The scent of floral perfumes flooded the elevator room, with an accompanying chime indicating that their journey upward was now over. The patrons within the elevator were now gathering their items, using holographic touch screens to summon hovercarts to carry their luggage.

  Their group exited immediately, with Devante and Javier taking to the front, and Cherry and Zain coming up on the rear.

  The lobby room of the terminal was an open space which led directly to a shopping center.

  There was a lot of foot traffic as the shops were obviously frequented for their specialty services; Many of the shops were retail, exclusively selling high end clothes, almost as many were expensive restaurants selling trendy food, and the last remaining were exotic looking stores selling craftsman goods.

  The air wafted a gentle perfume throughout the center, with the bubbles and flowers that hung in stasis above them being the origin of these scents. One bubble hung low in its stasis, enough to allow Zain to reach upward to pop it. As soon as he did, a thick soapy film clung to his finger and the scent intensified, almost to the point of making him sneeze.

  Now he smelled like a lavender field and it was quite noticeable as the others simply turned to him with looks ranging from amusement to annoyance.

  I should keep my hands to myself….

  The silent promise to himself said nothing of his staring, as he looked around with the enthusiasm of a child.

  The people who walked the streets looked like they had come from the Met Gala, with their outfits ranging from gaudy to chic. A small camera shoot could follow any one person and get amazing shots, as every individual dressed extravagantly in an obvious flaunt of wealth.

  Equally as eye-catching were the accessories and items many people carried with them: some had exotic pets following them such as dragons, ferrets, or exotic birds. Others had robotic companions following them, their sleek designs showing that they had the latest optimizations.

  So much was happening at once, it looked like a page from an I-Spy book, it was hard to focus on just one thing.

  His attention was seized by a familiar looking fish flying through the air, coming in their direction. Actually on closer inspection, there were multiple water summons converging on their location.

  The goldfish summons filed into Cherry’s hair, about a dozen going into her hair before the last one entered her headphones she kept around her neck.

  She lifted it to her ear, with the headband of the headphone rippling with water, as if sound was vibrating it from within.

  She listened for a bit, before she spoke up. “I have to go for a bit, I’ll meet with you once the kid heads home. Bye.” And without lingering further, she left.

  I guess she has to maintain her mystique somehow.

  It was a wonder what she was going to do, but Zain could tell he would never get to know. Knowing would probably get him killed, he was at least smart enough to know that.

  Devante and Javier didn’t even bat an eye, they just kept walking.

  But now that Cherry was out of the group, Zain felt as if he had a better chance convincing Devante to let him go home early.

  Zain took a small breath inward, bracing himself to start talking them up when a familiar, pesky fish wriggled right up to Javier’s ear. It whispered a secret message, causing him to glance back at Zain. He gave an inscrutable look before speaking to Zain directly.

  “Cherry says that she won’t be able to take you home until the last elevator descent….Sorry, you’re stuck with us until then…”

  And there it was. All hope - dashed. He slumped his shoulders and dragged his feet slightly in disappointment.

  Inside his mind, his objective instantly changed: ‘Survive’.

  “Awww, don’t look so glum, bud. That means we get to hang out longer! I got so much to show you!” Devante immediately chimed in with his stupidass smile.

  You’re the reason I’m here, dumbass!

  Zain kept his complaints to himself, simply biting his lips in slight frustration at Devante’s thoughtless remark.

  Pushing his bitterness aside, Zain decided the best course of action was to lean more into the idea of receiving souvenirs. Devante had tried to entice him before with it, so maybe if he pretended to be more interested in that, then Devante would forget about showing Zain his workplace.

  With a quick inhale, he prepared himself to act his ass off.

  “So, what kind of souvenirs do they have here! There are so many expensive things! Are you sure about getting me something?”

  Yes, yes…he would appeal to his sense of pride! Hopefully the idiot would take the bait. His voice raised an octave, to resemble someone slightly younger, but hopefully his childish acting did not raise too much suspicion.

  Devante looked over his shoulder, a wide, proud grin exposed his sharpened teeth, “While I personally think some of the shit here is overrated, there are some shops that sell top quality stuff. I could show you a few of the shops I frequent. And don’t worry about the price! I may not look it, but I’ve done pretty well for myself, I can afford to buy you more than one souvenir if I wanted!”

  Javier rolled his eyes, but he said nothing, strangely letting them run off on their tangent. He was more flexible and easygoing than Cherry, which Zain would use to his advantage.

  All around them were specialized shops only available to the affluent patrons: many were selling trinkets and clothing that only served as gimmicky shows of wealth, but there were a few shops that had imports that could only be found in this layer.

  Devante hastened his steps, moving in a particular direction; There were a lot of stores that looked really interesting to Zain, such as exotic pet shops, magical accessory shops, or electronic shops, but Devante ignored them all. It would seem he had a certain place in mind and he simply chose to beeline his way to it.

  They walked out of the shopping center, exiting the crowded sidewalks to make their way towards a small transportation hub. At this hub, were finely dressed men awaiting customers at a kiosk; they stared emotionlessly ahead, unfazed by anything that approached. Javier stepped forward then scanned something at the nearest terminal screen.

