M.U.G.

Chapter 2

M.U.G.

19/7/4999

The next morning Jessica woke up in her bed. She got dressed in her work clothes and fixed her hair. She hopped down the stairs and kissed her mom on the cheek. Grabbing a sandwich from the island she headed to the backdoor.

"I am going to work," she called over her shoulder. She stepped out into a large garden that connect a half circle of over 40 houses. She was walking down a stone garden path humming to herself and looking around at the trees and flowers. As she passed the wishing well she pulled a copper out of her pocket she tossed it in and said "May the day bring the fortune I seek." She clapped twice and continued walking on the stone path toward her shop, M.U.G. the Magic Users Guild. She had done this ritually so often she didn't even think about it. She could hear the sound of birds singing the morning wake as the sun lifted a little further to the sky overhead.

She entered through the backdoor and said to her P.A.I.L. (Personal/Public Artificially Intelligent Lifeform) "Good morning M.A.V.I.S. (My Artificially Intelligent Very Impressive System) please run 'Open for Business'."

"Good morning, Jessica," M.A.V.I.S. replied appearing before her in a skimpy maids uniform. Jessica rolled her eyes.

"I know I said you could pick your own avatar but do you have to wear… that?," she said waving her hand up and down indicating the uniform. M.A.V.I.S. had elected to copy Jessica's body because she liked her so much. Jessica found it flattering but it embarrassed the crap out of her to see those clothes on her body.

"Sorry, Miss," M.A.V.I.S. replied but instead of changing her outfit she turned her body into a copy of Peter. Jessica snickered and just walked away. She grabbed a glass container of wormmilk from the fridge and took a big swig.

"Yum, tastes like bananas this week. The worms must be in good spirits," She remarked putting the rest back in the fridge after two more drinks.

"Of course they are," a man said walking in the back door. He was dressed in all white with Happy Worm Farms written in rainbow colored letters on his back. On the left side of his chest wear a pocket would go it said in embroidered rainbow colored letters Jacob. He was a handsome man with a strong jawline, sparkling blue eyes and short blonde hair he was human but still rather tall 6'6" he had large muscular arms and a kind smile.

"Jacob," Jessica called out to him waving and walked over to him.

"My boss has been looping your laughter at them," He informed her as pulled a holo pad for her to sign for the delivery and make the 5 nickle monthly payment. She gave him a quick side hug and then he departed to get back to his route.

Just before she was about to open the doors at the front of the shop, her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID she it ignore. M.A.V.I.S. saw then and said, "You could have her arrested at this point you know." The call had come from her ex-girlfriend Marry-Anne.

"No I can't, she is one of the hundred and I don't want to start a whole new mess," Jessica said taking a seat at her workbench. Marry-Anne had been harassing Jessica demanding to know why she had broken up with her. Jessica for her part had explained it the best she could without lying or being overly critical. She simply wanted something different out of life than Marry-Anne did was the only reason she could give.

M.U.G. is the store that Jessica had opened one week after passing her adult exam. The shop had been a place for the few adventures still roaming Karth looking for a dungeon to beat or just taking quests the committee assigned. They had come in to swap stories about their travels. They would ask advice on which quests currently available Jessica thought they were suited for. She would talk them through any problems they were having with their spells, she had promised not to use magic herself but the knowledge she had was a valuable commodity and she found a way to fulfill her responsibility without breaking her personal values. She was quite capable of appraising and examining items they picked up that their quickidents didn't work on using a technology she had developed to bypass the need for the spell with the stones. It took longer but worked and the process fascinated all those who got to watch it. Her appraisals became known for having 100% accuracy rate and the tech she had developed to do it was deemed shareable but the system had put a 10 cycle proprietary knowledge lock on it at the request of Peter to force her to make some money. The shop also sold M.U.G. merch with tech infused items to aid the adventurers on their long journeys. Before things went sideways her favorite thing to do on a slow day was to stand outside the shop and call out to people, "Get your mug (framing her face with her hands) on a mug (lifting up a coffee mug) from M.U.G. (she would point at the store sign. Many people had done it for the novelty and her prices were known for being fair. Many people elected to get their mugs with Jessica in the picture as well as physical proof they had met her in person. Jessica thought these people were weird but she did it anyway because it was fun.

One day a man came in carrying an everbag of fallen friend. He had handed it to Jessica silently so she could display it along with the picture she had hanging of him in the front. He had willed it to her for this purpose. He had jokingly said something about it to her once but she had just laughed it off. She had many people on her wall and this was the first to die. She had loved listening to his stories and he always brought her a candy for whichever town or city he had been to because as he had put it "Young ones like sweets." He had been right and the bond between them was deeper for it.

