“What am I doing here?“ Boshi wondered to herself as she looked around the busy market. Right, she was here to pick up components for her initiation test next Tuesday. She was really looking forward to her initiation test. She just knew she was going to be a healer like most her family. Her mom and dad had started teaching her basic healing spells before she was ten. She could already patch up minor damage like road rash without foci. Her friend Cody, a fledgling wall runner, had expressed his appreciation for Boshi’s ability to let him ‘Unfeel the burn’.
“What am I doing here?” Boshi asked herself again. She was standing in front of Ernie's urn emporium (For all your containment needs! Big and small, enslave them all!) and she knew she'd been heading towards Totems R Us (only slightly used, now in berry blue!). As she looked around, she realized she must have spaced out at Melon’s Magical Meats (Magically delicious and almost guaranteed not to poison you!).
She had clearly gone left and down instead of left and up. Boshi looked around to make sure no one was watching her, as she shouldn’t be allowed to cast Tiered spells. According to her plain grey sash, Boshi should only have access to unTiered or Tier 0 spells. Since no one was paying any attention to her, Boshi began the incant for slip-step, her favourite tier two spell. She stepped into the alley beside Totems R Us, emerging roughly eight meters above, right next to her favorite cafe, Starstruck. (When you absolutely, positively must remain awake, choose Starstruck!)
It was amazing how useful that spell was for getting around the megatower complex that was known as Chandra city. Sure there were elevators located next to the great pillars but between the queues and the walk, Boshi had decided that a little slip-stepping was worth the risk. Besides, she was a prodigal daughter of the most famous healing house in the tower. If she got caught they'd just give her a stern (not really) warning. “It pays to be a healer,” she smiled to herself as she stepped into Totems R Us.
The tart smell of yungerberries assailed Boshi’s nose as she stepped into the pawn store. There was a wide assortment of items on display, almost none were the Totems that had given the shop it's name. This was her favourite place to shop because the selection was always different. Adventurers from the free cities and the great wild bought and sold their equipment here.
As such, there were several components Boshi needed for foci that were always in stock here. It would have required her visiting a dozen different market stalls in several levels to acquire them all otherwise. And Boshi didn't relish walking among the open markets if she didn't have to.
“Hmph Boshi,” the grumpy old man behind the counter grunted. “Here to try to weasel another story out of me? I'll not ‘ave it!” He declared.
Boshi smiled at the old curdmudgen, “not today Grent. Today I need foci for my initiation.”
Grent grunted as he lifted himself up to look at the list she held out to him, “what, the snoots started making ya kids pay for mats yerselfs? I swear, bastards keep getting cheaper every year.”
“Oh no, nothing like that. I just want to practice as much as I can before the initiation.” Boshi replied as she eyed where she knew he kept the troll toes.
Grent paused in the middle of standing, letting out a sigh as he looked towards her. “It's no help, ya know? The initiation is about whatcha got, not about how good ya are with it.”
Boshi looked down, not wanting to meet Grent’s eyes as she replied, “Everyone says that, but how do they know? People barely understand the magic used in the initiation anymore. There hasn't been a proper inspector for two hundred years, not since……”
“Aye. Since the Bennermen incident. And we might not ‘ave inspectors but we ‘ave the records. And the records say ya are what ya are and there ain't no two ways about it.” He eyed her and turned back to her list as he grumbled, “but it's yer money and yer time.”
After Grent reviewed her list he rumbled, “That’ll be 934c for the lot. Payin crystal or emtee?” Crystal was the non-traceable currency, mostly used for small transactions, graded by colour. Cyan or c was the most common crystal used in transactions so it was the shorthand most people used when discussing prices. Emtee or MT was short for magic-based transfer, a system of direct transfer from the customer’s bank to the merchant’s bank. Not everyone had emtee since the setup and maintenance costs weren’t always worth it. Plus your customer had to have an emtee account. Adventurers though, successful ones anyways, could have crystal or MT cards on hand. And since pawn stores usually served adventurers (or thieves, but Grent would never), it wasn’t really a surprise that Grent accepted both.
