The Magician--1

Once upon a time there was a prosperous kingdom called Arcay. It was large and blessed by obscenely good weather and natural resources, so its people were nearly self-sufficient. This was due in part to the counsel of sorcerers the king kept on hand. Ten of the realm's greatest magic-users, all of the highest caliber of "sorcerer".

Most of the people of Arcay did not possess any magical talent. Magic came from a profoundly vivid imagination and incredibly strong will. Most people were just hard-working folk who didn't have TIME for imagination, and then the education required to wield magic properly alone was enough to put people off learning even how to light candles without matches. No, they left the real magic up to the people who were crazy enough to put so much effort into something that could just blow up in their faces.

Most of Arcay relied on wondrous gadgets powered by the magical substances made by magic-users that could be used by the uninitiated. Horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts were still the norm, with only a few of the wealthier folk possessing automobiles. Children still played normal hopscotch and girls wore dresses while boys wore trousers and suspenders. All in all, the people of Arcay would seem rather strange to you and I, but I assure you that it makes perfect sense to them.


The story is set into motion one very sunny summer's day in a bustling port town on the coast of Arcay where it reaches the great inland sea. The town's very imaginative name is, "Harbor Town".

One young lady named Bellicose was attempting to make time go more slowly in the markets before meeting back up with her father. She treasured all the time she got to spend out of the house, and even more so the time she got to spend out of the house ALONE. She was not a practitioner of magic, though she had a ginger tomcat wrapped around her neck who occasionally shouted words that appealed to him. "PORPUS!" he was bawling with great relish. "PORPUSPORPUSPORPUS!" Bellicose reached into one of the pouches that hung from her belt and pulled out a bright paper wrapper. She selected a golden nugget from the wrapper and popped it into the demon's mouth as he cried, "PO-! Mmm." He chewed. "Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmm." The taffy glued his jaws together handily.

Bellicose continued on her way, weaving around other inhabitants of the port town as they went about their business. She visited an open-air clothing pavilion, the proprietor having just enough magic to employ lesser demons as security guards in the forms of large dogs. She quickly bought a scarf and a pair of cranberry-colored stockings before her demon could start a fight with the other demons. Shopping bag in hand, she decided to take a short-cut to her favorite bakery. As she walked down the little side street, she rummaged for her taffy to dose her cat, as he had started up again. "BAD DOG!" he yelled gleefully. "BAD DOG BAD DOG!" She had just pulled out the wrapper of taffy when the crowd noises in the main street changed.

"YOU BEASTLY MAGICIANS!" a woman was screaming. The crowd scattered, some rushing past Bellicose down the side street. She peeked her head around the side of a building to see what was going on. "Always pandering and brewing your awful snake oil!" The awning in front of the green grocer next to the bakery had fallen. Peaches rolled everywhere and the air smelled like crushed fruit. A person was struggling to get out from under the awning but the grocer's wife's rollingpin had taken a liking to him.

"Agh! I'm sorry! Let me go!" A snowy white head poked out from under the fallen awning. Arms came out shortly to protect the head from the rolling pin. "I'll pay for damages, but I'm in a hurry!"
"Damn right you're in a hurry! You're in a hurry for me to beat you black and blue!" The magician uttered a furious noise and made a violent chopping motion with his hand. The awning leapt back into place, fruit stands righting themselves as peaches jumped back into them. The grocer's wife stared in dumb silence for a moment and the magician used her moment of inattention to scramble upright and dart away.

Right into Bellicose.


Her demon immediately sprang into action, leaping onto the magician and clawing at his face and neck. Bellicose had been knocked into the side of the building from the force of the impact and had to take a moment to catch her breath. The magician squawked and pulled at the demon cat. The demon screeched, "DIE DIE DIE!" at the top of his lungs and held on tight.
"Tosh! Get off!" Bellicose yelled over the racket, grabbing the cat by the scruff and yanking. The demon only howled louder and the magician cried out in pain. She pulled Tosh's paws off of the magician one by one, getting blood all over her hands. "What is the MATTER with you!"

