The finalization of my plan came as I made my way to Caster. For one, I actually needed to limit the amount the police saw of the… magical world, lets put it. While having them more actively involved in the chaos would be nice on multiple levels, if the other masters could not properly contain the chaos, and word got out… well, there went my protection via the file dump as well.

The second bit involved setting off Berserker. Arguably, it would be better if I went after Berserker's master and tried to set him off instead. Based on the admittedly little I knew about him, he wanted vengeance on his former friends. It was probably easier to get him back on the hunt, and naturally, where he went, Berserker would follow.

Of course, that was providing I actually managed to enlist Caster's help a bit. Couldn't really go to the kids with this plan; undoubtedly, they'd immediately disapprove and put me on their own radars. Well, more so than I probably already was, that is.

But as for what I needed Caster to make… That was still a bit… up in the air…

Ok, so the plan wasn't actually fully fleshed out yet! But it was hard, trying to juggle all the factors needed to be considered! I needed something that would get Berserker or his master moving and, more importantly, actually causing property damage. That was the only way my actual targets would involve themselves, after all. But at the same time, I needed something that could also keep the police, by and large, out of the way while the fight was going down. The masters could probably deal with a few people who were unfortunate enough to see more than they should have, but you can't really kill off an entire police force; not for a city of this size. Way too noticeable.

But if the distraction was too drastic in nature, it was most likely going to get the feds of some kind, be it the national guard, the FBI, whatever, involved and combing through the city. That would be a different kind of disaster, but a disaster nonetheless!

"How to deal with that…" I muttered to myself as I stepped into Glenwood Park.

…All things considered… a power outage would probably work best? Get people to call in emergency services, thus distracting a large chunk of the police force. Also keep civilians indoors, which would probably be better for me as well; look better in the eyes of this Mage's Association thing, I'd bet, at any rate.

But how much could I get away with, with such a measure, before it looked too serious; got the feds called in?

"…How would I even go about pulling something like that off in the first place…?"

I couldn't really do it… live. Not unless I wanted to try and get Berserker to smash down the power lines running along the city streets! Basically a suicide mission right there though, so fuck that! If I had time, I could try to worm my way into the computer systems of the power plants providing the power to the city. In a way, that was probably the best way to do it; a company's computer system being hit, even if it's for the power grind of a city, while likely to get national and federal government attention, wasn't likely to get bodies deployed in the city itself.

But that would take me time I didn't have, and even if I could quickly find someone in the dark web to do it, it was going to cost me a fortune I didn't have. Rule number one of ransomware hackers: never go after critical infrastructure systems. Generates too much heat on the whole community, not just yourself. Would get ostracized, at the minimum. Thus, would need a ludicrous payout to make it even remotely worth it. I could not afford that, even if I found someone able and willing.

"No… has to be done in person…"

Then I needed something that I can plant, and activate remotely…

The familiar glow of the labyrinth walls brought my focus back towards my surroundings. I couldn't tell if the layout was the same or not. I wanted to say no, but that only raised questions. Was it the effect of magecraft at work? Had Caster simply redesigned the original entrance area? …Was the labyrinth able to… 'shift' it's layout on its own? Like a living structure?

"…Should ask Caster about that too" I mused, feeling that familiar tug in my head. "Right then, to the workshop."

But… what could I even use as an explosive? Surely Archer, or Rider's band of assassins, would notice if I started skulking about the city, planting suspicious packages? It would have to look inconspicuous; like something that would already be there, for some reason or another.

…Hell, it'd need to be designed to look so… normal, or at least interpretable as appropriate, or usual, to be around power line support poles, or the power lines themselves, to not draw the attention of ordinary people going about their day!

…I also couldn't go around planting this shit during the day; too many potential eyes. Would have to be at night, while all the other masters are theoretically on the hunt. Not too terrible, unless I run into either Berserk and his master, or Rider and the priest-

So deep in my own head again, I didn't even notice the pair of doors in front of me. Banged right into them, pushing them open and causing me to trip over my own feet, landing face first on the ground. Before I could even really begin groaning in pain, I heard Caster grumble from within the workshop.

"Are you capable of doing anything even remotely competently, child?! Honestly, are you even award of how your actions are drawing the eyes of the world upon you?! Upon the war?!"

"…Hello to you too, Caster" I groaned as I rose to my feet, dusting myself off.

Though, I suppose I should just count my blessings that I didn't end up wandering into a trap on the way here. Or lose my way…

"And ok, so my latest plan may have been a bit of a bust" I grinned sheepishly as Caster turned away from his latest project to face me, scowl plastered all over his face. "But that's kinda par for the course when you work off incomplete information and assumptions. But now that I know more, have a better understanding, I have a new plan!"

"Is it to finally act with the slightest bit of intellect and stay down here, and out of my way?"

"Um, no. Come on, Caster: I can't possibly give up on seeing such beauty with my own eyes! Hell, did you even see the last fight with Rider, or just the aftermath? Because believe you me, that shit was beautiful!"

"You wouldn't know beauty if it smacked you upside the head, child… Just get it over with and get out of my way. What do you want? Provided it's not too… egregiously stupid… I may or may not consider it."

It was only then that I spotted what Caster had been working on. Sitting on the workbench he was at was clearly a computer of some kind. But it wasn't like any computer I'd ever seen before. It was… spherical… like a ball. A really heavy, metal ball. But with a screen. And a keyboard.

