The Magik Only An Apprenticeship Can Bring

Exhausted, the robed young woman flopped down in her favourite, plush armchair. Sure, there were some holes, cuts, and scrapes upon it, but it still was always there for her, guarded by an array of bookcases filled with an absurd number of titles. A hollow sigh escaped her as she allowed the surrounding comfort to swallow her whole. She sunk further and further inwards; her mind, that previously felt like a raging ocean, had slowed to that of a body of water with nary a ripple upon it. She continued her breathing techniques: in and out, in and out, in and out. It helped her cope. It alleviated the corner she had backed herself into upon deciding she wanted more out of life than working at the bakers or becoming a farmer. Especially after such an ordeal she had just undergone, there was nothing more the tanned-skinned, white-haired enchantress wanted to do but relax.

The hour hand of her clock, that sat high on the wall in her kitsch abode, had travelled a quarter of the way around, bringing her dangerously close to dinner. However, she had no energy to muster up something. She opened her eyes and flicked her wrist at a nearby unlit lamp that rested upon a tree stump table, the same one that fell prey to her increasingly astonishing progress. There was a click, and within mere moments the components had all worked together to form a small light within the crystalline lampshade. That lone orb, charged with energies too small to do anything but produce light, bobbed up and down, left and right; it was a harmless little thing. She watched it for a while, entranced by its movements and rhythm; it made her think of herself. Trapped, too powerless to do anything about it as a being higher than yourself willed you to just play your part.

Unaware of how long her jade-coloured eyes traced the dancer's moments, she thought about her current predicament. She could create something far greater than a simple orb to power her Magitek desk lamp. The scroll she had within her satchel at that very moment, the same bag that had been flung beside the unstable staircase moments after she entered her home, bore the proof she was fantastic at what she does. She had received one of the highest honours the Academy could bestow; and whilst a numerous few other people also received such a title, it still was a hard feat to impress even the headmaster himself. She had his grand signature, alongside a seal which told of her achievements, and even glowing recommendations from her professors. It seemed it was a mistake to have spent all that gold to learn to become a better magician. Where were the jobs?

There had been so many promises circling the rafters of the Academy, all of them spun from misconceptions, high hopes, and just downright lies. She recalled when she first began to look for what school was right for her, and remembered certain phrases that many seemed to state: 'once you graduate, you're guaranteed a job within the first month' or 'ninety-five percent of our student body move onto employment in their field'. They were the usual top selling points. It seemed becoming a magician came at the wrong time for her, as the pool of jobs in that industry had dried up, especially for an all-rounder like herself. She had such high hopes; she really thought she would come out of graduation with a solid job in helping her community.

It turned out a degree meant nothing if you didn't live within reach of the potential jobs (too many people already lived within the expensive expanse of Capital City, and most with above average potential), but there was also the trifling matter of transportation. There was public transport, true, though some of the jobs she had spotted required the use of a vehicle. She lacked work, and so lacked gold. A lack of gold could be fixed with a job; however, she was either too qualified for mundane work in the local shops in order to raise the money, or she was not able to go for the job as she lacked the correct mode of transport to begin with.

She looked over at the piece of parchment that sat atop various dead-end leads. It bore the scrawling of the potential 'job' for an employer, whose interview she had just returned from:

Magician Apprentice Wanted

Location: Capital City

Do you want to make a difference? Want to live a life outside musty libraries and studies? Long to stretch your legs and cast an array of spells in an ever-changing environment? Then you should apply to this wonderful intern opportunity in the heart of Capital City. We require a strong applicant who can deal with whatever life throws at them, be it: hordes of goblins and hobgoblins; squishy slimes of all kinds, or over-grown snails. We need someone who isn't afraid to show initiative, spunk, and a lot of talent. We request that the applicant be proficient in both supportive and chaotic magik for this ten-week apprenticeship.

Essential Skills and Experience

We would prefer it if you have the following traits and abilities:

• One of the highest honours bestowed upon your school, with a headmaster's signature, and a seal to prove it.

• Good grasp of turning animals into various objects, from potion bottles, to swords.

• Strong interest in magik and everything it entails, from transfiguration, to simple bursts of fire. We want you to be the best at what you do.

• Pro-active and self-motivated, with a thirst for seeing each job completed quickly.

• Willingness to be flexible and accept new challenges and quests, no matter where, when, why or how.

• Be proficient in the latest texts and techniques.

