Deana was in her lab, standing at a work bench. Before her was a deactivated drone. She had constructed it herself, but still had some kinks to work out. It could fly with an anti-gravity spell, so it didn't need propellers. It had a few other spells as well. Currently, she was trying to make it more energy-efficient. While it could recharge itself with the ambient mana in the air, a number of its spells would drain it's capacitors too quickly. At the moment, she was working on a new circuit board for it.

The room was half-filled with the different gizmos and inventions she had created, along with a mannequin she had been using in her research, so to say. She was standing on a special stand Deana had made. Some of the items were made to help her collect and view data from her experiments, as well as things like work benches and examination tables. The room itself was one of her inventions as well. She wanted a few robot helpers to maintain it, something more than a Roomba, but they were still in development.

"Ding dong.”

She put down her soldering iron and the circuit board. "Who could that be?" She checked her phone and saw some woman in a suit standing at the front door. She was holding only a simple briefcase. She hit the talk button. "Who is it?"

The woman looked at the intercom. "Hello there. My name is Aurna Chastain. I wish to speak to Ms. Williams about an employment opportunity."

"I'll be right there." Deana removed her lab coat and hung it on a rack. Before leaving the room, she put on her Mk 17 amulet and hid it under her shirt. "Better safe than sorry." The amulet was enchanted to let her know if she was targeted by a spell. She then fixed her hair before walking out.

The door open and closed for her. She had hidden the door to her lab in her closet. It seemed like the best place to hide it. All she had to do was keep visitors out of her closet. She had managed to route the unities to the door and into the hammerspace room beyond it.

She made her way to the front door. She closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't sense anything, so she opened it. "Welcome. What exactly is this about?"

Aurna smiled. She holds out a business card. "Ms. Williams? I am a headhunter currently representing Synth-Fusion Industries. We are looking for qualified individuals for a number of open positions. I believe you are one such person."

"Synth-Fusion?" That peaked Deana's interest. She took the card. "Come in. Why don't we have a seat and talk about this?" She stepped to the side.

Synth-Fusion Industries was a Kansas-based tech company. They made a number of components Deana had used in her inventions, at least when she didn't have to make the whole thing from scratch.

"Why thank you." Aurna followed Deana inside. They got to the dining room and both took a seat. "Are you familiar with Synth-Fusion Industries?"

"Well enough, I suppose. They make some wonderful computer and cellphone components... among other things." Deana had read a number of articles about them, but for some reason they never took center stage. It was only ever in technology magazines and blogs that anything was said about them. Still, she was impressed on what she did see.

"That saves me some time. To put it simply, we need more people for the R&D divisions. I have looked into your education and employment history and it looks like you are just the type of person we are looking for. I want you to come to their offices in Kansas for an interview."

"Interview? So you aren't just offering me the job?"

"Yes and no. A job is yours if you want it, but there is the question of which job you will take. There are a number of projects currently in the works and more still shelved until we can find the right people for them." Aurna took out some papers and placed them in front of Deana. "Depending on which job you take, you could bring home $80,000 a year to start with, not counting the signing bounce. Although given your skill set, you might find yourself with something far more valuable."

"So what kind of projects are we talking about?" Deana looked at the paperwork. "And what do you mean, ‘more valuable’?”

"I'm afraid I wasn't given the details on the projects themselves, as they’re above my paygrade. However, you do have the qualifications to receive some special benefits not offered anywhere else, including furthering your skills and education."

Deana was a bit taken aback. "But I already finished college. In fact, I'm still working on paying off my student loans."

"My employer is more then willing to assume your debt and pay for more... specialized training."

"Well isn't that fascinating." Deana rested her arms on the table and leaned closer.



Deana stepped out of the Uber and paid the man. She had taken a flight to Kansas and was now standing in front of Synth-Fusion's headquarters. It was by no means the largest technology company, but it was an honor just to be offered a job. True, the hours would be long, but she was sure to learn a few things. Maybe she could also borrow a few of their tools for her personal projects…

She entered the building and walked up to the reception desk. There was something odd about the metal detectors, but she paid them little mind. "Hello. My name is Deana Williams. I'm here for a job interview."

The receptionist typed Deana's name into the computer. "Ah yes. I see you." She handed a visitor badge to her. "Please take this and have a seat. Someone will be with you shortly."

"Thank you." Deana took the badge and hung it around her neck. She then walked over to a bench and had a seat.

The lobby was quite large and had a water fountain in the middle. There were a few paintings on the wall. It was nice.

Before long a woman walked up to Deana. She was wearing a red T-shirt with the SF logo on her chest. Suddenly Deana felt overdressed in her suit and makeup. "Ms. Williams?"

Deana looked up. "Yes."

"Please come with me. Ms. Smith is ready for you. I will show you the way."

"Ms. Smith? Lilly Smith? Is the CEO herself going to interview me? I guess that's not too strange, but I thought the company was bigger than that… Well, it could be someone with the same last name, Smith is common enough." Deana stood up. "Sure thing."

