"Pass me the pencil." Rosemary sat on a red cushion next to a wooden table. She had glasses perched on her face and a big ribbon the size of a cat on her hair.
"Here you go, Rose." Alphonsine rolled her number pencil towards her friend. "But why do you need a pencil?"
She stood up, clutching the pencil with her left hand. "So I can show you my power." She pinched the pencil using her index and thumb. "Behold!"
She moved her hand up and down. The pencil followed her longitudinal movements and soon became rubber-like. It moved with flexibility unbefitting of wood.
"Wow. That is certainly something." Said Alphonsine while clapping loudly.
"Yeah, it is! Are you seeing this Gale? Look at my magic, you wish your master taught you this."
"Huh?" Gale's dreaming eyes returned back to reality. "You may be able to trick me into drinking toilet water but you sure in hell can't fool me."
He snatched the pencil away from the spoiled lassie. "This is a magical tool." Whimpered Gale.
"Gasp!" Alphonsine let out a flabbergasted scream and slapped both of her face cheeks with her hands.
"The fuck are you talking about?"
"No, that pencil was given to me by my grandpa so he might be correct, Rose."
"The serial killer?" Asked Rosemary with concern in her voice.
"Alph's correct." Ignoring the cries of his friend, he flipped the pencil over. "Here look at this weird mold."
He pointed his finger at a black spot on the pencil which resembled a triangle with a line in the middle if and only if you squint your eyes extremely hard.
"The Glory emblem! Gale you smart bastard." Alphonsine and Gale then contributed equally to an epic and ear-shattering high five.
"Okay calm down a second you blind assholes. That could just be any dirty black spot. Also, it doesn't even look anything like a triangle."
"Tch Tch Tch Rose. You do know imagination is one of the most important things in magic." Said Alphonsine with a toothpick in her mouth.
"What? I just go boom and boom and my magic works like an underpaid slave wearing the clothes of a butler. Albosulty sad and perfect."
"That's dumb. Like, take me for example." She flexed her arm and pointed proudly at her gun. "Here look at my arm. I just don't cast magic and strengthened it. I must feel the magic."
"I feel it moving all around. My blood is boiling and my cells are working overtime. I feel and imagine my muscles being covered and drenched in the magical gooness that is magic."
"Okay. Fine. That might be correct and all that shit but that is still just a piss stain in a wild goose chase."
"Hmmm." Gale let out an amused vibration from his throat. "Yeah, this symbol might not convince you but." Moving his thumb off the pencil, he revealed the bare skin of the seductive wood.
> This pencil is owned by Hess Glory.
"See this pencil was owned by our grandpa."
"Hess..." Rosemary snapped her finger. "The racist." She wiped the sweat off her forehead and relaxed her body on the table. "Phew. I thought you were talking about the serial killer."
"Anyway speaking of our grandpa, that pencil is definitely a magical tool. I can feel it in my fingers."
"Okay, so what if it was a magical tool? It doesn't matter, we're here to study, not figure out what a pencil does."
"Yes, that may be true." Alphonsine lifted her left leg and stomped it onto the table. "But as scholars of magic, we should figure out this mystery."
"So true Alph!" Gale jumped onto the table, kicked his books away, and struck a pose with Alphonsine. "We are the researchers of magic!"
"Idiots..." Rose got up from her floor pillow. She turned her back towards her friends and let out a long exhale. She then did a backward backflip toward the table.
Landing on her feet, she placed her hands on her hips. "Magic pencil reveal yourself to us! The best magicians!" They yelled out in imperfect unison.
----------------------------------------
Rosemary stood in front of a stone door. She was alone and her face was covered by a mask.
*Knock Knock*
Her gloved hands bounced on the door over and over again. With every thump, she produced, her patience grew thinner.
"Open up!" She pulled back her arm and prepared herself for an immense punch to the stone door.
*Creak*
Her first traveled through the air and into the face of the person who opened the door. With one explosive punch, she assaulted Carver in the face.
