"Even as we are right now, we can destroy even the most powerful terrestrial BattleTech robot..." I started, trying to inject some optimism into what seemed like a hopeless situation.
"The effectiveness of these robots completely relies on their ability to dissipate enormous amounts of heat through imperfect heat sinks.
So, all we need to win is my flight and two of your magical spells. One to deceive the robot’s sensors, and the second - either to raise its temperature, or to reduce its cooling efficiency. After that, the robot will either shut down or explode.
Just one or three more charges, and I can literally acquire the perfect weapon against them - an invisible, line-of-sight heating superpower," I explained to the attentively listening Hermione.
"Out of everything we’ve discussed, there are only a few factors that could pose a threat.
In the case of the Impossible Creatures faction — time delays. But there’s no reason for them. Theoretically, and nothing more, we can take them out within just a few days. Find them by your divination, reach them by improved version of my flight, and destroy them using known to me stash of wildfire.
With the BattleTech faction, there are two main challenges.
The first one is the sheer number of enemies AFTER landings, which I'm not going to let happen. But still, let's assume that it happened. We can handle that with drones that will have more modern microelectronics than essentially stuff from the 1990-2000s. Which much easier than it sounds. My power does have some restrictions in this area — which we'll talk about later — but there are many workarounds. Like mental amplifications, universal physical copying, supermaterials generation, tool creation powers, and so on. Tentatively, creating an hundreds of thousands of such drones will require about 15 charges and some time.
The second challenge is more complicated — the long-range weaponry of the space fleets. But that won't be an issue for another two years. By then, I’ll likely have a source of unlimited charges, which we’ll also discuss later. And even if it doesn't work out, I'll still have enough charges for this planned protection."
"How? I don’t understand. How, in two years, can you create something capable of defeating hundreds of massive spaceships? Aren’t you only able to use one superpower at a time?" Asked confused Hermione.
"How do you think I planned to deal with the Others before our meeting?"
"You mentioned something about steampunk... with steam-powered machines?"
"Not really. I was planning to defeat them using mainly three superpowers and just three charges.
The first one I already possess — the ability to shape wood. I was going to use this to create hundreds of simple ships.
The second superpower would have allowed me to generate a foam-like material lighter than air.
The third one would have allowed me to copy any chemical concoction. Things like wildfire and napalm."
"But what about the steering? Engines? Fuel?"
"I’m not talking about real airships. Only about hundreds of weapon platforms with sails, attached to lightweight ropes and buoys anchored to The Wall.
Although, if you think about it, to defeat the Others I might only need two charges and Stark’s help. One for creating ballistae and mines. The second for producing wildfire. Just two charges, Hermione."
"If so, why do you need industrialization of Winterfell?"
"Don't need. Want. For faster creation of ships. As backup plan. Of nostalgia. Because of fear of being trapped in this world. Many things. Whatever the cause, it doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that Max from the past didn’t choose such awful drawbacks for no reason."
"But the spaceships aren’t the Others," Hermione returned to the main point.
"No. But don’t underestimate Power Manipulation. Even in its limited form, it’s not just powerful, it’s absurdly universal."
"Namely, please," she insisted.
"A lot depends on question - what happens to the supermaterials and items created by superpowers during superpower changes.
If they remain functional, solving the problem with the spaceships would be enormously easier. But let’s assume that they don’t remain functional.
Then... let’s say... yes, 15 charges into ‘Savant’, which would allow me to create physical design plans... and another 15 charges into ‘Implementation’, enabling me to bring those plans to life using nearby raw resources or their equivalents. And another 7 charges for regenerating superfuel to power the flight and laser weaponry. 37 charges, and we would have an orbital defense.
Alternatively, I could just invest 31 charges into universal control of lasers with the ability to move at the speed of light. Or I could use various conceptual shenanigans. For example, the Others and MechWarrior are still two years away. But one of my superpowers could extend that time to four years within the confines of a large building.
Just three charges and there are two years more.
Around 30-50 charges, and the BattleTech threats wouldn’t be an issue."
“If you sleep with dozens of women, and to kill tens of thousands of people…” unsatisfied Hermione said words that I interpreted as a small emotional outburst.
“If I sleep with willing women, and kill the space counterparts of Genghis Khan’s hordes — who even literally call their leaders ’Khans’ — and save millions of people they would have killed if not for me. Or is their salvation not morally sufficient for you?
But for now, that doesn’t really matter. With such... emotional arguments, you’re only confirmed that you see mentioned threats as potentially solvable...”
“Mentioned? There are more?” she conceded the previous argument.
“Besides these three threats, this world also has the factions of local godlings.
The last and the most... intense part of your forecast wasn’t so much about the Impossible Creatures and BattleTech invasions, as about godlings. And, as I see it, about what is likely right under our feet - hundreds of Stark corpses from Winterfell’s crypts.
You also mentioned the giant octopus with feline features. Because of which, we’d better hurry with eliminating the Impossible Creatures faction threat. Right now, that faction isn’t particularly dangerous, but if they ally with or get absorbed by the local magical factions? The combination of energy-flesh conversion and this world’s typ... well, although we have divination protection, I don’t think it would hurt to keep some things unspoken...”