The woman smiled and turned around. She used her badge to get in the elevator and took Deana upstairs. Then she led her down a hallway and knocked on the door. "Ms. Smith, I brought Ms. Williams."

A voice came from behind the door. "Thank you. You may come on in."

The woman opened the door, holding it for Deana.

Deana walked in, but she didn't take two steps inside before she was stopped in her tracks. Before her was a table and set of chairs. Sitting behind the table was a woman with long blond hair in large curls. She wore a red suit that hugged her ample bosom. She was rather attractive, but none of that is why Deana stopped. What shocked her was the amount of mana this woman was radiating. It was more then even Vivian had passively given off..

The woman smiled. Deana knew who she was from her picture. This was the Lilly Smith, all right. "Come on in. Have a seat. No need to be shy."

After a moment, Deana was able to move her legs again. There was no spell or caltrop, she was just shocked. Soon, she recovered her composure and walked closer. She pulled back a chair and sat down. "Um, thank you. I'm Deana Williams. I've read all about you."

"Oh I highly doubt that." Lilly smiled and picked up a folder, opening it and looked at the papers.

"Yeah. I'll bet." Nothing Deana had read about this woman suggested she was a witch. Granted, she hadn't known many witches.

"Your formal education is rather impressive. You received a bachelor’s degree in electrical & computer engineering from the University of Illinois in 2 and a half years... but you didn't pursue a master’s. Still, you did get high marks. You seem to be a rather bright young woman." Lilly paused. Her eyes shifted from the paper to Deana. "As for your informal education... did you receive training from the witch Vivian Darkmoor?"

Another shock. It was a good thing she was sitting down this time. Clearly this woman had done her homework. She hesitated for a moment. She had always tried to keep her magic a secret from the world at large. She thought about what she would say. However, there was no point in hiding it. She knew Vivian is a witch, and likely knew about Deana as well. What's more, this woman wasn't a normal human either. "Yes. I learned magic under her for a while."

"Was it just an apprenticeship? You didn't attend a magic academy or anything?"

Deana's eyes widened. "There are magic academies?"

Lilly nodded. "There are. I've helped build a few, and I will build more given time."

"I would love to see them." Deana then remembered the question. "My arrangement with Vivian was more of a learned partnership. We were helping each other develop magical tools. I had training under two others before her. My first teacher tried to teach me nature magic, but that wasn't really my thing. I learned more from my second teacher. Under her, I found I had a talent for mechromancy. I met Vivian after... we had a falling out."

Lilly eyed Deana closely for that last part. "Tell me, with your mechromancy do you think you could develop items for mass production?"

This wasn't what Deana was expecting at all when she walked in those doors. She assumed she was interviewing for an engineering job. That was still technically true, it seemed. "I think I can."

"That's good. You see, I have a number of projects in the works. Too many, in fact. You see my passion - one of them, anyway - is for inventing. The number of devices I've developed outnumbers Edison's record. Although I could hardly take most of them to market here. Still, even Edison had help and I do find the more complex the device, the more people I need on it. Even I don't have enough time to do everything myself."

"And that's why you need me?"

Lilly nodded. "That's right. Although I must admit I don't really want you to work at Synth-Fusion."

"What?" Deana was taken aback.

"Oh don't get me wrong,” Lilly said, moving her hands up and down with palms facing the desk to ease Deana’s mind. “There are still jobs here for you... if you want them. However, what I really want is for you to work at one of my other companies, Smith Magicworks."

Up until a few years ago, Deana might have assumed a company called 'Magicworks' made props for stage magicians, but she knew better now. "I've never heard of it."

"I'm not surprised. Few people on this planet have. I founded it to develop more magical items. Synth-Fusion, on the other hand, was founded so I could get on the more electronic side of things." Lilly reached into her pocket and pulled out a smartphone and set it on the table. "Take this for example. Aside from the battery, this seems like a perfectly ordinary phone."

"What's odd about the battery?"

"I invented it with alchemy. I was able to develop a type of lithium that has a much higher energy capacity for its size and weight." Lilly set the phone on the table. "Forget about that for now, I would like you to invent one of these."

"You want me to invent a smartphone?" Deana looked up, a bit confused.

"That's right. These ones are a bit... limited. I am trying to develop them for other markets. I need to deal with the pesky issue of them requiring cell towers. What's more, I want a device capable of casting spells. Spells that people could program and download into the device en masse. Essentially, magical apps."

Deana smiled. "Well that sounds like something I could do." She had to admit the idea was intriguing. She would certainly want a phone like that. Still, she wasn't sure how much of a market there was for that. She didn't know that many witches and the ones she did kept their magic hidden from the world at large.

"Very good. Still, before we discuss terms there are other things I want to show you. Please come with me." Lilly collected the phone and stood up. She walked to the door.