Jessica had stored it in the backroom until she could find an appropriate way to showcase it. That night Jessica was making the display case by hand thought long and hard about everbags for the first time in her life. She decided it was also a little fucked up that family members still couldn't access the contents after the death of a loved one. So she spent the entire night finding a way to hack an everbag. At 14:38 AM the next day she succeeded. The system had awarded her the title Archaeologist (something she had to relearn the meaning of because there were no old bones on Karth. There were also no graves to dig up and everyone who had ever lived on Karth had a detailed record of their lives on file). No video was linked to this title because the tech was a bit on the iffy side and could tempt people to do bad things. She was autogranted a sealed patent from the server. People came from all over Karth for her to open the bags of the dead hoping to recover memories of lost loved ones.

Then everyone had lost their magic after the Blackout and couldn't use their everbags anymore the request to open bags for the living had flooded in. Jessica staring at the scores of bags of the dead from the Blackout in her storeroom had thought "Fuck that," and set about adapting her tech to be used as biolock user enabled device that someone could attach to the bag and use freely as they had before without having to use everyday magic to grab things. The system had awarded her the title Bypass Inventor. Jessica had offered this tech to the system to distribute as it had originally issue the bags but the system had issued her a closed patent instead and suggested a price point for selling them at. Jessica had sighed keeping tech this useful to sell feels selfish but I do have a business to run and my parents are taking all the 13 to 18 cycle old who don't want to be adopted into an orphanage. She agreed with the system and rented a auto-manufacturing plant to make them. She had enough money saved to rent the automat and buy the materials to produce the first 2k of these. They had been on the market for less than one minute when they sold out so Jessica wrote a program to auto buy and produce the product while keeping just enough of the money from it as profit. She now also performed the service of repairing this tech when inevitably people would break it. She had trained her 5 long time employees to do this and they had loved their jobs. When it was discovered that they were also members of the 100 she had to train 5 new people and just let the others take shifts when they were in the area. These are the people kept that aspect of her business going when she was off being the Chairman's work horse. She was the only one allowed to go through the Everbags of the dead she didn't even let the boys see how she did it. When she started using magic again she had adapted the tech into a spell to speed up the process. She only did this because she had so little time to do them between quests.

She opened the doors of the store early because she was there. Here first employee wasn't due to come in for at least an hour. Jessica sat in the back room pulling items out of an Everbag finding a wedding ring she smiled, "His lifemate's won't be happy it was in his bag but they will be glad to have it back," she had been at work totally focused on the bag for about 15 minutes, when a ding alerted to her someone entering the front of the shop. Jessica rolled her shoulders, stood and walked to the door separating the public room from her workspace glancing at the view monitor before opening it she groaned. "That assbitter what does he want now?" it was the Chairman. Jessica sighed and opened the door.

"Welcome to M.U.G. What can we help you with today?," she greeted him customer service cheer in her voice.

His face was beet red and he was shaking his fist at her. There were a bunch of crumpled up papers in it, "What is the meaning of these?" He practically spat at her.

"That would depend what are they?" Jessica tilted her head trying to read the papers.

"They are all resignation letters from your so called friends," He said throwing them to the ground.

"Hmm, I see so you came to pick up mine in person then?," she asked still using fake cheer.

The Chairman's eyes widened so big Jessica feared for a second that they might actually fall out. He opened his mouth to say something but Jessica raised her right hand and stopped him. She then snapped her fingers and a paper with her own letter of resignation appear in her hand. She looked over the document, "Perfect it came out exactly the way I wanted it to." She pulled a pen from her pocket and signed it. Finished she handed it to him. She snapped her fingers again and the letters from her friends rose from the floor smoothing themselves out. They floated by the Chairman's hand, "You really should be more careful with official documents, soon to be former Chairman Chandler." The man looked mildly perplexed no one had called him by his given name in so long he had almost forgotten it himself. Jessica's phone beeped alerting her to a world achievement. The hellscape did I do to earn one now? She wondered. She checked her phone and began to laugh with joy.

"What is it?," he asked her but she was too busy laughing to answer him. He tapped his wrist and pulled up a holo display and saw he had been awarded a world achievement.