The local godlings were the primary reason I didn’t plan on staying in this world for long. Before Hermione showed up, my plans were mostly focused around spending 10 charges on a couple of ways to earn points, and on resolution of the Others issue with flying ships and backup industrialization. All the remaining charges I planned to sink into Kaleidoscope. And... well... ”return home.”
Hermione’s appearance, and the news about two invasions, radically disrupted such plans.
Of course, theoretically, I could still try to handle the Impossible Creatures faction the same way I planned to deal with the Others. But with my overthinking and self-reflection, such a decision would undoubtedly lead to crippling guilt.
Also, I didn’t want my first steps in the multiverse to start with a precedent that would almost certainly push me down a path that, sooner or later, would lead to both moral and physical downfall. Morality isn’t just a leash, it’s also a safety net from the most destructive parts of one’s inner self.
Hermione tiredly massaged her temples, waving her curly hair. “So, what should we do now? Another divination to find out where the Impossible Creatures threat is?”
“No, right now, we’re both too tired for that,” I said, looking at the window with still black sky, but clearly no longer than for a couple of hours.
“Then I should come to you next night?”
“Only if you don’t want to help in another way.”
“I’m not sleeping with you,” Hermione replied flatly.
“I’m not asking you to.”
“Then what are you asking?” she asked aggressively and with a little sneer, but without any real spite. Just... aggressively. Showing one of her character’s unique traits - an extremely rare in real life very wide range of rapidly changing intense emotions.
Sometimes up to uncanny valley borders. With each part of communication like a small and fleeting cinematic take. During our conversation she had already shown an enormous range of emotions, but after so many emotional resets, even now I couldn’t tell what her main mood was. If any.
“I’m not sure yet. Can you give me your hand?” I said, placing my open palm on the table closer to her.
“Why?” she asked suspiciously.
“For a statistical sample. I want to see if I can earn charges with you.” After her hesitation, I added, “Come on, I’ve already touched more intimate parts of your body.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Hermione placed her hand on top of mine. I gently squeezed it.
‘Plus 0.09 charges? Is it because she’s Jon Snow’s analog? A Targaryen blood? Hermione Granger? Companion?’
“I got 0.09 points. That’s about 4.5 times what I got from a similar action with another girl who was an unimportant character in the book. So, with your help, I’ll likely be able to get 5 charges instead of one.”
“With my help…” Hermione said sarcastically.
“Hermione, just now, by holding hands, I got one-tenth of a superpower with this description:
Renewal.
By touch, permanently optimizes a human body to the ultimate DNA optimum. As though they were just born and then perfectly aged to their current age, while retaining all healthy aspects of their appearance. The superpower doesn’t heal open wounds, alter healthy bone structure, or restore lost organs.
Mental characteristics are further optimized with an effect equivalent to undergoing a methodical course in mental health treatment. The superpower doesn’t directly change habits and interpretations, but provides additional healthful understanding and the possibility for personal rethinking of mental traumas, or results of biochemical deviations.
Imagine the effect of this superpower on the Starks, Winterfell, and Winter Town. Especially the effect of 'mental healing.' Almost absolute mental health.
An effect which, perhaps, would have made even the first Horcrux Tom Riddle — instead of attracting attention — spend the rest of his life on cruises and at resorts.“
“This… isn’t that too much?” Hermione asked, not fully realizing that she had just given me the opportunity to confirm that yes, she, at least tentatively, agreed to my proposal. And that what would follow was essentially just a discussion about conditions.
“You sound like your uncle. Not long ago, you worried we had "too little." And now you fear the opposite. About just one‑fifth of your potential help to Winterfell and Westeros. Yes, it’s a lot, but so what?”
“What exactly do you want?” after a short pause Hermione asked uncertainly, still holding my hand, but now with pinkish cheeks.
‘Isn’t that too simple and fast? Nah, for something to be difficult, there must be either control-inducing experiences or some block like fear, rejection, risk, etc.
When there is no such experience, when instead of blocks there are reliable safety guarantees — like her de facto bigger dangerousness than mine — and when there are some significant benefits? Everything should proceed exactly that way. Somewhat by Game Theory.
For a beautiful female body to yield to woman any benefits, it, obviously, must be shown to others. Which simultaneously creates a risk of losses, for example, like rumors.
But what happens if forecast of those losses are nearly zero? Then the extent of "show" and "size of benefits" ceases to be an issue.
What difference does it make how big the "show" if it’s free and safe? Like during rampage sex life on cruise ships, among strangers and under constant supervision. Or as in case of such 'sex-yes' promiscuous feminist icon as Samantha from Sex and the City TV show, and her real life imitators, who leveraged own money and educated environment onto own pleasure.
And what difference does it make how small the benefit is if it’s better to get it than not to get it? Like it was in the early years of anonymous chats, dating sites, and Chatroulette, when, because of a strong belief in anonymity, many women often behaved even more promiscuously than men. There was a reason why dating sites had up to a 90/10 man/woman ratio and men could still talk with women. Because many of women talked with over a hundred men per day, sometimes in 5+ chats at the same time. Trading only their time for a relief from boredom, attention, a little practice of social and gendered skills, etc.