Deana followed her as they went down the hallway and into another room. This one had a number of large machines, cabinets, and shelves. There was also a woman standing in the room. While not as much as Lilly, Deana was able to sense mana emanating from this woman as well. She was closer to Vivian's level. However, what really caught her attention was the woman's long pointy ears. "What?"

The woman turned to look at them. "Oh, welcome." She glanced at Deana.

"Myrrh here is one of my engineers. I paid for her education at MIT and she is currently helping me develop some of my inventions." Lilly glanced at Deana, following her gaze. "Before you ask, yes, those ears are real."

"They are? Is she an elf?" Deana looked back at Lilly.

"I am." Myrrh nodded.

"She is using a perception spell that causes people overlook her ears. Of course, anyone with magical training can see through it."

"It's more comfortable then transforming into a human. Anyone else here who could see through my spell already knows what I am."

"My first teacher told me about the elves, but I've never seen one in person. I don't think she ever did either." Deana moved closer.

"There is a reason for that, but we'll get into that later." Lilly walked across the room to one of the devices. It was about four feet tall and looked like a glass case on top of a metal cabinet. "This is one of my inventions. I created the first prototypes, but my engineers refined it." She picked up a tablet and pressed a few buttons.

The machine came to life. A halo of light appeared inside the case and slowly moved up. Something started to form as it did so. Deana was too distracted by the elf to notice it earlier, but now, it was actively giving off mana.

"I based it on the 3D printers that have become quite useful as of late." Lilly turned to look at Deana again. "In theory it could make anything as long as it has enough raw matter. However, it's not there yet. It still takes a while and there are some things it can't print."

Deana moved closer. She watched the halo shrink as it moved up, leaving a steel pillar on top of a wide base. Soon the halo expanded as the pillar suddenly got wider again on a curve. "It's still impressive." Then, what appeared to be gemstones appeared on the side of the item as the halo moved up, largely retaining its current size. After a while longer, it stopped altogether, blinking out of existence. What was left behind was a jeweled chalice.

Lilly opened the case and removed the cup. She showed it to Deana. "There are already 3D printers that can print metal work, but even then, it's at least a three step process. Here, it's self-contained." She banged the cup on the table, with no change. She then held out her other hand and a water bottle shot from across the room to her open hand. She then poured it into the cup. "See, doesn't even leak." She held it out to Deana.

Deane took the cup. If she hadn't known better she could have sworn it was hand crafted. "What I wouldn't give to have one of these in my workshop."

Lilly smirked. "That could be arranged. I wouldn't mind some improvements." She walked over to the cabinet and opened it. She pulled out two swords. They had steel blades and golden hilts, with a few embedded jewels and engravings. They looked like something out of a fantasy movie. "It can print up almost any material, plastic, metal, wood, stone, gemstone, glass, even cloth. It can even make prescription glasses, something no other printer can do. But it has some drawbacks I'm working through. While it is faster, like with mundane 3D printers, it's still not faster then mass production, better suited for jobbing and batching. There are also a number of things it can't make yet. For example it can't make a functioning iPod yet. It wouldn't be programmed. It also won't print my synthetic muscle fibers. Another issue comes with magical items." Lilly held out the swords handle-first. "Hold these."

Deana set the now half-full chalice on the table and took the swords in its place. They were identical. The only different was the band of electrical tape around the handle by the guards. One had blue and the other red.

Lilly took a step back. "These were made to be identical as possible. Channel your magic through them."

Deana did as she was told. The blades glowed. However, electricity wrapped around the one with the red band. The crackling energy slid across the blade all the way to the tip. Nothing really happened with the blue. She cut off the float of mana after a moment. "What happened?"

"The one with the red band was hand-made by an enchanter. The one with the blue is a replica made in one of my printers." She glanced at a taller glass case attached to a metal box. It looked the same style as the first one, just taller. Likely for larger jobs. "We entered the spell formula, but we were unable to engrave the enchantment into the copy during the printing possess. I deal with a lot of magical artifacts, so this is quite an issue. Still, it's very useful for prototyping."

"I could see that." Deana set the swords down on the table.

"It does still have it's advantages." Lilly picked up the swords and set them on wooden holders so they were off the table by a couple of inches. She held out her hand. Smoke started to appear out of thin air and formed another copy of the sword. As Lilly held it, lightning erupted from the blade. "I'm perfectly capable of conjuring a functioning copy with just my magic, but conjured items almost always have the same limitation." She channeled mana around her right arm and swung the blade down onto the blue band sword, edge to edge, causing Deana to jump. The conjured sword broke in two, with the larger piece embedding itself into the table. The broken tip stopped in mid air as Lilly held out her other hand. "They simply aren't as durable as the real thing. Even these printed versions are stronger." She dropped what was left of the sword and it turned back into smoke before dissipating. With a quick spell, she mended the gash in the table. "Myrrh, if you would please."

Myrrh collected the swords and returned them to the cabinet.