  After a few promptings, one of the men looked upward with a start, regaining the ability to emote as his eyes took on a crisp, blue hue. He smiled as he glided towards their group.

  “Welcome to bubble ascent! I will be your chauffeur today. May I ask the location of your destination?” The man spoke with a text-to-speech voice and a faux saccharine smile, his robotic gaze analyzing the men before him.

  Devante stepped forward, grinning as he announced their destination. “Take us to the Hesperos equipment shop.”

  The android took a deep bow following that request, flourishing his arm as he beckoned them forward, “As you wish, please step within the circle so we may ascend.”

  As prompted, they all stepped within the indicated circle and basically just stood there for a second. It took a moment before a snowflake-like pattern appeared beneath their feet, with a strange film rising beneath them.

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  The others paid it no mind but Zain was confused as to what was happening. Before he could really do anything, the film rose above their heads, sealing all around them like a giant bubble. Zain didn’t even feel it on his skin when it rose upward, leaving him to question the mechanism behind it.

  He did not wonder for too long, as the bubble began to lift upward as soon as it enclosed their party. All that lifted with them was the snowflake pattern, which was now a clear, icy floor.

  The bubble moved in an artificial manner, as if manipulated in some way, in order to reach their destination. It took sharp turns and sped up, so there had to be some way it was being maneuvered, but the mechanism for that was beyond Zain’s understanding.

  He decided not to linger on the thought for too long, as he looked briefly at his surroundings.

  Below, there were extravagant houses; They all were clearly opulent in their own ways as no one house was the same, but it would seem as if some were in their own sphere of influence.

  Actually, for some, it was a literal sphere as there were a few mansions which were contained within small bubbles of their own, with some even appearing to have different climates within.

  What in the hellio?….What is up with rich people?

  The bubble shifted as its speed slowed; Zain looked forward and saw that they were ascending into a bubble that was floating in stasis in the air. A decently sized store was perched within, appearing to be a cottage established on fluffy clouds.

  As their bubble approached, it melded into the larger one, leaving only the snowflake to float a few yards gently onto the ground. Once they safely landed on the ground, it melted into nothing.

  The robotic chauffeur turned towards them, smiling as he took another bow.

  “Would you like to take a few minutes to rate-”

  “No thank you.” Devante waved away the survey, then began to walk towards the shop.

  The robot did not react, simply continuing on its set script. “I hope to serve you once again.” Then he stood upright, regressing into his expressionless mode as his eyes dimmed once again.

  Zain waved a hand in front of him, making sure he was actually off.

  “He won’t turn back on until we’re done. Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere, I bought a two way ticket.” Javier explained as he too began to walk towards the shop.

  “Right…” Then Zain reluctantly walked to the shop as well.

  On the outside, the aesthetic gave a more homey vibe, like someone was really into cottagecore and went all out while decorating their shop. There was even a small watermill that spun with an artificially created stream.

  They stepped through the tall grass into the shop, with a nice older woman answering in the front. Her bright red hair had some stray white streaks, which made her look rather fierce in contrast to her surroundings. In Zain’s opinion, her sharper features made her look like a retired adventurer. She gave a hardy smile as she looked at Devante.

  “Awww! Look who’s back! Devante!” She sat up from her chair, looking towards the back of the store, calling to someone else, “Dear! It’s Devante! Let’s hope he didn’t break his cleaver again!”

  Devante pursed his lips at the slight shade, gesturing behind him to where Zain stood, “Actually, I’m here for him. He wants to see some cool things and get some souvenirs, and this was the first place I thought of.”

  I never said that but whatever…

  Zain didn’t like someone putting words into his mouth, but this time he wouldn’t fight it. Getting a cool souvenir out of it would be a plus, honestly.

  A rugged, older man came into view; Covered in soot and sweat, he looked at their group, with one eye covered by a detailing monocle which swiveled in tandem with his pupil. He rubbed his stubble, shaking off some ash which clung to it, “I don’t recognize the one in the back. You want something for him, yes?”

  “Yeah. Can you set him up with something good, something good for a beginner?”

  “Of course, but what are his attributes? Do you even know that?”

  “Uhhh…” Devante averted his eyes, making eye contact with Zain in a questioning manner. As if he knew! After realizing that Zain didn’t know either, he lifted his hands up in a slight shrug.

  The older man sighed, shaking his head as he slowly walked up to Zain. He lowered his gaze, as if perusing through his stats through some unknown means. Finally, he squinted once he had finished his observations, “He’s an ethereal, right? Hmmm, maybe with attributes leaning towards fire? Not too tall, but still growing. Not bulky. Slim, almost like a girl. Hardy, though. Hmmmm…..I think I can think of one good enough for this beginner.” Then after his cryptic rant, he walked off to the back of his shop.

  In the front of the store, there was mainly the greeting desk with a seating area nearby. Besides some select art pieces on display, there was no real indication of what was sold here. One would think that this was bad business practice, but based on the decor and furnishings that could be seen, it was obvious that they did have a lucrative business and could afford expensive things. Perhaps they made a decent living by selling things made-to-order for a particular clientele.