Withdrawing her MT card from one of the secured spatial pockets of her jacket Boshi held it to the glowing red orb that sat in the middle of the service counter. It turned yellow, signifying that she had sufficient funds to match what Grent had keyed in on his side. She’d need to place her hand on the orb after she confirmed she had everything that Grent was supposed to give her. But she trusted him, so she held her hand on it immediately, causing it to turn to a rich forest green for a few seconds before dimming. Grent nodded in acknowledgement as he turned and started limping over to the display case.
Boshi watched as Grent unlocked the enchanted display case, or a Static as most people called them. When it was in passive mode the items inside were basically frozen in time. She recognized the small spark that signified the enchantment was switching to it's active mode. It would drain more energy but Grent could only retrieve items from within while it was active. Boshi had a basic version in her dorm room, but instead of stopping time it only slowed it. Boshi wasn't sure what the exact ratio was but it was something close to a month passing outside before an hour passed inside. She'd heard tales of adventurers who'd stuffed friends inside their supply Static to keep them alive long enough to reach a skilled healer. It was so effective that most adventurer’s didn’t travel without one. Not if they ventured outside the tower at any rate.
That was because most healers didn't join adventurers on their crazy missions. And Boshi couldn't see why a healer would bother when there were already so many people in the tower that needed healing. Not to mention how well healers were paid.
As Grent returned with all the items on her list he advised her, “Now remember, get that Troll toe into yer Static as soon as ye’re able. Ya don’t wanna be causin a ruckus now do ye?”
“Of course not,” Boshi replied with a hint of a smile. She remembered when Cody had misplaced his troll toe. He’d ended up doing dishes for a week at Grenshin’s Noodles (Now with Real Meat!) after it had grown into a two foot tall troll that started breaking furniture and terrorizing diners. That was until their friend Samus had reduced it to ash with a well placed fire blast. Samus also promptly told the owners exactly who brought the troll's toe into their restaurant.
Boshi refocused as Grent bundled her order up in a simple cloth bag which hid the rare materials inside. Boshi carefully tucked the bag into one of the compartments in her backpack. Spatial pockets were fine for small objects like an MT card but most people couldn’t afford a spatial pocket that held even a cubic foot. Spatial pockets of a couple cubic inches like the ones Boshi had were very common though, she’d even seen day labourers with no magical skills who used them. Not that Boshi was supposed to hang around people like that. But Cody took her to all the best wall runs, and the best wall runs always had huge crowds betting on the runners. So she and Samus had bumped elbows with all sorts of people. Even day labourers from the undercore.
With her cargo safely secured Boshi waved goodbye as Grent gave his customary grunt while she pushed back onto the street outside.
Okay, time to get some food. Maybe a skewer from one of the street vendors. Or a dozen. Boshi was starving, and it promised to be a long night of crafting her foci now that she had her components.
Or she could get a treat at Starstruck's. Plus quality java. It was right there practically begging her to go inside. And if she was a sucker for anything it was begging. Just ask her pet kitten, Aria. That fluffy, little kitten got everything it wanted just by turning it's cuteness scale to 11 and gazing up at her with its adorable, pleading little face. Oh. She should get Aria a treat too!
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A quick stop, 5 cyan and one quick visit later and Boshi was on her way home with a cherry strudel in one hand, a fresh cup of java in the other and a treat for Aria in her pack. She was still going to get a skewer or 12 but this would hold her over until she got to her favorite stand, Stick-it-to-em.
As she approached she once again thought that the Athenian who ran the stall was the most beautiful lizard folk she'd ever seen. He was also the only lizard folk she'd ever seen. But that wasn't surprising. There were less than a dozen Athenians in the Zazzle district, and Boshi'd never had a reason to leave the Zazzle district, nevermind the tower. That didn't matter though, because she was sure he must be the most beautiful Athenian. After all, Athenian's were already naturally gifted with water and gravity affinties, two of the most powerful magics, so it’d be totally unfair if they were all as beautiful as Sita'kin as well. His dark green scales had a subtle rainbow effect, where he didn't really shine so much as occasionally glimmer.
