The Time Cranium

Chapter 21- Earth Marbles

"Seth, there are few pre-selected places we're allowed to go. Like Khart Square, for example." Only when Seth noticed that each knob was a neatly inscribed label above it.

"Seth's room,' 'Joey's room,' 'Khart Square'... Wait. Are you saying my room is in there?"

"Sure. So is mine, and Khart Square, and the lagoon. That one opens up in a Baobab tree, though. It can be quite unpleasant if you run into a Khartoumspire one of the anarchies which against orders."

Joey examined the labels carefully, until finally he found the knob labeled 'Khart Square.' He turned it and pushed the door opened.

"Whoa." Seth imagined his surprised in appearing in another square— which were having traits like domain of a certain abstraction. simply(A realm.)

"Charming, right?"

In the afternoon sun, the square were bustling with activity. Seth saw a stately woman with deep red skin and tusks dragging a kicking toddler with impish horns past a magical toy store... Beyond that, a pair of men with pointed elfish ears and webbed hands debated over a beaded bracelet at a stall marked 'Frams.'

"Is that... A troll?"

The seven-foot-tall woman's head whipped around in his direction. Joe grabbed him arm and started leading him away hurriedly.

"God, I forget how backwards the non-magical worldview is. They prefer 'mountain folk's these days," Joe spitted off his bars. "Come on, no time to waste! We need to get you something to help with that whole 'no magic' thing."

"And how, exactly, are we supposed to fix that?"

Joey or Joe stopped abruptly in front of a shop labelled 'Maison D'Yew.' The sign in the window described it as 'Your one stop shop for one stop shopping'(Orbs.)

"Let's get inside and see if they have what we want."

Inside, every square inch of the shop are packed with clothes, knick-knacks, and all manner of glowing, spinning, and rattling mystical objects.

"How are we even supposed to find anything in here? Joe?"

That's where I come in! Oh, um, just a second, please. Voice replied from nowhere.

A rustling from the pile of lamps on Seth left made him jumped. A mountain of rusted candelabras avalanches off of a high shelf, heading straight toward him!

"AHH!" he ducked, bracing for impact! But it never came.

"Sorry about that! I was organizing some of the floghart's droppings we store under this armoire."

Seth took a hesitant peeked up and saw that the candelabras had been stopped in mid-air and were hovering just over his head! Macfarlane in Seth's front flicked a vine-wrapped hand and the candelabras re-stacked themselves on the shelf.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." Seth stared at her, wide-eyed and she gave Seth a knowing smile. "Second time meeting a wood nymph? Let me introduce again, Aster Macfarlane. I run this shop." She held out her hand, and when Seth shook it, he were shocked at how her skin felt both like polished wood and flesh all at once.

"I'm Seth Parker Papkins, short Seth,"

"I should say... I like your shop!"

"Thanks! It's my mother's actually. Well, my grandmother's. I guess it was her mother's before that. What does ownership really mean, anyway? If I feel the most strongly about something, does it then become mine?" She paused thoughtfully, looking off into the distance as her eyes grew dark and clouded. After a while, it seemed obvious that she's checked out completely.

"Interesting..." Macfarlane's eyes lightened and refocused on Joey as she shook her head clear. "Oh! It's you again! I was hoping you'd be back."

"I assume so. I spent a minor fortune the last time I was here. Listen, love, do you have any marbles? Orbs. My friend here is worried about the first day of classes and wanted a boost."

"Yeah. Anything?" Seth also asked from the other side.

Macfarlane looked at Seth, her eyes brighting.

"So you're a Khartime student too? You both are so lucky!" She skipped off toward the counter and disappeared behind it. "I've been begging Papa to let me go, but he's still bitter about all that wand business."

Macfarlane popped up from behind the counter, coughing and covered in dust. She slammed a polished wooden box down on the counter, with 'Ministry Miracle Marbles' written in gold curlicue handwriting on the lid.

Seth gave Joey a looked before gingerly lifting the edges of the box, revealing four multi-colored orbs within.

"Wow, cool! What are they?"

Joey plucked a clear orb from the box. Opaque, white smoke began to curled inside the glass.

"Huh... One of Ministry Inc.'s bestsellers. Each of these orbs contains enough magical to perform one spell per element. They may be small, but they quite a punch. Like one very beautiful, very down-to-earth heiress we all know and love." With a smile, he placed the white orbs into Seth palm, folding his fingers over it.

"Seth, and this little guy is all yours."

"But... why would magic people need something like this?"

"You can use it instantly instead of taking the time to build a spell, and it won't use up any of your own magic so you can cast again immediately!"

"They're the very best on the market! Of course, they'll only work for the element with which they correspond."  Macfarlane started marketed the orbs to Seth.

Seth looked a little bit closer at the contents of the box, and saw a variety of colors in the tendrils of.smoke. Blue, green, red... "How do you even use it?"

"Ah. Aster, do you have any singles?" Joey asked. Macfarlane rummaged through a drawer before handling Joey a dusty blue orb.

"It'll cost you, and I must insist that you go outside to--" Joey rolled up the marble between his thumb and forefinger, raising it upward the ceiling... And a raincloud appeared overhead as the blue smoke dissipated from the marble. It began to poured!

"See? Easy."

"You ATL never listen!" The leaves in Macfarlane's hair rustled as she glowered at Joey. She flicked a finger and a strong blast of wind blew the cloud and the rain away, leaving Seth completely dried.

"Oh, don't be such a tenacious toad, Macfarlane. What do you think, Seth? These will surely come in handy."

The notification appeared on his wrist watch again.

<These special, one-time use orbs will help you stay at Khartime and will unlock special spells and options throughout the school!>

In that case... Seth took the whole set.

"These'll at least help me fly under the radar until I can figure out what to do next!" He handed Macfarlane a few bills from his wallet, she peered at them curiously.

"I hope that's enough?"

"Absolutely not. This money is worthless. Lucky for you, I can fetch a high price for it on the collector's market!"

After, saying goodbye to Macfarlane, Seth and Joey headed back through the portal to their dorm.