Curious!
The Book From the Not-Quite-Magic-Shop!
Episode 2
The morning was overcast and the sky was leaden with clouds, but the rain had slowed to a light drizzle. "What a dull day," sighed Lina as she waited for her companions at the bottom of the inn's stairs. "Ohohoho!" Naga's laughter bounced off the walls as she came down the steps. The day went from dull to bad. "Where's Gourry?" "Why would I know?" Lina sighed. "Good question. Forget I asked. Anyways, it seems like we'll be staying in town for a few days at least. I'm going to search the city for a magic shop... If you find Gourry and he asks, I'll be back in time for lunch." She left the inn quickly before Naga could reply. A light wind blew the drizzle right into her face the moment she left the shelter of the inn. "I hope I won't regret this little trip later," muttered the redheaded girl as she scoped out the streets. "But at least it'll give me some time away from Naga. It still feels weird, and I doubt I'm just being paranoid." Lina strolled down the avenues, ignoring the glances the few other locals threw in her direction. After aimless wandering for nigh on fifteen minutes, she came upon a small alleyway. A sign creaked overhead. It was old and worn, but Lina could just make out the five-pointed star that was the hallmark of all magic shops. Wiping the rainwater from her brow, she opened the door. A bell rang pleasantly overhead. The smiling clerk from behind the counter asked, "May I help you with anything?" "Naah," Lina said. "I'm just looking." The clerk nodded sagely and went back to polishing his ruby-tipped staff. Lina peered at the shelves curiously. She had no need for anything specific but shopping was a good way to release extra energy and frustration. There was the obligatory magic amulet aisle, although a lot of them looked fake and tawdry. There was a certain limit on the ratio of real amulets and fakes to weed out the pretenders, and this store had exceeded it. Shrugging, Lina continued to the next shelf which was full of various jewelry with little tags proclaiming that this necklace would 'protect you from the bite of a werewolf, but only on the second full moon of the month' and that ring was 'guaranteed to grant every wish for a one time set-up fee of only four easy payments of $19.95 and includes the set of Ginzu knives, the extra bottle of ultra-power-wash, and the super-slicer for free.' She did spot a genuine magic-amplifier, but the opal was clearly designed for white magic, something Lina was not particularly interested in. The next shelf proved just as odd (actually, it proved to be odder,) and Lina was starting to wonder at the reputation of the shop. What could she possibly do with a so-called 'lava lamp'? And what was an 'electrical socket' you were supposed to 'plug' the lamp into? Lina was really worried when she saw the next-to-last shelf. It was full of "used magic supplies" that were useless for any purposes. The magic had been taken from them, making the chalices, daggers, and odds-and-ends no more than trash. "Hey, mister?" she asked the seemingly sleepy clerk. "Just what kind of magic shop is this?" "Magic Shop?" he said. "Why, this isn't a magic shop at all! This is an antiques shop!" "Oh," muttered Lina. That explained everything. It was a little known fact to anyone but magic-users but there was a fine line between magic shops and antique shops. Magic Shops were stores full of crap and other useless junk that looked really impressive, but Magic Shops also included the Random Object of Complete Usefulness as well as decent spell books. Magic Shops also boasted an owner who knew something of magic, often a retired sorcerer. A good magic shop made sure to have a good stock of Random Objects of Complete Usefulness along with other magical items, and one shop even went as far as the claim it had nothing but Random Objects of Complete Usefulness. On the other hand, antique shops were stores full of crap and other useless junk that looked really impressive but didn't do anything at all. A really lucky sorcerer might find a Random Object of Complete Usefulness, but the odds were one in one hundred-thousand-million-trillion- plus-three. Lina was not counting on her luck. After all, her luck made her run into Naga. "I'm sorry, is there anything you need assistance with?" asked the clerk curiously. Lina rubbed her temples. "No, I'm