Chairman Chandler

Has been awarded the title achievement of:

MORTAL ENEMY OF THE STRONGWELLS

What Jessica didn't know was as she was talking to the Chairmen her mother was talking to the boys. Her mother had never had a mean thing to say about anyone but when she heard what had happened on their last journey something inside her snapped. "That man can go just go suck on the eye of an angler-ray if he ever wants to talk to my daughter again!," she had tried to make her voice sound angry but since she had no experience at it came out more of an annoyed tone. The video you could view when you clicked on the achievement title was Jessica saying "Fucking hate that guy" and Peter responding to her "me too." Then a video of Jessica's father saying, "I swear he must of been dropped on the head as a child and no one noticed. How could anyone be that stupid?," reading a news article about the Chairman. And finally the video of her mother saying the most vile thing she had ever said in her life. Jessica and the Chairman were both watching these. His face was twisted in anger and hers had a large smile on it as she laughed.

Jessica pictured in her minds eye finding an angler-ray for him to suck on the eye of but she had no hope of it because they were not of Karth they lived on the dwarves home world. If you ever made the mistake of sucking on this eye it would pop filling your mouth with a potion and triggering swallowing. The numbing effect of the potions spell would freeze your vocal cords preventing speech for an average of 3 days. This is a very disgusting way of telling some to shut the fuck up.

"You pissed of the lady who literal holds titles calling her the nicest, most patient, kind, understanding and more," Jessica said through her laughter, "She doesn't even know how to display her rage at you properly."

Jessica stopped laughing and stood tall. "You should take those papers and go now." She said suddenly being very stern. The sudden realization that this man had actually made her mother feel that way had hit her. He being so self envolled failed to understand that he was in danger and made no move to depart. Jessica's eyes narrowed and she looked at his face. As he met her gaze a cold sweat broke out on his back.

"Go now before you tempt me into being the first person in Karth history to break the Second Law," she demanded flames that looked like knives burning in her closed fists. He snatched the papers out of the air a fled.

Jessica just stood there with the flame knives still burning in her hands fuming thinking about her mother feeling hatred or anything resembling it cursing the chairman until Alorha showed up for work. Alorha is a half-light elf half-human she stands 6'0". Her high cheek-bones, slender nose and elven chin, where a little less distinct than they had been before she gained weight carrying her twins nearly 13 cycles prior. She had her gold hair in very sharp contrast to its very human red highlights was in a braid going down her back. She was wearing her simple everyday tiara (as a high priestess she has one for every occasion) and her M.U.G. uniform, a black collared shirt with M.U.G. in white letters on left upper side, a pair of white "jean" pants and because she loves flair her shoes where rainbow colored hightops (think converse). She had been chatting away on her phone with one of her wives about the need to update their kitchen when she spotted Jessica. "I gotta go," She whispered and hung up. She put her phone in her pocket as she slowly approached Jessica. She could her Jessica angrily whispering to herself but was unable to hear what she was saying. "M.A.V.I.S. subtitles," she whispered to the P.A.I.L. the subtitles appear is between them in the air and now Alohra could clearly read.

Making my mom feel something like that it is so against her nature. Gonna have to take her to the doctor for a checkup. I bet copper to large gold she has a stomach ache right now. UUUUUURRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH

"I take it, you mean the Chairman?," Alohra asked cautiously. Jessica's head turned to look at her and now Alohra could see tears streaming down her round friendly face, "Oh sweetheart," Alohra said in that mother tone of care and simply wrapped Jessica up in a hug. Jessica extinguished the knives so they wouldn't hurt her friend. Peter walked in from the back room with his wings out planning to do a sprightly dance and ask Jessica to talk to M.A.V.I.S. about changing her display setting. When he saw Alohra hugging Jessica those thoughts quickly vanished from his mind and he asked, "What did I miss?" She just got her smile back yesterday, I can't take her retreating again, he thought.

Jessica looked over at him and stared at his upper right wing focusing on the thin white scar line cutting halfway down its middle. Being a Strongwell she wasn't used to holding anger at another person in her heart for this long and it quickly turned towards herself again.

"I never should have used my magic so carelessly yesterday." She said. Peter saw what she was looking at and quickly furled his wings away.

"Jessica, it is about time you forgave yourself," Peter said sadness creeping into his voice.

"It has been seven cycles," Alohra added understanding the situation.

The memory of the worst thing she had ever done playing out in her mind Jessica shook her head trying to erase the thoughts. Screw it she thought, " M.A.V.I.S. play recording of the spell that earned me the achievement title, Teacher of Fae."

A large screen appeared in the room. Peter could be seen laughing a boy who was covered in nettle-beetle stings. A 10 cycle old Jessica became the focus of the video now and she was saying "Those who have never known pain do not know its meaning or it purpose. I curse you Peter the Fae, of the family Strongwell. Learn this lesson as this curse grounds you. Learn so that all Fae feel it. Know this pain is not from anger or given in spite. Know the understanding your kind is lacking." She then raised her arms and a sword of white light appeared and she slashed through his wing with it. Peter wailed out in pain and the screen changed splitting into sections to show all 41 of the Fae still on Karth wailing out at the same moment.