  After waiting for a few minutes, the man re-emerged now holding a wooden box. He placed it on the counter then opened it with a rag, likely not wishing to smudge soot on it.

  Within was a sword, sheathed within a nicely decorated scabbard. The reveal made Zain’s eyes go wide and his heart beat quicken, he wasn’t sure if what he was looking at was real.

  The woman at the counter took out the sword from its case and unsheathed it, displaying it with her gloved hands as the old man began to describe its specs in more detail. “This is a rapier sword, perfect for a beginner with no prior experience wielding. It has magic circles placed in the guard specific for fire users and shock and mana absorption crystals in the pommel.”

  He pointed at the engravings etched into the grip and guard, which were in some foreign language Zain couldn’t read. The stone he wore around his neck was of no use as it translated strangely as simple syllables and phrases which made no sense when read together. The end of the sword rounded with spectacular design and small crystals detailing it.

  Zain quivered, and let out an almost suggestive moan as he looked at the sword. The man wasn’t finished as he placed a glove on and grabbed the sword by its hilt. He held it horizontally, then with his off hand, chanted something, “Born of forge and fire, witness the dawn heralded by man. Aurora Ignis.”

  Etchings within the blade illuminated, sparking amber flames to rise out from the sword in a dazzling display.

  Zain was foaming at the mouth now, drooling, looking like a fool with his muffled squeals. He was vibrating in place, tantalized by the piece of steel in front of him.

  Everyone gave him strange looks, but he ignored them as he looked at the sword with yearning. Who wouldn’t! It looked so cool! Wasn’t it every boys’ dream to have such a cool looking sword?!

  “Uhhh…so…certain enchantments can infuse with the sword, but it has an affinity with fire. He can try it out to see. If he would like ....” The man held it out to Zain, and he of course took it without much prompting.

  “Uwhawhawha….” His first sword, ever. He lifted upward, admiring it, studying it.

  “Ummmm……Yeah….we’ll take that one. Just put it on my tab. Is there a dummy we can use to see if he can practice a bit with it?”

  The old man nodded, slightly disgusted as Zain handled his piece of work. Leading them to the back of the cottage, walking past a room that held a forge and a workshop, straight to the outside which had a few haggard dummies made of straw and clay.

  Everyone looked at Zain, who felt a little awkward now, but hell if he wasn’t gonna use this cool ass sword now.

  First he aimed at the arm of a dummy, then sliced at it. He cut it pretty nicely, but some of the straw still remained intact, causing the arm to remain slightly attached.

  Pretty nice!

  It felt pretty cool to use a sword, but the others seemed to be watching him more critically.

  “Never used a sword, I see. Well, try to infuse enchantments, maybe that will help somewhat.” The old man commented.

  Zain felt it was a bit unfair to expect him to know how to use a sword, but he tried not to let his bitterness show. He turned back around, focusing on his sword.

  The old man said I had fire attributes, right? Maybe using the sword will help me use them?

  He silently tried to repeat the enchantment the man had used before, replaying the scene in his head before he copied the words. “Born of forge and fire, witness the dawn heralded by man. Aurora Ignis.”

  Nothing.

  He tried repeating the phrase again, this time drawing from the warmth of his body. Feeling the heat of his palms and mustering the lifeforce within his body to a single point.

  Shuttering his eyes close and honing in on everything around him, he could feel the slightest of movement; he had heightened his senses so he could focus everything into this single attack.

  He opened his eyes again.

  Nada.

  Everyone looked at him with concern, with the old man raising his brow at Devante.

  “Hey! Do you know how to use your attributes, buddy?” Devante called from behind, looking a little worried at Zain. “You kind of look like you’re about to shit yourself, you’re trying too hard…”

  Zain gave a severe frown in response, not appreciating being called out like that by this dumbass, “No, I don’t! I’ve only been here for like two weeks, man! I’m not a prodigy or some shit like that! How am I supposed to unlock my stupid anime powers! They’re not working!”

  Admittedly, he sounded more like a petulant child, throwing a tantrum, but he really meant what he said! Devante was expecting too much from him AND his stupid anime powers were not kicking in, damn it!

  For some reason, his little outburst made Devante and Javier laugh. It really tickled them pink as they walked up to him. Javier placed his hand on Zain’s shoulder, wiping a tear from his eye. “It’s cool man, you don’t need to know that stuff now anyway. We can teach you later.”

  Devante was holding his stomach after laughing for a good minute, then began to pat Zain on his back. “Yeah. It took Javi like two months to get the hang of it, so no worries.” He looked back at the old man. “Hesperos! Can you bind this and give us the paperwork! I also have some things I need pre-ordered for my next voyage!”

  The old man nodded, then glanced at his wife. She smiled then trotted off back into the store, presumably to get started on the paperwork.

  Just then, a fish jetted through the air, heading straight in their direction. Devante held out his hand, and it circled to a stop on his palm. The water magic undulated as it relayed its message.

  “The Missus is back from her meeting. It’s now or never.”