just...looking." The sign outside really hadn't contained a five-pointed star. It was the letter "A", worn out so much she had mistaken it for one. The last shelf only confirmed that this was an antique shop. It was full of books, but every book seemed used. Some books seemed more abused than used. Some books looked like they would fall apart if every other book hadn't supported them. "This is not good," she sighed as she glanced at the titles. There were histories, the infamous long-winded history tome that no one wants to study but many do in order to look really, really smart. There were ballads, which were as long as the histories but worse because someone had actually tried to make the stories fit a rhyme and meter and added music that a bard could caterwaul while scaring off the neighbors. There were books on magic, but Lina doubted they were anything more than fairy tales. There were books on topics so obscure Lina didn't care. Actually, she didn't care about any of the books, but she cared even less for those books. It took her a moment to notice the book. It was housed between 'The Complete Chronicles of the Amazing Hero who Became The First Prince of Sailoon and His Fabulous Exploits' and '1,001 MORE uses for the Fishing Spell.' It was a plain book with white binding, the writing was bright and bold. "Four Gods Sky Earth Book," read Lina. "Never heard of that one before..." She pulled it out curiously. It looked entirely new, as if it had arrived from the printer's press earlier that morning. The pages were crisp and the cover was spotless. "Interesting," muttered Lina to herself. Curious, she went up to the clerk and set it on the counter. "I'll take this one." The clerk peered down at the book. Or at least he gave the impression of doing so, since his eyes never opened. "Ahh, the Shijintenchiso. That'll be 25 gold coins, please." "WHAT?!" "That'll be 25 gold coins, please." Lina shook her fist. "That's robbery! NO book is worth 25 gold coins!" He looked at her. "This one is." "Nonsense! You said this was an antique store, right? But this book looks new! It's not an antique! I'll give you 4 gold coins for it." "20. This book is very rare and very difficult to find." "7! It's not rare, it's not even well known! And I'm not paying a copper more." The two hagglers looked at each other. Finally, the clerk smiled, or rather, the clerk's smile became larger, as he agreed, "7 gold coins then."
They shook hands and Lina plopped the money on the counter. "This better be worth my money," she grinned darkly, challenging the clerk. He chuckled. "I assure you, you'll find it vastly entertaining." "Oh? And why's that?" The clerk grinned as he tapped the side of his nose and replied enigmatically, "Sore wa himitsu desu."
Lina left the shop huffily, feeling cheated. First she went into an antiques store then got that weird attitude from the clerk...! She checked the sign dangling over the door. Just as she thought, it was an "A" and not a star. The letters 'ntiques' had long been worn away. "So why'd you buy that book, Lina?" she asked herself, starting back towards the Dancing Fish Inn. "Some cheap dime novel, probably. And you paid seven gold coins for it! And what was that whole 'that is a secret' bit from the clerk?" "AHA! So there you are!" Naga's voice was laden with triumph, as if finding Lina was a difficult task. Actually, they were the only two people walking outside. The rain had continued to fall and kept the locals indoors. "Thought you could lose me?" Lina winced. "Hi, Naga," she said. Naga peered closely at Lina. "So, what did you buy? Hmm? Is that it in your hand? Ohohoho! It looks like some mysterious spell book, containing vast information about black magic!" "Ano, actually..." "Ohohohohohooo!" Naga's laughter echoed across the empty street. "Trying to hide it from me? We're partners, aren't we?" That stopped Lina in her tracks. "Are we?" "Of course!" proclaimed Naga, leaving no room for argument. "And that feeling we're being watched?" "Nerves," shrugged Naga. "It was rather a busy day yesterday, full of its shocks." Well, that's true, thought Lina. Still... The nagging thought resurfaced. Coincidence? Luck? Fate? A shadow skittered through the alleyway as Lina and Naga passed by. Or is it something else? She turned to get a closer look. Hey, isn't that the clerk? Is he following me? "Wait!" Lina shouted as she darted after it.