"Greetings to you as well." Wiping the blood off his face, Carver greeted his bitchy guest.
"It's me, Rosemary." She ripped the mask off her face and threw it into a nearby open window. "I need help from you."
"Ohh. I see." Carver fixed his hair and donned his leather plague doctor mask. "You need help with alchemy."
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
"What? No no no! I just need to borrow an orange from you."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
----------------------------------------
"Now, which door is the correct one?"
Alphonsine surveyed the corridor with amber eyes. Like a wet shriveling cat, her face was filled with confusion. She turned the doorknob on one of the identical doors.
"Greetings student." Creeping from the room, a being draped with white curtains blocked Alphonsine.
"What a fascinating girl you are." The being squatted and faced her with an equal-level gaze. "Are you perhaps not from around here?"
"Nope. I was born and raised here. But I did recently get a curse. I and all my classmates did."
The being shook wildly before suddenly halting to a sudden stop. "How interesting. Please do say how you got it?"
"Oh, I got it from this." She gripped the doorknob and slammed the door shut on the elongated being.
"Let's see here." She moved her very over to the next door and turned the doorknob. " Why hello there crimson lady." The same being greeted her from inside the room.
"Hello there too." She closed the door shut and moved to the next door.
"What fine weather we're having today."
"Is that so." She tried to shut the door again but was interrupted by a gray spike coming from the being's arm(?) "Please don't close the door. I just want to have a chat with you."
"I don't talk to people who covered their faces." She forced the door shut which resulted in the gray spike snapping from her strength and the door's durability.
With a heavy inhale and exhale, she sluggishly walked to a door far from the other doors. With a lack of understanding, she turned the doorknob and pulled the door open.
As soon as she opened the door, a bowl of ramen flew right into her face, covering her and drenching her in a good meal.
"Why hello there again."
With gritted teeth, she raised her hand which was currently being filled by the magical gooness she mention earlier. "Hey how about a game of arm wrestling."
"Is that so?" The being shut the door.
"..."
"No, you don't!" She grabbed the doorknob and spun it like a Beyblade. With the strength of her right arm, she pulled the door off, and immediately then after she heaved her left fist at the person inside.
*Whack*
With a heavy blow, a small child with red crimson hair was sent crashing into the ground.
"Shit. I just punched my past self."
Walking inside Alphonsine was greeted by the sight of a green hill with a big pink tree on top. Sleeping below her was a girl with red crimson hair, amber eyes, and a huge bump on her head.
"Hmm. 4, no 5... Once again." She steadily climbed the green hill and towards the tree, its pink petals falling and slapping her in the face.
"Master!" A high and loud voice erupted from somewhere behind her. Soon after a young child with a blue hat passed Alphonsine.
"Master, Alphonsine is conked out on the ground." The child ran up using his tiny legs up the hill. Stopping in front of a woman wearing a star-covered robe, he sat down on the picnic blanket.
"Crazy! Want me to check on her."
"Yes please."
"Alright." The woman stood up and patted the child on their hat. "Watch the tree for me." She jumped into the air and floated towards Alphonsine.
"What a pleasant surprise." Her feet touched the ground next to the visitor. "Look how big you are Alph."
"Yes." She placed her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Are you real?"
"Real as I ever was! But that question irks me. So you haven't discovered time travel after all. Maybe this is just an illusion."
"Maybe... Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Hmm, let me think about it... Of course, anything for my cute niece. Be it a recipe for immortality, spells that could change the world beyond ours, or even the secret to everything."
"Nah I just want a Haddock."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
----------------------------------------
Alphonsine left the room carrying a 35-inch long haddock. She shut the door firmly and plopped the fish on the floor. She then turned the doorknob and pulled the door open.
"Oh is that you weird girl? Why a-"
"Clench your teeth asshole!" She jumped into the room, shutting the door behind her.
----------------------------------------
Gale idled in the middle of a huge crowd. Sitting on the edge of a water fountain, he looked and gawked at the people who were minding their own business.