• Can use Magicsoft Works to record your adventures, quest log, and inventory.

• Can venture and work well alone as well as be part of a party.

Desirable Skills and Experience

These traits are desired, but not imperative:

• Be able to procure materials and craft your equipment at designated spots

• Personal project work featuring your skills in magik that better helps the community

• Willing to give things a try, even if the outcome may be irreversible

• Own, or know how to create, familiars or other guardian protectors

• Good haggling and communication skills

Starting gear will be provided to you upon completion of the two-day introduction course, where you will learn the skills needed to survive, earn gold coins, and make a name for yourself in the industry. We want a real person, brimming with confidence, and is able to work towards shared targets and personal deadlines.

Whilst this role is voluntary, and as such is not a paid position, this ten-week apprenticeship does provide a possible permanent paid position if we find the right applicant. Those whose skills do not match this role, or those with half a brain, need not apply; we apologise but due to the nature of the role, the walking dead are not permitted. Whilst we offer an equal opportunities scheme, due to our main headquarters being on holy soil, there is a relatively large chance of combustion and further death. We apologise for this and are hoping that from the strength of future applicants, we can formulate a way around this.

Please send your application, alongside any supporting documents of your wonderful achievements and fantastical accomplishments, to the address on the back of this parchment. If your initial application is successful, we will contact you for a telepathic-communication interview. From there, if this interview goes well we will invite you to an on-site interview where you can meet the team and we can gain a better feel for you. Travel expenses are provided (up to 50 gold coins for an all-around trip). We look forward to hearing from you.

It was a lengthy piece of text, and also they seemed to ask for a lot. It filled the aspiring magician with hope that this company would be the one for her. All the same, the travelling expenses were an issue. She frowned once more as she recalled the pitiful amount, and held her tongue during the interview if such an amount could be increased to better support those outside the city walls. There was no magik work for her in her small town, and so the only place was the main city. However, the trip over there from her current residence required a trip by train (which was powered by magic, as was all machines both small and large). The main issue was that the train cost more than the 50 gold coin limit. Such an amount would only cover a small carriage from her house to the station itself. She'd be losing money going for such a role, and she knew it.

Whilst this idea of losing money played around in her head, she knew that there were too many pros for her not to go through with it. What did she have to lose? She already had a hard time finding a place that would accept her, and when she did go for interviews she was usually dismissed and never heard back from them again. The prospect of gaining exposure, experience, contacts, and with the chance of a job at the end of it, she knew that it would be a good idea to dip into her savings and see where the road took her. There was no way she would go crawling on her hands and knees to the Wizard Guild and gain benefits to live off. She was not prepared to get that desperate. She knew what people thought of those who 'sponge'; and whilst she saw the service as supportive to most, she had heard of a few individuals who took advantage of it, soiling it's intended purpose.

She gave a heavy sigh as she closed her eyes, wanting her mind to subside back to its calm state once more. She would find a job she could do someday. She had the skills, the confidence, the right look (she had made sure to purchase the perfect clothes, as it's the robes that make the magician); the only thing she lacked was experience. Various jobs wished for her to have experience in this-that-or-the-other, and wouldn't allow scholarly endeavours alone; they wanted real world experience. How was she to gain experience in the field of on-sight magik if none of the paid jobs would hire her? They want experience, but won't provide her the chance to gain that experience with them because she lacked experience, which she would gain by working for them. It was a vicious cycle.

It continued to repeat and cascade around her cranium until her head spun. The world of work was nothing like what she envisioned within the safe ivory walls of her protective prison; the Academy. It seemed like a cruel joke. She felt so unprepared, so alone. The last six months had gone by in a heartbeat. She wouldn't let herself lose hope though. Every magician has their day, and hers was just on the horizon. All she had to do was believe.

Reviews

[Author Gus]

This feels like the entry to a book, the first chapter of a saga. I like how relatable you made your main character. This is a story with a clear demographic for it's target audience and if ever there was a time to release this book it would be now. Many Harry Potter fans are graduating from college right now and they would love to see this story in a book. They went to high school with Harry and could be entering the working world with.. aw, I couldn't remember her name because you didn't give her one. Shame, I liked the character but a face without a name is any easy thing to forget.

[Jimtenbo]

Thank you for your review, it means a lot. I think on retrospect I should have given her a name (think she did have one in the draft), unsure why I didn't in the end.