《Tinny's Magic Mart》
Prologue
To the east of the Sapphire Sea, there lies a human kingdom so large it''s borders spanned the dwarven kingdom of Istvein and Dumoss to the north all the way south to the forest kingdom of the elves of Qirith and Veria. Karnesia it was called; and it is a country ruled by the just and pacifist king Alvion III, whose rule is upheld and supported by the mage-knight order called the White Lions.
One can find many villages, towns, and cities in Karnesia, but the grandest cities are the port cities located on the shores of the Sapphire Sea.
North of Catfish river that almost cut the country in half lies the port city of Usbhub where people of different races mingle, the port city of Hardisk whose vault holds historical records from ancient times, and the port city of Midi where bards from all over gather and display their singing skill.
At the mouth of Catfish river lies the city of Pcie, which is actually made up of three neighbouring towns -Isabus, Eisabus, and Vesabus- whose individual administrator had decided to band together under a single administration to form the city.
To the south of Catfish river lies the port city of Raideon and Anvidia, whose population are dominated mostly by alchemist and have annual alchemy competition between the two cities.
And then there is the city called Firewall. Situated at the southernmost end of Karnesia between a cove and a mountain, it provides the only way into the kingdom from the southlands with a road that goes through a narrow passageway. Indeed, one can say that the way to enter the kingdom of Karnesia from land is effectively blocked or extremely limited thanks to Firewall city. It is precisely in this city of Firewall where our story is centered, on a young human girl, a lass known to her friends as Tinian ''Tinny'' Lockheart.
Tinny was orphaned at a young age. Her parents were powerful sorcerers; in fact, she came from a long line of distinguished magical family. When she was younger, she had followed her alchemist mother in gathering plants and herbs to make magical potion, as well as helping her enchanter father collect chemical and magical minerals to forge magic items. She had learned a lot from her parents, and is bound to become a great sorcerer in the future if she kept up her efforts.
Unfortunately, one day, her carefree days ended when both her parents were cast out into the void, along with more than half of her home. While her mother was experimenting with a new recipe upstairs in the potion room, her father''s latest enchanting project reacted violently, causing the spells they were casting to intertwine and become wild. A tear in space-time was created which sucked everything and everyone into it. Tinny escaped the disaster solely due to she was not at home at the time; she went out to run some errands and only arrived home to see the house finally being sucked into the void before closing itself...
The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
4 years have passed since Tinny moved into the orphanage. At 13 years of age, she is now eligible to apprentice herself to a master craftsman. Unfortunately, her diminutive size and waif like appearance proves to be a stumbling block; being smaller and thinner than most girls her age, she were shunned by most craftsman whose craft requires certain physical competency.
One time she went to try out as an apprentice smith, but found out she could pathetically magically charge while hammering the red hot mythril ore only 40 times (out of the minimum 200 times usually needed to create mythril weapons, armors, or tools). The dwarven runesmith Flint at the time shook his head and told her to ''buff up her muscle'' when she failed for the third time. Dwarves were legendary for the fact that they were not an emotional race. The tears that were streaming down his face that day when they dispose of the unuseable three portions of mythril while escorting Tinny out of the smithy is a testament to how ''moved'' Flint was with her efforts.
There was also the time when she went to the bowyer street and tried to apprentice herself to the elven master craftsman Silvanas. After crafting the third lopsided bow and countless lopsided arrows, she was gently but firmly escorted out of the shop by other apprentices. Firmly, because she had been hugging Silvanas legs crying while begging to be taken in as an apprentice.
And then there was the time where she somehow managed to burn down a magic scroll shop and were thus banned from going to the magic market section for a time.
And the time when she tried to apprentice herself to a familiars/pet summoner master, and accidentally summoned a somewhat nasty and bad tempered wyvern, who proceeded to wreck the shop before being banished by the master summoner.
As she sat morosely outside near the entrance of a shrine to the earth goddess Demeter, a passing shaman saw her and offered to exorcise her bad luck in a ritual. Unfortunately the effects of the ritual rebounded on the shaman, with the said shaman being hit with daily minor accidents.
However, all of these bad luck events that has dogged her for some time changed one day while returning to the orphanage after an unsuccessful attempt of getting an apprenticeship. While walking down Stargazer street, she caught the attention of a grand wizard sitting on a bench in front of a magic item shop, drinking tea...
Chapter 1: Youre Hired!
''Hoy, you there, girl!'' A dignified looking old man wearing a gray robe, gestured at Tinny with a teacup in his right hand.
Tinny looked at the source of the voice, furrowed her eyebrows, and looked around her furtively, before turning to gaze at the man again with a questioning look. The old man has several rings adorning his fingers; magical no doubt. A pair of silver colored bracers glints when the old man gestured. His gray robe cinched by a golden tasseled belt glowed with a magical aura intermittently...
