July 16, 491 U.C.
Rain falls often in the city of Valta. It cascades onto the city and forest alike, cleaning and helping things move on. And on the sixteenth, I smiled at it contently, enjoying the drumming on the windows and roof. It was cathartic after my first disaster. I embraced it, letting it slowly clean the slate.
And as it always does, the rain began to taper, slowly fading away. The sirens became noticeable once again as they blared their warnings. Then my door swung open, causing me to jolt.
My dad stepped inside as I slid back into my chair. Suffice it to say that after yesterday, I had no desire to go out looking for a fight today. So, I told him that. “Dad. I have to wait.”
“You need to find the nest,” Dad said.
“I’m already behind on my changes. Magic grows slowly.”
Dad frowned and deliberated for a moment. “Swear that you aren’t lying.”
“I’m not. My familiar warned me. I can still feel it too,” I said with a growing scowl. I did not want to risk my life to get nothing.
Dad sighed. “You can have a week. But I expect you to explore the forest soon. It’s time to start getting used to it.”
“That’s dangerous,” I replied, spinning to face him.
He nodded. “It is. That’s why you need to start getting used to it. Go fishing and practice your enchanting for today.”
I scowled at him. Then my scowl faltered as he gave me that look that said I’d be in for hours of training if I disagreed. So, I just nodded back and stood up.
“And I want you to practice enchanting as part of your studies,” Dad said. “Do that when you get back. We’ll need enchanted gear.”
“Okay.” I grabbed my fishing gear and some credits from my desk. Then I headed out into the streets. The smell of rain hung thick in the air, creating a nice ambiance. I enjoyed it while I dodged around rivulets and puddles.
Journeying down the streets, I looked up to watch some birds flit by. The yellow lizards flapped off towards the other side of the forest. A flock of rotk circled something. Wishing that they were closer, I turned a corner, nearly running into a policeman on a scooter.
“Fishing again?” The officer sighed.
“Yes, sir. How are you, Officer Kilpatrick?” I asked while smiling at him.
“Why?” he asked, ignoring my question.
I groaned. “No, I’m not having this chat again.” I shook my head and picked up my pace. The whirring of his scooter increased as he kept pace.
“But why?” Kilpatrick asked. “No one fishes here.”
“That’s not true. There are several that do.”
Kilpatrick smirked. “No one sane fishes here.”
I scowled at him. “Mean. That was very mean, sir.” I continued walking while he scooted along. Then I waved to a boy my age.
“Are you fishing, Casey?” Fred yelled from across the street.
“Yes. Want to try it? The license is cheap.”
“Nah… Wait. Can I record it for my stream?” Fred skipped puddles while approaching.
“Sure.” I dodged a large puddle, bolting forward to avoid scooter spray.
Fred caught up with me and joined me on the walk. “Are you playing the new strategy game?”
“Space Colonization? Yes. It’s fun. I just made a settlement on Vuln though. So we may all die when the magic hits.”
Fred chuckled. “You should join for it. We’re trying to get viewers.”
“How many do you have? Is it hard to get viewers?”
“I’m playing with Jeff. Our record is twelve,” Fred said dourly. “The guardians or pros get most of them. Maybe Vuln will help.” He perked up. “They can watch you kill a fish.”
“You can introduce them to Officer Kilpatrick. He’s escorting me.” I gestured to Kilpatrick with my thumb.
Kilpatrick grunted. I chuckled and skipped off towards the river, vaulting over puddles.
“Why do you fish?” Fred vaulted over one.
“I’m hoping it will help me get magic.” I crossed my fingers at him.
Fred’s smile doubled. “That would be cool. Do you think it will? Can I get it that way?”
“No idea,” I lied.
“Aw.” Fred followed me down a few streets to the river. Then he peered into the water, following me up to the concrete wall around the city. “What now?”
“I tie up my sling so I don’t get dragged in.” I walked over and tied it to some loose rebar.
“We really need to get that fixed,” the officer said with a frown.
Tying off my spear, I ignored the surly fellow. Then I searched the water for fish, peering into the waving weeds.
“You just wait?” Fred asked while leaning against the wall. He yawned.
“Yes. The laws stop much else. I could do more if I went outside the walls, but I’d rather not.” I studied the elevated water levels. The rain had added plenty. In the distance, a small frog-turtle thing went into it with a splash. I searched, peering into the tunnel under the wall.
Fred knocked against the wall. “Have you been out there?”
“God, no.” I wasn’t looking forward to that visit. Lowering the tines into the water, I pushed away some leaves that were blocking things. I removed leaves and seaweed.