"The 3D printer was made using the power of two wellsprings of magic, the wellspring of transformation and the wellspring of transmutation. I'm unable to bring either one of them here, but I do have something else made with the wellsprings." Lilly walked over to a simple mannequin wearing a latex one-piece swimsuit. She picked up a tablet. "This is called an omnisuit. It was made with the aid of the wellspring of transformation, allowing it to transform into almost anything. The magic never needs to be replenished. The interface has proven tricky, however, so I made it in the form of a tablet."

Lilly started to play around with the tablet. The swimsuit lit up, turning into ribbons of light. They swirled around the mannequin and wrapped around it, turning into a red latex dress. Next they turned into a dark blue catsuit. This time, without breaking apart, it turned pink, then purple, they sky blue. Next, the breasts inflated.

"Well that is certainly different."

"Thanks. This is my gen 3 omnisuit. It adds the ability to change color and do a limited amount of metal." A chastity belt and bra formed on the mannequin. "There are a few hundred outfits in here, as well as a host of other functions, but if I show them all to you, we'll be here all day." She set down the tablet.

Next, Lilly walked over to what looked like a backup generator you might find at a hospital or private residence. Deana could sense magic similar to what she felt from the 3D printer and the suit. "This, on the other hand, was made with the wellspring of animation. I use them to power this very building. It's a generator that never needs fuel. Once started, it will run until wear and tear eventually causes it to break down, but thanks to the other enchantments, that could take decades."

Deana walked over. "I can't believe I've never heard of such a thing."

"To be fair, I've never put them on the market. If I did, I would have to explain how my perpetual motion engine works and I can't just say it's magic and move on." Lilly tossed her hands up. "At least with my batteries, people can understand the science behind them, even if they can't figure out the production method, which I can just claim is a trade secret. Also it can't produce mana. I have to use mana generators and æthernite to power the printer."

"Æthernite?"

"Crystallized mana. Speaking of which, Myrrh, the samples." Lilly snapped her fingers.

"Yes, Mist… Yes, ma'am." Myrrh pulled out a tray with several items on it, including nuggets, small metal bars, and crystals. She set them on the table.

Lilly picked up a chunk of sliver like metal. "This is mythril."

Deana blinked. "Seriously? I thought that was just a thing in movies and D&D."

"Oh, it's very real. However, it's not naturally occurring on Earth. This chunk could very well make up 10% of all mythril on Earth, making it potentially worth billions. Although it would be incredibly hard to find a buyer." Lilly cleared her throat. "Tell me, have you heard of Trivium?"

Deana shook her head. "I can't say I have."

"Some have called it the realm of magic." Lilly held up her fist, slowly opening it to reveal a model of the Earth the size of a golf ball floating above her palm. "Earth is not my home land. I come from Trivium." Lilly opened her other hand and floated another golf ball sized model next to it. It resembled Earth, but the continents and oceans were different. "There are paths between our two worlds..." A white string appeared, connecting the two models. "And they aren't the only ones." One by one more planets blinked into existence, forming a circle around Trivium. White strings connected it to them. "It's a fascinating multiverse, something I've spent centuries studying. There are so many different peoples, cultures, and resources to find there." After a moment, she dropped the micro worlds, causing them to flicker out like a candle. "But I'm getting off topic. It was on Trivium where these samples were collected, or made."

Lilly picked another sample, a blueish metal. "This oricahalcum. I also have cavorite." Lilly set down the oricahalcum and zapped another sample. It floated up into the air until it landed on the ceiling. "As you can see, it has anti gravity properties. Every now and then something, from Trivium makes its way into Earth and embeds itself into its myths and legends. Many of these materials are used as components in Trivium where they are much more common."

Lilly then picked up a glowing crystal. "And this is æthernite, crystallized magic which is often used to power such enchantments." She handed the crystal over to Deana.

Deana held it in her palm. It was small, but it had very potent mana. It was practically warm. "Simply wonderful. I've never seen anything like it."

"That's because I've hidden the only depots on Earth in places no one will ever search. It won't form naturally on Earth and it's difficult to seed, but more on that later. You're free to keep that sample if you like, but it will get used up." Lilly picked up the metal ingot. "This, on the other hand, is something you would never have heard of before: mythanium. It's an alloy I developed. Just as hard as mythril, but lacking many of the magical properties that are useful in magical items the same way gold and platinum are used as components in electronics."

Deana closed her hand around the crystal. "I would love to learn more about them."

"I could help with that. If you accept a job at Smith Magicworks, I will enroll you one of the magic academies I have a board seat on. They have plenty of classes on enchantments and magic formulae, as well as large libraries. I'm afraid you won't find any place like that on Earth."

Deana couldn't help but jump at the chance to further her understanding of magic. "Where do I sign up?"

"There are some issues with that, but there are some easy solutions to them. The academies are in Starcoast City, a major port in Trivium. The magic in the air is much more potent there. However, it's also in another country and there are immigration matters to deal with. Even more so since you're from another world. However, we could sweep that aside if you register as my slave."

