Can't be a wizard without a hat

[les_magique]

[Video]

I have taken the time to figure out the use of this communication device for two reasons. The first is to show off my hat.

[She has a hat on. It's a wide brimmed pointy hat that looks exactly like the kind of hat a wizard would wear. She looks quite pleased to have it.]

I suppose a hat isn't that important in the grand scheme of things, but I like this hat, and having ANYTHING from home is something of a luxury, given our current situation.

Anyways the other thing I wanted to talk about isn't quite so trivial. I'm curious about magic.

I have spent the last few years devoted to unlocking magic's mysteries, you see, and I THOUGHT I was making good headway. But now that I'm here, I'm realizing that this is a MUCH more complicated subject than I thought it was. Magic works entirely differently depending on what world you come from. Some worlds don't even HAVE magic in the first place!

So if you know anything about how magic works in your world, I would be interested in comparing notes.

[And then, a minute later.]

Oh right also. Gladio, if you wanted to try teleportation, now seems like as good a time as any.

Comments

[shutupnail]

Sounds more or less right. I don't know how ki interacts with magic, if at all, but I do know that to judge a person's ki doesn't reflect how powerful their magic might be. It's why we've had problems with magic users in the past. They tend to feel weak but their magic can be overwhelming.

[les_magique]

It's how my prosthetic arm works. Even if my body only has one arm, my odic field still has two!

It also is the main tool for molding magical currents into spells. I could teach you, if you wanted.

[shutupnail]

[That was a turn in the opposite direction. Usually it was Piccolo who was offering to teach. But one thing at a time. He's curious.]

You use your energy to manipulate your prosthetic arm? That's innovative. I've seen prostheses and robotics but none properly use ki as a means of operation. The androids used artificial energy to power themselves and their attacks which made them impossible to read through ki sensing as well.

[A bit of a pause.]

I...tend to resort to magic as a last resort or practical purposes. [ beat ] I am curious what you mean though. You could show me.

[les_magique]

That was a lot of references to things I've never heard of.

[She'll worry about that later.]

I was actually using it in that strange place we just left to help everyone keep in touch. Hang on.

[Samata steps away from the screen for a moment, then comes back with a metal plate, which she put on the floor. A few moments of chanting and a second Samata appeared, standing on top of the plate and perfectly mimicking her actions.]

Magic!

[shutupnail]

Do you want me to explain any of it? It's mostly science stuff which is more Bulma's expertise but I can explain the basic concepts.

[He watched patiently as she retrieved the plate and activated the magic. A beat and then:]

You need a physical conduit for your magic?

[Sorry, Samata. He's pretty blunt sometimes. Also, he doesn't look surprised in the least. He, uh, can kinda do that without magic.]

[les_magique]

It helps, with some spells. Others I can do with just a few gestures.

[There's a faint echo to her voice, as her mirror image also speaks. Which is kind of annoying so she let the spell slip and the copy vanished.]

What's an android?

[shutupnail]

Hm.

[He nodded in acknowledgement. That made sense and sounded more useful so he accepted it well.]

An android is an artificial being created with robotics--think of a fully articulated doll made out of metals and plastics that can move around on its own. Although the ones I'm referring to were technically bio-mechanical which means they had living pieces like flesh and, I dunno, organs I guess as well as metallic enhancements.

[les_magique]

So something between a man and a golem. What a, er...

[Disturbing.]

...Fascinating concept.

[shutupnail]

Right. All made with science rather than magic.

It made them strong and on top of that they have infinite energy since it's artificially created. So they never wear out, making them hard to defeat. They were quite a challenge but also make excellent allies.