"Oh, you know what we should do?" Jack said eagerly. "Get a buncha people together and make a Bibleguy drinking game!"
Dylan snorted, "God, that would be hilarious. But let's pick my new power first before planning anything else."
"Yeah you got it."
The two turned back to Dylan's menu, looking at their two options.
"So, magitech or magic cane," Jack said, leaning in.
"Yeah," Dylan answered. "Not sure which one I want to go with."
"Both can give you a combat boost," Jack stated. "Magitech will have more versatility but probably work like your mad science power. The Magic Cane will come preloaded, but you can't change it."
"I'm not too worried about flexibility," Dylan said. "Now that I've got the Inventory Assembly upgrade."
Jack nodded, "You probably need some more firepower now. Or something to protect you against magic. Magitech can do that, and so can Magic Cane."
"Both fit thematically," Dylan said with a shrug. "I guess it's a question of which I like more."
Dylan leaned back to think about it. Magitech would fit Dr. Zlo's gadgetry persona, and he could make a magic cane with the power. But every technology he built would use his mana to power it, meaning there would only be so many items he could make. Magic Cane had the same mana issue, but Dylan wouldn't have to worry about managing new inventions. It boiled down to a question of flexibility or simplicity.
"I wonder how powerful the Magic Cane spells are," Jack mused.
"It did say I could slot three spells. It never specified which spells," Dylan said. "I'm assuming it'll let me pick once I choose the power."
"And magitech requires more materials," Jack said with a tilt of her head. "Which would mean more fetch quests for you."
Dylan shrugged, "I could probably double up?"
Jack wagged a hand back and forth, "Maybe? I know most cities tend to split between science and magic. At least for now. Who knows what the future will hold."
Dylan frowned, "So you're saying I might have to travel to multiple cities to get everything I need? That seems like a pain."
"With the teleporter, it probably isn't that big of an issue," Jack replied. She poked at Dylan's menu screen, "I think the big question is how powerful is the magic in each power? I'm sure we could find something on the forums about Magitech. Not so sure about the Magic Cane."
"It'd be nice if we got some more concrete information with the abilities," Dylan said.
Jack snapped a finger, "I know! You could always two new characters and pick the powers. That would let you see how each one works."
Spells selected, Dylan focused his attention on his surroundings, looking for a targeting range of some kind. The game had spawned him into a generic, beige-white room. A door sat opposite the player's character. Dylan walked to it, seeing nothing else to interact with within the space. Once he threw open the door, a box greeted him.
Welcome! Is this your first time playing World of Supers?
Dylan selected no and moved on, opening his map to find a targeting range. The map highlighted a building a few blocks down, an open circle surrounding a few small huts. Shrugging, Dylan made his way over.
The player arrived at the targeting range, the area built to resemble an old fairground. Players of all kinds stood in the area, walking into the huts or lining up at range to shoot some targets. The sound of crackling energy, gunfire, and chanting reached Dylan's ears as he moved forward, and the player wondered how anyone could think with all the noise.
A spot in the shooting range opened up as Dylan walked inside, and the player made for the opening. No one else tried to get in his way, giving Dylan space to test his magic cane. He opened up his power, selecting the fireball spell to watch the tutorial video. Once again, a screen opened in front of Dylan, showing a grey silhouette practicing a series of swishing motions. Next to the moving character sat a series of drawings showing which direction to move the cane.
Dylan copied the motions obediently, almost yelping in surprise as fire gathered at the tip of the cane. Dylan went through the final motions, flicking the fireball at the target in front of him. The ball whizzed forward, exploding outward once it reached its target and scattering bits of hay and dirt. Dylan flinched from the explosion, unprepared for the damage the spell dealt.
However, upon inspection, Dylan noticed the fireball took out a quarter of his mana. He wouldn't be able to cast the spell often, but the power might make up for it. And if all the spells in the cane were as powerful, Dylan might not have to worry about the cost. It seems there was something to be said about the usefulness of a powerful spell.
His testing done, Dylan opened up his menu and logged out, jumping back in as Dr. Zlo. Jack arrived a moment later, a slight frown on her face.
"Magitech eats your mana like a b*tch," she complained. "I made a simple magic gun, and it took around half my mana for a full clip."
"Was it strong at least?" Dylan asked.
Jack shrugged, "No more than a regular gun? I'm pretty sure it bypasses normal defenses, though."
"Okay. Magic Cane seems powerful too. I used fireball as one spell and blew up the target, plus a bit of the dirt around it."
"How much did it cost?" Jack asked, squinting her eyes.
Dylan smiled, "Only a quartet of my mana bar."
"Go with that," Jack answered instantly. "And then just use fireball. Only fireball. Nothing else, you hear?"
Dylan laughed, "Okay, you've convinced me."
Jack smiled, "Good. Now, pick your ability, and let's get some spells!"
Dylan grabbed the Phlebotinium in his inventory and selected Magic Cane. The Phlebotinium appeared in a flash of light that surrounded Dylan's character. A moment later, Dylan stood with a cane in his hand, the prompt asking for his choice of spells hovering in front of him.
"Alright," Jack said, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Now, what kind of spells does a mad scientist need?"