"Your slave!?" Deana stepped back.

Lilly did the same calming motion with her hands she did before. "Easy, let me explain. Starcoast is transitioning from where slaves are forced labor to more like kinky pets. Even from the beginning, it was restricted to volunteers and criminals. Slaves are also given certain rights and owners are obligated to provide them with essentials, such as food, shelter, and when needed, medicine. I'm registered as a mistress there and one signature on the right form and you're in."

"I'm also registered as her slave." Myrrh pressed the center of her chest. A pink hologram of a 2D flower appeared in some sort of magic circle. "I did some study in Starcoast a while back and sometimes work at Smith Magicworks. Later, I was also sent to study at MIT." Her index finger glowed and she slid it across her throat. A band of golden light formed around her neck. It expanded and spun around quickly until it turned solid, shrinking once again to fit her neck. Now she was wearing a seamless gold collar with a D-ring in front. "I also proudly wear her collar. Although like my ears, the people of this world find it odd."

"My collars have a number of useful functions. For example, they have a powerful anti-mind control enchantment. They also emit a signal that will deactivate the traps I have set around my property. It prevents my girls from falling prey to them."

Deana grabbed a chair and sat down. "This is a lot to think about."

"Yes, it is." Lilly sat down as well. "If you accept my offer, I will buy out your student loan and cover your tuition. I will sent people to help you move and send your stuff to Starcoast. Naturally, I expect you to pay me back by working in my R&D labs for a certain amount of time. That shouldn't be much of an issue, as if Vivian or the others have not done so already, I will cast a spell on you that will slow your aging. In Trivium, we also have a herb mixed with our bath water that will further slow the aging process. You could very well live for a couple hundred years. Now if you prove yourself valuable enough to me, I will even make you functionally immortal."

"Is that so?" Deana knew Vivian had lived far longer then her face would suggest, but outright immortality?

"I have an elixir that will halt the aging process completely as long as you keep taking it. I can only produce so much of it, so I only grant the gift to a select few. Who knows, I might discover a way to do it without the elixir. I have people studying what makes Myrrh immortal."

"What?" Myrrh looked over at Lilly.

Lilly looked at Myrrh. "Well not you specifically, but elves as a whole. I am looking into the possibility of transplanting elven immorality into humans and other races. There are already a few test subjects, but no need to worry about them." She then turned back to Deana. "And before I forget, I also have a signing bonus for you."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a device. Deana mistook it for another smartphone at first, but it was twice as thick. Instead of a screen, it had a raised circle in the middle with what looked like a penny-sized camera lens in the center. She set it on the table.

"It isn't just elves and magic rocks in these other worlds. There are also supernatural creatures." Lilly uttered a phrase. What looked like a glass cylinder appeared on top of the device, almost a foot tall. Deana could tell it was a barrier. A moment later, something bright jumped out of the lens. It rushed around the barrier in a circle for a moment before settling down and taking shape. It was about the size of a gerbil. Its back was covered in rows of spiny ridges. The whole thing was yellow and sparks were flying off it. "This is a yokai."

Deana looked closer at the glowing rodent. "What, like from Japanese ghost stories?"

"Something like that. This type of yokai is called a voltchu."

"Something else I've never heard of."

"Likely because they've only come into existence recently. I named them. Unlike most yokai, these are attracted to electricity and can enter computers. I have a habitat back home that I'm breeding them in. Currently, I'm developing them to help run computer systems."

Deana looked back at Lilly. "You can read me like a book." She smirked. After a moment, she heard a harmonica. Looking down, she saw the voltchu sitting up and holding a miniature harmonica with it's forepaws. "Oh, how cute. It's very good at that."

"Not really. One of my handlers thought it would be funny to teach it that. It's playing the song in much the same way your phone would. The actual harmonica is purely cosmetic." Lilly looked at the little guy. "Play dubstep." The voltchu started flashing different colors as dubstep replaced the tune.

Deana blinked. "Well I certainly wasn't expecting that."

"Still, they are good for maintaining firewalls, code breaking, and other related things." Lilly tapped the top of the barrier. The sound started to die down. "If you take the job and my collar, I will give you one as a familiar you can raise and develop."

Deana thought about it for a few moments. "If I do this... I have a few conditions."

"What are they?"

"I'm not a fighter. I don't want to be a combat witch or anything."

"No field work. That is understandable." Lilly smiled warmly.

Deana glanced back at the cabinet with the swords for a moment. "And I don't want to be making weapons. Not any to kill anyone. No death rays or disintegration rays or anything." She paused. "But I will make stun weapons."

"For a few reasons, I do prefer to take people alive. I'm sure we can work something out." The two of them then talked over the terms of Deana's contract. They moved back to the first room so other people could use the lab.



Holding her bag, Deana stepped out of the carriage after it pulled up past the gate and stopped. They were now in the courtyard of Minerva Academy. It looked like an old-fashioned school building, except the lanterns were crystals and people were flying on broomsticks or with wings. One person seemed to be flying with neither.

