Chapter One: Waypoint city
“Ding.”
“Final stop at Waypoint City in one hour, please prepare for departure”
The automated voice roused Lyra from her sleep. She wiped some drool from her sleeve, where her mouth had been resting, and blearily looked out of her booth. She saw a few other people yawning, stretching, and generally waking up from sleep, but she mostly saw a bunch of perfectly alert people eating breakfast or reading the newspaper. Overslept again, huh? Well, at least nobody’s going to yell at me for not doing my chores on a train. Lyra thought. I could go for a sandwich right now. She waved at a passing attendant.
“Can I get a sandwich?”
“Of course, what kind?” the attendant asked
“Uhm. Fuck,” Lyra mumbled. Then louder, “What kind of sandwiches do you have?”
“Well, we’ve got a selection of different meats, vegetables, and other toppings. Would you like me to get you a menu?” he asked
“Yeah that would be great,” Lyra responded, “and a coffee too.”
“What kind of coffee?”
“Hot chocolate.
“That’s not….okay. I’ll get you some hot chocolate”
“‘preciate it”
The attendant came back with a menu with sandwich options, and a hot chocolate. Lyra selected a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread. Sometimes I feel incredibly bland. She tried to wake herself up while she waited for the sandwich, pinching herself and sipping her hot chocolate. Her sandwich came, and she thanked the attendant. After eating half of it, Lyra felt much more awake, and was able to actually take in the scene outside of the window.
Waypoint City lay in front of her like a bronze coin, the early morning light almost making the city glow. She could see the smokestacks signalling a city’s wake up call, and she was struck by just how small her hometown was in comparison. Stalport wasn’t a small city by any means, in fact it was one of the larger port cities in the Dominion, but Waypoint City put it to shame. 5 Stalports could easily fit inside the outer bands of the city, 1 or 2 more could probably be squeezed in if she was really determined. Stalport seemed so big just a week ago, when I was leaving the train station. How little of the world have I seen? Wondered Lyra. She bowed her head and clapped her hands together, then rubbed them up and down.
“To the 8th sage, long may his glory protect us.” she muttered. Lyra had never been particularly religious, but to not pray at the sight of the 8th sage’s birthplace seemed…almost heretical. The city disappeared soon after as the train entered the tunnel that connected to Waypoint City station, but Lyra didn’t think she’d ever forget that vision of the City.
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Waypoint City was massive. It was one thing to see that from far away, it was another thing entirely to be within its grounds. She felt dwarfed by the towering buildings on either side of the unreasonably wide street laid out in front of her. Seriously, it looks like 30 people could stand side to side and not feel crowded at all. It seemed far too big to just support one school.
“Move along please, Miss,” A guard motioned to the station entrance, “You’re blocking the way.”
“Oh, oh my god I am,” Lyra said, “I’m so sorry it’s just so….big.”
“Of course it is, it’s Waypoint city. What did you expect, a town square, some dirt roads, and the University just down the way?” Said the guard.
“Well, no, of course not. But I mean, it’s just one school, even if it is a Mage school,” Said Lyra “I just-”
“What do you mean, “a” Mage school? This is the only school there is for Mages. There ain’t anywhere else in the world you can learn magic,” Huffed the Guard. “I would know, I went there.” And he flashed his orange armband towards Lyra.
“You went to Waypoint Academy?” Lyra squealed. “Oh my god, tell me all about it, it has to be incredible! Do they really personalise the meals to you based on your favourite foods? Are all the instructors really from the Tower?”
“Kids these days. Care more about the food than whether or not the instructors are superbeings from the most powerful congregation of mages to ever exist,” muttered the guard. “If you wanna find out, go to the damn school! Can’t do that if you never leave the train station! Move your ass!”
Lyra startled, and speed walked out of the train station. Well that was rude. Fuckin’.... motherfucker, I just wanna learn about mages! I mean, I’m here. At Waypoint city. Only place with more Mages than here is the Tower. Which I guess is why he’s working as a train guard, despite being a Mage. Lyra stopped walking. Oh my god I just cussed out a Mage! In my head, but still. Rude, Lyra, rude. How can you expect to pass the exam if you’re rude to the first Mage you see? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Can’t do that again. I can’t blow this. Lyra shook herself, and started walking again. No more mistakes.
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HOLY SHIT THIS BED IS SOFT. Oh my god, I’m in heaven. It feels like a pillow pet fucked a cloud, and this is their child. It's so friggin squishy. Totally worth the money. Lyra had bought herself a room at one of the nicer hotels, which really translated to closer to the University. She needed to be as close as she could, what with the entrance exam next week. The unreal bed was just a nice bonus.