''You, yes you, what are you looking around for, there''s nobody else here.''
''Uh, hello'' said Tinny timidly.
''Right, why the sad look, girl? What''s bothering ya? I''ve seen you around, in this here neighborhood for a while now. Seen ya walking out in the morning looking bright and shiny, but come evening you be heading back home with the weight of the world on ye lil shoulder. Why the sad face lass?''
Tinny creased her forehead, unsure of how to respond.
''Come come, join me. Take a load off and tell me everything.'' The old man tapped at an empty space on the bench he was sitting on, while secretly casting a Calm spell on tinny.
''Un, okay!'', replied Tinny, after a slight hesitation.
She sat on the bench and began telling her life story fraught with bad luck while the old man nodded and said ''ooh'' and ''aah'' from time to time. As soon as she sat on the bench though, the old man had secretly cast a Divination spell and were startled by what he learned. Initially Tinny had average luck. if this was a litRPG, her luck stats will be shown as a 5 (out of maximum 10). When the shaman failed the Felicitate ritual (a ritual spell that increases one''s luck), her once average luck fell into an abysmal level (1 out of 10). The side effects of this abysmal-level luck is... not only would Tinny be extremely unlucky, anyone in contact with her for a prolonged period of time will also be affected with the same bad luck. Although, unlike Tinny, this effect is not permanent and their luck would eventually get better and return to normal as time goes by. This is the first time the old man, who is a grand wizard, has seen such an occurence.
''And so, again I was banned, this time from the weather wizards offices as well as the wharf, for a week. I swear I followed the steps when casting the spell during the apprenticeship test, I swear! Who could''ve guess that instead of summoning wind to speed up sailing ships, I summoned a shark filled tornado,'' Tinian lamented.
Then her eyes twinkled as she chuckled and muttered under her breath ''although, it was kinda funny though seeing them sharks flying all over the place and everybody yelling in panic hur hur.''
The old man''s heart jolted. ''This little rascal...''
Tinny looked at the old man with a wry smile. The old man sighed, and waved his free hand. a floating teacup materializes in front of Tinny.
''Here, drink some tea, and let me tell you a story''.
Tinny grabbed the teacup and took a sip. She was surprised that the teacup remained full, and took several more sips.
''Amazing! A never emptying teacup!'' She thought.
''Right, ahem. Well, once a long time ago there were two brothers, Bro Dragon and Bro Phoenix. Once they were very close to each other, as close as any brother could be, but due to a misunderstanding, they started to quarrel with each other. Although they lived together on a mountain, Bro Dragon felt it was unfair that the task of looking for food and defending their lair were done solely by him. Initially, Bro Dragon was stronger of the two. He has powerful magic, mighty strength and strong constitution, and could fight off any heroic knights or wizards without breaking a sweat...''This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
''Do dragon''s sweat? I read somewhere about dragons; they said fire runs in dragon veins because dragons breath fire. If it''s like that, does it mean dragons sweat fire?'' interrupted Tinny when the old man paused to take a breath.
''Ergh, what? No, dragons don''t sweat fire, they only breath fire. At least some do. Anyways, where was I? Ah yes, Bro Dragon was powerful, while Bro Phoenix was weak as can be. Bro Phoenix only skill seems to be to die in an exploding ball of fire and then resurrect after a while. They both stayed at Firetop mountain, and each time an army came, Bro Dragon single-handedly drove them back. Bro Phoenix, being the weaker bro, had to hide behind Bro Dragon every time...''
''Why are they being invaded by armies, did they have treasure? I read somewhere that dragons hoarded treasure, but I didn''t know phoenixes also does that. They don''t right? Or do they? I''ve never heard of phoenix treasure.'' Tinny interrupted again when the old man paused to take a breath.
''No, they don''t, only dragons do... wait, what? Gawdangit, will you let me finish the story?!'' The old man sighed.
''Again, where was I? Right, one day, the combined armies of the civilized world came together to challenge Firetop mountain again. Rows of golems crafted and controlled by skillful gnomes, squads of human knights and warriors wearing magical armors and wielding magical weapons, dwarven hammerers as vanguards and elvish archers bringing up the rear; it was a sight to behold. They clashed, and just as Bro Dragon was about to be vanquished, Bro Phoenix came out of the cave, rushed into the combined armies, yelled YOU SHALL NOT PASS, and exploded in a ball of fire that wiped out the entire combined armies. Bro Dragon, elated and surprised, looked at the resurrecting Bro Phoenix and said `Thanks, Bro`,'' the old man ended, and took a sip of tea.
''Erm... Sorry, but what is the whole point of the story? Especially in regards with my current situation? And how would a dragon be related to a phoenix, being of different species? That does not make sense,'' Tinny interrupted when the old man again paused to take a breath.