Minimal risks via reputation and some light support for women was essentially Jacques Casanova’s main "secret."
For several reasons, all of this applied to Hermione to a lesser degree than usual. But this eighteen-year-old version of Hermione had passed her canonical storyline with a little more adult self-reflection. Therefore, her understanding of the importance of sacrifices, compromises, and balances between risks, "show," and benefits just cannot be so shallow that she isn’t interested in my — almost certainly better than her principal departure from my room — proposal. At least because of the opportunity to evaluate and test someone as important as me further.'
“Hermione. I understand how difficult this could be for you,” I said, reassuringly squeezing her hand and gently running my thumb over her skin. “I know your history and character, and I know something like this would be completely uncharacteristic for you. So I wouldn’t ask anything difficult of you.
Even more, I swear to you, after you agree, I wouldn’t touch you or ask you to show your naked body to me.” I said sincerely, looking her in the eyes. “But in return, I need your trust.”
“Trust?” she repeated with incomprehension, inquisitively tilting her head.
“Yes. As I understand it, my gaining of charges depends on the intensity of emotional reactions and the uniqueness of sexual actions.
For example, if you showed the outline of your crotch through a swimsuit on a beach full of women in similar swimsuits, I’d gain far fewer charges than if the same outline were revealed privately and through underwear. Even if the underwear would reveal much less than the swimsuit. Because a swimsuit on beach substantially less intimate, unique, and emotional.
The same could be said about, for example, about acquaintances and strangers. Or slow actions and fast ones. Expected, and unexpected. And so on. Do you understand?” I asked, watching her spreading blush.
“Yes.” She tried to say in a pragmatic voice, but failed to.
“If you give me your trust—
Something I have no reason to betray, given your power, the huge risk of losing what I could never obtain from anyone else, and given how easily I can obtain sex from other women.
— you will also give me possibility to use potential of this situation to the fullest. Earning charges by the most efficient, and still completely safe for you, way." I said by soft but steady, almost clinical tone. Playing by essentially main flirting rule - the one who lose control of own emotions and body first - lose. And the one who show better affective cognition and emotional intelligence? Well, he or she continues the family line as carrier of the most important evolutionary adaptive trait of the last few tens of thousands of years.
"I think, now I understand why you chose such CYOA’s options," her pressured by emotions and hormones panicked brain accused me. After which my hand released hers and pulling back to me.
Unlike my own strong Defensive Sexualization, the Hermione I knew had never exhibited anything like that. But that just meant she had very weak reactions to such things, not that she had none at all. Even if she truly didn’t, which reactions of her body already refuted, her human and feminine psyche would still crave to relieve stress through acts of social bonding. Which she just had, but — because of criticism of it — lost.
"Boys will be boys, shocker."
"I... I'm not sure," she sighed, clearly answering to my main question.
Well, for evolutionary reasons, virgins just can't behave otherwise. Their uncontrollable instincts, shaped by lack of alternative experience, scream that sex equals pregnancy. And pregnancy equals the greatest importance.
The most effective way to bypass such instincts is to convince them that pregnancy and other risks, sometimes including — scary and uncomfortable for many women — sex, is impossible. Which I already used. So I need something else.
"I never would have thought that Hermione Granger would be afraid of something like this," I said with slight disappointment.
Now, at this point, I could potentially start investing in the creation of various openings. Appeal to trust, her duty, my empathy, attempts to leverage my handsomeness, use logical reasoning, comfort her fears, and many other things.
But instead, I just poured gasoline on the fire.
Why? Because right now I needed to pull out as many of her emotions as possible. And what emotional trigger would be better for Hermione Granger than one related to the topic of her inadequacy?
Sure, her great mind undoubtedly immediately recognized this as a provocation and figured out my plan to rile her up. But what did that matter if she, among other things, had to admit that there was some truth in my words? And force her to a small reality check. If she hesitated over something, logically, so much safe and small, when else would she hesitate?
"I’m not afraid! It’s just... too sudden. We don’t know each other well enough for what you’re asking," she said, which could be interpreted in two ways.
Either as real doubt. Which I highly doubted. Doubtful people, especially like her, ask questions, don’t just justify themselves and wait.
Or as the classic "maybe means yes." An attempt to dump the responsibility on me, and instinctively and subconsciously create a stage for the display of my "peacock tail" - symbolic representations of my characteristics which would be beneficial during her potential pregnancy. Starting with my show of initiative, which she is already obviously wangle from me.
However, what exactly of two didn’t matter, as both options led to the same reaction from me.
I sighed in disappointment and looked at her with a no-bullshit glance of person who thinks he's just wasting time. By the look of a brother looking at his annoying younger sister.
Which was partly a play, but partly also a serious statement.
Most women like sexual domination of men. But what is the purest form of such domination if not complete freedom?
Therefore, for the sake of long run goals, mentally earnestly deciding that in the case of failure I will take a long break from showing any interest in her as female, I tiredly said, "Hermione. I really want to sleep," and after an annoyed sigh added, "Yes or no?"