Old Magic and Memories (III)

The inside of the herbal shop was quite fascinating. From left to right, there were a variety of plants that I had never seen before. Colorful and even strange to the point if it was dangerous. What was more fascinating was that there were rock collections that ranged through an array of different colors.

"Rocks?" I asked, piqued by the strange collection of rocks.

"They're not rocks."

"Then, what are they?"

"Magic stones."

"Magic stones?" I asked awed. "What are they doing here in the herbal shop? Aren't these like rare?"

"Well...."

"Young lady, you have quite the eye." The old lady from the counter spoke. "Those magic stones are one of a kind. Taken from the core of the magical monsters or are found and mined in high-density magical areas, which turns the common rocks into magic stone. They are used for a wide variety of things."

"Really? Like what?" I was fascinated by the rough texture of the stone.

"Magic."

"Please stop. You know as well as I that the output of these magic stones is only small. It is called a useless trinket for a reason." Phil spoke, cutting the old lady off.

I was confused, "Wasn't that the purpose of using the magic stone?"

"Well, no. The monster's magic stones are useless, the common magic stones as well. They output a large amount of energy and dissipates before one could even use it for practical use. It's considered a novelty or a trinket for collectors. Though what the magicians use are the actual Magic crystals that are found deep underground in the land of Torren. Those are much harder to find."

I scrutinized it and felt a warm pulse. I couldn't help but cup the stone with interest. Thinking it over, I remembered the strange ability that I had. Programmer, was it? There was nothing wrong with trying it out.

"I'll buy all the Magic Stones, please."

Alarmed, Phil spoke. "Weren't you listening to me?"

"Yes," I spoke. This was a trial and error that I definitely wanted to try. Who knows what would happen. "How much would that be?" I turned around towards the old lady.

The old lady was staring at me in delight. "32 silver and 56 copper."

I rummaged through my pocket and counted out the coins. I pushed it towards the old lady.

"Thank you for your business. I was wondering when I would finally get rid of the crystals. I believe that I should give you this." The old lady pulled out a box that looked like a wooden jewelry box. "This is an enchanted box, you can store a large number of magic stones in this."

Ecstatic, I picked it up. On the wooden frame, I could see small markings of letters that I did not understand.

"I'll give this to you for free because you have bought all my magic stones. Young miss, I don't know what you are going to do with those magic stones, but I hope you succeed in whatever you are thinking about."

"How did you know?" I asked, giving her a suspicious look.

The old lady chuckled. "It's the eyes. You seemed to radiate when you had an idea just a moment ago."

"Was I that obvious?" I blushed.

"Yes. It seems like your brother thinks you're quite a handful. His disapproving look tells me so."

"My brother? Ah." Turning towards Phil, I understood what the old lady meant. Yep, she got that right. His eyebrows were knitted, and he let out quite a lot of sighs. "Well, you'll just have to deal with it, won't you, brother?" I snickered.

Phil gave up and shrugged.

"There are 350 different Common magic stones and 100 Monster Magic Stones in the box. You can go over to the shelf and take the rest."

"Thanks a lot." I happily smiled and literally skipped over to the magic stones on the shelf. I grabbed them off the shelf and dropped them into the wooden box. It disappeared magically into a space that I could not see unless I put my hands in it.

With the task done, I left the store delighted.

"What are you going to do with all that magic stone?" asked Phill.

"You want to know?" I mischievously smiled. Already, I caught him in his curious gaze, but he looked away.

"Do I really want to?"

"Nope."

"Then, don't answer."

"Will do." I whistled.

We continued touring through the different shops. From the general stores, alchemist shops, the armor and weapon store. In each shop, I bought more of the Magic stones and stored them away. The only other things that I purchased were more books about magic.

"Here," Phil gave me some kind of sweet bread.

I took it gratefully and bit into it. The soft, gooey texture of a wet apple-like surface erupted into my mouth. Apple pie! Heaven! Eating it slowly, I savored all the exquisite pieces and the excellent taste.

"That was delicious. Thanks."

"I'm surprised that you like it that much."

"It's an apple. Who wouldn't?"

Phil coughed and looked away.

He doesn't like apples? Sacrilege! To say no to the sweet juicy taste of ripe, an apple could be considered a blasphemy act to all apple lovers! I must train him! Wait, what the heck am I thinking about? To train a demon lord, no, better yet it would be torture the demon lord, wouldn't it? An idea struck my mind. Torture. I diabolically chuckled. My mind spun into many different ways to torture him with apples.