Peter said, "M.A.V.I.S. end playback." The screen disappeared.

"Before me no Fae ever felt any pain. Sure over the cycles you have all had little accidents but nothing had ever actually injured a single one of you," Jessica said. "This is a reason I stopped using magic in public. This is the reason I fear my own power and I can not believe that just because we could have died I went on such a moronic magical spree." She let go of Alohra and took a step back.

"You know what, I am getting really sick of this, Jessica," Peter said placing his hands on his hips, " We all forgave you the moment that it happened and we were all grateful for the knowledge. You locked yourself in your room for 3 months and only came out when my wing healed enough that I flew into your room and dragged you out. That was enough of punishment. Please let it go." Tears were brimming in his eyes.

Jessica shook her head no. Alohra sighed and pulled out her phone, "Q's could you please come to M.U.G. I think it's time you told Jessica what you told me about the Blackout…. Ok see you in a bit. Thank you." She hung up her phone and grabbed Jessica placing their foreheads together looking her in the eye. Her purple irises have pink half under-rims as her light of truth about a centimeter from Jessica's. "I bless you Jessica Strongwell with all the love nature has for its creatures hear the story of the Q's with an open mind and allow understanding of it to heal the pain in your heart.��� A white glow came off the tip of her tiara and hit Jessica in the chest. Jessica was lifted from the ground and hovered there for a few minutes until the Q's arrived.

When they walked in she was set back on the ground and her whole body turned to face them.

"Jessica, there is something we have wanted to tell you for two cycles now," The First Q said.

"When we had to battle our brother on the day of the Blackout we would never have won if it had not been for your lesson," The second Q said.

The first Q removed his shirt and pointed and the circle shaped scar on his left shoulder, "When my brother did this to me I nearly pass out from shock. I would have too, if it had been the first time I had ever felt real pain." He put his shirt back on.

"Again, we thank you for the lesson you taught us," The two Q's said in unison.

Alohra's spell allowing her to hear their thanks for the first time. She nodded her understanding. A calm entered her soul healing her as she released herself from the pain she had been inflicting on herself since 2 seconds after she heard the sound of Peter's wing splitting open at the end of her magic blade. She honestly didn't believe it would work. She was kind of trying to scare him because even though the boy had deserved to be punished Peter had gone to far when he set a trap that hurt actually hurt him. He had been teasing Jessica relentlessly for over a month. Jessica wouldn't do anything about it so Peter had.

"Ok, I get it," Jessica said looking around she sighed, " I really don't feel like working today."

"You have a crap ton of money anyway why bother?," Peter pointed out.

Alohra smiled, "Let's go on a shopping spree!" She said smiling and clapping.

Jessica smiled and jokingly said, "You know I can only spend the money on myself."

"Why do you think she is so excited?," The Q's asked in unison.

"Don't do that," Peter said as a cold shiver went up his spine.

"Don't do what?," Alohra asked puzzled.

"He means we they talk in unison," Jessica said in a teasing tone looking at Peter.

"It is really creepy, Okay," Peter said emphasizing the word Okay.

"We" "Don't""Think" "It" "Is""Creepy", the Q's said trading of each word.

"Oh for the love of milkworm meat," Peter exclaimed, "Now you two are just screwing with me."

"Yes" "we" "are" the Q's did it again sharing the word are and began laughing.

Peter used his wind magic to create small tornado's by his ears, "Ha now I can't hear you." he said dramatically pointing them and stuck out his tongue.

Alohra rolled her eyes at him and grabbing Jessica's hand said, "M.A.V.I.S. run closed for business and put a notification on the door that says Gone Shopping." She then lead Jessica who was laughing at Peter out of the shop.

"Wait where are going?," Peter shouted.

"Shopping," The Q's mouthed at him following the girls out of the shop.

Peter ended his spell and said,"What?"

"Shopping," Jessica called to him from the sidewalk outside.

"OH," Peter said nodding slightly. He half jogged out the door and M.A.V.I.S. closed it and put up the holo sign as they walked away down the street.

The Chairman who was standing across the street watching the shop still holding the letters of resignation in his hand frowned angrily at their backs as they walked away.

The business district in this area was mostly specialty shops with a few empty building. The empty buildings were solid white stone as no one had designed for them a holographic store front. No two shops looked the same.