The magician leaned against the wall, gasping and wiping the blood the dripped from his eyes with a handkerchief. "Miss, I apologize. But I am in a hurry." He wrung out the handkerchief and the blood disappeared, leaving it pristine white again. He bowed to Bellicose like a courtier, one hand over his heart. "I must leave." He smiled at her as charmingly as he could, but it didn't read his eyes. Eyes as wide and blue as the ocean. Then they darted to her hands. "You're bleeding."
"No," she grumbled. "You just bled on me. HEY!" He grabbed her hand and held it up to the light. He concentrated fiercely on it for a moment then started walking quickly, dragging her along. "Hey! Let go of me! Tosh, attack!" The orange cat leapt off of her shoulder, claws out and ready to tear out the magician's eyes.
"Nyahahahaarrr! Gonna get--"
"Desist!" the magician, waving his hand at Tosh. The demon contorted unnaturally. Then with a sudden shriek, he compressed into a sphere like a an orange ping pong ball. It tucked itself into Bellicose's shirt pocket. She stared in open-mouthed horror. She clawed at the magician's hand without success.
"This is kidnap! LET GO!"
"I cannot let you go. They are after me and my blood has gotten on you," he said, intense eyes eternally questing for an escape as they marched down back alleys and side-streets. "You are in danger."
"I'm always in danger!" Bellicose scoffed. "And you killed my cat! Let me go! My father will have your HEAD!"
"Your demon is perfectly unharmed," the magician said tightly. "Where is that demon...." Bellicose tried to kick him but he stepped away without even looking at her. There was a rich, bubbling chuckle that seemed to come from the very walls of the buildings they passed. The shadows thickened and the noon light started to turn orange.

The magician cursed and broke into a run. Bellicose was forced to keep up or fall. "Open sky!" the magician was muttering to himself. "Open sky and the harbors and--!" He stopped suddenly and Bellicose slammed into him. They had reached the very edge of the port town. This edge was, quite literally, and EDGE. A cliff decorated with only a railing to keep people from falling off the sheer face and into the turbulent water below.
"My father is going to have your HEAD!" Bellicose threatened. She had to shout to make herself heard over the roar of the water and the wind. Fingers of air grabbed her skirts and tried to flip them up. The magician ignored her.

"I call upon the demon of soot and empty sky!" He yelled into the wind. The rich chuckle turned into a high-pitched cackle that made Bellicose's hair stand on end. The shadows peeled off of the nearby buildings and reached for them. Bellicose shrieked and tried to yank her arm free. The shadows looked slimy. "Your master bids you come—MUZENRAMU!"
"GET OFF!" The magician looked back at Bellicose at last. She kicked at shadowy hands that crept up her ankles. He wrapped his arm around her chest, put one foot on the railing, and jumped.

Bellicose howled in fury and frustration as the suicidal maniac of a magician sent them both plummeting to their deaths. Then a monstrous shriek filled her ears and everything turned black. She could only hear the awful screaming and wonder if her body was along for the ride in the sudden pitch-blackness. Her stomach took up residence in her throat and toes in turn as she was tossed high into the air and fell so quickly that her breath completely escaped her.

And then, suddenly, it was bright again and the ground was solid under her feet. Wooden and hollow like the deck of a ship, but solid. The magician was covered in soot like a chimney sweep. He shoved her back and she fell on a pile of old rugs in a tiny room. He door slammed shut, leaving her in complete darkness. A moment later, an oil lamp flickered into life, giving the room a cheerful glow. Bellicose dragged herself to the door and tried to open it, but there was no handle. There wasn't even a seam to show where the door had been.

"LET ME OUT!" She screamed, pounding on the wall. She left black handprints behind. She too was covered head to toe in soot. Oh, that made her just livid! "LETMEOUTLETMEOUTLETMEOUT! LET. ME. OUT-" Bellicose fell onto the thick pile of rugs again when the room shuddered and lunged forward. She could hear things gurgling and whirring and creaking in the walls. The noise unnerved her and she quieted down, the full realization of what was happening finally dawning on her. She was being kidnapped by some magical madman in a giant wooden THING and was never going to be let out. Ever.

Well. Might as well get comfortable.

She dragged the old rugs into a more comfortable pile. Why would anyone pile up old oriental rugs in such a way? They were still beautiful in all their deep colors and intricate designs. And were still nice and soft. She lay down on them and stared up at the ceiling.

Hah. She would get his carpets all nasty and sooty. That would serve that jerk right.