“Hello,” a girl said as she walked forward.
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I nearly toppled into the water as my cat-like reflexes and experience kicked in. Recovering from the adrenaline-filled wake-up call, I glanced over. The girl was wearing a lavender dress and a pair of tights. Her hair was white, pulled into a swinging ponytail. Her ears protruded far more than any human. Looking like a mix of fae and human, the magical girl strode forward.
“Hi, Jacqueline,” I said with wide eyes. I hadn’t ever talked to a guardian before. And now one was standing right in front of me. I believe I was supposed to be plotting her demise, but my inner fan-girl was far too busy screaming in my head for that.
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Jacqueline waved and approached. “Have any of you seen or heard anything about the individual who fought the konodos? The platinum-haired girl?”
Ignoring the question, I embraced my inner screaming and vaulted up. “Can I get a picture?”
“Sure.” Jacqueline walked up. Then a drone flew up; a flash lit the area.
“[email protected],” I said happily at the whirring drone.
“Sent,” the drone acknowledged.
I turned back. “Are you streaming?”
“Yes. It’s not overly exciting. Are you fishing? I could kill it for you,” Jacqueline offered.
I turned back to the water and peered into the water. “It’s fine.”
“She does this a lot,” the officer added unhelpfully. “It’s suspicious.”
“Mean, Officer. Mean. I even offered to share.” I released the elastic, sending the spear zipping forward. The tines sunk into the fish. Grabbing the rope, I braced myself and hauled in the fish. Another burst of light hit the area.
“[email protected],” Fred said to the drone.
“Why fish?” Jacqueline asked, turning back to me.
“Originally? To try to be a magic girl. Now? It’s growing on me, like the people who eat the hottest peppers. Have you tried it?”
“I’ve tried a few things.” Jacqueline peered into the water.
I pulled out my knife and a biobag, and then I took the fish’s head off. It went into the bag. Then I rapidly gutted and deboned it. The head, blood, bones, and guts went into one compartment; the filet went into the other. It began collapsing, draining out the blood. I placed the bag in the cooler.
“Can I try it?” Jacqueline asked, while crouching next to me.
“Umm. Do you need a license?” I turned to the officer. “Are guardians exempt?”
“She’s fine,” the officer said very quickly.
I handed over the spear. “You could probably untie it, but they fight you. I got dragged in a few times.”
“And the mana?” Jacqueline waved her hand at the stream that began flowing into me.
I shrugged. “It’s not that bad. I’ve been here for two years.”
“I see.” Jacqueline nodded and then released the spear. It sunk into the mud as the silvery fish swam off. She frowned while I giggled.
“Keep the tines in the water,” I said. “And watch the distortion. Give it a practice shot or two.”
“Thanks.” Jacqueline began pulling it back and then releasing it to practice. “How many are you going to catch?”
“Some. We mail them to a few family members. There is an export fee, but it’s not horrible. And we have a company here.”
“It’s suspicious,” the officer added unhelpfully.
I scowled at him. “They are fish!”
Jacqueline chuckled. “I see. And the taste?”
“We’ll get you one,” I said. “Do guardians taste the mana?”
“Yes, we do. But it’s very mild.” Jacqueline moved the spear’s tines through the water.
“Then it’ll taste like fish with that,” I said. “The bigger the fish, the more m–shoot!”
She released and impaled a fish. Then she hauled it up while the drone zipped in. With the fish still flopping in one hand, her other arm clamped around me. I let out a startled yelp. Then I waved with a bright red face.
“Two fisher-girls on Vuln!” Jacqueline said with a grin. “Here’s my fishing guide, Casey! She’s great! What’s your record catch, Casey?”
“I got one that was nearly two meters once. Finish the fish off.” I held out the filet knife and grabbed another bag. “Or I can gut it.”
“Where?” Jacqueline asked.
I gestured at the two marks below its head. She took the knife and cut off its head.
“Can you help gut it?” Jacqueline asked, while looking at it.
“Sure.” I took the fish. It was nearly half a meter, coated with silver and green scales. I sliced it down the belly, scooped out guts, and then fileted it. It went into the bag that began sealing and killing microbes.
Jacqueline applauded silently. “And you can do that on the fly like this?”
“She fishes a lot,” the officer replied.
I stuck my tongue out at him. He deserved it. “I can put it in the cooler. You could drone it to a freezer.”
“I’ll do that.” Jacqueline turned. Her drone zipped in, took the fish, and flew toward the large building in the center of the city. She dusted her hands.
