Ilac
Page 26 631 post
This was one area that Selina had always tried to avoid. She had a steep love of magic and mysticism, so she never thought she would ever set foot into this 'dead zone' of no magic. Dressed her civilian ware of jeans, vest, long-sleeved shirt and glasses, she proceeded down the street. SHe never understood why people would choose to live like this. Magic was a beautiful gift, something that should flourish and grow. Instead, even in this place, people choose to live here.
There were many reasons why that could be, but in the depths of Selina's mind-- she had an idea why people choose to live there. They wanted to get away from magic for a reason. They didn't trust it-- or the people who used it. After all, Selina knew from experience how it could be misused and used for the wrong even, and this was coming from the perspective of a thief.
Even so her 'day job' as a Sorcerer Weekly reporter allowed her access to some benefits and this was where she had to go to get it. A special featured item that was now hot on the market.
"Are we there yet?" a voice meowed behind her. Clinging to Selina's back like a backpack was Hex the cat. The black exceed held on snugly to her partner, bored and sad that she couldn't fly.
Selina reached around and soon brought Hex into her embrace against her chest. There she coddled the cat like she was a kitten. "There, there, Hex. We are almost there. Trust me, I dislike being here also but we won't stay long. Just a small interview, and then we are done."
Hex made a small attempt to make her wings grow, a soft glow from her back-- then nothing. She sighed, exhausted from the attempt. "This is so unfair. Who would live here like this?"
Selina shook her head. "I couldn't say but I'm sure people have their reasons," she explained as she walked down the street.
For a city devoid of magic, it was pretty modern from paved streets and buildings. She soon approached a large brick building marked "Crystal Labs". Selina soon entered it and walked into the place, finding a laboratory like setting, marked by several monitors similar to lacrima based computers. It was all a realistic view of a world without magic.
"The things they do without magic, huh?" Selina commented at Hex, who just let out a grumpy purr and flicked her tail.
"Ah are you from Sorcerer Weekly?" a voice called out.
Selina turned to find another woman in a lab coat greet her. She clearly had an aura of a woman who ran the place. Selina approached her casually. "Um, hi. yes. I'm Lina. I have an appointment for a new device testing?" she said.
The woman gave Hex a light glance. "Um, sorry... miss, but we can't let pets into the lab. I'm sure you understand."
Hex's ears and witch's hat went up with alarm. "Who you calling a pet?!" the Exceed called out, offended. She twitched her whiskers in irritation and hopped down to the floor on her legs. "I'm an Exceed! Not some pussycat."
The woman worker jumped at the retort, a nervous look on her face. "Oh-- I'm sorry my mistake. I meant no offense, miss. "
Selina gave a nervous chuckle and adjusted her glasses. "Oh, don't mind her."
"Yes, but I am afraid our lab has a strict policy on no contaminants. Mainly fur, so I will have to ask if your friend waits here. "
An angry growl escaped Hex as she twitched her tail impatiently. Still, that was a rule that they wouldn't be able to get around. "Sorry, Hex. I won't be long." she said and reached down to scratch her lovingly behind her hat and ears.
Hex soon began to pace around the lobby on all fours like a feral cat. "Fine... fine... I just hope the lobby doesn't have EXPENSIVE couches. Something that makes it easy to CLAW." She said with a vindictive tone in her voice as she walked away.
There was an awkward silence as Selina tried to find the right way to explain to the lab worker about her feline friend. Still, the woman just shook her head and gestured for her to follow. "This way please," she said.
Selina followed her through the lab-- though of course, this wasn't the first time she was in one. She did have to steal something a while back and she infiltrated a laboratory before. Still, it was always easier to be invited him. Of course, the item she would have wanted to steal from here-- was the one she was just being given for her relation to Sorcerer Weekly. It was now mandatory for anyone to have one in the paper.
The laboratory was pretty state of the art for a non-magic area. Why it was here, she didn't know but they stopped at a lab table with a metallic box. "We want to give these to Sorcerer Weekly for their effective use. Bare in mind, these crystals are magically charged. They will stay active while you are here in the Neutral Grounds, but will eventually run out till you get outside. From then on they just absorb natural magic like others. "
"I see..." Selina said, still unsure. "How exactly can you make these here without magic? They are magic tools right? Not even magic items should work here."
The laboratory head kept her focus on her work but answered without looking at her. "We required a magically sterile environment to isolate and assign how the crystal structure and enchantments would work. Since non-magic users should use this too, it was important for us to make sure it was compatible to those without any magical interference."
"Hmm," Selina said, jotting down a note for her own sake, "Interesting."