Sita'kin flared his facial fins, creating a double rainbow shaped crest over his head as he saw Boshi approaching. “Ah. My favourite customer. How is little Boshi today?” he said while beckoning her closer. “What flavorful feast can I bestow upon you?”
“Evening Sita'kin, I'm good, thank you. I'm going to need four of your Fantastic Flaming Fillets, four Athenian Specials, three of The Garden's Eaten and …” Boshi listed off quickly as her eyes tracked across Sita'kin's other available skewers alighting on one monstrous skewer in particular. It had large fruit wedges with generous portions of some unlucky avian that practically screamed “eat me”. “And one Bob.” Boshi said sweetly while smiling up at Sita'kin. “I'll take the Bob now, if you don't mind.”
“Of course,” Sita'kin replied handing the unwieldy skewer over. It swam with caramelized sugars as she bit into a fruit she couldn't identify. That was pretty common when she ate a Bob. All the ingredients came from Bob knows where. Sita'kin knew, but he wouldn't tell his customers. He said if you wanted to know what was in your skewer, don't get a Bob. Sita’kin also imbued the Bob’s skewer with light gravity magic making the toppings “stick” to the skewer. This allowed Boshi to nibble or pluck pieces off without having to worry about losing any. Definitely worth the premium.
Boshi thought Bobs were pretty fun. It was like a taste of adventure. A world she didn't know, explored through the sticky juices of her skewer.
Sita'kin had finished packaging the rest of her order by the time she'd finished “exploring” her Bob. It was sweeter than she liked, but that's why she only got one, the joy of discovery would see her through, even if it wasn't perfect.
“That'll be 32c, shall I put it on your tab?” Sita'kin asked, gently pushing the leaf wrapped package forward. The leaf wrapping was designed to keep the insides fresh. The magic would start to feed on the food inside if left too long though, so it was a short term solution. But it’d do until she got home to her Static.
“Actually, can I pay off my tab Sita? I just got my first healer's stipend!” Boshi gushed as she placed the Bob’s handle on the counter with the other end just floating in space. Definitely worth.
“Oh my, not even initiated and already you are earning a healing stipend. Truly, you will be a most blessed healer.”
“Thanks Sita. I’m doing my best. “ Boshi beamed.
“Hmm, give me a moment to find you in my book.” he said hefting a large leather bound tome from beneath his stall front. “Ah yes, Boshi. Your tab is currently 306c. With today’s skewers that’ll be 338c please.”
“Okay, you have change for a topaz? Actually, just put it on the books. You can do that right?” she said, grinning as she handed him a small topaz crystal that hummed with faint energy. It was the first time she’d ever had a topaz on her and she was excited to spend it here.
“Of course, of course.” Sita’kin replied with a smile as he slipped the topaz away. He made a quick note in his book before levitating it back beneath the counter.
Once they were done with money changing hands, Boshi tucked the leaf wrapped skewers in one of her non enchanted pockets, picked up her Bob and waved Sita’kin goodbye.
With her supplies secured, it was time for Boshi to head to the clubhouse.
The clubhouse was a spot cut off from the rest of the tower due to damage from a random meteor strike some twenty or so years ago, back before any of them had been around. Cody had found a way through back when they’d been playing a game of stagger (now with real stun time!) when they were younger. Boshi’d heard that there were plans to get the area repaired “soon” but it kept being disregarded for more important repairs. That suited the members of club “Sparkle”, (Samus had insisted on the name Sparkle, she said that the view demanded nothing less) as it meant they got to keep using the clubhouse without needing to apply for permission or paying usage fees. Considering none of them had much income at the moment (Boshi’d received her first healing stipend, but it was still only an apprentice’s starting rate) they were hoping it’d stay “unaccessible” for a while longer. At least until they could afford to make it their own.
