The Blight Chronicles: Odalia & Alador

Debut

As they made their way to their booth Odalia could not help but take notice of all of the other student's presentations. She had expected that most presentations would be mediocre at best due to the time constrictions of the event but she had to admit that there was quite a bit of talent in the room.  Though she shouldn’t be surprised, a majority of the students there that night were seniors at Hexside. Essentially any Hexside student that wanted to get into a good coven had to work on their senior projects. These projects were essentially their applications for the coven’s they wanted to join after graduating. If they got lucky enough tonight they could potentially be securing their futures if the right witch took notice of them.  

Still, none came close to Alador and his inventions. Even though Blight Night was not a competition the main goal of the event was to stand out. They hoped to make an impression on any high-profile witches present that evening. They could potentially become future customers or investors. Then there were the members of the abomination coven who could assist Alador with establishing Blight Industries once the time came.

“Odalia,” said Alador in his usual monotone voice. He was holding a box filled with several trinkets. 

“Sorry dear I was distracted, I didn't hear you?” she responded,  just noticing that they had already arrived at their booth. 

“I asked if you were ready to present?” he said as he started setting up some displays. 

“Oh yes of course I’ll go get the targets ready,” she said as she quickly made her way to some of the crates they had brought with them. 

Since this event was not a competition there were no rules as to what they could present. So they decided to take advantage of the opportunity and turn it into a mini debut for Alador. Although people knew that Alador was good with machines and had a unique style of magic, not many knew that he was a talented inventor. This was partially due to Odalia being paranoid that someone would steal Alador’s ideas. Most had seen some of his projects here and there but none of that compared to what he kept at home. Which is what they would be presenting that evening. 

Odalia hurried to get some targets set up while Alador worked on assembling some of his inventions. They had decided on bringing several small inventions and finished up with the project he had planned on presenting at the abominations competition. A large crowd had formed around them as they set up. It seemed that everyone was curious to see what Alador could do. She had spent a lot of time hyping him up to anyone that would listen. It was nice to see that her efforts had borne some fruit. Once they had everything set up it was time to start the show. 

“Alador are you ready?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” he responded as he put on a pair of brown leather gloves with mechanical attachments. 

“Good let’s get started then,” she said as she placed herself in front of their booth to face the crowd.  

“If I may have your attention, please! I have the honor of presenting to you for the very first time the new rising star of the Boiling Isles Alador …” her speech was cut short by the sudden gasps from the crowd once Alador activated his gloves.

The sound of crackling energy drowned the noise from the event. When Odalia turned to look at Alador she saw he was surrounded by an orb of pink sparks. He was wearing his purple lab coat along with his goggles giving him the overall look of a mad scientist... All in all, it was a spectacular sight that was sure to make a lasting impression on anyone who saw it. 

She let the crowd take in the sight for a few moments before making her way towards Alador. As she got closer people took notice of what she was doing. It wasn’t long before she heard some of them gasp and scream in fear for her safety. Of course, there was nothing to fear, all of this was part of the show. 

“Please stay calm and hold any questions until the end of the presentation,” she said as she stood next to Alador. The field of pink sparks was now surrounding her just as it did Alador. 

“Our main priority is safety so there is nothing to fear. What you see before you now is one of Alador's many brilliant inventions. He was able to devise a way to use abomination magic to create an energy field that would keep witches and demons safe from physical attacks at only a fraction of the magic needed. Not only that but the energy can be focused to only surround the gloves which can be used for demolition.”

Alador took his cue and focused the energy output level causing the pink sparks to subside and the gloves to take on a bright pink glow. 

“With the energy focused at this level these gloves can be used to break boulders using only a minimal amount of magic and energy,” noted Alador. “If you take a closer look at the gloves you'll see they use standard crystals as a power source. For a magic user they would be able to recharge the gloves using their own magic. For those without magic they would only need to replace the crystal once the magic runs out in order to use these.” 

“That’s impossible!” shouted someone from the crowd. 

Odalia took notice of the man and as she had anticipated it was a member of the construction coven. To be more precise the man in front of them was Farris Harlow, a well-known contractor from Bonesborough and exactly who Odalia had wanted to impress with this particular product. 

“Oh I assure you it is quite possible and the proof is right in front of you. But if you still have doubts I invite you to test it out yourself,” she said with a sly smile. 

“Alright then I will,” said the burly man as he used his magic to create multiple boulders. “Show me what you’ve got little man.”

Alador did not show any reaction to the man’s teasing. He simply stepped up to one of the boulders and with a flick of his finger completely shattered it leaving everyone flabbergasted. 

Without taking any notice of the crowd Alador moved on to the next boulder. “What you just saw was the highest level of energy output on the hammer mode,” he noted, switching a knob on the gloves which caused the pink sparks to return but this time it took on a more stable form surrounding Alador in an energy dome. 

“This is the highest level of the shield mode,” he said walking in between two of the remaining boulders. As Alador made his way in between them the boulders moved out of his way effortlessly. “This shield is impenetrable; you could completely submerge yourself in the boiling sea and not even feel the heat.”

The crowd was left in awe at Alador’s words and presentation. Though Odalia could not help but flinch at his last statement. Alador had been speaking from experience. She could still recall the day Alador asked her to meet him at the docs. The image of Alador covered by pink sparks and walking off the pier into the boiling sea was something she would never be able to forget. When he emerged from the water he had the biggest smile on his face while she felt completely horrified.

The chattering from the crowd brought her back. It appeared that they were reacting to Alador’s invention a lot better than anticipated. Some had even started approaching Alador to get a closer look at the gloves. This was only one of the inventions they had brought but they might not need to present any of the others after this display. It was best to keep them wanting more. 

“They are so young, how could they make something like this?” 

“Amazing,”

“This is too good to be true! What’s the catch?!” asked Harlow who had now recovered from his shock. 

Alador looked at Odalia to get confirmation before answering the question. She gave him a small nod in response. “To put it simply this is nothing more than a prototype made out of inferior material,” stated Alador. “As it is now it can only be used for a couple of hours continuously before burning out.”

“A prototype?” gasped someone in the crowd. 

“You’re saying this is not the finished product?” mumbled the contractor thought he quickly tried to cover his surprise.

“That's incredible,” said someone from the crowd.

“Thank you now if you have any other questions we will be happy to answer them,” said Odalia standing next to Alador. At that moment she felt that this was the start of a new beginning for them.