SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY

Revelry of Flames Vol.4

MAGIC OF THE ORDINARY

As Aceobal walked the bustling streets of Satoria he could hear the distant calls of monkeys echoing in the surrounding jungles. However, they were soon drowned out by the cacophony of voices at the nearby open market. Merchants shouted their wares, customers haggled and bargained, creating a symphony of noise that filled the air. The clinking of coins, the rustling of fabric, and the occasional burst of laughter added to the vibrant atmosphere.

Drawing closer to the Monkey God, automat tantalizing scents of sizzling street food made his stomach growl as he passed by, pushing his hunger aside momentarily, to be present in the moment and indulge in the music of his environment treasuring it and adoring it even with all of its faults.

In truth Satoria wasn’t where he had been born; although he did feel immense pride in the town and all the more pride in the bravura militia that defended it. Walking into MG’s with a rumbling stomach, Aceobal approached the counter, where a row of gleaming food compartments awaited him. With a mix of hunger and excitement, he ordered his favorite meal: a Philly cheese steak, and crispy onion rings, accompanied by a bowl of caramel drizzled Italian coffee cream. Lastly, to complement this meal, he selected a chilled bottle of blue tiger sarsaparilla.

As the aroma of delicious food filled his senses, making his mouth water, he made his way to the back of the automat cafeteria, where a large window provided a beautiful view of the Wraith River. From there, he could see river taxis, canoe merchants, and gambling boats traveling up and down the river. Just as Aceobal settled into his seat, he noticed a familiar face entering the automat. It was Ozella, his childhood friend and Tony's daughter. Ozella was a chubby plus-sized ecliptrix with bubblegum pink skin, golden eyes, silver-painted nails, a curvaceous pear physique, and gamine facial features.

At the time of the encounter, Ozella had just come home from classes over at Druid Tech, carrying two magic tomes under her arm and a Byzantium purple canvas bag on her back. DT was like a community college where Magmellian magic was taught at an affordable cost, while Magmell's magic wasn’t as advanced or powerful as magic found in the surface world, in many ways, it was more distinctive and transferable to daily life.

Categories taught included Hermeticism, Shamanism, Culinturgy, Technomancy echnomancy, Chaos magic, Enchantment, Arcane manifestation, Charm craft, Evocation vocation, Invocation, Necromancy, Transmutation, Transfiguration, Scriptmancy, Alchemy, Primal magic, Fairy magic, Fertility magic, Pixie magic, Precognition, Postcognition, Artifism, Animancy, Beguilism, Botany, Abjuration, Cryptomancy Ryptomancy, Druidism, Perabulism, Oneiromancy, Dowser magic, Knotmancy, Geomancy, Soul consumption, Null-magic, Fauxmancy, Cartomancy, Diabolism, Vitomancy, Weavermancy, Verminmancy, Somatic medicine, Arcane trad-medicine, Tribal medicine, and Flesh smiting. All are taught at an affordable cost.

Though a bit tired Ozella would order herself a corned beef Reuben, star berry cheesecake, curly fries, and a root beer. After collecting her meal from the locker she scanned the cafeteria for a table, and unexpectedly her eyes landed on Aceobal sitting alone. With excitement and a cheerful smile, she approached and asked if she could join him.

"Don't see why not, always infinitely more cozy with you around Ozzy," Aceobal replied, his voice laden with joy.

As she sat down and began to eat, Ozella noticed that Aceobal seemed a bit down despite the warm greeting he’d just extended. Concerned, she asked what was bothering him. Aceobal let out a small laugh and confessed that her father, Tony, had steamrolled him again in sparring. He admitted that he had no clue how to get his get back because old age didn’t seem to slow or dull him at all.

Ozella’s expression turned serious as she listened intently. She asked Aceobal if he ever thought all the training and work they put into the militia was really worth it. Aceobal’s eyes lit up with passion as he responded, assuring her that it would all be worth it when the time came. He believed that the Sunflower Legion would return for a second harvest campaign one day, and their country, Magmell, would go to war for their independence.

But Ozella looked Aceobal dead in the eyes and told him that she didn’t believe the legion was ever going to come back. She felt that the sacred sun along with Magmell’s nine militias were wasting their time, resources, coin, energy, and manpower preparing for some ultimate showdown that might never happen in their lifetimes.

Aceobal, caught off guard by her words, asked her to explain what she meant by that. Ozella took a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking.

Zopra {means papa in Lumicor} despite being the bravura head, has his own business, frequently invests into lucrative schemes, and spends most of his downtime playing squash or golf," Ozella explained. "To be honest, I feel like the militia is gonna be moving further and further away from his list of primary concerns the older he gets. I don't think other militia figureheads in Magmell are gonna be operating any differently either the longer they've gotta wait on this fantasy war.”

The best route would be for the nine and the sacred suns to sign some type of unity pact and turn our focus and energies toward restoring and building up infrastructure, enriching the lives of our people, refining our societies, developing our technologies, advancing the education system, evolving our magics, improving Magmellian medicine, and making our local governments and economies more robust."

Ozella's voice was filled with positivity, passion, optimism, and excitement as she spoke about this alternative vision for Magmell. Aceobal couldn't help but be intrigued by her ideas.

"But what about what Tony always says? (marvelously impersonates Tony sounding like a middle-aged lecturing father) "now don't cha realize Idleness and fancy ideals are the slowest economic sectors? They ain't gonna put food on your plate, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, or ammo in the chamber," Aceobal reminded her.

Ozella laughed and smiled softly, her golden eyes sparkling. "My father and most of the militia figureheads minus Robin and Veda are from a different time, stuck in their ways. But maybe younger members and Magmell’s youth, in general, can strive and push for some big changes in the next couple of years, maybe we could start swapping ideas and taking baby steps toward a more sustainable dream for Magmell to rally behind. A dream that’ll provide official independence without the need for war, widows, and bloodshed."

Curiosity getting the better of him, Aceobal asked Ozella if all this talk would turn into action when she inherited bravura from her father. In that moment Ozella made it clear that she had no desire to duel for the figurehead position, participate in any election seasons, or lead the militia. Instead, she believed her future lay in politics, where she could have the most impact and make the most change in Satoria and possibly even beyond.

With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Ozella teased Aceobal, asking if he would be enough of a prize by then to be her mistress by night and bodyguard by day. Aceobal couldn’t help but chuckle, Aceobal chuckled, a devilish grin forming on his face. "Ozzy dear, I’ve always been him, if you’re feenin for me mamas just say that and I’ll be your shield through sunshine and storms." His words flowed effortlessly, laced with a wholesome charm that left her captivated.

{ I watched a documentary on YouTube about an old-school Automat and how they’re trying to revive them here in the United States. I really loved that idea and thought about how magical it’d be to have one of them as a tertiary space to just vibe with friends and have dates. So armed with that inspiration I created MG’s which serves as the tertiary spot of Magmells Satoria. It’s a place where busy people come to chill out and slow things down & mingle in between work, school, daily errands, or on lunch breaks.}