The woman soon entered a combination into the box and it opened up. Inside was a series of thin devices. She soon handed Selina one with a black outline-- but the crystal was perfectly clear and see through with a mild rainbow tint. She handed it to Selina who held it easily in the palm of her hand. Though rectangular and slim, it seemed very odd how it felt, like it was just a piece of crystal. "Seems not to do much," she commented.
It was then that almost intuitively-- the crystal lit up to reveal a screen. Selina actually jumped in surprise, amazed how it changed on its own.
"We used a mix of psychic and telepathy magic. With the exception of more direct functions, it responds to the holder's mental state. Settings will allow you to make it only accessable to your own psychic signature. Its kind of like a fingerprint for the mind," she explained kindly. "It can even be used to change the interface but of course-- used to contact other people who have the same device. "
"How far is the range?" she asked, curious who she could call and if it was even in other countries.
"Anywhere so long as the person you want to reach has his or her own. Its very innovative magi-tech we developed here. The new wave of tools for magic users," she explained proudly.
Selina wished it would be a black and silver color-- but it soon changed in her hand, and the template of the crystal changed as well. "Wow... very sharp," she explained.
"If you have any questions about operations, it can bring up a user manual to help with the more technical functions. However, many of it is mostly automated."
Selina soon put the device into her vest pocket and smiled. "This is great. Thank you so much. I'm sure this will come in very handy," she explained and bowed her head in gratitude.
"Be sure to tell your bosses you are now connected to it. ANd please tell them thank you for the coverage. This will be great advertisement for the Ilac," she said.
Happy and content with it, Selina soon left the lab and returned to the lobby. There, she found Hex curled up on one of the velvet chairs. The little black Exceed had took a nap and soon let out a wide and adorable yawn as she cracked open an eye to look at Selina. "D-did you get it?" she yawned, licking the end of her paw.
Selina took out the device with a smirk and showed it to Hex. "Be good till we get out of here, and maybe I'll let you play this 'Angry Birds' game thing on it."
Hex's ears shot up in interest. "Oh! Oh! Do i get to eat the birds?" she asked, unclear how app games worked.
"You and your stomach," Selina replied as she tapped her shoulder. With a hop up, Hex returned back to Selina's shoulders and the two made their way out of the Neutral Zone.
END. Obtained "Ilac". WC: 1502
Page 26 631 post
This was one area that Selina had always tried to avoid. She had a steep love of magic and mysticism, so she never thought she would ever set foot into this 'dead zone' of no magic. Dressed her civilian ware of jeans, vest, long-sleeved shirt and glasses, she proceeded down the street. SHe never understood why people would choose to live like this. Magic was a beautiful gift, something that should flourish and grow. Instead, even in this place, people choose to live here.
There were many reasons why that could be, but in the depths of Selina's mind-- she had an idea why people choose to live there. They wanted to get away from magic for a reason. They didn't trust it-- or the people who used it. After all, Selina knew from experience how it could be misused and used for the wrong even, and this was coming from the perspective of a thief.
Even so her 'day job' as a Sorcerer Weekly reporter allowed her access to some benefits and this was where she had to go to get it. A special featured item that was now hot on the market.
"Are we there yet?" a voice meowed behind her. Clinging to Selina's back like a backpack was Hex the cat. The black exceed held on snugly to her partner, bored and sad that she couldn't fly.
Selina reached around and soon brought Hex into her embrace against her chest. There she coddled the cat like she was a kitten. "There, there, Hex. We are almost there. Trust me, I dislike being here also but we won't stay long. Just a small interview, and then we are done."
Hex made a small attempt to make her wings grow, a soft glow from her back-- then nothing. She sighed, exhausted from the attempt. "This is so unfair. Who would live here like this?"
Selina shook her head. "I couldn't say but I'm sure people have their reasons," she explained as she walked down the street.
For a city devoid of magic, it was pretty modern from paved streets and buildings. She soon approached a large brick building marked "Crystal Labs". Selina soon entered it and walked into the place, finding a laboratory like setting, marked by several monitors similar to lacrima based computers. It was all a realistic view of a world without magic.
"The things they do without magic, huh?" Selina commented at Hex, who just let out a grumpy purr and flicked her tail.
"Ah are you from Sorcerer Weekly?" a voice called out.
Selina turned to find another woman in a lab coat greet her. She clearly had an aura of a woman who ran the place. Selina approached her casually. "Um, hi. yes. I'm Lina. I have an appointment for a new device testing?" she said.
The woman gave Hex a light glance. "Um, sorry... miss, but we can't let pets into the lab. I'm sure you understand."
