suspiciously delicious for a dream. She re-capped the bottle and dropped it into her messenger bag.
The girl took two steps forward before realizing that her bag did not feel an iota heavier. What sort of sorcery is this, anyhow?
A peek inside revealed a hologram with a list of all the items in her possession.
It was straight out of an inventory menu from a role-playing game. By placing her hand in the middle of the hologram and rotating her wrist, she could access dozens of compartments. Weapons. Armor and clothing. Accessories. Food and drink. Loot. Quest items. Spell tomes. Gifts. Luxurious pet storage. Furniture. Possessions could be hot-linked to simple hand gestures.
I could fit a whole room in here, she marveled, and took a seat on a bench to catch her breath.
Towering knights were stationed between gates: silent, faceless sentinels with black spears and polished shields carrying the city’s crest.
A man with a strange glimmer in his eye chanted that the end times were coming. People shuffled past him without a glance. Okay, that isn’t really anything new.
Shopkeepers haggled with potential customers. Marionettes danced on strings without puppeteers, magic-infused equipment glowed with elemental energies, and countless pets jumped about and play-fought each other.
In the midst of this, she spotted him - the cutest thing in the world.
The cat-like fuzz-ball with the tiniest furry wings and a pinwheel tail beamed at her with immediate recognition. His stripes rapidly shifted between the colors of the rainbow, as did his sparkling eyes. He had been waiting for her, and she fell in love immediately.
Raine made a beeline for a place called Helter Shelter , oblivious to the crowd of commuters she was cutting through.
“How much is that one?” Raine asked, wide-eyed.
The jaded old pet keeper looked her up and down. “Can’t you read the sign?”
Raine glanced to her left.
“Chance”
Rainbow Cat, Advanced Familiar, Level 50
Resistant to Arcane Magic
(Reserved)
Her heart sank. She felt her knees go weak. “He’s reserved?”
The pet keeper adjusted her glasses and glanced at her personal tablet. “Yes, it says it right here - to one rainorshine23 .”
Raine couldn’t believe her ears.
The pet keeper jolted upright, suddenly realizing her mistake.
“Oh, I’m sorry, miss! I didn’t know, I…” she fumbled. “I’ll be right back with our selection of collars!”
“Ah, no, it’s quite all right! I don’t--”
Chance interrupted her with a stunningly loud meow . Raine suddenly lost her train of thought. The cat had shushed her, quite intentionally.
The older woman returned with a small leather suitcase and opened it up on the counter. The holographic catalog of collars ranged from all shapes and sizes.
“Just point at something if you want to see it.”
Raine gazed intently at the scrolling list of hundreds of items.
“That one!” she exclaimed at a sharp-looking, gem-studded collar with a red bowtie.
The pet keeper gave a hearty chortle. “A premium collar, that is. Allows for unlimited transformation. Fantastic choice. Seventy Gold.”
“Got it.” Raine pulled up the menu screen on her watch.
“No, no, no,” the lady said with a shake of her head. “Word of advice, girl. You’re supposed to bargain me down a bit. Make it interesting, eh?”
“I’d rather pay in full. I don’t even remember reserving this guy, if it was me who did it at all, so this must be my lucky day.”
“Oh, I don’t think you did reserve him. He’s a gift.”
“Huh? From whom?”
“The buyer chose to remain anonymous. But don’t worry - Chance here is a good kitty. He’ll bring you much fortune.”
Curious as to the identity of her benefactor but unable to think of a reason to not take the familiar, Raine thanked the shopkeeper, paid for the collar, and gave Chance a long hug. He was quite affectionate, and his glowing coat and color-changing eyes were mesmerizing. She
The girl took two steps forward before realizing that her bag did not feel an iota heavier. What sort of sorcery is this, anyhow?
A peek inside revealed a hologram with a list of all the items in her possession.
It was straight out of an inventory menu from a role-playing game. By placing her hand in the middle of the hologram and rotating her wrist, she could access dozens of compartments. Weapons. Armor and clothing. Accessories. Food and drink. Loot. Quest items. Spell tomes. Gifts. Luxurious pet storage. Furniture. Possessions could be hot-linked to simple hand gestures.
I could fit a whole room in here, she marveled, and took a seat on a bench to catch her breath.
Towering knights were stationed between gates: silent, faceless sentinels with black spears and polished shields carrying the city’s crest.
A man with a strange glimmer in his eye chanted that the end times were coming. People shuffled past him without a glance. Okay, that isn’t really anything new.
Shopkeepers haggled with potential customers. Marionettes danced on strings without puppeteers, magic-infused equipment glowed with elemental energies, and countless pets jumped about and play-fought each other.
In the midst of this, she spotted him - the cutest thing in the world.
The cat-like fuzz-ball with the tiniest furry wings and a pinwheel tail beamed at her with immediate recognition. His stripes rapidly shifted between the colors of the rainbow, as did his sparkling eyes. He had been waiting for her, and she fell in love immediately.
Raine made a beeline for a place called Helter Shelter , oblivious to the crowd of commuters she was cutting through.
“How much is that one?” Raine asked, wide-eyed.
The jaded old pet keeper looked her up and down. “Can’t you read the sign?”
Raine glanced to her left.
“Chance”
Rainbow Cat, Advanced Familiar, Level 50
Resistant to Arcane Magic
(Reserved)
Her heart sank. She felt her knees go weak. “He’s reserved?”
The pet keeper adjusted her glasses and glanced at her personal tablet. “Yes, it says it right here - to one rainorshine23 .”
Raine couldn’t believe her ears.
The pet keeper jolted upright, suddenly realizing her mistake.
“Oh, I’m sorry, miss! I didn’t know, I…” she fumbled. “I’ll be right back with our selection of collars!”
“Ah, no, it’s quite all right! I don’t--”
Chance interrupted her with a stunningly loud meow . Raine suddenly lost her train of thought. The cat had shushed her, quite intentionally.
The older woman returned with a small leather suitcase and opened it up on the counter. The holographic catalog of collars ranged from all shapes and sizes.
“Just point at something if you want to see it.”
Raine gazed intently at the scrolling list of hundreds of items.
“That one!” she exclaimed at a sharp-looking, gem-studded collar with a red bowtie.
The pet keeper gave a hearty chortle. “A premium collar, that is. Allows for unlimited transformation. Fantastic choice. Seventy Gold.”
“Got it.” Raine pulled up the menu screen on her watch.
“No, no, no,” the lady said with a shake of her head. “Word of advice, girl. You’re supposed to bargain me down a bit. Make it interesting, eh?”
“I’d rather pay in full. I don’t even remember reserving this guy, if it was me who did it at all, so this must be my lucky day.”
“Oh, I don’t think you did reserve him. He’s a gift.”
“Huh? From whom?”
“The buyer chose to remain anonymous. But don’t worry - Chance here is a good kitty. He’ll bring you much fortune.”
Curious as to the identity of her benefactor but unable to think of a reason to not take the familiar, Raine thanked the shopkeeper, paid for the collar, and gave Chance a long hug. He was quite affectionate, and his glowing coat and color-changing eyes were mesmerizing. She
Similar Books