She fell flat on her face as Naga snatched the end of her manto. "Ohoho! Trying to loose me again, Lina Inverse? We really must work on this partnership thing." Lina struggled upright, but the shadow was long gone. A few fume marks puffed from Lina's hair. "Come on, Lina-san, let's get back to the inn so I can see this book you're lauding about!" The taller woman swiveled around and tramped down the road, still holding Lina's cape. Lina glanced back for one last look. Nothing. Maybe it is just nerves... Lina shook her head. Maybe it isn't.
They settled down around the desk in Lina's room. She set the book down and cast a small light spell to make it easier to read. "Universe of the Four Gods?" Naga wondered. "What kind of spells would those be?" Lina frowned. She was getting a bad feeling about the book. "No time like the present to find out!" Naga opened the cover before Lina could react. "Hm. 'This is the story of a girl, who, having gathered the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi, was given the power to summon Seiryuu and make any wishes come true.'" "Wishes?" Naga continued, "'The story itself is a spell. One who finishes the book shall be given the power as the heroine and her wishes will come true.'" She giggled happily, "Sugoi, Lina! This is a really nifty book! A spell to make your wishes come true?" Lina angrily snatched the book from Naga, warning, "Don't you know that some people curse you with 'may your every wish be granted?' It sounds dangerous." "Oh, please, Lina, don't be paranoid!" Paranoid? Lina didn't feel paranoid. You had to worry about something to be paranoid, and she hardly ever let anything worry her. She skimmed over the first page, re-reading what Naga had just said. Wait a minute... "Naga? There's no dragon in here. It says Suzaku no Shichi Seishi, not So-ryu- whatever." "Suzaku? I didn't see any Suzaku in there! What in the world is a Suzaku, anyway?" Before their argument could continue, a bright flash of light that was not lightning blinded them. "Nani?" gasped Lina as the light surrounded the two of them. The book dropped, open, onto the desk in the otherwise empty room.
Outside, a purple-haired man was watching the window of the Dancing Fish Inn. He nodded sagely at the burst of light. "Perfect," he said. Then he smiled.
The Book From the Not-Quite-Magic-Shop!
Episode 2
The morning was overcast and the sky was leaden with clouds, but the rain had slowed to a light drizzle. "What a dull day," sighed Lina as she waited for her companions at the bottom of the inn's stairs. "Ohohoho!" Naga's laughter bounced off the walls as she came down the steps. The day went from dull to bad. "Where's Gourry?" "Why would I know?" Lina sighed. "Good question. Forget I asked. Anyways, it seems like we'll be staying in town for a few days at least. I'm going to search the city for a magic shop... If you find Gourry and he asks, I'll be back in time for lunch." She left the inn quickly before Naga could reply. A light wind blew the drizzle right into her face the moment she left the shelter of the inn. "I hope I won't regret this little trip later," muttered the redheaded girl as she scoped out the streets. "But at least it'll give me some time away from Naga. It still feels weird, and I doubt I'm just being paranoid." Lina strolled down the avenues, ignoring the glances the few other locals threw in her direction. After aimless wandering for nigh on fifteen minutes, she came upon a small alleyway. A sign creaked overhead. It was old and worn, but Lina could just make out the five-pointed star that was the hallmark of all magic shops. Wiping the rainwater from her brow, she opened the door. A bell rang pleasantly overhead. The smiling clerk from behind the counter asked, "May I help you with anything?" "Naah," Lina said. "I'm just looking." The clerk nodded sagely and went back to polishing his ruby-tipped staff. Lina peered at the shelves curiously. She had no need for anything specific but shopping was a good way to release extra energy and frustration. There was the obligatory magic amulet aisle, although a lot of them looked fake and tawdry. There was a certain limit on the ratio of real amulets and fakes to weed out the pretenders, and this store had exceeded it. Shrugging, Lina continued to the next shelf which was full of various jewelry with little tags proclaiming that this necklace would 'protect you from the bite of a werewolf, but only on the second full moon of the month' and that ring was 'guaranteed to grant every wish for a one time set-up fee