There was a large onyx statue of a mage of some sort holding a staff. At the end of the staff was a purple flame burning brightly.

Deana was wearing a black catsuit, skirt, and cloak. It was made of Havas latex, named so as it was made from the rubber trees of the Havas Kingdom and was well-known for it's magical properties. Deana was told it was self-cleaning and self-repairing, but not to stress test that. It was also the school uniform of Minerva Academy. Because Deana was a freshman, the trim and accents were white. She also wore thigh-high boots, something her time in Starcoast had taught her was quite fashionable here. She was also allowed a few accessories, such as the gold collar snugly around her neck.

One of the first things she did after coming to Starcoast was register as a slave under Mistress Lilly. Then she took her collar, which she has worn ever since. She took a room at a consulate, which she had to share with several other girls. She spent the last month attending cram school to familiarize herself with the basic spells and history of this world. Now, a new semester had started and she was able to move into the dormitory.

Two larger women got out of the carriage as well. They both wore the same kind of collar but only one of them was human. They unloaded a large but narrow crate and set it on a dolly.

Deana turned to look at them. "Careful with that."

"Sure thing, miss," replied the neko. She looked human, but had the ears and tail of a cat. Something that was apparently fairly normal here.

Deana made her way to student services, walking up to the desk. "Hello. I'm Deana Williams. I'm here to check in and get my room." She smiled as she held out her student ID. It projected a hologram of her bust.

The latex-clad lamia behind the desk looked at the ID. She then checked her viewing mirror. "Ah yes. I see you are in the East Dorm, room 407. Please hold out your palm." She opened a drawer and pulled out a card. It had E407 written in green at the top, above a glyph.

Deana put her ID away and did as she was told, holding out her right hand.

"Hold still for a moment." The lamia placed the card on Deana's palm. She then chanted a quick spell. The glyph disappeared and she removed the card. The glyph was glowing on Deana's palm, but faded after a moment. "There you go. Your door will open for you now. Here is a map of the campus." She handed Deana a tri-folded map. "Please take the door to your left."

Deana took the map. "Thank you." She then headed out the door. The pair of women soon followed her as they headed to the dormitory. It was a five-story building with a water tower on top. One of the broomstick riders landed on the roof.

They took the elevator to the fifth floor. Soon, they reached room 407. Deana opened the door. It unlocked as she grabbed the knob.

Inside were two beds and two dressers. An orc was laying on one of the beds reading a book. Her uniform was similar to Deana's, except she had transparent leggings and was currently barefoot. A pair of short boots were by the door and her cloak was hanging from the hook. She looked up a Deana. "Oh, hello. You must be Deana. I'm Bagrak." She was also wearing a gold collar around her neck and spiked cuffs around her wrists.

"Nice to meet you. I hope you don't mind if I set up a few things." Deana tossed her bag onto the empty bed and removed her cloak, hanging her cloak on a hook.

"Not at all. Mistress told me you had some set-up to do." Bagrak stood up. "What the!?"

Little Genzai ran out of Deana's bag and across the bed. Little Genzai was Deana's voltchu. Lilly had neglected to mention the lack of electronics in Trivium until after she had signed her freedom away and put on the collar. Genzai had been living in her cell phone and laptop, which Deana was keeping charged with magic thanks to a few chargers she provided. Still, it seemed some version of computers were in the works and they were coming to some middle ground.

"Oh, that's just my familiar. I'll set up a home for him later." Deana petted the little guy.

"Okay. I haven't gotten myself one yet." Bagrak relaxed.

The two workers lifted the create onto i's side so they could get it into the door. Then they cracked it open, holding it up as they removed the side. Inside was a large metal door and frame. It was a bit of work to get it out in the room, but they moved it to the side. They had to move Deana's bed over, but they were able to get enough room to place it against the wall.

Deana got to work, casting her spell. The door clung to the wall like a magnet to steel, the edges glowing for a moment. She started charging it up. Then she pressed her hand on the panel. The door then slid open. On the other side was a room even larger than their dorm room. A number of her inventions were stored in there. Others were in storage and trusted with Lilly. She spotted Mary in the corner. "Oops, forgot about you. Oh well."

Bagrak whistled. "Impressive. Did you make that yourself?" She looked in from the door. Now that she was standing Deana could see she had a good 4 inches on her.

Deana nodded. "Yes. It's been disconnected for a while, so I need to charge up its mana capacitors and connect it to the utilities."

Bagrak looked at Mary's plastic form. "Looks like you have some fun." She smirked.

The movers took the wooden crate away. They then fetched the other boxes. Deana left the door unlocked for them as she worked to connect the lab to the plumbing. It took over a hour. In that time, the capacitors had gotten to 55% capacity. She could have sworn it was only at 50% when she had started. "I can't get over how rich the mana is here." Deana cracked a smile.