I took the spear and began my hunt once more. It took a few moments before I saw my next target. Releasing the sling, I shot at the eighty-centimeter fish. A small burst of blood flashed through the water as it thrashed and raced forward.
Jacqueline watched. Reaching down, she hauled it in. “And do you know anything about that girl?”
“Nope. Sorry. I was barricaded at home.” I finished off the fish and began putting it into a bag. “Fred might know more? I don’t.” Then I clamped my mouth shut before I messed up my story.
“Sorry, I didn’t either,” Fred said with a shrug.
Jacqueline sighed. “Let me know. We’ll happily take them at command. I’m sure we can handle any concerns they have.”
“What if they don’t want to fight?” I asked.
“They just did,” Jacqueline said with a chuckle.
I giggled. “True. I’m not sure what concerns she has then.”
“Any recommendations on cooking the fish?” Jacqueline watched me gut my catch.
“Nope. The standard methods work great. If you want things, there are some local butchers. I know one named Job. He works with his wife, Stacey.” I gestured towards the shop in the distance. “You can find them online, Job’s Butchery. You can also buy stuff at the community center. Most keep their shops there or at the mall.”
“Good to know. Thanks, Casey. I’ll see you around.” Jacqueline reached into her bag.
I grinned and took the outstretched, signed plushie of her. “Thanks!”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for being my fish guide!” Jacqueline called and walked away.
I put the plushie in the cooler and turned back to fishing. Fred got bored and opted to head home after about fifteen more minutes. I spent a few hours fishing, aggravating my officer-escort greatly. It wasn’t my fault that he decided to monitor all of it.
By the end, he was yelling a lot. “Get out of here, Casey!” he yelled as I pulled in my seventh fish.
“Rude. So rude,” I replied with a huff.
“I need to get them to pass a law against this,” the officer muttered.
“Mean!” I hauled in my fish and gutted it. Having had my fill of the irritable man, I headed over to Job’s shop with my officer following. I walked up to the backdoor and knocked.
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Job opened the door, filling it with his massive body. “Hello, Casey and company. Fish shipment?” he asked and stepped back inside.
“Yep!” I stepped inside. Then I followed him over to a rack and began placing down biobags.
“Need the fertilizer?” Job asked.
I shook my head. “Not today. We can break it down.”
“Rotk food it is.” Job studied the bags. “You’re getting way too good at this.”
“That’s true.” I grinned and took the new biobags. “I need to purchase.”
“Right. Your ocular computer. I have one. It’s older than you are. Are you sure about that?”
“Yep. Dad said I might break it.” I rolled my eyes.
He chuckled and handed it to me. The box was marked with multiple discounted stickers. The edges were worn horribly. Peering inside, I saw that it had the important parts. Yes, it was older than I was, but it was better than nothing. I closed it and fished out the credits. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Anything else?” Job took the credits.
“Nope. Have a great day.” I grinned at the cheerful guy and headed for the door with my things. The officer grumbled as he headed towards the station.
“See you again tomorrow, Officer!” I called loudly and chuckled.
His cry of anguish sent a flock of distant rotk soaring up into the sky. I giggled and enjoyed my walk home. There is nothing like the smell of forest after the rain. And given the size of the forest around us, it smelt amazing. So, I meandered a bit, enjoying it while heading back.
Walking inside, I took out my enchanting book. Then I took out my knife. Enchanting is a tricky thing. You have to create patterns with your mana. They’re like advanced cross-stitching. Feeding mana into the knife, I carefully replicated the pattern in my book, zigging and zagging mana into an overly complicated circle with a strange crossing mesh inside. Then I gestured and fed mana into another spell surrounding the knife. As it completed, my mana dropped to nothing. Like my smile, the pattern inside the knife began dissipating, falling away completely moments later.
With a sigh, I lay on my bed and turned my focus inward. This time, I found myself falling into the circling orb inside of me. I embraced it and swirled down into a meditative state.
~~~
I grinned as I saw my little pool. It had grown. I touched it.
Mana: .1/19.7 Regeneration Rate: .16 per minute.
“Cheater!” Ela shouted as she fluttered over.
“I’m winning!” I smirked and touched my tree while she pouted. It didn’t reveal anything else new. Then I studied my pool. It was swirling. Some silver streaks seemed to be mixing and churning. With a smile, I drifted off to sleep.
Current Level 2 Current XP 73.15% Current Max Mana 19.70 Regen per minute 0.16 Growth Time (Days) 10.00 Potential Mana 4.67 Reputation 50
Tier Skill Cost Tier 1 User Time Dilation
- User experiences 4 seconds for 1 earth second. - Costs 1 mana per earth second.