🔶 POV: Scrooge McDuck (First-Person)
I stare at the training room control panel.
Aye, a control panel.Not buttons—no, no—ideas.Ye think it, the room becomes it.
So I think:
"Maze. Full o' traps. Full o' treasure."
The room ripples.
The moon vanishes.
And suddenly—
I stand in a vast stone labyrinth with walls forty feet tall, torches flickering with ghostly blue flames.
Perfect.
Adventure.
I rub my hands together.
"Now THIS is me kind o' luxury!"
I take a step.
A hail of arrows shoots from the wall.
"Aha! A proper welcome!"
I dodge, jump over the floor plate, roll under a swinging axe, and leap over a pit of spikes so sharp they make my feathers stand up.
Then I hear it.
A roar.
No—three roars.
I turn the corner and come face-to-face with—
A MINOTAUR-DRAGON-SCORPION HYBRID.
A massive bull's body, dragon scales, wings, and a giant scorpion tail dripping venom.
I grin.
"Aye! Now THAT'S a beast worth fightin'!"
We clash.
It swings a claw—I duck.It swings the tail—I hop onto it.It tries to breathe fire—I grab a shield off the wall and deflect it.
After a long battle of duck vs. monster, I manage to kick it into a trapdoor.
It falls.
Silence.
I dust my coat proudly.
"That'll teach ye tae underestimate a McDuck."
Then I see it—
A pile of gold.
Actual gold.
Coins. Bars. Nuggets.Shining brightly under torchlight.
I run to it, scooping some into my arms.
"HAH! GOLD!! REAL GOLD!!"
🔶 POV: Alex (Third-Person)
Alex appears beside him, calm as ever.
"That is training gold."
Scrooge freezes.
"…Training gold?"
"You may keep it."
Scrooge's eyes widen.
"…KEEP it?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"But—how will that affect me world's economy?"
Alex tilts his head.
"I don't know. Possibly not at all. Possibly catastrophically. Or possibly it will simply vanish if you attempt to exploit it."
Scrooge stares at him.
"…So ye're telling me I MIGHT have stumbled into an infinite gold glitch—but also might ruin me own world—or the gold might disappear entirely?"
"Yes."
Scrooge thinks deeply.
Scratches his chin.
"…I'll take the risk later."
🔶 POV: Scrooge McDuck (First-Person)
I gather a few coins.
Just a handful.
For experimental purposes.
Then—the floor shakes.
EVER so slightly.
Like something massive just appeared in the hotel.
I turn around.
"What was that?"
Alex answers:
"A new guest has arrived."
"Another one? Already?"
"Yes."
We exit the maze.
The hallway stretches out before us—and suddenly, the air shimmers, bending as if space is being rolled back like a carpet.
Then:
WHOOSH.
Something materializes.
A vessel.
A sleek metallic craft, smooth like liquid chrome, humming with cosmic energy. It lands gently on a glowing platform Alex summons out of thin air.
A humanoid figure steps out.
Their suit glows with fractal symbols.Their helmet displays a shifting star map.They carry a device projecting a holographic multiverse chart.
They glance around politely.
"Oh good. A stable extradimensional anchor. I was hoping to find one before my flux-drive overheated."
They walk right past me.
Straight toward Alex.
"Room for one. Payment ready."
A cube of pure light forms in their hand.Alex touches it.Payment accepted.
They nod and head toward the dining hall as if this is just another Tuesday.
I stand there, slack-jawed.
"…Alex."
"Yes?"
"What in the seven seas was THAT?"
"A multiverse traveler."
I gape.
"A MULTIVERSE TRAVELER!?!"
"Yes. Their world discovered technology advanced enough to travel between universes."
I nearly faint.
"…There are WORLDS like that!?"
"Yes."
I grab Alex's suit.
"Can I visit other universes!?"
Alex pauses.
Looks down at me.
"You could."
My heart nearly explodes.
"But only under specific conditions."
"WHAT conditions!?"
"You must be fast enough to get through the door into another universe before it closes."
I nod rapidly.
"And?"
"You must also remember exactly where the hotel is located inside that universe."
I blink.
"…Meaning?"
"If you cannot find the hotel in that world, you will not be able to return."
I freeze.
Swallow hard.
"…That's a dangerous adventure."
"Yes."
"…A risky adventure."
"Yes."
"…A foolish, life-threatening, ludicrously tempting adventure."
"Yes."
I grin.
"…I want to try it someday."
Alex replies, completely flat:
"You will get lost."
"I know."
And that makes it even better.