This could be in the Mind Control section too, but since it's set in a fantasy world, I felt like this was the better category for it. So yeah, if you don't like Mind Control it might not be your thing. But I'm a perv, so I do!
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I like shortstacks. They are great. Have some shortstack porn.
Morgan, Wizard of the Azure Court didn't have much use for a tinker's shop. Especially not one run by a Goblin. Known for their avarice as much as their brilliance, their engineering work would always pale in comparison to the arcane mysteries he wielded on a regular basis. One thing magic didn't do well, however, was consistency. And as much as he hated to admit it, a timepiece that didn't rely on captured fairies or animate hourglasses would be helpful to him.
The door to Kinzy's Kraftworks opened just as Morgan reached for the handle. A portly man who most assuredly was younger than he looked nearly lumbered into him. When the man opened his mouth to lambaste the oaf who dare stand in his way, his face turned a brittle, pale shade. Dressed as he was, in the flowing blue and violet robes of his Court and Station, there was no mistaking Morgan for anything other than a wielder of arcane power.
"M-my apologies!" he managed, stumbling into a bow while reaching out to hold the door open. The gesture was awkward but appreciated. Morgan gave him a half-hearted nod and entered. He wouldn't have turned him into a crow or burned him alive, but it didn't hurt to play up the act of the aloof mage in public. It kept people from trying to test your mettle, and flecks of blood were ever so hard to get out of manasilk.
As the door closed behind him, he made an effort to withdraw his power inward. The store was panoply of devices, some elegantly simple while others were devilishly complicated. Magic and the new sciences didn't play well together, especially outside the confines of a spell. The untapped power he wielded as a Wizard tended to change the very laws of nature that technology relied upon to function. In essence, he was a walking avatar of entropy.
One thing that seemed especially resistant to this effect, however, was clockwork. He was pleased to see that the shopkeeper had his item on the counter in front of her. She was small, roughly 3'4 in regal measurements. The only way she was standing at the counter was by a stool that propped her up to a normal, human height. Green-skinned and dark of hair, she looked like a squished version of any human farmer's daughter. Her bust was smartly concealed in a dirty grey blouse, though there was very little the black skirt she wore could do to hide the width of her hips. Great big purple eyes concentrated hard on a tiny set of springs in front of her. Goblins had excellent vision, though the hearing from their long, pointed ears was said to be their greatest sense. You wouldn't know it, however. The small, business-minded folk tended not to listen all that well.
"Miss Kinsy?" he said politely. She put down the tiny set of tweezers and blinked a few times.
"Ah, Mister Morgan! Glad you got the message. I never know when the couriers will reach you magic folks."
He smiled. "I was in meditation at the Citadel, thankfully, before a long exploratory trip into the Neverday. A functional timepiece would do me a great amount of good in a place with no sunlight."
"Makes sense, makes sense. Here she is!" Kinsy picked up the timepiece in her adorable hands, fingers making quick work on the little latch that held the cover open. "Should keep time for 72 hours between windings, but it's best to get into a rhythm to keep it wound every day."
"Excellent!" He reached to his belt to pull out the ten gold Dragons that the piece would cost him. An expensive price, to be sure. But there was likely to be no finer make in all the courts of Astrazia. He placed the coins in a perfectly balanced stack on the counter and reached for his purchase.
Her hand fell onto the piece before he could pick it up. "I'm afraid there's been a complication. I'm going to need to adjust the payment."
Morgan narrowed his Wizardly gaze. To most men, it would invoke the imagery of an Elder Demon rapidly losing patience. "How much?"
"Thirty."
"Thirty Dragons?!" Morgan scoffed, pulling back from the counter like he'd been physically assaulted. "You must be joking. That's triple what we agreed upon!"
She shrugged. "Listen bud, I got bills I gotta pay. That fat guy you nearly ran into? That's my landlord. He says he's jacking up the rents to deal with a rat problem. I don't know why he's increasing what I gotta pay for a rat-infested hovel like this, but gotta do what I gotta do here."
With a flourish, his arms came out from underneath his cloak. His fingertips glowed a brilliant, unnatural magenta. Kinzy's eye bulged. Too shocked to go for the dagger underneath the counter, she was caught by the blast of concentrated mental energy unprepared. Her body froze.
"W-what..." she managed through a mouth that was barely cooperating that far. All she could muster was a fearful quiver as the power faded from his left hand, leaving his right charged and held out toward her.
Kinzy the Goblin, you are under my power." His command instantly bipassed the Goblin's resistance and settled into her brain. She nodded her agreement before she could realize what she was doing. Darn wizards!"
"Say it."
"I am under your power," she droned. Kinzy's shaking became more noticable, to the point that the wizard had to deal with it before he could continue.
"Calm down, Kinzy. I'm not actually going to hurt you."
Instantly, her panic turned to a placid contentment. Her body stopped rumbling with terror, even though she knew she was feeling fear only moments before. But why? She couldn't quite remember.