"Crap." He bounced up from the fountain and stumbled over to one of the buildings. Rushing inside he passed multiple citizens.
Silently standing inside the store, he calmed his nerves and prepared his voice. "Do you sell skruenøgler here?" He asked pathetically to the shopkeeper.
"What was that?" The shopkeeper leaned forward toward the red highlighter marker-haired kid.
"Oh, I said d-
"Actually never mind." After the rude shopkeeper interrupted him, they proceeded to back away. "I'm sorry kid but I don't have anything for you."
"What?"
"Listen kid I don't run a charity here. I know you're homeless but I can't give you anything here."
Gale looked down and examined his clothes. His academy uniform was covered in tears, burn marks, and holes. His pants were currently replaced by the fur of a nearby dead animal.
"Oh. No, I'm not poor." He slid towards the counter, carrying a heavy bag of gold. "Contrary to what you assume, I'm rich." He placed the bag on the counter.
"Eh, I still can't sell anything to you." He pointed his finger at a small red eye on the wall. "See that eyeball over there. It eats the 731st customer every year."
"Oh, I see." Gale bowed his head and turned away from the shopkeeper.
Stupid fucking ugly shopkeeper. Who would believe that stupid lie? Is not my fault I'm wearing these clothes... Well, it might be my fault but why did that matter? I have the money so why can't I buy stuff here?
While biting his nails and complaining inside his head, he collided with the store's wall.
"Oww." He fell to the ground, with pain in his head and a slight delight in his soul. "Ain't that something." Looking at the ground he could see a small red orb
----------------------------------------
*Floosh*
Learning in the doorframe, Gale's eyes were spiraling and his mouth was positioned into a smirk. "Hey loser, sell me that Skruenøgle or else!"
"What! How rude o-
Gale zipped towards the shopkeeper faster than my car during the 1893 road rage accident. His hand which was covered in salt and seashells was covering the shopkeeper's mouth.
"You have a funny face!" Raising his tail, he gripped the poor clerk's face harder. "It would be even funnier if it was stung and filled with my fluid."
He began to caress the victim's face using the point of his stinger. When suddenly he felt a small tapping on his shoulder. He moved his eyes and was greeted by the shopkeeper's hand which was pointing downwards.
"What?" Right below him was the barrel of a shotgun fueled with magic and an owner's right to murder rowdy customers.
*Bang*
He fell to the ground after his nutritious meal full of iron and lead. "Heh." Rising like an Hourai immortal, he headbutted the shopkeeper.
"Bow before a being above you, you lowly bitch."
"What the fuck do you want from me kid?"
"I want blood!" He lowered his back and raised his hands at the sky. "I also want that skruenøgle."
"Seriously?"
"Yeeeeeeeah!" With one mighty junkie punch, he caved open a hole in the counter.
"Fine, you weirdo." The shopkeeper bent downward and took out a metal object with a stick and 1/4 open hole. "That would be... You know what? Just me any amount of money."
"Have this funny coin." He slid 2 gold coins toward the shopkeeper. "And keep the change, my good friend."
"Uh, this not enough but." The shopkeeper looks down at his gun and back at Gale's bloody face." I am feeling charitable today."
"You're welcome." He moved his armored hand and snatched the skruenøgle away.
*Shoosh*
The eyeball on the wall shot out a red tentacle from its pupil. The tentacle pierced Gale in the stomach before exploding into multiple hooks. "My shirt!" The tentacle pulled Gale toward itself and devoured him whole.
----------------------------------------
"So you're finally back."
"Yeah... Yeah I am." Gale plopped down to the floor. His body was covered in blood, and puke, and his abdomen was bleeding out.
"Have some food." Alphonsine carried a plate and dropped it next to Gale. On the plate was the skin of an orange and the bones of a fish.
Rosemary nabbed the wrench away from the gale and placed the pencil in it. "Let's find out what this "magical artifact" does."
With one turn, a shockwave burst from the pencil.