Deana was ready for her first day of class. First up was Enchanting 101 with Professor Sliverwood. She put her textbooks and notebook in her bag of holding. Then she slipped on her latex cloak and headed to the door. "See you when I get back, Genzai." She made sure the door was locked before exiting to the hallway.

A number of other women were leaving their rooms at about the same time and they had to get into the elevator in groups. Either that or take the stairs. Some went upstairs to take off from the roof.

Deana made her way outside and to a pillar about 12 feet tall. Above it was a large green crystal, slowly rotating as it floated above the stone structure. On one side were two large stone pads with carvings and a green square in the middle. On the other side were four more, but those had red Xs posted next to them. Deana stepped into one of the first two with the green circles. "Excitant!"

Deana was enveloped in light for a moment. When it dissipated, she was no longer in front of the dorms. Now, she was by the western wing of the school. She was standing on one of the four stone pads with a red X posted on a sign behind her along with the 12 pillars, and there was another pad on either side of her, two to the left. She quickly got off as a bubble of light appeared on one of the other pads, a woman with purple skin and in a school uniform appearing in its place.

The other day, Deana had walked around campuses and placed her hand on each of the warp beacons for a moment. They took some of her mana during the teleport, but it wouldn't take that long to recover it.

With more and more students warping in from the dorms, both male and female, Deana headed to the lecture hall. Enchanting 101 was normally more hands-on, but on the first day, they would be meeting in lecture room 7 for introduction. She filed in with the others and took a seat. It seemed to be mostly freshmen here. The room itself was smaller than some of the lecture halls she had been to on Earth, but there didn't seem to be as many students, or maybe this was just a side room. The first row was also much wider then the others. Centaurs and lamias were taking those spots.

A dark elf approached the podium. She wore a purple and black catsuit under her school cloak. Deana also noticed the gold collar around her neck. Wearing a collar wasn't too odd, about a third of the students were wearing collars and chokers of various styles and materials, but this one looked the same as the one Deana was wearing.

She pointed a wand at her own throat. Suddenly, her voice filled the room. "Well met, everyone. I am Professor Sliverwood and this is Enchanting 101. I hope you find your time here enlightening. Today I will cover the basics, but tomorrow we will assemble in the workshop and construct simple magical items."

Deana took out her notebook and pen. She wondered how much she would learn just from today.

Professor Sliverwood continued. "While just about anything can be enchanted with enough effort, some items simply aren't efficient vessels for the magic. Iron, for example, is a very poor magical conductor and can often disrupt the flow of magic. There are metals more receptive to channeling magic. For example, certain types of steel make desirable conduits. Unfortunately, the means of refining these steels from iron are often a well-kept secret and are occasionally lost to time. Mythril is one of the most useful metals for enchantments, albeit rare and difficult to work with."

"Crystals are potent containers for magic, but there is more to them than that." A number of different crystals and gemstones appeared on the large white screen behind Professor Silverwood. "Some crystals already have an affinity to certain types of magic, such as elemental magics or healing. Then there are the mana matrices." The images of the crystals were replaced by monsters and strange animals. There was a green rabbit and a boar that was on fire, along with other magical beasts. "They are a type of crystal that isn't grown underground. Rather, they develop with in the bodies of magical beasts. Not every magical beast and monster has such a crystal, but they allow them to preform certain magics, even without the ability to speak." Crystals appeared next to the beasts, often round. "When these crystals are removed from bodies, they can be embedded into items and used to perform spells, often the same spell the original owner used. It makes for a simple magic item and normally more energy-efficient than a wand, but only for that type of magic. With the right formula, the matrix can modified to cast a slightly different spell just by channeling magic through them."

"However, it's best not to forget how mana matrices can interact with each other. While it will be the alchemy department's job to teach you how to refine and even blend them together, I will teach you how to use multiple matrices on a circuit board."

Deana was glad Lilly had her sign up for alchemy classes as well. She felt it would help her understand the 3D printer, and it seemed like it would help her in other endeavors as well. Unfortunately, they didn't have any classes to teach her how to use or develop the software to run the printers, as Lilly said they didn't exist yet.

She happily took notes on what Sliverwood was saying. However, about halfway through the lecture, when she was talking about the similar matrices from unrelated monsters, Deana started scribbling down plans for a new invention she had just come up with. She alternated between writing down notes for the device and notes for the lecture.

"This is going to be a fun few years." She smirked.



Deana collected her things from the luggage compartment and placed them on the hover dolly. She hadn't changed out of her school uniform before getting on the train.

At this point, she had been attending classes at Minerva Academy for almost two months. She had been enjoying her classes, but she couldn't help but work on personal projects. She didn't have any more classes for the day, so she gathered some of her things and set out for the remainder. They didn't seem to like her testing this thing in the park, not even for phase one, so she went to a less populated area for phase two.

