15TH GEAR - FREE TRIALS FOR A PAIR OF SHOES

15TH GEAR - FREE TRIALS FOR A PAIR OF SHOES

Have you ever had the urge to punch somebody on his full teeth? I know that you have. That's what I'm feeling against the shopkeeper of the Speed Spell Shop, who is a scrawny man in his early adulthood. He has this blue cap on top of his long unshaven face, and his eyes look dead as a zombie's.

I've been discriminated against and kicked out from facilities before, but this guy had the nerve to shout at me.

"What did you just say?" I rolled my sleeves and marched towards the counter.

"I said leave, magicless! If you're going to window shop, don't waste my time! There's nothing here that will be of use to you!" The shop owner said.

"How dare you-"

"Ahem!"

President Ericka cleared her throat which caught all the attention of the shopkeeper. All of a sudden, his eyes became heart-shaped as if he just saw the goddess of love. The rude shopkeeper immediately turned out to be the most gentlemanly out of all gentlemen.

"Oh, Miss Ericka! Good day to you! How may I be of service?" He bowed down like a private butler.

"I am here to buy some equipment for our new Speedmage. Meet Fluonessia, the newest member of our club." Ericka said.

Unfortunately, Fluonessia was too distracted on the underground oval that she was left behind in the corridors. But the moment she heard her name, she gasped with an "Ah!" sound and immediately rushed to enter the shop. Then she made a polite bow to the shopkeeper.

"N-Nice to meet you, shopkeep!"

"Oh! Another cute girl!" The shopkeeper shouted his inner thoughts. "You are most welcome, miss! What would you like to buy?"

"For starters, we need to pick good Speedmage Shoes for her," Ericka said. "What are your available models?"

"It depends on what type of Speedmage playstyle she wants." The shopkeeper said. "We have here the newest model of Stego for Striker Class. We also have new stocks from Beowulf that will fit the Speedster Class. Finally, our best seller for Counter Class is Wendigo which is quite popular for newbies. All of them are entry-level so newbies will not have a hard time using them!"

"Woooooah! These shoes are awesome!" Fluonessia had her eyes wide open as she appreciated every shoe on display.

"It may be better to ask your coach what type of shoes would he recommend. He seems to know a lot more than we thought." Ericka said.

"So you're a Speedmage shoe nerd, Jonathan?" Fluonessia excitedly pumped her fists.

"Y-You can put it like that, yeah." I cringed.

"Oh! Before I pick, I want to ask a question first. How do Speedmage Shoes affect a Speedmage's performance?" Fluonessia energetically raised her hand.

"Well, Speedmage Shoes are the best catalyst for speed spells. You can compare it to a magic wand that sorcerers use, or a magic sword that a spell knight wields in battle. Speedmage Shoes absorb mana better than your normal shoes." I answered.

"Ooooh. Does that explain why there are three types of Speedster Shoes?" Fluonessia asked with curiosity written on her face.

"Yes. Speedster Shoes are most compatible with spells that enhance overall speed, while Striker Shoes are most compatible with spells that enhance control. On the other hand, Counter Shoes are best for all-around spells."

"So what do you think is the best role for me?" Fluonessia pressed her rosy face toward me.

I have seen Fluonessia do a lot of speed spells already, including those atrocious incidents she made me suffer for the past two weeks. Her mana capacity is good, and she is a beginner, so a pair of Counter Shoes would be best for her. Besides, Counter Speedmages has the lowest entry standards, but it boasts the highest skill ceiling of all Speedmage playstyles.

"I suggest being a Counter Speedmage," I said. "It's just a suggestion though, you don't need to stick to what I chose."

"I'll play as a Counter Speedmage then!" Fluonessia smiled.

"Well then, these are the shoes that are all compatible with Counter Speedmages." The Shopkeeper pushed a display rack full of shoes that contain all the Counter Shoes he has for sale.

"Woooow! There's so many!" Fluonessia gasped.

There are many kinds of shoes to choose from. Some brands even came from the west, such as the Wendigo series and the Hydra series. All of them look high-end, and we can never go wrong with any of them!

"Hey, Jonathan. If you were the Speedmage, what would you pick?" Fluonessia eagerly asked.