There were two major benefits to the clubhouse. The first was having an open space to call their own without their parents snooping in their business (well Samus and Boshi's parents, Cody was raised by the Lost, so no one really cared what he got up to).
The second major benefit was their practice space. Cody had been practicing his first spell, “Inhalius”, a simple spell that created a breathable air bubble around your head for about a minute (Cody had been ecstatic when I told him I'd teach it to him, I'm still surprised how quickly he picked it up) while exploring the area. He found the room buried under old mattresses with disused practice wands tucked away in one corner. Cody had recruited Samus and Boshi to set mattresses up as targets. They'd then spent weeks practicing with the wands, blowing feathers and cotton to smithereens with the basic spells Boshi snuck from her father's spell book.
Boshi approached Palance's park where they spent most of their time together when they weren't in the clubhouse. Parlance was an inspector who had found and fixed the great fissure of 2088. It was over a thousand years ago, but the records told the tale of his heroic journey to restore the tower. He had ventured down to the surface below braving danger and worlders to bring back the resources needed to keep the tower strong. And all he got was a park. Boshi thought it was silly that more streets were named after her family than inspectors. But that's just how things were.
The crack that lead to their clubhouse was just a small fissure hidden in the back area, behind some bushes that Cody had carefully grown. For all his clumsiness with magic, Cody was a natural when working with plants. Boshi didn't bother trying to squeeze through the fissure like Samus or Cody would. Picking another piece off her Bob, Boshi slip-stepped past the partially collapsed passage directly into their clubhouse.
After tucking the other skewers away in their shared static, Boshi set down her Bob and started clearing an area for her to perform her practice initiation. The proper ritual would tell her how her awakened mana was aligned. Mana alignment was the key to every resident's role in the tower. Boshi's family tended to have a very strong life alignment, which is why they were such powerful healers. But every person's alignment was slightly different. Her father was unmatched at healing broken bones and regeneration while her mother could effortlessly cleanse any disease. Between the two of them Boshi been one of the healthiest children to grow up in Zazzle district.
Even if her alignment wasn't healing related, she'd still be able to learn a fair amount of healing, it would just take her more effort. Alignment just made everything related to it easier. But Boshi wasn't worried about that. Every Zazzle for the last two generations had been healing aligned.
Summoning her Bob from where she left it balancing on the static, Boshi pulled off a piece of bird that had a really strong tang to it. It was kind of offensive, but that was all part of the Bob experience.
Now that she had pushed most of their assorted furniture to the side, Boshi picked the last piece of fruit from her Bob while she inspected the circular area. Not quite satisfied, she grabbed Cody's rack of adventure memorabilia, carefully wrestling it into the far corner. The rack contained little things that Cody liked to collect. To remind of us our adventures, he'd say. Even if the adventure was just going to see the college's weekly rendition of the Inspector and I (Now in 3D!), Cody would find something small to bring back. It wasn't always legal, but it was never anything important or expensive. There were a lot of commemorative mugs.
Once Boshi had the rack in the corner she went around the space, marking out a circle with her magical protractor, which was basically a piece of string tied to a weight in the centre. Then she started marking out the positions for each of her foci. She didn't want to bring them out until she was ready to start the ritual as it wasn't just the troll's toe that could have annoying side effects if left alone too long. It had always seemed a little strange to Boshi that trolls could reproduce by cutting off their toes, but it made for an excellent life mana source so she didn't question it that much.
Now Boshi just needed Samus and Cody to show up and she could begin.
"Where are they anyway?" Boshi asked the empty room, looking around.
"Hmm, it's after three, so Cody should have met up with Samus by now. Maybe something came up?"
Boshi looked around the clubhouse, nodded at her preparations and side-stepped out to find her friends.
A moment later she reappeared and grabbed some skewers before setting off again.