“HOKAY, let's get cracking.” Lyra got up…fell back down, that bed is FUCKING SOFT OKAY- and then got back up again. She grabbed her bag, pulled it over, and started unpacking. Well, “unpacking.” She’d packed pretty much all of her personal belongings in that bag, so she didn’t have the energy to unpack all of it yet. For now she got out her book bag and two changes of clothes. Let’s get studying. I’ve got genuine Grimoires ohmygodthisissocool- from that one mage, and I know for a fact the written exam is gonna be a problem. I should probably study for the practical too huh…. I’ll work out time for that at some point. Lyra started studying.
5 minutes later she wasn’t doing anything. I can’t fucking study. I’m in Waypoint City, I’ve gotta explore, what's this place like, I can’t even imagine. She needed to study though. It was important, it was make or break! Ok she could do this, she could just fucking focus goddamnit Lyra- You know what, fuck this, we’re going to explore. I’ve got a whole ass week, I can spare one day to see the city of my dreams. Lyra got up, grabbed her wallet from the table, and left the room. It took her a couple of tries with the door, so the little card thing goes here? No. Do I swipe it or?? But she figured it out, stepped out into the hallway…. and immediately slammed into a cleaning lady.
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“Oh my god I’m so sorry are you ok!” said Lyra
“I’m fine sweetie, don’t worry about it,” Said the cleaning lady- That’s not a cleaning lady. Who the fuck was that, and why the fuck is she so hot.
“I- Uhm. Sorry,” Lyra squeaked.
Not-a-cleaning-lady chuckled, “Apology accepted.”
“…uh.”
“Not that I mind, but do you plan to stay on top of me for the rest of the day?” asked the not-a-cleaning-lady
“Fuck. Shit. Tower, I’m so sorry,” Lyra scrambled backwards, “I didn’t mean to- I- fuck.” she’s so pretty holy shit.
“Well I’m glad you think I’m pretty, sweetheart, but I think you’re a little young for me,” laughed the woman.
“I said that out loud!?”
“No, sweetie, no. But you’re in Waypoint city now. Best buy yourself a charm if you want to be out and about, don't you think?”
…
Well that’s fucking terrifying. Did she just imply that people can read my mind? Did she just imply that she can read my mind? Oh Tower the really-hot-lady-I-knocked-over can read my mind stop thinking stop thinking shUT THE FUCK UP LYRA-
"Well I'm very happy to meet you Lyra. Tell me, why are you here in Waypoint City? Here to join the University perhaps?" asked the Lady
"It's kinda rude to read people's minds," said Lyra. Then she blinked. That was a little rude to say, wasn't it?
"Why it was rather rude of you to say that, my dear Lyra." said the woman, "And you didn't even answer my question." She was pouting at her. She was pouting at her what the fuck why is that so cute that's not fair! She's got the most elegant face I've ever seen. How the hell does she turn into a goddamn puppy out of nowhere?
"I- Uhm. What did you say?"
The woman chuckled. "I wanted to know why you're here in Waypoint City, Lyra."
"OH- Right," damnit Lyra "I'm here for the University, yep."
"Mmm. Well, I'm glad we met then," said the Lady, and then Lyra was looking at an empty hallway.
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Well…that was fuckin’ weird. Waypoint city, weird place. Yup. Just, meet women who can read your mind and want to talk to you for no reason, and then she just fuckin leaves. Not another word! Where the fuck did she even go, like she was here one second, gone the next. Lyra was a little freaked out now. The lady mentioned a charm? Lyra would've very much liked a charm, she doesn’t want anyone else reading her mind, especially when she’s thinking about how hot she is. Fuck she was hot. She was tall and she was…. She was… I don’t remember what she looked like. Why don’t I remember what she looked like, what the fuck it was tWO MINUTES AGO-. Ok. Let's think about this, work this out. Did I see her face? Yes, absolutely did for certain. I distinctly remember being on top of her. So why don’t I remember? I should remember. Maybe….ok so she can read my fucking mind, so maybe she can fuck with what it remmbers too? Or what it sees in the first place?
….
Ok that’s absolutely terrifying, I need to buy a fucking charm.
“Wait but what if it’s a scam?” Lyra said, out loud, to the empty hallway. “What if this lady pretended to read my mind, somehow guessed exactly what I’m thinking,” not exactly hard I guess, I’m very obvious, “and then somehow disguised herself so I never saw her face even though I definitely remember seeing her face even if I don’t remember what it looks like.”
“...”
“Yeah I’m buying a charm.”
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Ignoring the beautiful-woman-who-could-read-her-mind, Lyra loved Waypoint City. It was big, bustling, and loud. She could hear the sizzling of a grill cooking some unidentifiable meat, the conversations shouted over the din of the bustling sidewalks. There was the whistle of a faraway train in her right ear, and the laughter of a street show off to her left. It was nice to drown herself in the noise and movement of the city after the frankly unsettling start to her day.
Lyra wandered with the flow of the city for a few hours, immersed herself in the stream of people with no particular endpoint in mind. She stopped by a cart on the side of the road for some lunch. It was surprisingly good, for how cheap it was. A sandwich with some ham and cheese, nothing else. She got a weird look from the guy manning the cart, but eh. It’s fine. She didn’t have any idea where she was though, and she needed to get back to her hotel soon so she could finish settling in and start studying for the exam.