of only four easy payments of $19.95 and includes the set of Ginzu knives, the extra bottle of ultra-power-wash, and the super-slicer for free.' She did spot a genuine magic-amplifier, but the opal was clearly designed for white magic, something Lina was not particularly interested in. The next shelf proved just as odd (actually, it proved to be odder,) and Lina was starting to wonder at the reputation of the shop. What could she possibly do with a so-called 'lava lamp'? And what was an 'electrical socket' you were supposed to 'plug' the lamp into? Lina was really worried when she saw the next-to-last shelf. It was full of "used magic supplies" that were useless for any purposes. The magic had been taken from them, making the chalices, daggers, and odds-and-ends no more than trash. "Hey, mister?" she asked the seemingly sleepy clerk. "Just what kind of magic shop is this?" "Magic Shop?" he said. "Why, this isn't a magic shop at all! This is an antiques shop!" "Oh," muttered Lina. That explained everything. It was a little known fact to anyone but magic-users but there was a fine line between magic shops and antique shops. Magic Shops were stores full of crap and other useless junk that looked really impressive, but Magic Shops also included the Random Object of Complete Usefulness as well as decent spell books. Magic Shops also boasted an owner who knew something of magic, often a retired sorcerer. A good magic shop made sure to have a good stock of Random Objects of Complete Usefulness along with other magical items, and one shop even went as far as the claim it had nothing but Random Objects of Complete Usefulness. On the other hand, antique shops were stores full of crap and other useless junk that looked really impressive but didn't do anything at all. A really lucky sorcerer might find a Random Object of Complete Usefulness, but the odds were one in one hundred-thousand-million-trillion- plus-three. Lina was not counting on her luck. After all, her luck made her run into Naga. "I'm sorry, is there anything you need assistance with?" asked the clerk curiously. Lina rubbed her temples. "No, I'm just...looking." The sign outside really hadn't contained a five-pointed star. It was the letter "A", worn out so much she had mistaken it for one. The last shelf only confirmed that this was an antique shop. It was full of books, but every book seemed used. Some books seemed more abused than used. Some books looked like they would fall apart if every other book hadn't supported them. "This is not good," she sighed as she glanced at the titles. There were histories, the infamous long-winded history tome that no one wants to study but many do in order to look really, really smart. There were ballads, which were as long as the histories but worse because someone had actually tried to make the stories fit a rhyme and meter and added music that a bard could caterwaul while scaring off the neighbors. There were books on magic, but Lina doubted they were anything more than fairy tales. There were books on topics so obscure Lina didn't care. Actually, she didn't care about any of the books, but she cared even less for those books. It took her a moment to notice the book. It was housed between 'The Complete Chronicles of the Amazing Hero who Became The First Prince of Sailoon and His Fabulous Exploits' and '1,001 MORE uses for the Fishing Spell.' It was a plain book with white binding, the writing was bright and bold. "Four Gods Sky Earth Book," read Lina. "Never heard of that one before..." She pulled it out curiously. It looked entirely new, as if it had arrived from the printer's press earlier that morning. The pages were crisp and the cover was spotless. "Interesting," muttered Lina to herself. Curious, she went up to the clerk and set it on the counter. "I'll take this one." The clerk peered down at the book. Or at least he gave the impression of doing so, since his eyes never opened. "Ahh, the Shijintenchiso. That'll be 25 gold coins, please." "WHAT?!" "That'll be 25 gold coins, please." Lina shook her fist. "That's robbery! NO book is worth 25 gold coins!" He looked at her. "This one is." "Nonsense! You said this was an antique store, right? But this book looks new! It's not an antique! I'll give you 4 gold coins for it." "20. This book is very rare and very difficult to find." "7! It's not rare, it's not even well known! And I'm not paying a copper more." The two hagglers looked at each other. Finally, the clerk smiled, or rather, the clerk's smile became larger, as he agreed, "7 gold coins then."
