Scrapyard Angels Act 1 Chapter 2
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Being well educated in Zaun was a big thing and a key to many opportunities. Don't get me wrong, I was already literate. Who knew the Latin Alphabet transcends time and space? I have retained much of my education despite the years of constant struggles and hardship. It's the one thing I still held close to me, the years of education I had will never fade as long as I had a say to it but getting more education was a hard thing in Zaun.
Zaun was a capitalist "utopia", a laissez faire economy with little to no oversight. It was great having so many freedoms until those freedoms are squished by the Chem barons. The economy becomes freer the more you go down funnily enough. Anyways, like all capitalist societies, all things need money and education was premium
Yes I have my college education but it was mundane education. I did not have the slightest clue on the basic theories on hextech and magic much less the absolute basics of these subjects. I had to start somewhere and my latest hairbrained scheme landed me here in this unimportant elementary school. I had to start somewhere and to learn enough that I could just maybe get a scholarship. I need some good words from a credible teacher/institution if I wanted to ve taken seriously. I can't just let my quite frankly basic math skills but advanced science skills carry me all the way through because that would be just a recipe for disaster
I cleaned for free, absolutely free so long as I had access to the library and some basic magical tutoring if I could earn it. 3 hours of labor for 1 hour of measly time in the library and an uncertain promise that they could easily stack. It was a steal.
I worked my ass off. I wasn’t going to settle to just aiming to survive comfortably. I wanted to live. The school was cheap when it came to hiring custodial staff so it was only me and the other guy when the kids were around. He sure did leave a lot of things for me to clean. The boys bathrooms was always the worst
The bleach and chlorine might singe the hair off my nose but every last second in that library was worth it. While I despised the bathrooms and would rather sweep and wax through a dozen hallways and bathrooms, it had one thing I loved; soap. Filching entire bars of soap would have cost me this opportunity but those almost spent soap whose core somehow barely even worked was a free game. I knew that I asked for them and the staff didn’t even blink an eye when they gave them to me. As to be expected from the denizens of the Entrasol levels. Already a bit decadent with their usage of soap.
The school wasn’t big by any means. Just a few grades with a single class per grade. Kinda reminds me of the modern class system if you cram every student in a single classroom. I sort of expected my task to get easier the higher the grade of the classroom I’m working in but nope, still relatively the same despite the kids getting older. Hopefully Jinx would grow up much better than these kids. I’ll make sure of it.
‘Sweep the floor and swab the tile. Do every chore with a smile.’ You don’t let them see you frown even once. You should be happy, you should show them that you’re worth every penny but don’t work too hard. The only reason I work hard here was the fact that I hate it. I hate everything and the mounting frustration of having to deal with it fuels me. Frustration is a good motivator if you can channel. Channeling my inner Hagler, I kept working.
By the time I finished school, I was all but exhausted. I ignored the hunger pangs as I willed myself to the library. It was the only part of the school that was clean. Janna bless the librarian's soul for her industriousness and kindness. Schooling my features, I entered and was greeted by the look of the bored principal of this school.
The lack of dirt on her immaculate steampunk Victorian or rather Faux Piltover style of clothing with her wide brimmed hat topped with classy goggles, the new rebreather that adorned her face and her bleached white blouse showed just how far I still have to go. She wasn't’ some Piltie or even and high class Zaunite, she was firmly an Entresol native but she had more luxury than I could ever hope to have if I remained a sump diver.
“Took you long enough. Well, get on with it. We don’t have all day long”
There she sat in one the many seats inside the library and infront of her might just be on my biggest ticket out of here. A simple globe of glass made from multiple panels of the gass hexagons and pentagons held together by a silvery metal. Suspended within this contraption was a simple half exhausted blue arcane crystal barely the size of a pea. I didn’t waste my time and walked towards the instrument
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“Now to test your aptitude for magic you simply have to hold your hand out over to the sphere and pour your magic into it. I trust that you did your homework and actually studied how to do it” You have no idea lady. I spent every last hour I had in this library since you hired me last week studying for this. I could already feel the mana thrumming inside me. The foreign feeling inside me. The burning energy that I couldn’t tap just yet safely
Reaching out, but not touching the sphere thanks to well placed glare, I breathed in deeply before I took the plunge. RNG has guided me in this world and here’s hoping that lightning can strike twice for me and that my magic is actually worth something.
The light within the globe flickered for a bit as I tried pushing it as hard as I could. This, this couldn't be it right? This couldn’t be it yet her smile told me otherwise. Her smile, her god damn smile taunted me and it sparked that anger inside me that I didn’t know I still had. That hot burning hatred and spite welling up as I poured every ounce of anger I had into the sphere
Slowly it thrummed, glowing brighter and glowing hotter as it started floating above its cushion. Electricity arcing between my fingers and down into the orb as I wiped that smile of her face. Smiling now was worth it as I felt wetness flowing down my face. I must have jinxed myself cause the next thing I knew was I felt something give before a hand pushed me aside just as the sphere decided to turn into mere fragments of glowing hot glass
If not for her timely shield, the whole place would have been subjected to a rogue ball of lightning. I felt my heart sink as I watched the remnants of the device floating inside the bubble shield she held in her hands before it dropped inside her shield as if the strings keeping afloat were cut.
I felt numb as I sat there watching her gently settle what remains of the device on the table. “Miss Ark, that would be enough for now. You may leave while I clean this mess”
I sat up slowly and felt like it was the end of the world. I didn’t know how expensive that was but it it had an actual arcane crystal inside it, The very thing that powers the hex tech of this world and to think I might have destroyed a natural one…
“Before you leave, I’d just like to ask you to not destroy the training tool we're going to use tomorrow. Good day Miss Ark“ she called out as she held the smallest yet brightest arcane crystal I ever saw
Describing the relief was almost impossible. The euphoric feeling of not getting punished was quite the rush that I almost forgot that she just called me Miss Ark? Oh come on!
I ran back home happier than I ever had before. I bought some cheap bread and may or may not have borrowed an extra from the rival bakery across the street before hitching a ride from one of the “generous and helpful” carriages. I was soon finally back in the Sump and of course luck had to at least throw in one wrench in my way just to keep me on my toes. There waiting for me was Damon and his posse.
“Well well well, if it isn’t itty bitty Ark-! Hey get back here!” I ran while he was having his monologue. Talking isn’t a free action!
I ran while three thugs in training was hot behind my heels. Their longer legs carrying them faster than my own. Curse their two times a day meal! Their size however would be their downfall however as I found an open manhole. I jumped down the manhole with any hesitation. Their howls of anger behind me was music to my ears while I headed to my service tunnel. Thankfully all tunnels are connected together somewhat. Most of these tunnels was going to be of no use to me once I grow up but for now, I make the best out of them.
I had so much to talk about today to Jinx and we'll have food in our stomach. We could sleep peacefully for the night. I thought I was out of danger but I was wholly unprepared for the red haired missile that decide to tackle me down on the floor and beat the living shit out of me
“Vi no!” Shouted my blue haired angel as she tried to get the crazy girl off me to no avail
“Who do you work for? Answer me!” Each word was punctuated by a punch as the blazing red eyes of Vi stared down on me. Why did I forgot about Jinx’s sister?
Irene had seen a lot of mages in her time and the grey hair peppering her otherwise perfectly natural green hair could attest to that. Sweeping the remains of the old fashion device inside a box, she carried it of to the very end of a series of similar yet newer devices, one more intricate than the last and there the shattered device was set beside the biggest device with a sphere machined from a single piece of glass
“To think that even with a device made from cold iron and covered with glass with more impurities than the river below Zaun, you still managed to make a quite a spark Mr Ark."