“Hey, do you know where the train station is?” Lyra asked the sandwich salesman.
“It’s down that way, just follow the street till you see the really wide road, then turn left and it should be down that road in front of you,” sandwich salesman said, “You new here?”
“Yeah, I just got here today. Trying to take in the sights, you know? Waypoint City is way bigger than my hometown, and that place was a port city,” replied Lyra “Kinda crazy, don’t you think?”
“That it is. It’s a bit overwhelming if you’re here for the first time, but I’ve got a friend who sells maps to tourists. Do you want me to introduce you?” he asked
“I’m not a tourist, but that would be a lifesaver, yes please.”
“Alright, she’s right over there,” he gestured towards a shopfront on the side of the street. It was…well it was as loud as the city around it. Pink on white posters screamed about “Buy 3 of Any Item and get 1 Free Mellainus Plush” and “Come to Henry’s to Nurture You’re Drinking Problem”
“Mr. Henry is a little strange, but his assistant Mary is always willing to help tourists who come to Waypoint City,” said the sandwich seller “She was one herself, loved it so much she ended up staying. Wants to help other people who do the same, I bet. That’ll be 8 bits ma’am.”
“What?”
“For the sandwich. You haven’t paid.”
“Oh, right,” a little flustered, Lyra handed over the money. After she was finished with her sandwich, she walked over to the shop and examined the door tentatively. Henry’s Hoard huh? She opened the door and motherfucker that doorbell is loud. She startled forwards, tripped over a box in front of her and fell to the ground in a heap. Tower, that startled me. Who the fuck makes a doorbell that sounds like that? It sounded like I stepped on a cat’s tail, why in the name of all that is holy would you make that the sound of your doorbell? Hope that isn’t going to be how the rest of this shopping experience will go.
Lyra picked herself up from the floor and dusted herself off. She looked up and…this place is kind of a mess. There were bookshelves everywhere. They weren’t in orderly rows either, they seem to have just been kind of thrown wherever they fit. It wasn’t books on the bookshelves either, it was just clutter. There was what looked like a childrens wind-up toy on the shelf at her eye level, next to a crystal ball and- that better not be a fucking dildo. Lyra looked a little closer and yep that’s definitely a dildo, HOKAY MOVING ON. She shimmied her way through the shop, trying her best not to knock anything off the shelves while also not looking at anything, and eventually found herself in a surprisingly clean room.
The room was warmly lit by a few gas lamps on the walls, and had a bookshelf in the corner with actual books on it. The floor was completely clear of clutter, showing the wood flooring that the rest of the store presumably covered. On the wall directly in front of Lyra, there was a massive desk. Almost more of a bar than a desk, it covered the whole wall and had a selection of wares sitting on it. Looked like there was a globe, a couple of mugs that said Henrys Heavenly Hoard gotta get one of those I fucking love mugs and a tray of watches. These were actually organised, instead of seeming to just be dropped wherever was easiest. Behind the desk bar, whatever, there was a woman. She had a faintly amused air about her, warm brown eyes silently laughing behind round glasses, and an open book in her hands.
“I love seeing people come out of Henry’s section of the shop, they always look so frazzled,” said the woman
“Henry’s section?” asked Lyra
“Mmm. The whole shop is technically his, “Henry’s Hoard” and all, but I’m the only one who’s willing to put up with his eccentricity,” the woman said, “I’m also the only reason he makes any sales. Nobody can find anything in that mess, so I find it for them,” She gestured towards the bookshelves Lyra came through. “I’m Mary, how can I help you?”
“Oh. Uh, I wanted a map? I’ve heard that you sell those here. Oooh, and also maybe a mug, those are cute. And maybe…” Lyra chewed on her lip, “Do you have any, like, charms or something that stops people from reading your mind?”
Mary blinked. “Well, we can definitely get you the first two, but what do you mean by ‘something that stops people from reading your mind?’ Do you mean like…a dream catcher or something?”
“No I mean. Something that’ll block my mind from people reading it? Like, a spell or a charm or something.”
“I wasn’t aware people could read your mind, but I can ask Henry if we have anything like that,” Mary said, “Why do you want one?”
I- That isn’t normal here? That Lady kinda implied it was thought Lyra, “Uh, I met someone who guessed what I was thinking, and she told me to buy a charm if I was gonna be in Waypoint City?”
Mary gave Lyra a pitying look. She got up from her desk and grabbed a mug and started walking over to “Henry’s area.” “Sounds like someone tried to scam you,” she said, “Magic can do a lot of things, but I’ve never heard of anyone being able to read someone’s mind. Sounds like something out of a story book, if you ask me.”
“Really?” I guess I was right about it being a scam, “Just the map and the mug are fine then.”