They shook hands and Lina plopped the money on the counter. "This better be worth my money," she grinned darkly, challenging the clerk. He chuckled. "I assure you, you'll find it vastly entertaining." "Oh? And why's that?" The clerk grinned as he tapped the side of his nose and replied enigmatically, "Sore wa himitsu desu."
Lina left the shop huffily, feeling cheated. First she went into an antiques store then got that weird attitude from the clerk...! She checked the sign dangling over the door. Just as she thought, it was an "A" and not a star. The letters 'ntiques' had long been worn away. "So why'd you buy that book, Lina?" she asked herself, starting back towards the Dancing Fish Inn. "Some cheap dime novel, probably. And you paid seven gold coins for it! And what was that whole 'that is a secret' bit from the clerk?" "AHA! So there you are!" Naga's voice was laden with triumph, as if finding Lina was a difficult task. Actually, they were the only two people walking outside. The rain had continued to fall and kept the locals indoors. "Thought you could lose me?" Lina winced. "Hi, Naga," she said. Naga peered closely at Lina. "So, what did you buy? Hmm? Is that it in your hand? Ohohoho! It looks like some mysterious spell book, containing vast information about black magic!" "Ano, actually..." "Ohohohohohooo!" Naga's laughter echoed across the empty street. "Trying to hide it from me? We're partners, aren't we?" That stopped Lina in her tracks. "Are we?" "Of course!" proclaimed Naga, leaving no room for argument. "And that feeling we're being watched?" "Nerves," shrugged Naga. "It was rather a busy day yesterday, full of its shocks." Well, that's true, thought Lina. Still... The nagging thought resurfaced. Coincidence? Luck? Fate? A shadow skittered through the alleyway as Lina and Naga passed by. Or is it something else? She turned to get a closer look. Hey, isn't that the clerk? Is he following me? "Wait!" Lina shouted as she darted after it.
She fell flat on her face as Naga snatched the end of her manto. "Ohoho! Trying to loose me again, Lina Inverse? We really must work on this partnership thing." Lina struggled upright, but the shadow was long gone. A few fume marks puffed from Lina's hair. "Come on, Lina-san, let's get back to the inn so I can see this book you're lauding about!" The taller woman swiveled around and tramped down the road, still holding Lina's cape. Lina glanced back for one last look. Nothing. Maybe it is just nerves... Lina shook her head. Maybe it isn't.
They settled down around the desk in Lina's room. She set the book down and cast a small light spell to make it easier to read. "Universe of the Four Gods?" Naga wondered. "What kind of spells would those be?" Lina frowned. She was getting a bad feeling about the book. "No time like the present to find out!" Naga opened the cover before Lina could react. "Hm. 'This is the story of a girl, who, having gathered the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi, was given the power to summon Seiryuu and make any wishes come true.'" "Wishes?" Naga continued, "'The story itself is a spell. One who finishes the book shall be given the power as the heroine and her wishes will come true.'" She giggled happily, "Sugoi, Lina! This is a really nifty book! A spell to make your wishes come true?" Lina angrily snatched the book from Naga, warning, "Don't you know that some people curse you with 'may your every wish be granted?' It sounds dangerous." "Oh, please, Lina, don't be paranoid!" Paranoid? Lina didn't feel paranoid. You had to worry about something to be paranoid, and she hardly ever let anything worry her. She skimmed over the first page, re-reading what Naga had just said. Wait a minute... "Naga? There's no dragon in here. It says Suzaku no Shichi Seishi, not So-ryu- whatever." "Suzaku? I didn't see any Suzaku in there! What in the world is a Suzaku, anyway?" Before their argument could continue, a bright flash of light that was not lightning blinded them. "Nani?" gasped Lina as the light surrounded the two of them. The book dropped, open, onto the desk in the otherwise empty room.
Outside, a purple-haired man was watching the window of the Dancing Fish Inn. He nodded sagely at the burst of light. "Perfect," he said. Then he smiled.