Valac the Demon: Part One (special preview)

The Magician’s Treasure Tower was one of those strange small business mysteries. What had once been this hole in the wall hobby shop was now one of the most popular places in town. Over the years something took hold of that place and it grew, moving from a storefront that reek of money laundering, all the way to some Mcmansion looking tower with neon lights.

The former owners were long gone now, so no one really knew who owned it. He was simply referred to as the magician, and rumors about him grew everyday. He either lived in a suit on the roof of the place, or in a dungeon within the basement. It depended on who you asked. But he turned some floundering hobby shop into the biggest toy store success since one such store failed.

You worked several jobs within the Magician Treasure Tower, sometimes concessions, sometimes the unboxing room, it could change from day to day. There was something of a pecking order when it came to Tower employees. Starting with the performers, members of the staff who had rolls and costumes to go with the various themed rooms. Then there were the techs who handled the various animatronics scattered throughout the tower. You were on the lowest rung of this ladder.

“We’ve gotta take some stock up to the dragon’s den.” Your favorite coworker, Ellie, called you over the intercom.

“Hold on, I’m scraping off layers of cotton candy from my arm.”

“Oh right, the special edition unicorn horns came in today,” she snickered. “Glad I didn’t get concessions today.”

“Then how are you getting me off it?” You dry off your arm and make sure your skin isn’t still sticky.

“I asked for extra help and they told me to pull whoever I wanted. You can thank me later when we go get coffee after work.”

You make your get away, happy to leave the concession booth behind and meet Ellie in the stock room.

Ellie pointed to one of the utility dollies she had begun loading. “Resellers can kiss my ass,” she grumbled.

You got a smirk on your face. “You’d think we’d have some sort of turret system set up at the door to shoot them as they try to leave.”

Ellie grinned along. “Or alligators in the mote. Maybe we could leave the Magician a suggestion card.” She motioned to a spot in the back where a giant blue box sat asking for suggestions to make the store better.

“Do you think he even reads those things? I’ve never seen anyone empty that thing. And I’ve put like five suggestions for a chocolate fountain in there.” You take one of the loaded dollies and go into the back hallway that parallels the main hall.

“Only five?” Ellie laughed.

The supply hallway went into the staff break room, where from within you could hear the princess practicing her song. She would get the high note, then her voice would crack and she would cuss loudly.

“Dollies coming through,” Ellie announced loudly.

“Oh! Ellie!” The princess called out to her. “I need your help.”

Ellie set her dolly aside and motioned for you to keep going. “I’ll be there in a half a tick. You can manage to stack boxes by yourself right?”

“I’ll try, but you remember what happened last time,” you sighed dramatically.

Ellie smiled and turned to the princess. “What’s going on, Brit?”

Back when she first applied for the job, Ellie had wanted to be the princess. She was a talented singer and performer, but she apparently wasn’t the ‘look’ they were going for. Brittany, who had been hired as the princess, was the look but she wasn’t as trained as Ellie for singing. So Ellie had been helping her out and the two had gotten close.