''PFFFFFFFTT!''
Agitated by the cheeky little girl, the old man sucked in his breath.
''It''s just a story to keep your troubled mind off today''s worry. Or it''s just a story to remind you to be like the phoenix and not give up easily. Or it''s a just a filler story that the writer of this book suddenly came up with because he has no idea what to write for the first few chapters. Or it''s all of the above!'' huffed the old man exasperatedly.
Tinny cringed.
The old man''s expression softened as he sighed, then said ''I''ve done some divination on your fate. Girl, you have been ''unlucked'' when the ritual by the shaman failed back then. Tell ya what, I have here in my possession a lucky charm,'' and pulled out a bracelet with colorful beads of different shapes.
The old man smiled while saying ''This bracelet was created by a leprechaun friend of mine a long time ago. It basically raises the wearer''s luck. To activate it, just wear it and say `frosted lucky charms, they''re magically delicious!`, and your luck will increase until you take it off.''
''But I don''t have any money...'' said Tinny sadly.
''Hmmm, well then why don''t you become my apprentice? Ya can learn and work at the same time, and I''ll even give this lucky charm to you in advance. What dya say?''
''I... I accept!''
''Excellent! Now follow me. Oh, by the way, my names Nicola. I''m a grand wizard, and the owner of this here magic shop.''
''Tinian, but everybody calls me Tinny.''
''Right then, Tinny. Come along.''
''Yes, master!''
Nicola gave a slight wave and the teacups disappeared. He stood up and gave the bracelet to Tinny and walked to the door, opening it and said ''come along, come along.''
Tinny stood up and put the bracelet on her left hand, then said ''frosted lucky charms, they''re magically delicious!'' She gave off a glow of rainbow colors for a few seconds, and walked through the shop door.
And that is how Tinny got hired as an apprentice at a magic item shop. But the event that happened next when Tinny walked through the front door of the shop was so amazing, and she was so shocked by the mind boggling experience that she walked in and out the entrance several times, to finally walked out the door, stare at the shop and exclaimed...
''WOW! IT''S! IT''S...''
Chapter 2: Welcome To The Magic Item Shop
When Tinny walked through the front door of the shop, she was so shocked by the overwhelming experience that she walked in and out of the entrance several times. She walked out the door, stared at the shop and exclaimed...
''IT''S BIGGER ON THE INSIDE THAN THE OUTSIDE!''
Indeed, from outside it looked like a small 2 storey cottage. At most, there should only be a few rooms both on the ground and the second floor. However, as soon as Tinny went into the shop, she could see a large hall with twin staircase at the back of the hall going up several floors; about seven floors in fact! She looked to the left and right of the hall and saw long passageways with many doors lining both sides of the passageway; a mind boggling impossibility.
''Yes, yes. It''s just a little Space-Time magic which you will learn about sooner or later. Ahem. Come along now, Tinny.''
Tinny stared into and at the shop again from the outside, before scampering into the shop towards Nicola.
Nicola stood in front of the twin staircase at the back of the hall. In front of him between the twin staircase, a stone stele in glowed with a soft blue light. When Tinny stood next to Nicola, he waved his hand across the stele, and golden magical inscriptions appeared on the stele.
''Right.'' Nicola clears his throat.
''Welcome to The Nozama! It used to be called Amazon but this dang sorcerer Besos or something sued, claiming copyright infringements, so the king had me change the name... so what if a shop has the same name, right? A pox on Besos and his kin! Anyways... as you noticed earlier, this shop is a magical construct. This here, is a stele of command, do you know of them?''
Tinny shakes her head.
''It means that all the magic in this shop can be controlled here. For example, this shop is has protection spells cast on it. Watch.''
Nicola touch one of the inscription on the stele. The stele clears and then displays a list of protection spell.
''Protection from Nature Spell, Protection from Teleportation, Protection from Phasing, Protection from Unauthorized Entry...'' Tinny read out the protection spell list.
''Ah, as you can see, the shop is protected from natural disasters like fire or flood; no need to worry about any pesky insurance sales agent,'' said Nicola smugly.
''That last spell is important to prevent thiefs and burglar. Anybody who try to force their way into the shop will be surprised to find themselves teleported several feet above the city garbage dumps, hur hur. Oh, right, since you''re going to be my apprentice, let''s register you into the system. Put your hand on the stele.''
Tinny nodded and reached out her left hand to touch the stele. The stele felt surprisingly warm and thrummed when her hand made contact. Nicola then touched the inscription for Protection from Unauthorized Entry and swiped it towards Tinny hand, which glowed a soft golden color. After a while the glow faded and a small blue star glowed at the back of Tinny''s left hand. It too faded after a short while.
''Right, I''ve registered you into the shop protection system. In the future, you may now enter and exit the shop at will. In addition, you may also invite other people into the shop, be they customers or guest.''