"You're doing that creepy laugh again." Phil took a couple of steps back.

"Hmm? I am?" I tried my best to straighten my face back to its usually happy-go-lucky smile but failed miserably. I could feel the edge of my lips, turning into an upward curl. Wretched smile! Don't give it away.

"I don't know what you are thinking about, but I'm going to stay a bit further away from you for a while."

"Go ahead."

We continued on throughout the town square. I saw many exciting things, the busy life of the people, and even a few small magic shows done by actual magicians. With our tour over, we headed back towards the mansion.

"Do you have any place where I can work without being disturbed?"

"Yes, why?"

"I want to do some experimenting."

"For some reason, that sounds dangerous."

"It might be."

"I do have a place that I used to work in when I was a kid."

"Really?"

"Yes, I can lend it to you."

Excited, I followed him off the carriage and through the mansion. We ended up behind where a small hidden shack was located.

"Here."

"Not bad." I looked around, quite pleased with the ample open space, even though the shack looked small on the outside. There were tiny little trinkets here and there and an old table with a crooked chair.

"What are you planning to do?" Phil took a moment to look at me quizzically.

"When I succeed, I'll show you."

"That doesn't sound reassuring." He crossed his arms.

"We'll see." I pulled out the box of magic stones and books and set it on the floor. "Do you, by any chance, understand the concept of magic? It's been a little difficult finding books on it."

"Of course, you won't find much on it. I told you before, the nobles keep a tight rein on such knowledge. I was taught when I was young."

"Why didn't I just ask you in the beginning," I grumbled. I should have known. It just slipped my mind.

"Can you explain it to me on how to use it?"

Phil pulled up a wooden chair that was leaning against the wall. "Well, magic is abundant in the world of Torren. Every creature has a little bit of magic running through their body. Some species have more while monsters are known to be made purely of magic. Monsters bring out their magic by using their magic stones, while humans actually need a source of conductivity to use the magic around them."

"For example, I have to use a wand. Humans usually only have a small amount of magic in them, but they are rare instances where they are born a lot like monsters. Humans have developed a different way of fighting using skill arts, where it merges combat and the little amount of magic that they have in themselves. Though to become a pure magician, one needs to go through the Magician Academy to become certified."

"So, how do I draw it out of me?"

"You have to imagine and feel it from your guts. It's like a sixth sense."

"I see." I crossed my arms, sitting down in a lotus position. That would make sense on how I was able to use a metal manipulator on the treasure chest.

"Though you need to be careful about using one's own source of magic. It can become detrimental if you use it to the point where you kill yourself. Everyone has a limit, you need to make sure to know where yours is."

Thanks for the advice." I got comfortable. "Do you, by any chance, have ink and quill or a knife around here?"

"Yes."

"May I borrow it for a bit?"

Phil looked around the room and found what I needed. He handed it to me without question and sat back down. Breathing in deeply, I closed my eyes. Instead, I once again look through my status window that always appears when I think about it.

Name: Berry Drakel

Title: Greedy Gaming Dragon

Race: Dragon

Blessings: Blessing of the Ancient Dragon, Double Trouble, Great Sage, Curse of the Dragons

Abilities: Transform, Magic absorption, Metal Manipulator. Ice and Fire Magic. Coder.

Where is that skill that I wanted to try out...Found it. Coder.

"How do I even use this skill?" I mumbled to myself. "Maybe I should try activating the word itself?"

I felt the energy in me. Thinking of the word Coder. A rush of heat swept over me. Opening my eyes, I saw many different names and symbols in front of me like a transparent screen. The common magic stone was glowing blue in my left hand as the screen danced around it.

"What is that?" Phil asked startled. He leaned over and saw the screen and the magic stone glow.

Welcome to Origin. To start, one needs to draw a circle with a line in the middle. From there, please connect the wires to the alphabet of choice to inscribe the words that you desire. To end the code, please put a period and a line reconnecting back to the circle.

Origin? I look a bit confused. Was it a type of magic or just a name? Whatever, let's just try to figure this out.

"What language is that? What skill did you use?"

"It's called Coder. You can't read it?" I tilted my head confused.

"No. It's neither elven or human language, nor did I ever heard of that before. Are you sure you're an elf?"