"Me?" I pointed to myself. "But I'm not-"

"Just pick!"

"Okay then." I glanced left to right, up and down, until I saw a pair of shoes that is kind of my type. "This one."

The one I picked is a crimson-pink boot with wing ornaments and white lines. It looked a little bit futuristic based on the design, and kind of edgy. Well, I'm edgy, and the pink color stands out. I prefer black though, but there's no such color on that model.

"That is the Minokawa Type-S, a new upgrade to the original Garuda series. That's a good choice for a beginner, and it can be adjusted for advanced users too!" Finally, the shopkeeper and I agreed on one thing.

"Then I'm taking those!" Fluonessia happily proclaimed.

"You serious? You're just gonna go with what I like?"

"Of course! You are my coach, so I can trust you completely! I promised to be the Speedmage Champion on your behalf, so I want you to feel like you are playing in my shoes!"

For a moment, I thought of Fluonessia as an angel for her thoughtfulness. It surprised me that this girl seem to hit the right spot in my heart by saying some witty things that I would never expect to hear from an idiot like her.

"Well then, should you try it out first?" Ericka asked.

"Yes!" Fluonessia made a fist pump to show her excitement.

<>

Ericka, the shopkeeper, and I stayed in the corridor to watch Fluonessia in the underground oval below. Our rookie speedmage is all set on the oval, and she is stationed at the first Checkpoint Tower. Seeing that Fluonessia is now ready, I wore the magical headset and spoke through the mic.

"Fluonessia, try going for a lap around the oval and touch the checkpoints while you can."

"Right," Fluonessia said with a determined gaze. "Wind Accel!"

Flunessia started with an immediate speed boost, and I'd say she is twenty percent faster than she was when using her regular shoes! Another thing I noticed is that the elemental wind contrails her shoes are leaving are no longer colored green, but crimson pink. The color of her mana will now match the color of her Speedmage Shoes, which is kind of cool to see.

However, her running direction is a mess. It is as if I'm looking at a drunken man trying desperately to walk home!

"Wo-Woah! These shoes are so light, it feels like I'm running barefoot! And it is so sensitive!" Fluonessia said.

"That's how I felt when I first tried a pair of Speedmage Shoes too. You'll get used to it." Ericka said through her set mic.

"R-Right!"

It took one whole lap on the oval until Fluonessia announced something to us.

"I'm getting the hang of it now, Coach!"

"Great! Now try using your spells!" I said.

"Alright! ...Air Trampoline! Rocket Jump! Whirlwind!"

Fluonessia jumped around the oval with her Air Trampoline and Rocket Jump. I was surprised when I saw her run around and perform the Whirlwind, which is the wind element version of Captain Tezza's Lightning Whirlpool. She just saw that spell one time, and she can use a wind-based spell of it already!?

I don't know if Fluonessia is an idiot or a genius.

Fluonessia continued to practice on her shoes for five minutes and then finally decided to buy them.

"Thank you for your patronage, oh sweet princesses!" The shopkeeper waved his hand goodbye.

"Thanks for your assistance, Wang!" Ericka waved back.

"Thank you very much, Mister Shopkeep!" Fluonessia bowed.

Instead of a kind goodbye, the shopkeeper just stared at me with disgust. To make it worst, I just heard him click his tongue with a "Tsk!" sound. What the heck did I ever do to him to have that kind of treatment!?

We were leaving the shop when Fluonessia ran her mouth again.

"You seem to know that shopkeep, Prez," Fluonessia said.

"Yes. He's been the shopkeeper there even back when my sister was competing in Speedmage Tournaments." Ericka said with a smile. "Anyway, we have our next stop which is a magical tailor."

We finally stopped at a shop that says "Magical Tailor", which means this is the place we were supposed to be. Suddenly, the two girls stopped right at the front of the tailor's entrance and then stared at me.

"Staaaaare."

"Staaaaare."

"W-What?"

"Well, we will have our measurements taken, so a boy is not permitted to come with us," Ericka said.

"J-Jonathan! I trust you completely! I really do! But as Prez said, you did not have to come!" Fluonessia said.

Are these girls really insecure about their measurements that I am not even allowed to enter?