was something that might help him

Temporary Dimensional Cage
Lock a creature into this cage to hold it in a stasis-like containment. Depending on the creature this cage can suffice for 3 seconds to 72 hours, if it can contain the thing.

'Well, here goes nothing!'

Pulling the cage out of the bike revealed it to be a hand sized cube of a completely jet black material. Touching the sloth with the cube in hope that it would work, the sloth vanished, and the cube started to glow in a soft violet.

Containment successful!
Time remaining: 24 hours

'Phew, so that thing wasn't actually that strong.' That made John sigh out loudly. "Okay, situation clear... That thing wasn't that bad apparently, but I suspect it to have some weird mental magic that fucked with your judgement..."

Brun looked a bit paler thinking about that, "Yo, you're telling me that I just carried around a magical sloth that manipulated my thoughts for like two hours? Ugh, please don't tell my mom about this..."

"Sure, I won't. Nothing for me to gain from that and blackmailing isn't really my style. I'll try to hand this off with the Fateweavers later..."

Shaking her head, Brun then went to go back to the colony, "Let's go, I still have something I need to show you."

So did John actually, something that he had to show both Brun and Astrid.