''Thank you master!'' replied Tinny, giddy with excitement.
''Right, ah. Let''s see, what shall we do next? Ah, I got it! Let me introduce you to somebody.''
Nicola waved in front of the stele again, and touched an inscription named ''Public Address Spell''. The blue glow around the stele turned green, and Nicola spoke ''Jack, where are you? Come down here for a bit.''
It seems Nicola''s voice came from every floor, and Tinny, again surprised, wondered at this event. It seem that the Nozama has a pa system built into it! A few seconds later, a dark mist start forming in the middle of the hall. It starts consolidating, and a figure emerged from out of it. Although Tinny has seen the figurein the magical tome ''Bestiary Magicka'', she never expected to see one in real life. Instead of a normal head, a pumpkin with a face carved into it stood as replacement. The pumpkin head topped a gangly scarecrow-like body that ends in a flowing dark mist instead of feet.
''Master, you called for me?'' asked the dark figure.
''Yes, yes. Jack, this is Tinny, my new apprentice.''
''Greetings, mistress. I am Jack. As you can see, I am of the O''Lantern race.''
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
''Uhh, hel... hello Jack. Ni... nice to meet you,'' said Tinny, looking at Jack with awe. In the ''Bestiary Magicka'', the O''Lantern is a race of magical being who are masters of dark magic with fearsome innate skills and abilities. It also mentioned the fact that the O''Lantern along with their cousinsthe O''Wisp race singlehandedly fought against the ancient vampire army to a stalemate in the past while the rest of the races cowered in fear.
''Jack here is the Assistant Store Keeper. He also doubles as the butler and the security guard; our last line of defense against those pesky insurance sales agent, to either gently or forcefully removed unwanted visitors, hur hur,'' chuckled Nicola while both Jack and him gave each other a knowing smile.
''He takes care of most things, so if you need any help with anything, just ask Jack. In fact, Jack, why don''t ya take Tinny around the shop for a tour?''
''Excellent idea, sir! Please come this way mistress, as I endeavor to acquiant you with the shop to the best of my ability,'' said Jack, while bowing slightly and made a slight sweeping gesture with his right hand.
''Wow, this pumpkin head sure talk smart...'' muttered Tinny under her breath.
Nicola watched and smiled while Jack led Tinny towards the passageways. As soon as they were out of sight, he turned back towards the stele, and touched Tinny''s name. The stele hummed, and a dashboard appeared.
Status
Name : Tinian ''Tinny'' Lockheart
Race : Human
Level : 1
Health : 60
Mana : 110
Strength : 5
Mind : 8
Agility : 5
Spirit : 8
Luck : 1+7 (5)
Title : none
Skill : none
Magic : Nature (Novice)
Traits : Fated Trial of Heaven
Nicola rubbed his chin and pulled on his beard and thought ''Hmm, her original luck should be 5, but due to the failed shaman ritual, it dropped to 1, and that Lucky Charm increases it by 7, so now it should be 8? She''s only a novice in nature magic eh.. Fated Trial of Heaven... what the heck is this?!''
Meanwhile, the duo reached the first room.
''This is the atelier. This is where we showcase products to be sold.''
''Hmmm, hmmm.'' Tinny look around the large room, which is around the size of a studio. In the middle and to the side lining the walls were counter table with various items on top of it. Wands, rings, gloves... some of the items emitted a soft glow. Her eyes rest on a glass case. Inside a tall glass case near one corner of the atelier, a staff with a glowing red orb floated. She can feel the power emanating from the staff.
Jack, seeing the object that caught Tinny''s eye, commented
''Ahh, that staff, mistress, is called the Dagon Tilu Matim. Created by the wizard king Zimri-Lim in ancient times, it was said to be so powerful it can destroy nations. That Fire Bomb Orb on top of it is a one of a kind, made from the magic stone of a Red Leviathan Dragon that the wizard king himself slew after a titanic battle.''
''What?! So powerful?! It must have cost a fortune!''
''Indeed, if it was still intact. Over the years, through prolongued use it has been cracked into several parts; nine in fact, including the original staff. Each of the eight smaller pieces were turned into a wand topped by an Orb of Fire Bomb. The staff you see in front of you is actually the biggest part of them all. It''s power has therefore also been reduced... right now it is about as powerful as a fourth tier spell.''
''I see...'' said Tinny, while fantasizing herself wielding the staff and terrorizing a goblin camp.
''Shall we move on, mistress? This way please''.
They exited the atelier and went into a room a few steps away. The room is huge and tall, with mythril bars enclosing the whole room, giving it a cage-like look.
''And this is the magic vault, where various treasures, weapons, armors and scrolls are kept.''
The first word that formed in Tinny''s mind was...
''JACKPOT!''