Hex's ears and witch's hat went up with alarm. "Who you calling a pet?!" the Exceed called out, offended. She twitched her whiskers in irritation and hopped down to the floor on her legs. "I'm an Exceed! Not some pussycat."
The woman worker jumped at the retort, a nervous look on her face. "Oh-- I'm sorry my mistake. I meant no offense, miss. "
Selina gave a nervous chuckle and adjusted her glasses. "Oh, don't mind her."
"Yes, but I am afraid our lab has a strict policy on no contaminants. Mainly fur, so I will have to ask if your friend waits here. "
An angry growl escaped Hex as she twitched her tail impatiently. Still, that was a rule that they wouldn't be able to get around. "Sorry, Hex. I won't be long." she said and reached down to scratch her lovingly behind her hat and ears.
Hex soon began to pace around the lobby on all fours like a feral cat. "Fine... fine... I just hope the lobby doesn't have EXPENSIVE couches. Something that makes it easy to CLAW." She said with a vindictive tone in her voice as she walked away.
There was an awkward silence as Selina tried to find the right way to explain to the lab worker about her feline friend. Still, the woman just shook her head and gestured for her to follow. "This way please," she said.
Selina followed her through the lab-- though of course, this wasn't the first time she was in one. She did have to steal something a while back and she infiltrated a laboratory before. Still, it was always easier to be invited him. Of course, the item she would have wanted to steal from here-- was the one she was just being given for her relation to Sorcerer Weekly. It was now mandatory for anyone to have one in the paper.
The laboratory was pretty state of the art for a non-magic area. Why it was here, she didn't know but they stopped at a lab table with a metallic box. "We want to give these to Sorcerer Weekly for their effective use. Bare in mind, these crystals are magically charged. They will stay active while you are here in the Neutral Grounds, but will eventually run out till you get outside. From then on they just absorb natural magic like others. "
"I see..." Selina said, still unsure. "How exactly can you make these here without magic? They are magic tools right? Not even magic items should work here."
The laboratory head kept her focus on her work but answered without looking at her. "We required a magically sterile environment to isolate and assign how the crystal structure and enchantments would work. Since non-magic users should use this too, it was important for us to make sure it was compatible to those without any magical interference."
"Hmm," Selina said, jotting down a note for her own sake, "Interesting."
The woman soon entered a combination into the box and it opened up. Inside was a series of thin devices. She soon handed Selina one with a black outline-- but the crystal was perfectly clear and see through with a mild rainbow tint. She handed it to Selina who held it easily in the palm of her hand. Though rectangular and slim, it seemed very odd how it felt, like it was just a piece of crystal. "Seems not to do much," she commented.
It was then that almost intuitively-- the crystal lit up to reveal a screen. Selina actually jumped in surprise, amazed how it changed on its own.
"We used a mix of psychic and telepathy magic. With the exception of more direct functions, it responds to the holder's mental state. Settings will allow you to make it only accessable to your own psychic signature. Its kind of like a fingerprint for the mind," she explained kindly. "It can even be used to change the interface but of course-- used to contact other people who have the same device. "
"How far is the range?" she asked, curious who she could call and if it was even in other countries.
"Anywhere so long as the person you want to reach has his or her own. Its very innovative magi-tech we developed here. The new wave of tools for magic users," she explained proudly.
Selina wished it would be a black and silver color-- but it soon changed in her hand, and the template of the crystal changed as well. "Wow... very sharp," she explained.
"If you have any questions about operations, it can bring up a user manual to help with the more technical functions. However, many of it is mostly automated."
Selina soon put the device into her vest pocket and smiled. "This is great. Thank you so much. I'm sure this will come in very handy," she explained and bowed her head in gratitude.
"Be sure to tell your bosses you are now connected to it. ANd please tell them thank you for the coverage. This will be great advertisement for the Ilac," she said.
Happy and content with it, Selina soon left the lab and returned to the lobby. There, she found Hex curled up on one of the velvet chairs. The little black Exceed had took a nap and soon let out a wide and adorable yawn as she cracked open an eye to look at Selina. "D-did you get it?" she yawned, licking the end of her paw.
Selina took out the device with a smirk and showed it to Hex. "Be good till we get out of here, and maybe I'll let you play this 'Angry Birds' game thing on it."
Hex's ears shot up in interest. "Oh! Oh! Do i get to eat the birds?" she asked, unclear how app games worked.
"You and your stomach," Selina replied as she tapped her shoulder. With a hop up, Hex returned back to Selina's shoulders and the two made their way out of the Neutral Zone.
END. Obtained "Ilac". WC: 1502
