THE MOMENT
Mervin paused as he walked past an alleyway. It was a bustling, sunny day in town and he was on a mission. He'd passed the alley hundreds of times since he moved to town. It was empty every other time; but, this time something caught his eye. A bright, rainbow-colored door drew his attention to a small, stone-finished hut with a wooden sign on the door. It said 'Special goods for sale'.
Mervin was a mediocre wizard; but, practiced. He was no stranger to magic and it was entirely normal for a building to appear out of nowhere for one day to the next. However, the fact that it did meant he might find what he was looking for there. He turned into the alley and approached the hut.
Mervin opened the door and walked in; and, he immediately suspected more magic. The room he entered was much larger than should be able to fit into the tiny building. Dozens of shelves and tabletops displayed hundreds of wares. Swords, shields, wands, armor and thick tomes were all sorted into groups and Mervin could see the odd dagger or helmet glowing with soft light. A teen with rainbow hair that matched the door approached him with a smile.
"Hi, I'm Monday and this is my shop. Is there something I can help you find?"
"Mervin," he introduced himself and nodded as he explained what he was looking for. "The King is holding a grand festival soon and the mage's guild is holding exhibition duels...," he trailed off. Monday had a bored look on her face despite her polite, forced smile. He decided she didn't need the backstory. "..I'm looking for something to make my magic stronger."
He looked around the shop as he explained and a table of strange weapons caught his eye. The table held a dozen dark metal items in different sizes; but, they were all more or less the same impractical shape. It looked like a misshapen, unbalanced boomerang.
"What's this hideous thing?" Mervin grabbed the closest one. He was surprised at how heavy it was and he could not imagine it being thrown without unreasonable effort. "Is it as useless as it looks?"
"It's actually very powerful. It's an item you can use without incantation... It's called a gun," she took the gun out of his hands and put it back on the table. "..And there's much more I can show you."
"Wait," Mervin said. He refused to be led away. "Let's start here. How does it work without an incantation?" He reached for the gun again but Monday moved it out of his reach and shook her head.
"That's not what you're looking for," she said.
"What?" Mervin tilted his head. "It sounds like it's exactly what I'm looking for. A very powerful artifact that's easy to use? I want that!" he said.
"Not for a mage's duel," she said. She made a swift motion; but, a loud bang filled Mervin's ears before he could process what happened. Smoke flowed out of the end of the gun pointed at him and Monday smirked. He thought he felt something tap his chest after the bang and he looked down. A tiny wad of metal was on the floor between his feet and he looked back at Monday for an explanation.
"What did you do?" he asked.
"I fired the gun; it's useless against mage armor," she said. His eyes widened.
"How'd you know I had it active!?" he asked. Monday shrugged.
"If you didn't always have it on, you wouldn't be much of a mage," she said. Mervin had to admit that was a fair point. After years of practicing the spell and casting it daily, it was almost second nature now. "So.. do you want to see what else I can show you?" Monday asked. Mervin nodded and followed her to another table. Golden disks domed with glass-lined the table. They were larger than a medallion but not by much. Monday grabbed one from the table along with its straps. She put it on Mervin's chest, then affixed the straps behind him with one going over his right shoulder and the other going beneath his left arm .
"This is a mana condenser," Monday said. "This one is full so you can try it out." Once she was satisfied with the fit she brushed her hand on the glass. The dome began to glow with faint purple light.
"WhoA!" The exclamation escaped Mervin's lips as he felt his body fill with energy. He held his hand out to test a weak spell. He meant to produce a candle flame for light in his palm. But, even though he imagined a tiny flicker, a blazing column of flame and lightning shot upward and blackened the stone roof. It was the first time Mervin ever needed effort to stop a spell.
"I'll take it," Mervin said. "Great!" Monday took the condenser off of him, then she grabbed another one from the table and handed it to him.
"For best results, let it charge completely the first time before you use it," Monday said. She walked him over to the register then stepped behind it.
"Charge it? For how long?" Monday shrugged.
"Seven days if you let it charge on its own, four if you charge it with your own mana." Mervin paused long enough to sigh.
"The duels are in three days...," he said. He glanced back at the table. "Can I buy the full one?" Monday shook her head.
"That's the store's," she said. "I can't afford to miss out on sales while I charge a new one."
"Please! I'll pay anything! I have to show everyone what I can do!" Monday tilted her head at him and narrowed her eyes.
"Anything?" she asked. Mervin nodded eagerly. Monday looked past him to check the door. They were the only two in the shop and she pressed a button on the register. The displays of weapons and armor disappeared. The walls, floor and ceiling all became solid, glowing white. Then Monday pulled out a red clipboard from under the counter and placed it in front of Mervin with a red pen.
"Tell me," Monday said. "How attached are you to your soul?"