The bunnies hopped around in their cages as she departed the station, the dolly following her. It was using a levitation spell to keep itself afloat. Soon she left the village as well, entering the wooded area. There were a number of trees around, but they were far enough apart that they shouldn't get in the way.

Finding enough of an opening, she set down the dolly and picked up two of the rabbit cages. The mice at school would be to small for this and she needed something alive, something other than plants. "Sorry about this. No hard feelings." She walked several feet away and placed down one of the cages. She placed the other cage a bit farther away. Then she returned for more bunnies.

She was just about done when she heard a twig snap. She turned around and saw four figures heading towards her. There were two types of nekos, one covered in fur, a hobgoblin, and a human. Their clothes seemed a bit well-worn and they were all armed. Deana could sense a far amount of mana from the one holding the staff.

"What have we here? One of those shinnies from the city? You're a bit far from home," stated the hobgoblin. He had a small amount of mana, enough for Deana to pick up on but just barely.

"You have no idea." Deana chuckled to herself.

"She's wearing gold. I bet she's got some pretty coin." The raven haired neko pulled out her twin swords as they started to surround Deana.

"I'm sure she's worth more then a few gold herself." The human smiled perversely as he moved closer. He was holding a small mace.

The raven haired neko sighed. "Do you have to make the moves on every pretty girl we corner?"

"Hey, I'm just offering her a chance to earn some favors." He chuckled.

Deana sighed. "Can we not do this? I have some work to do and I'd rather not fight." She glanced at the raven haired neko who was drawing closer, or maybe closer to the main with the flail.

"Not a combat witch, are you? Careful, I can tell she has magic. Looks like an academy student." The tiger like neko quickly casted a chant. Deana's Mk 18 amulet reacted, letting her know she was being targeted and drawing her attention. The woman fired a stun spell at Deana. However, it failed to make contact with her. Instead, it struck a translucent shell that appeared inches in front of her, deflecting it. Then, it struck the shoulder of raven haired neko. Normally the amulet would have absorbed the spell, but she didn't think that would have been enough for this.

"Ahh! Watch it, boss!" She cried out as she fell to the floor. "What was that?"

The tiger neko rushed over to cast a recovery spell.

"Oh, that was just a personal barrier I invented. It seemed like a good idea to wear it before the weapons test," replied Deana nonchalantly.

"Weapons test?" The human took a step back.

"Is that what this is?" The hobgoblin had taken the rocket launcher off the dolly. Deana had made it with the 3D printer. "Is it a pipe? I've never seen anything like it."

Deana quickly turned to him. "Don't pull that trigger!"

"Trigger?" The kickback knocked the hobgoblin off balance as the projectile shot out of the barrel. The rocket bounced off a tree branch and soon split open at the seams. 20 darts, glowing yellow, escaped the otherwise hollow compartment and shot everywhere.

"Ahh!" Someone screamed, it wasn't clear who. Maybe more than one. The trajectory of the darts curved. Several of them split into groups and followed anything that moved. Some of them came close to Deana, but curved around her before the barrier could react.

The hobgoblin was struck first. Three of the darts hit his bare skin in short order. The tips burst and his skin started to change. It spread out from the point of contact, his skin becoming more uniform, a shine spreading with it. His movements quickly slowed as it reached his joints.

The raven haired neko bolted, trying to run. However, one struck her in the butt and she paused long enough for another to hit her shoulder. She let out a strange moan as her skin started to change. The ripple spread out from under her clothes and Deana could see them meet in the middle of her back. Her arms hardened as she stopped flailing them around in a panic.

The tiger neko seemed to be doing rather well by comparison. She deflected a dart with a wind spell, then stopped another with a quick mana shield. "Ahhh!" She cried out as one struck her side. Quickly, it locked her shoulder as it turned into plastic. She attempted a counter spell, but was cut off midway as effect spread to her throat.

"I told you not to pull the trigger!" Deana shouted at the now immobile hobgoblin. A stupid look was frozen on his face. Smoke was still seeping from the barrel. She sighed in disappointment. "I haven't even set up the camera yet. I wanted to record everything."

She looked around. There was a plastic tree and a bush. The darts were supposed to home in on any living creature, excluding those wearing Lilly's collar, such as herself. It wasn't supposed to react to plants. "If only I could watch that over. Well, you certainly got some distance." She spotted the human, who had run off in the opposite direction as the others. He had made it into the woods. "And they missed one of the rabbits." Most of the rabbits had turned to plastic in their cages, but one was clearly still flesh and fur.

Deana walked over to the middle of the trio of mannequins. "I came out here to be alone for a while so I could test my cluster bomb. You just had to come and ruin everything." She moved closer to the tiger neko. "They called you boss. Do you have any idea how long it took me to make all those? Almost three hours. Now I have to go back to my lab and make another batch, and I could barely see what happened this time." She through up her hands in frustration. "Well, you seem to still be alive. At least technically, anyway. Maybe you lot can help me get some dates next time. Hell, maybe I can let Mary out and she can join you."