"What is…" I pointed past Caster to his project sitting on the workbench behind him, eyes wide and at a loss for words.

"That, child, is only the beginning of what someone with actual competence can do with these so called 'advancements' man has made since my time" Caster responded, and I couldn't not notice the tinge of smugness in his voice as he turned back to his project.

At the push of a key by him, the ball shot up. Immediately, a set of legs sprang out, and the ball began to walk across the workbench. When it reached the edge, it jumped off, landing on its legs with a soft, metallic clang.

"Follow mode" Caster commanded, and immediately, the ball popped back up in the air, retracting its legs and closing its screen, forming a perfect sphere.

It rolled along the ground, following Caster as he began walking around the workshop in a circle.

"Active mode."

Another hop, and the legs popped back out, while the screen opened up. While slower than rolling, the thing could still move at a respectable pace. Then it began climbing up the side of the wall.

"Holy shit…" I muttered as it finished walking up the wall and began walking across the ceiling. "How is it-"

"True genius at work, child" Caster smirked. "That's how. Fully voice controllable, but of course-"

Caster pulled down his sleeve, revealing an intricate little device strapped onto his wrist.

"Always have some form of manual control. These computers and robots of your time have proven themselves to be useless without proper human control behind them, though I admit the voice gimmick is something I found slightly… amusing."

The ball plopped down from the ceiling, reorienting itself mid drop to land on its legs, and began wandering over to me. As I got a better look at the screen, I noticed it had a news clip paused midway through the video. But, if it was showing that, then-

"You got internet working down here" I marveled. "But… how?!"

"Ha! Child's play… Built in internet satellite uplink, of my own design, naturally, so it's far greater than anything you'll manage to find elsewhere! Same with the, ah… what do you all call it again? Virtual… private network?"

"It's running on a VPN that you designed?!"

"One that actually makes connections anonymous! Honestly, it was so simple, how have all of you still not managed even that much yet?! Absolutely disgraceful!"

"What else can it do" I was basically begging for more as I reached out to touch it.

"Secret" Caster huffed, as the computer orb, as I've decided to call it, scuttled away from my grasp.

"What?! Come on Caster, you can't do that to me!"

"No."

"Please" now I actually was begging Caster for more. "You're killing me here, Caster! I have to know what else this thing is capable of! Even just a little!"

"…Hmm…"

"Please!"

"…Oh, very well then" Caster sighed, but the hint of his smirk couldn't fool me. "Projection: 20."

On his command, the orb flattened itself against the ground. The entire top face began glowing a light blue color, then-

"No fucking way man!"

Holographic projections. 20 of them. Sets of keyboards and screens. They floated in the space around us, illuminating the room in the same, blue glow.

"Fully interactable" Caster boasted, stepping up to the nearest keyboard, beginning to type.

The screen above that keyboard began to change, now showing a map of the city, rather than a copy of the news clip from earlier. Yet, all the other screens…

"They're all separate from one another…" I marveled.

"Of course, they are; wouldn't serve much of a point otherwise!"

With a slight flick against the holographic screen in front of him, Caster caused the keyboard and screens to spin in the direction of his swipe. With a new, well… basically a whole other computer in front of him, Caster began typing away, pulling up what appeared to be a bunch of complex graphs that I couldn't make sense of at just a glance.

"Can handle up to 50 at the moment" Caster boasted, doing something or other I didn't quite catch to turn off the projections and return the computer orb back to ball form. "I was trying to improve that to at least 100, before you so noisily barged in as if you own the place!"

"…Beautiful…" I muttered to myself, not even really registering Caster anymore. "Magecraft is truly beau-"

A dagger went whizzing by my head, causing me to flinch.

"What magecraft" Caster growled, any sense of jovial nature clearly absent. "Don't insult me, child! Athena brand me again: as if I'm going to use magecraft like a crutch, just because I died already! What you saw was the work of true genius, not some petty magical trick!"

"Alright, alright, I get it! I'm sorry" I couldn't help but laugh a little in the face of such… well, lethal tension. "Seriously though, that thing there is incredible! A beauty of engineering and computing I've never seen…"

"Whatever… Just hurry up and tell me your plan so that you can get out of here already."

"Oh, that… Well, uh…"

"What is it now, child?!"

"See, I, uh… well… the plan is still a little bit of a… work… in progress…"

"Of course it is! Why would I expect anything more from you?!"

"W-Well hold on! Just give me a moment! Your project there distracted me!"

"Hurry up then! I don't have all day!"

"…"

"…"

…Shit! What do I need? What would even work?!

"…"

"…"

He can definitely make explosives if he can make that thing, so I just need a cover for them!

"…"

"…"

Something like… Something like…!

That's when I looked down, no longer able to face Caster's hardening glare any longer. Down at the ground. At my feet. And it clicked. As if the stars and planets chose that moment to align perfectly for me. As if by fate itself… the idea came to me, and I had my answer.

"…"

"…Well… and hear me out for a moment before you reject it" I quickly protested, causing Caster to raise an eyebrow.

"Just spit it out already, child!"

"Ok, ok! Well, I need…" I grinned sheepishly at Caster. "How good are you at making… shoes?"


A/N

Shoes? What the hell could Nathan possibly need shoes for o.O

I wonder... ;)

Anyways, midterms are here for me, so expect this week and the early bit of the next to be slower than you and I'd both like! Will pick back up the pace of the uploads soon as I'm able, plz continue to trust me!

As always, many thanks to all of you who make it this far! See you all next post o/